I finished Kitty Love! I guess I did just need a switch. Ive been toying with the idea of rotating again. My plan at the moment is to pick a project at the beginning of the month. If I finish it before the end of the month, I'll work on something else. If not, I'll switch to a different project at the beginning of the next month. So that may last a week. Since I just finished Kitty Love, I think I'll pull out Dragonfly Quick Stitch. It's calling pretty loudly, and I've got another day to stitch this month. I can stitch for a little while tonight, and a little bit tomorrow, between the YMCA and the party.
I don't remember my 2007 goals. I think they were to finish everything I already had started. So, not even close! It's all good, though. I think I only had about ten finishes, almost all of them small. I've also lost count on how many projects I started.
My 2008 goals are simple. I want to finish five projects that I already have started. Which five doesn't matter. No, that's wrong. I will finish Tobi's stocking this year! That's about it for goals.
I also would like to lose at least twenty pounds. I have lost ten since the end of September. It's been hard, but I would love to lose a total of about sixty pounds. The actual weight is not as important as being healthier.
That's all for me! Happy New Year!

Labels: Dragonfly QS, Finishes, Goals, Kitty Love

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

Life is still hectic, but getting a little better. I have been stitching more than before, but still not much. I am going to try to put up a picture of my pitiful progress on Tobi's stocking. I guess pitiful progress is still progress though.
My October goal was to work on Tobi's stocking for an hour everyday. Not even close. I did maybe an hour a week.
My November goal is to finish all the cross stitch on Tobi's stocking. I have to. I have to get this done by Christmas. It is getting there, slowly, but surely.
Speaking of Christmas, for the first time ever, I've gotten my shopping done early! I have gotten almost all of the boys' presents. I still want to get Darin a droppable toddler's digital camera. Maybe then, he'll stop stealing mine. I also want to get them Ratatouille and the DVD of Pixar shorts. They both come out Tuesday.
The boys had a good Halloween. Tobi was a very cute Harry Potter, and Darin was Diego. Pictures will come when I have more energy. We went trick-or-treating with my sister and her family. I ended up carrying Darin about half the way. My arms and back are still very sore. They got more candy than I know what to do with. So not what I need to lose weight.
I have lost a total of three pounds in a month. Not bad, but not great. I am going to the YMCA at least five times a week. I am doing aerobics on the weekend. I have done at least twenty minutes of cardio every day since the fourteenth. Even when I don't lose weight, my measurements get smaller.
My wedding ring doesn't fit anymore. It's really starting to slip off easily now. I may start wearing it on a chain instead. I'm not sure about getting it sized. We bought it off eBay. I've never had a ring sized, but I'm just not sure it's worth it. I don't know how much it costs, and I'm afraid it will cost more to size the ring than we paid for it. It's a mystic topaz set in sterling silver. It's not worth much, but it's all we could afford. It's very pretty and special to me.
Tomorrow is Tobi's first school field trip. I get to chaperone! The teacher said they'd had lots of volunteers, but most of them had not had their background checks done. I passed mine, and I'm very excited. They're going to an apple orchard, and I remember going there in first grade. Tobi's very excited, too.
Darin is spending tonight at my mom's, and tomorrow while we're gone. Every eight weeks or so, dealing with my difficult son, worrying about my husband, and PMS all catch up with me. I think Darin is the biggest factor in this. It's not really his fault though. It's just that we're together, all day, every day, and we both grate on each other's nerves. He's a stubborn child, at a difficult age, going through a stressful, confusing (to a four-year-old) situation. The doctor said it was normal. I just need a break sometimes. Of course, that makes me feel like a bad mom, along with several other things I just can't seem to teach Darin. Today I cried in the locker room after a child care worker had to come get me because Darin had an accident. It wouldn't be so bad if it really was an accident, but he does it because he's mad at me. Oh well. At least I know they gave me the right baby. He's just like I was at that age.
Anyway. I think that's all for now. I gotta get some sleep if I'm gonna help look after a buttload of kindergartners tomorrow. Have a nice weekend.

Labels: Goals, Holidays, Kids, Real Life, Tobi's Stocking, Weight Loss

I didn't really have any goals for September. I worked on Angel Of Capricorn, Dragonfly QS, and Ruby QS. I also started and finished the newest Mother's Wisdom, Listen To Your Teacher.
My goal for October is to put in at least on hour everyday on Tobi's stocking. I hope to finish it November. Then he can finally have it for Christmas. It's driving me nuts.
Tobi lost another tooth! He let me pull it, which I thought was a big deal. I always hated having somebody pull my teeth! He showed me how much it was wiggling, and you could see the root of the tooth poking through his gums! So I gave it a little tug, and it came right out. Tobi was so excited about the tooth fairy coming back, he didn't realize how much he was bleeding! I had to give him a wet washcloth to hold on it. I am so proud of him. He didn't cry or whine or anything. He "took it like a man." He forgot to put it under his pillow, but the tooth fairy left him some money anyway. He asked me this morning if I would go to Target and buy him a set of Star Wars guys with his money while he was in school. Unfortunately, they only had a few sets, and they were all ones he already had.
I joined the YMCA and Spark People. I've decided that when Jymi comes home I will be skinny. I joined Monday morning, and have been four times. When I drop Darin off at the child care room, he gets so upset. Monday, I couldn't leave him, and today they told me they'd get me if he wouldn't stop. So I did about fifteen minutes on the treadmill, and went back to check on him. There's always someone at the door, and she saw me coming down the hall and said he was fine. Worrying about Darin helped keep my heart rate up, though. So I went back and worked out some more.
Monday afternoon, after Darin's tantrum in the morning, we went back after school with Tobi. He was fine while Tobi was there, too. They didn't play together, but Darin just felt more secure with Tobi there. He was still not happy to be there this morning. After I picked up Tobi, he asked if we were going back. I didn't see why not, so we went back again in the afternoon. According to Spark People, in two days, I've burned over six hundred calories. I don't plan to go twice a day everyday, but for now, while Darin is still getting used to the child care.
The boys have also joined a self defense/Karate class at the YMCA. The first class is in a couple days, and the boys are excited. Every time we pass the stairs, they ask if we're going up there. I think they'll enjoy it. After the two work outs though, I'm exhausted. Good night, all!

Labels: Finishes, Goals, Kids, Mother's Wisdom, New Starts, Real Life, Tobi's Stocking, Weight Loss

My August goals were all new starts. I wanted to start: Angel Of Capricorn, Earth Song, and Wizard Of Oz. I decided I didn't want to start Wizard of Oz right now anymore. I did get a good start on Earth Song. I am doing better with Angel Of Capricorn, but it's still slow going. It's not quite confetti, but it's not far from it.
This month, I'm not sure what I want to do. I'm thinking I'll just wing it, and stitch on whatever sounds good when I put down something else. Waiting is calling me very loudly, but I don't have fabric yet. We'll see.
I decided Oriental Courage would be my waiting-in-the-car-for-Tobi project. It's small and only has one color. Right now I'm still rereading, so I don't need it yet. Besides, right now, it's so insanely hot (the a/c in both cars are broken), that I'm not even willing to think about taking a piece of fabric have in my lap. Yesterday, I rolled up my jeans as far as I could. I've also been putting three bottles of water in the freezer at lunch, so they'll stay cool the whole time in the car.
Tobi's doing well in school. He was the Star Student one day last week. He got in trouble one day, and after a evening of no video or computer games, he was so much better behaved, that his teacher called to remark on his improvement! he's a little upset that he doesn't get to go on Monday.
Right now we're all sick, and he may not go Tuesday either, if he's not better. He seems to have it worst. At bedtime, he told me he thought he needed to go to the doctor, but they won't be open again until Tuesday. If he gets worse, I'll take him to the emergency medical center, but I really think it's just the flu, though. Darin and I are both feeling horrible, too. I had to get some groceries earlier, and I could barely lift Darin to put him in the cart. He's only thirty pounds! We're all exhausted and miserable. Which is why there's no updated picture of Angel Of Capricorn. I have made progress, I'm just wiped out to get up and scan it. I will post one when I fell better.
Jymi has arrived in Iraq. He says it's pretty quiet at the moment. Cross your fingers, and hope it stays that way.

Labels: Angel Of Capricorn, Goals, Jymi, Kids, New Starts, Real Life Sucks

I don't have any new stitching to show right now. Cascade is still on my Q-Snaps, but it's being neglected at the moment. I've spent almost all of the last two days cleaning, and when I did have time to sit down, I didn't want to have to think. My sleeping patterns are now totally out of whack. I go to bed at two and get up at eleven. So I've been getting up, making brunch, and spending two hours cleaning the boys' room. I should finish today, the third day of working on it. It's been quite a while since I REALLY cleaned in there. After I'd finished on the boys' room, I've had to wash dishes and make dinner. Not long after dinner, it's time to get the boy's ready for bed. Once I get their room done, I'm gonna clean the rest of the house, too. Hopefully I'll get it done before Jymi gets home.
Once the boys go to bed, I've been reading. I'm still rereading Harry Potter, and I'm about halfway through Goblet Of Fire. I can only read after the boys go to bed, though. I can stitch for five minutes, go do something for them, come back and stitch for another five minutes, and so on. I can't do that when I'm reading. I don't need quiet, but I don't like to be interrupted either. So reading goes much slower now that I can't go in the bedroom and lock Jymi and the boys out.
Now for SBQs. Do you consider yourself a “floss miser?” A little, but not nearly as much as I used to. When Jymi and I first moved in together, I'd stitch till the very end of a thread, and then do three more stitches. We just didn't have the money to buy more thread, so I made it go as far as I could. Now, I still use all the thread, but I stop with alot more left than I used to. Does that make sense? Probably not.
What do you love to do that many people hate? What do you hate to do, but do anyway?
I like working with metallic braid. I discovered Thread Heaven, which helped so much! I do still hate blending filament, though. I also hate lazy daisies and any kind of knot.
Which project (finished or in progress) are you most proud of? Explain why.
Right now, it's Cascade. It's going to be beautiful, and huge. If I ever finish it, I will have to throw a party to celebrate. Of course, I'll be eighty by then. That will probably change with my next project, though.
Have you ever thought of getting a rider on your household insurance to properly cover your stash (some of us have quite an extensive stash that an average household policy wouldn't fully cover) in the case of some sort of damage to your house that would destroy/ruin charts, fabrics, floss, etc?
No, because, um, I don't have any household insurance. I know, bad, but we can barely pay all the bills normally. It just doesn't seem like a good idea to add another one. When we buy a house (hopefully soon), will definitely get insurance. I may do it then though.
Now my mom has a cross stitch quilt that she has had insured. Before I was born, the other nurses where she worked each stitched a Precious Moments block, and then they had it sewn into a quilt. One of the ladies (I don't know if it was Gloria or Pat), was at the cross stitch store my mom went to then. She took it and showed her. She suggested the insurance, since it would've cost her over a thousand dollars to have a model stitcher do all that, and have it quilted. That was in the eighties, too.
My July goals were: work on Tobi's stocking and 900 stitches each on Pirate, Cascade, and Angel Of Capricorn. I did everything except start Angel Of Capricorn. I also worked on seven other projects this month.
My August goals are more new starts. I want to start: Angel Of Capricorn, Earth Song, and Wizard Of Oz. I also need to pick a project to stitch in line in the car when I go pick Tobi up from school. I'll probably take book until I finish rereading Harry Potter though, so no rush.
In non-stitchy goals, I want to Darin to have a happy birthday (eight more days), enjoy all of Jymi's visit, even the time spent with in-laws, and make it through Tobi's first day of school without crying. My mom and my sister are already making plans. I also need to survive the next few days. They're going to be very busy with trying to get everything clean. Today I will finish the boys' room, clean the kitchen, and give the boys baths. Tomorrow I'm cleaning the living room, taking the boys to get haircuts, and number of other boring errands. Every time I think about everything I have to do, it just overwhelms me. Deep breath. One thing at a time.

Labels: Books, Cascade, Goals, Jymi, Kids, Real Life Sucks, SBQ

My June goal was just to stitch and enjoy it. Done!
I put my July goals up on the HAED board, and the first one was to put at least 900 stitches in Pirate. I did that today. I want to start Cascade and Angel Of Capricorn this month. I also want to work on Tobi's stocking some. I'll start stitching on that tomorrow. I've ordered fabric for the other two, but it's not here yet.
I bought Tobi a backpack today. We don't have his full supplies list, but I know he'll need a bookbag. Darin is very jealous. I promised him next payday we'd get him one, too. We also picked up a few other basics: pencils, a sharpener, and a notebook. Both Tobi and I are excited and nervous about his first day. That's all for now. Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Labels: Goals, Kids, Pirate

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

Don't you just love when everything in life blows up at you? Two weeks ago, Jymi had five teeth pulled, (four wisdom teeth, and one other). For a week, I had an extra child. It took me three days of sleeping in for me to become halfway human again. The next weekend, the computer died. Yay. It took Jymi a week and quite a few obscenities to get that fixed. Friday night, I got a ticket, because apparently my tags have expired. My notice must've gotten lost in the mail, because we had no idea. So now I have to go to court in June. Yesterday I had to take Jymi to another dentist, for cavities. They worked on one, and decided it was going to have to be pulled, and they didn't have time to work on the other two. If all that was enough, on the way to the babysitter's, we had a tire blow out. The spare was flat, and the other rear tire won't last much longer. So I had to get up early this morning, go pay the taxes, and then go to the DMV, so Jymi could drive my car to work. We can't afford new tires for his car until payday. Then there's my kids, who are always trying to kill each other, and the entire three days I spent cleaning the house. I'm ready to start pulling my hair out.
The good news is, I got my birthday present early. I had been considering getting a kitten when Jymi left, to ease the loneliness. Tobi's been watching alot of Animal Planet lately, which always has heart breaking animal shelter PSAs. He's been coming out crying "for the pets". I tried explaining that, despite how much I would love to be able to give all the poor animals a loving home, we just can't. Tobi replied, "Well can we just have one kitty?" When I told Jymi, he suggested we go ahead and get one. So that Friday, we went down to animal control. We had seen one called Miss Priss online, that Jymi liked, but when we got there, she came right up to the glass. She loved on the boys through the window. We looked at all the other cats, but our mind was kinda made up already. We brought her home and changed her name to Hannah. She's about three years old, and has been a stray all her life. We considered naming her Anna, since she was so anorexic looking (under all that fur; her vet says she doesn't even weigh a whole pound), but it seemed a little bleak. Tobi misheard and said, "Like Hannah Montana?", and we decided Hannah was good. She's very sweet and affectionate. She's smart, too. The first person she really made up to Jymi, who loves her now.
I've been stitching on my model, but still no pictures. I also worked on Tobi's stocking some too, but Blogger's gone funny, so no pictures of it today. I think I can finish it by July, at the rate I'm going. I've also decided that when Jymi leaves, I'm going to start Merlin And Arthur. I'm also considering starting Invariance, either at the same time, or after I finish two of the other big things I've got started. the thing is, I don't have the chart yet, and I'm supposed to be on the Fifty Project Challenge. After all the chaos and headbanging of the last couple weeks, I need to give in to one addiction, and stash buying is healthier than smoking. I'll probably just use my birthday money. What I really want is to see the companion, Blue Invariance charted. Maybe one day.
My April goals were: finish my model, try to do the SALs, and work on Tobi's stocking. The model's not done yet, but it's close. I had to frog and restitch part of it, and in doing so, I found that part of it was half a stitch off. So I spent all my stitching time yesterday frogging. I'll start restitching today. It shouldn't take too long. My May goals are: finish the model, SAL, and work on Tobi's stocking. Sound familiar?

Labels: Computers, Goals, Jymi, Models, New Starts, Pets, Project Challenge, Real Life Sucks, Stash, Tobi's Stocking

My goals for March were: participate in The Castle, Black Swan, and Teresa Wentzler SALs, continue with Tobi's stocking (finsh at least the shelves, maybe the drawers), and maybe start something small. I SALed when I could, and I did finish the shelves and drawers. I did my Dragon Dreams exchange piece, which could qualify as my small project. I also started a model.
Time for my April goals. First up is to finish my model. Of course, I'm also gonna try to do the SALs, when I'm done with the model. Other than that, I just plan to work on Tobi's stocking.
Now for last week's SBQ. Do you have a system for organizing freebie charts in your stash? If so, what is it? Do you print out copies of all of the freebies that you find on the web (that you think you might actually stitch) or do you maintain electronic copies of them until you are ready to stitch them?
Mostly, I print them when I'm ready to stitch them. I have different folders for different designers. The ones I do have printed are organized in my notebooks by designers.
No current stitching pics to share. So here's a picture of the chart for Land Of Enchantment (Heaven And Earth Designs). I got the email version in a trade awhile back, but the printer ran out of ink after about ten pages. We got more ink recently, so I printed the other twenty something pages. I'm currently having a hard time resisting starting one of these. I went to get needles yesterday, and debated whether or not to get fabric. Maybe when I finish Tobi's stocking.
I did find out that the peeling on my tattoos was normal. They're done peeling now, and they itch like mad. Jymi says I'll be ready for my next one as soon as it stops itching. I'm ready now, I just don't have anymore spare cash, and I want to lose more weight before I get another. Between two kids and depression, I've gain about seventy-five pounds. I've lost seven, though. I'll get my next one when I've lost at least fifty.

Labels: Goals, Models, SBQ, tattoos

I finally got my Halloween Hob Nobbs back from the framers. Money's very tight at the moment, so I haven't been paying on my frames. You can see it in the picture, but you can see the wood grain in the frame. That little bit of variation goes so well with overdyed border.
I've been working on Tobi's stocking. I'm going to try to finish the shelves this week. It's starting to feel like Darin's did. It took forever to get through the piano, and it was as boring as could be, but once I got through it, everything else went so much faster. Once I finsh the shelves and drawers, there's not that much to it. So I'm gonna stick with this for awhile, and resist starting something new. Yes, I hear you all booing.
I got my payment for Snowfight: Violet yesterday. I got a copy of each new Cross Eyed Kat designs from Nashville (Triangularity, Easter Ellipse, Mayan Mystery, Snowfight: Violet, and X Marks The Spot, a freebie). I also got the Waterlilies for Mayan Mystery, one of the Dinky Dyes for White Nights In St. Petersburg, Trail Creek Farm's Winter, and fabric to finsh my own Snowfight: Violet.
I have just noticed I never set my goals for Feburary. Well, I finished A Wee Bit Irish and In Every Nest. I started and finished Irish Coffee. I worked on part four of Persian Iris Garden, but got fed up with it. I partcipated in some of the Black Swan and Teresa Wentzler SALs, but I was always busy, or sick, or something on Saturdays for The Castle.
My goals for March are: participate in The Castle, Black Swan, and Teresa Wentzler SALs, continue with Tobi's stocking (finsh at least the shelves, maybe the drawers), and maybe start something small (must resist Merlin And Arthur).

Labels: Framing, Goals, Models, Stash, Tobi's Stocking

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

My goals for November were to finish my ornament for the exchange and work on my model. Done.
My goals for December are to finish the model, start, finish, and ornamentify the new Dragon Dreams Christmyth ornament, sew Grandmother's (in-law) butterflies into pillows, pick a project to stick with until it's finished (yeah right), and kit up The Castle for the stitch along on New Year's.
Non-stitching goals for this month include getting present for children only. Adults and their wants are not in our budget. Children and their wants are only barely in our budget. I love giving people presents, so this may be hard. Other than that, just survive the month and all it's stresses.
Christmas is always a scramble for us. When everyone else starts shopping in the beginning of November, we start trying to scrape together money for Tobi's birthday (November 27), and only after that's taken care do we remember Christmas is not far behind. Last night I bought the boys a new TV for their room for Christmas. I had priced them at Target, and the cheapest ones all had bad reviews when I checked the brands out online. So I got a name brand. What didn't make any sense to me though, was the smaller TVs cost alot more. I decided to pay less for the bigger one. I got out to the parking lot, only to find it was too big to get in my car. It would have fit if the front passenger door opened, but it doesn't anymore. Yes, my car sucks that bad. So I called my mom (she has a SUV) and she took the TV to hide until we have out Christmas get together. Tonight, Jymi's going to get off work early, and I'm going to try to mail my ornament, otherwise it's going to be late. After that we're going to Toys-R-Us. We'll take the boys through the store to make lists for Santa, and then Jymi will take them to look at video games or something, while I pick out what Santa will bring them, buy it, and load it into the car. Since they're getting a TV, they won't get much else.
I've also gotta find two presents for my niece. Her birthday is four days before Christmas, and she'll be ten. She's decided she's too old for Barbies and princess stuff, which has suddenly made shopping for her insanely difficult. She may end up with a gift certificate to Michael's or the bookstore if I can't find anything. She does like crafts and books very much. I swear she's my mini me. She looked just like me when she was born, and the only way to tell us apart in pictures of us at the same age is to look at how old the other people are. Especially since she got alot of my old baby/toddler dresses my mom made.
I've got two SBQs to catch up on. Do you stitch Christmas ornaments? If so, how many do you stitch each year and for whom? If not, why not? I do stitch ornament, of course. This year, I think I've done eighteen or nineteen, and I plan to do at least one more. I stitched one for an exchange, and the rest are for our tree. Yes I am stingy, but please also remember Jymi and I have only been living together for three years. We haven't had time or money to collect ornaments, and the few we have bought, are too heavy for the little fake tree we have, and we don't have room for anything bigger at the moment. So it need some light cross stitch ornaments. When the boys go to school, I plan to stitch and ornament for each of their teachers. My mom always did for my teachers, and they always loved it. I don't stitch ornaments for Jymi's family. I stitch Just Another Button Company's Oh Holy Night for Jymi's grandmother last year, because she collects nativity scenes. She loved it. Jymi's mom (who doesn't like me anyway), however gave me the dirtiest look that said, "How could you be so cheap?" First of all, for as little as it was, it was pretty expensive. Not to mention the four hours I spent fighting to try to finish it (it was my first attempt at that particular method). In my family, handmade gifts means you are very loved, because someone spent alot of time to make something just for you. I guess the same is not true for Jymi's family.
How do you secure your thread when you begin a new one? Specifically, do you or have you ever used a waste knot? Usually, I use the loop method. If I'm using overdyes, or an odd number of threads, I'll either run it under stitches that are already there or hold a small tail in the back and stitch over it. I have only ever used a waste knot once, on my very first project, and I'm pretty sure I did it wrong. I just tied a knot in my thread and started stitching. If that piece is still around anywhere, that knot is still on the back. After that, my mom taught me the loop method, and then when I did something with a blend, I figured I could start a thread the same way I ended it, and that would hold it enough.
I've taken a picture of one of the projects Jymi's grandmother gave me, but the butterflies need to be scanned to even begin to show their beauty, and I can't for the life of me get it to work. So that will be my next post! Have a nice weekend!

Labels: Goals, Holidays, Ornaments, SBQ

Tobi was very sweet while trick-or-treating! We went with Jymi's little sister, Kristi (12), her friend (also 12), and her friend's brother (about 6 or 7).
One house had a guy in a Michael Myers mask who was perfectly still until he decided to scare someone. My boys went and trick-or-treated at the house, and Kristi went and stood right in front of Michael Myers man and said, "If he moves, I'm gonna scream!" (He was very good, you really had to watch to tell whether or not he was real). So when she left, he picked her to scare. She kinda asked for it.
All he did was move just a little when she walked by, and scared the heck out of her! She ran to her mom crying, saying she didn't want to trick-or-treat anymore. Jymi's dad told the man off for scaring the little kids, which I don't agree with. He didn't scare the LITTLE kids. He didn't make a move when it was Tobi , Darin (3), and the friend's brother. He scared the twelve-yaer-olds. But Tobi went with him when he did it, and stood on foot from Michael Myers, shook his finger at him, and said, "It's not funny!" in a very authorative way. The he went to Kristi and gave her hug, and said, "Are you okay Aunt Kwissy?" At the next house, he held her hand up the driveway, just in case she got scared again! I was so proud of him! Everyone loved his costume, and remarked that he looked just like Harry Potter. Darin was very cute, too! He would only put them head hood on to roar at people. When we stopped at Jymi's parents' house, one of their dogs freaked out. This was her first Halloween, and she han't seen us since July, so when this short, green person with a tail showed up, she had a fit. She got used to Jymi, Tobi, and I very quickly, but she barked at Darin for an hour. Once Darin came to show me something, with his back to the dog. So she bit his tail. I don't if she thought she was dominant, or realized it was fake, or what, but after that she was okay with Darin. I didn't get a chance to take pictures, or I'd post them. They had alot of fun!
Now for my goals. My goals in October were work on any models I get, and stitch on Tobi's stocking. I've done both of those! I stitch two sets of models (four fobs per set). The one on the left is called Fiber Fobs, and the one on the right is Fab Fobs. I've also started my ornament for the exchange, and finished part 2 of my Persian Iris Garden, just in time to get part 7! I also finished An Arm And A Leg, except for the buttons, and I ornamentified that and my two Snowfights. Not bad.
My goals for November are to finsh my ornament for the exchange and work on my model. I doubt I'll have time for anything else this month. If I do, I'll probably start Kitty Love. I got the chart and most of the silks needed as payment for the two sets of fobs. I still need one more color, but I can start it as soon as I have time. I do want to have it done in time for Valentine's Day. I've already done the first two.

Labels: Goals, Kids, Models, Stash