Stitchy Marathon Today!

Well, 'twas a rainy and windy day today. We were up a bit late playing Scattergories last night. I have not played that game in years. We had so much fun. Dinner was delicious. DH and I refused to weigh ourselves today. LOL It was so nice having everyone together and we just had such a nice time. It is my favorite way to spend a special time like a holiday or birthday.

We had a very quiet day at home, which was quite relaxing. Liesie just dozed on the sofa all day in her blankies. I stitched all afternoon and watched the race, which was quite boring. I got so much done and was speeding along quite quickly until I realized that somewhere in all of the confetti stitching, that I have a mistake. It would have taken forever to find, but I remembered a hint that someone on the 123 stitch board had given as advice. I got out white sewing thread and started making running stitches in order to form a graph on the fabric. I still have a ways to go but I think I am getting closer to isolating the error. I am hopeful that it is not something that is drastic and that I can just stitch around it. The graphing idea is quite smart and I think having the graph may help me to avoid future errors as I will be able to have a better reference point for my stitches.

I will get to putter around tomorrow. I work for a rare company that believes that no one should have to work on their birthday, so I have it off. It is supposed to rain for the next 4 days so it will be nice to be home with Liesie for one of those days. I am going to putter in the craft room and stitch the afternoon away with a cup of tea. My DD is coming over with our favorite sushi for dinner and we are going to play with her sewing machine. So I need to think about our sewing plan. It should be super fun.

Hope everyone has a terrific week!

Saturday

It has been an interesting day. We had a funeral to attend for a lady at church this morning. It was a beautiful service and almost two hundred people attended. We should all be so fortunate to have so many friends. It is the reward of living a truly loving life.

It is not lost on me that we are honoring death and celebrating birth today. It gives me a lot to ponder.

My hubby has been making my birthday lasagna all afternoon. I cleaned the house then sat down with my laptop. I went looking for a freebie pattern on a designer's blog and then saw that the blog had a totally cute background. I clicked on the link to the background provider and got all motivated to change the background on my blog because they had such adorable items. Well, one thing leads to another which led to a new template, resizing of photos, next thing you know, the afternoon is gone.

The kids will be here in about an hour. All of the cooking smells are making me crazy with hunger. I am starting to get really excited. I love family dinners because we laugh alot and play board games. It is too much fun. Liesie loves the house being full of people, too! When we all go to hug goodbye she gets up on her hind legs with each person and has to be hugged. She's people. LOL

I had thought that I was going to stitch, but with my little blog project time got away. I will get to stitch tomorrow afternoon during the race. Whoohoo! Hopefully, we will have a little leftover lasagna. We have our Mardi Gras celebration brunch at church tomorrow complete with Dixieland band. I am looking forward to all of the fun and yummy food.

TGIF!

Well, today was a great day. I got my work done and my office cleaned so I was feeling pretty productive. The best two parts of the day though was that we had a nice lunch today. The two of us birthday girls in the office got taken out to lunch. Both of us love Mexican food so it was a nice treat. In the afternoon they had a wonderful, homemade birthday cake for us that was quite lovely. It made me feel pretty special. I love going to my job everyday but today was really special.

Although my birthday is not until Monday, tomorrow is my family dinner/birthday party. It is my favorite dinner of the year. My kiddoes come over. DH makes my very favorite dinner, homemade lasagna with homemade pasta. It is so good, but so labor intensive that I only ask for it once a year. DH also always makes my birthday cake from scratch. This year I asked for chocolate. (Past years have included Black Forest Cake and German Chocolate!)

DH spent this evening baking so I sat in the living room and stitched. (I offered to help DH but I was shooed out of the kitchen.) It was nice to work on the Lady. I found an error in my stitching but it was only a small one. I feel a little frustrated due to all of the confetti stitching. It makes for slow going and because all of the stitches are spread out, I do not get a sense of having gotten alot done. I am wondering if I should return to my hardanger project so that I can take a little break from this project. I shall have to mull that over...

In any case, I am looking forward to the weekend, and to being able to get somethings done around the house. Of course, the craft room beckons me to work on it, but since it is the only room left, it should not be too bad of a project. It just seems really unorganized right now. Wish me luck as I psych myself up to go in there. LOL

One Spoiled Doggie!

My Liesie loves to be tucked in. Every night between 7:15 and 7:30 she gets up on the sofa next to me and lays down on her blankie, waiting to be wrapped up, burrito style. Here she is an hour into her slumber. When it is time to bed for the night she either climbs under our covers or goes to her own bed, where she waits for me to tuck her in with her pink blankie. She will not lay her head down until she is sufficiently tucked in.

I still believe that spoiled though she is, that I get far more out of the deal.

Anyway, it was a great day. I got a little bit of stitching done in my car at lunch. It was a lovely sunny day, a break between last weekend's rainstorm and this weekend's storms. I got quite a few stitches put in. It is quite nice to stitch at lunch. It is very peaceful. It distracts me from accounting so I go back refreshed in the afternoon. I was able to get some of the red roses next to the lady done, which finally breaks up all that green a bit. I still feel a bit anxious about starting the border, but am thinking I would like to forge ahead as much as possible this weekend and then start the border next week.

I am planning on working on the craft room this weekend. My baby girl is coming over on Monday to learn how to use her sewing machine, so I really want to be in there with a clear floor and desk. Think good thoughts for me...I am thinking the best way to learn how to sew is by learning a simple quilt block. I shall have to page through my quilting books to see if there is an easy project. I am excited about and think it will be really fun!

Happy President's Day

I finally got to sit and stitch today! It poured and poured today. So much so that they had to cancel the last round of the Pro-Am at Pebble Beach today. I was looking at my neighbor's rain gauge earlier and it appears that we have acquired a little over 4 inches in the last few days. This is good because California really needs it, badly! We had really warm temperatures all through January (70's-80's) when it is usually raining and cold. So we welcome the rain. I am glad that it occurred when we were home for the weekend so I did not have to drive in it.

We did get a lot done in the house today. There is only one room to finish left. (I think you can probably guess which one...) Anyway, Whoohoo! Everything looks so nice and cozy. We are both so pleased with how it had turned out.

It was really nice to stitch tonight and listen to the rain falling on the roof. I worked on the Lady of the Thread. I have been working in the shades of green and am starting to feel like I need to play with another color for a while. I am thinking that I would like to start working on the fruit border to kind of break it up a bit, but want to work so that I have another reference point to make sure I counted my stitches correctly, so that it all meets up correctly. Otherwise I start the flashbacks...

When I was 18, I worked my very first piece of counted cross stitch. I had bought it on accident at JC Penney, thinking it was stamped cross stitch. Being frugal, and since the package was opened, I proceeded with the piece. It was a Della Robbia wreath. (Obviously, fruit wreaths are a running theme with me. LOL) I worked on that piece for months. When it came time for the two sides to meet, I had been off in my count so it did not match up right. I then had my first experience with hunting for a mistake and ripping out my work. Ultimately, I was able to fix it, but I get a twitch just thinking about it.

I am not sure what happened to the piece, but to this day I shudder to think of what the back looked like. LOL

I guess I will stitch the Lady a bit more so that I can feel confident with the count. I think I have scared myself with that memory that I will be having nightmares tonight.

Have a super week!

Progress!

I finally got around to taking a new picture of my progress on Lady of the Thread. I have not had an opportunity to work on it so far this weekend. We have been busy working on the last of the unpacking and organizing so I have been busy or tired. The house does look nice and cozy so it has been worth all of the effort. You are probably noticing that I have not mentioned my craft room though...

Okay, good time to change the subject, LOL... We did go to our play last night. It was High School Musical. The cast was really good and did a wonderful job. It totally exceeded our expectations and was just a lot of fun. We had a really wonderful time and were still can not believe the high caliber of the talent that was available for our local community theater. They were so professional and talented. DH and I said that we will definitely have to go to their next offering.

DH and I are not really into exchanging gifts for Valentine's Day. We do little things for each other throughout the year, so generally we exchange cards and eat a nice dinner at home on the 14th. (DH made roast chicken, Yum!) I was able to find a Valentine from the dog at Target so Liesie was able to give her daddy a Valentine, too. DH and I both really love chocolate, so we generally have an unspoken agreement about not bringing large Valentine selection boxes into the house at Valentines. It is too much temptation. Since moving, both of us have lost over 10 pounds each. We are proud and happy to be fitting into our clothes. We have been careful with our diets. However, today temptation was thrown into our path...

After church today, we stopped by the grocery store to pick up some tomato soup for lunch. At the front of the store, they had all of their Valentine chocolates at 50% off. We were doing so well, passing up Hersheys, Reese's, Russel Stover...But alas, then the two words for which neither of us has any resistance, showed up in a beautiful red heart box. Those two words were Whitman Sampler. We were weak. Whitman Sampler chocolates at 50% off. They bring back so many memories and are so yummy. We just did not even have a chance with our willpower. Of course, it had to come home with us. We have only had one piece each though, so we are doing well. Why, oh why, do they have to be so delicious?!

I have tomorrow off so I am hoping that I can get some stitching done then. I still have puttering to do and the craft room remains in a state of disrepair, but I really need to spend some time with the needle and thread for my sanity so I will have to carve out some time to stitch.

Made It To The Weekend

Oh my goodness, the weekend is finally here. I got home, changed clothes, ran errands and had Greek food with hubby. There is a great place here that is really inexpensive and the food is terrific. On the way home we stopped at Trader Joe's so that we would have treats for the weekend. We always find something new and interesting at TJ's. Tonight we found a sundried tomato pesto that I am sure is delicious over pasta for a quick dinner. Then we found little appetizers that are brie with raspberries in phyllo. There outta be a law. LOL

I had big ol' plans of stitching tonight. I am afraid that I was already tired before running errands. Combine that with running around and I am totally fried. I am barely keeping my eyes open.

DH and I are really looking forward to puttering around the house tomorrow. We are looking forward to sleeping in until at least 7, which is about the dog's limit. I am hoping to get in a little stitching in the afternoon before I have to get all gussied up for our date. I really have to get a gift stitched for a friend, so if I can get the craft room set up in the morning, then I will be able to find my supplies and get it started in the afternoon.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Whoohoo! Three day weekend!

I am so looking forward to this weekend. The move and all of the activity/anxiety over the past few months have caught up with me and I am afraid that I am feeling a bit exhausted. We are looking forward to puttering around the house this weekend and getting some much needed rest. Tomorrow evening after work we are going to run our errands so that we can just relax this weekend. Plus we are going to have Greek food. Yum! Then I am coming home and stitching until the wee hours of at least 9:30 pm. LOL I really want to finish up the confetti stitches this weekend so that I can move on with the larger blocks of color.

Saturday is Valentine's Day and we have a date! My hubby is taking me to a local play. We used to go all the time but we had a terrible year last year and forgot to do things like go on dates. The show should be fun. I think it will be super fun. I may have to wear girl clothes and lipstick.

Our plan around the house is to get all of the last bit of organizing done. DH is going to hang a chandelier and hopefully some curtains. I am going to finish that craft room. I really want to go in and play with all of my toys. I have not seen alot of my stash for over a month. It is supposed to rain for the next 10 days so it is a good weekend to cozy down.

'Tis raining again...

Well, we know here on the Monterey Peninsula that if the AT&T Pro Am is being played in Pebble Beach, that rain is most certainly guaranteed. It has been pouring since early evening, and we have over a week more in store. Our state really needs the rain, so this is not a bad thing. It also makes for a cozy evening for stitching.

I was able to get about an hour's worth of stitching in. I am still working on all of that confetti stitching. This is no bueno for me as it is lacking in fun and continuity. I spend a lot of time reviewing the pattern. This may get put to the side for a while as I am getting a bit bored with it. Plus I have a couple of gifts that I have to get started on.

In addition to my stitching, I was able to get a little arranging done in the office/craft room. I got a couple of things organized, which made me feel good. I am taking baby steps in the direction of getting it completed. It will be a glorious day when I can go in there and cut quilt pieces. In the meantime, I was able to clear the chair enough for Liesie to stay in there with me. She snuggled up in an afghan while I worked. She is such a great companion.

On a final note, we were so delighted to see that a Giant Schnauzer won the working group at Westminster last night. It was such a beautiful creature. Schnauzers come in three sizes, miniature (up to 20 lbs) standard (up to 35 lbs) and Giant. Generally we have seen these dogs overlooked in the judging process, (it must be really, really hard to be a judge!) We were delighted this time when the mini came in fourth in the terrier class and the giant won the working class. We happened to acquire our mini schnauzer by chance, and now I can not imagine my life without one. It is something I hear alot from other mini schnauzer parents. These are such intelligent and human-like dogs. They have a real sense of humor and are fiercely loyal and devoted to their people. So our hats are off to the giant who made all of us schnauzer mommies and daddies proud!

Introducing Sarah!

A big thank you to Carolyn who suggested I look for Sarah Ginghers online. I found them on ebay for far less than retail. They were $19, which included shipping. I could not believe it at first. They are just so pretty. I am making them a little birthday present to myself. I love the fact that they are green with pink and blue flowers on them. There is something very nostalgic about them that makes me feel happy.

I had to go up to the Bay Area again for training. That meant that I had to leave by 6:15 this morning in order to make the 8:30 class. It was the last training that I need to attend up there. The getting up at 5 am took it's toll today. (I usually get up at 5:30 so you would think it would not be such a big deal.)

I came home today with the best of intentions to work on the home office/craft room which still lies in a state of chaos from the move. Alas, after 4 hours total on the road and all of those hours in the class, I was a bit wimpy and tired. I feel disappointed because I really want to get it organized. I loved my old craft room and just being surrounded by our beloved books, and my creative tools, so I am looking forward to being in this room. I think I mentioned in a prior post that my desk is actually a dining table that my husband crafted several years ago and it is one of my prized treasures. It is the perfect length and height for working on projects. Unfortunately, it has piles on it as I sort through boxes. I miss sitting at it and working on a craft project.

Well, I think I am going to read my book and go to sleep early. Perhaps I will be able to attack that craft room tomorrow...

Knitting prezzies!

When my sweet DD came over the other night for an evening of yummy food and stitching, she brought me a present! Last time she was over I mentioned that I may want a hat because my head gets cold on the morning walks with Liesie. She knitted up the lovely green cable knit hat on the left. It is so soft and so lovely! I am thinking that it will make it's maiden voyage on tomorrow's walk. I would have worn it sooner but it has been pouring so hard here that I have skipped a couple of days of walking so that I do not go to work soaking wet.

The lovely red socks are one of the pairs that she knitted me for Christmas. They are so super duper soft and pretty. I only wear them in bed so that I do not mess up the bottoms. She assures me that they are washable, but I still think if them as my special bedtime socks. I can't even think straight when my feet are cold, so having warm, pretty, hand-knitted socks are a really special treat.

My DD is so awesome and talented!

One last note: A big welcome back to NASCAR! I had been looking forward to the return of the season for the last month. In my office, we have a Junior fan, a Jeff Gordon fan, and me, a Tony Stewart fan. It is pretty fun to talk about the races with the other ladies. Our Junior fan actually goes to the races a couple times a year, & knows all of the stats and stories. For Christmas she gave me a lug nut from Tony's car. She also prints out pictures of our drivers to hang on our doors. I am really lucky because 1) I have a job 2) I work with extraordinary people who make it so much fun to go to work.

I am so blessed many times over!

Fabulous February!

I forgot to wish everyone a happy February! February is my favorite month. Not only is there Valentine's Day, there is President's Day (a day off, whoohoo!) and my birthday. I have always thought of Valentine's Day as the gateway to my birthday on the 23rd. (I share a birthday with one of the greatest composers ever, G.F. Handel.)

I love the festive attitude on February. Everywhere you go there are heart decorations which are so bright and cheerful. I sort of miss getting lots of Valentines like we did as kids in school. There was a lot of fun and excitement in opening those little paper envelopes. You knew you were liked if you got a Mickey Mouse Valentine rather than a Pluto or Goofy one. I think the Valentine hierarchy was Mickey, Donald Duck, Minnie, Daisy Duck, Pluto, then Goofy. LOL

Several years ago I had a friend who had a great idea. She said that she had so much pressure on her at Christmas that she did not send Christmas cards. Instead, she sent Valentines. She said that people really appreciate getting a Valentine, plus they have time and energy to savor it. I have often thought this was a super idea and would love to be able to do the same. Perhaps I will go to Target or Hallmark this weekend and see what they have in those packs of 8 cards.

It has been a busy week, but I have managed to get a few stitches into my piece. I have the roses done on the top of the mirror and am now adding the greenery. The confetti stitching is a little aggravating, but there are plenty of places where there are large blocks of color so if I get really, really bored...All in all, I suppose it is going quickly but it is hard to tell when the colors are all spread out. I am thinking of putting her in an oval frame when I am done...

Is It Me Or Did The Weekend Fly By?!!!!

Oh my goodness! Holy Moley! I swear time was at hyper speed this weekend. Yesterday, DH cleared out the last of the plants and stuff from the old house, went to the dump, did the walk through with the landlord, and handed over the keys. It is nice to be totally focused on the new house although we are still trying to find room for our stuff. I stayed at home, did seven loads of laundry, cleared out one room and started on a couple of others. Then I had to work at a volunteer event last night and did not get home until eleven, way past my bedtime. Up early for church this morning where I was the assistant minister today. DH took me to lunch for prawns and chips (yum!) at a place we have not been to in a long time that is in our new town. It is next to the grocery store, and DH was wise in not letting us grocery shop on empty stomachs. LOL He puttered most this afternoon, while Liesl and I took a nice nap. Now we are both too full and sleepy to eat dinner.

I am getting ready to pull out my stitching, finally. I am hoping I can stay awake long enough to get some stitches put in. I got a lot done in my car at lunchtime the other day, mostly the lovely pink roses over the mirror. I am hoping to get a lot of the greenery in tonight. Liesie is already tucked into her blankie, and DH is looking like he is getting ready to doze off, so I have a feeling it is going to be really quiet around here.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow night. DH has band, and DD is coming over for crockpot dinner. She will bring over her knitting and momma will get to stitch. We now live 10 minutes away from her and her DH, instead of 30-40 minutes. This makes me really happy. It makes me feel better about her driving home, and we are able to hang out a little later. She has only been knitting less than a year, and does absolutely beautiful work. She makes a lot of beautiful things, really quickly. I am looking forward to seeing what she is working on.

Have a great week!

Oy Vey! What a day!

Hoo boy, it was a busy day. I do not even feel like I have come up for air. Combine that with the fact that I had to go finish the carpet at the old house after work. I got home at around 8 and was greeted by DH with a glass of wine and frozen pizza that was super good. I have just been sitting watching television for the past hour, not feeling the stitching vibe. I am pretty tired.

Last week, when I had to stop into Michaels on my way back from a training in the Bay Area, I solved my stitching in my car problem. I like to read or stitch in my car at lunch time. I have a big DMC stitching organizer, but needed something small to put my scissors, glasses, Thread Heaven and orts into. Michaels was having a big clearance sale, so I picked up several items for making more Chrismons at 19 cents a piece. In order to get to the register with my $1 purchase, I short cutted through scrapbooking and stumbled upon this cute little bag. It is probably no bigger than 6-8 inches long, perfect for sitting on the passenger seat and keeping me organized. I listen to my Garrison Keillor podcasts on my Ipod and lean my DMC stitching organizor on the steering wheel. It is quite lovely. Ooh, I nearly forgot to mention that it was on clearance and only $7.99. Am I lucky or what!

I am afraid that I am not going to stitch tonight. While I did stitch at lunchtime, I am really pretty pathetically tired. I am thinking I will go read my book and fall asleep with it on my chest. Liesie is already tucked in and she looks so cozy that I am feeling a bit jealous. LOL

Nitey nite to all...

Cozy Evening At Home. Yahooooo!

What a nice evening! I got met with a puppy happy dance at the door when I got home, which is always great! DH had dinner underway and was grilling chicken and corn on the cob. It was delicious and we were able to sit down and chat about stuff other than moving. After dinner brought playing with Liesie. She is a bit like a toddler in that she will go, go, go until she drops from being tired. Then she will climb up on her sofa blankie and wait to be tucked in. So now she is sound asleep. Plus it is only 8:10 here and DH has fallen asleep in his chair in front of the television. I seem to be the only one just getting ramped up for a fun night of stitching. Whoohoo! I am a party animal. LOL

I am posting an updated photo of my WIP. She is really coming out quite lovely. I am already trying to figure out where I am going to hang the finished product in my house. Right now the colors I have been working with are rather muted so it is a little boring. I can not wait to start the fruit. I think the colors will really pop against the black.

I have been catching up on the message board at 123stitch (where I get my news!) and have been seeing what the poor folks are dealing with from the ice storm in the midwest. I feel so badly for the residents there when I see some of the negative temperatures. It has been about 38 degrees F in the morning here, no where near the sub zero temperatures in the midwest, and I feel so cold. (It warms up to mid 60's-low 70's though during the day here.) While I am quite fortunate now, I can totally empathize with our friends in the mid west. I grew up in New Jersey and I remember the cold being so brutal that my toes would alternate between hurting and being numb. My face would burn from the cold. This was also back in the days where girls could not wear pants to school, so we would wear dresses with cotton tights or knee highs. Brrrrr! I am sending good thoughts to those of you affected by the ice, snow and freezing temperatures. Stay safe and warm!

Well, I am off to pull out my stitching bag and get to work. I should be able to live it up stitching-wise until at least, oh, 9:30. I am quite the night owl. LOL

Pssst! Ginghers Are On Sale At 123stitch!

The only thing I like as much as stitching is looking at pictures of stitching. This is why the whole bloggy thing is so interesting to me. I get to look at lots of finished projects. Very cool. When the Nordic Needle catalog arrives, it is almost like a holiday. I feel like I have to savor it and read it really slow, several times over. I think it may be a throwback to my childhood in the 60's and 70's, when the Sears catalog would arrive and my sister and I would go through it together page by page. (It is sort of sad that this is not something that kids do anymore. My sister and I would pick out drapes and furniture for our imaginary grownup houses, and our future wedding gowns.) Anyway, this is something I still do with the Nordic Needle catalog.

I have to say that I also love receiving the online sales at 123stitch. It gives me a chance to look at designs that I may not normally be aware of. I have to say that I was surprised recently to see that Gingher Roberta 4" scissors are on sale for $25.73. It is rare to find Ginghers Designer scissors for less than $30. Roberta is certainly lovely. However, I am on the hunt for Sarah. I had heard that people were finding them at JoAnn fabrics, which sadly are not less than 100 miles away. Sniffle. I am still kicking myself that a few months ago I actually had Emma's in my hand, but put them back in a moment of financial responsibility.

I did get to stitch at lunch today. It was a nice warm day, so it was nice to sit in my car and stitch away. It made me happy. I am working on the rosebuds on the mirror frame. The colors are so pretty together. If I can get my act together I will post a photo soon!

A Visit From the Flu...Ugh!

Well, last night after I posted, I went right to bed. I do not remember if I actually fell asleep or not. All I knew was that around 10:45 the first wave of what quickly became apparent was the stomach flu started. Ugh! I hate the stomach flu. It was a long night and much to my distress, I did not go to work today. I love my job, but figured that it would be totally unfair to expose anyone else to this, particularly since we have a huge project starting later this week.

The only thing that made me feel better was laying absolutely still today. I was blessed because, Liesl decided that she was sick too, LOL, and slept all day next to me in bed. She layed really super still, too. It was nice to have her company and her warmth. Since she is a busy little dog normally, I was impressed that she instinctively knew that I just needed to lay still, and went with the plan. She really is a cool little doggie.

I finally was able to eat a little white rice for dinner. Liesie, going with the theme of doing what momma does, had white rice with chicken broth. This is the meal that she gets when she is sick or hurt, so I think she liked the spoiling. I was able to finally take a shower, too.

Needless to say, I was not in shape to stitch. Since I needed to sit perfectly still, stitching was far from my mind. But tomorrow is a new day, and I hope to be with needle and thread then.

Stay healthy everyone!

Stormy Weather!

The whole weekend here was so stormy. Today was a bit of a surprise because the weatherman had said that there was only a chance of showers today. It poured all day long. DH let me sleep in a bit this morning and took Liesie for a walk on his own. So the pictures above are actually from yesterday's batch.

Unfortunately, we had to spend the day up at the old house trying to get it cleaned. Today was the kitchen, and was a major undertaking. Now I just have about an hour's worth of carpet cleaning to do and I am done. Both of us are so ready to hand over the keys to the landlord. Then we get to focus on finishing up the new house move-in.

So DH and I came home and had a salame sandwich and a salad for dinner. We were just too tired to cook. After our fancy dinner, I was able to take my stitching out and actually got quite a bit done. I had been looking forward to it all day. It was just so peaceful to turn on the Food Network and stitch away. I think I will be done with the mirror tomorrow and able to start putting the greenery around it. Then I get to start working on her dress.

I hope everyone has a terrific start to the work week!

It was a really stormy day here today. Nevertheless, we started our day with our usual walk. Before we received our little Liesie into our home, we did some research and found that the mini schnauzer is a breed where it is absolutely necessary that the dog gets at least 30-40 minutes of walking a day. We knew this and knew it was part of the commitment of taking her into our family. So rain or shine, we go for a walk. Today was raining for much of the walk, but moreover the surf was really rough. Since the undertow here is really dangerous, we decided to forego going onto the beach itself, because we have not broken it to Liesl yet that she is not a Labrador. Since she imagines that she is a big, water loving dog, she feels the need to go trotting off into the surf. I did not want to lose her to the sea, so we stayed on the beach path instead.

I am getting ready to sit down and stitch finally. We spent the day cleaning the old house, and I have to say that I am totally bushed. It is almost finished and I just have a few things to do tomorrow. Yay! Unfortunately, this did not leave me with a lot of stitching time. I will be so glad when we are officially out of the old house next week. It will be nice to focus on one place.

The new house is actually coming along quite nicely, too. The one room that really needs a lot of work is the craft room/office. But then again, it is the room that has the most stuff. It is a bit smaller than my old craft room, but is quite cozy. I will be glad to get in there and do some quilting.

Well, my Lady of the Thread is calling to me. I hope to post a new updated pic in the next few days!

Making Progress!

'Twas a long day! I had to go to a training session up in the Bay Area today so I was out of the house while it was still dark to make the trek up there! It is about a two hour drive. Luckily, I got to drive up with my co-worker, who is such a sweet and fun person. We made it through the seminar, then drove home for another two hours in the rain.

Needless to say, I was quite tired and cold by the time I got home. I was able to catch up on reading some of my favorite blogs, then settled in for a peaceful night of stitching. The rain outside made it really cozy. I got quite a bit done on my stitching. I am proud to say that the lady now has hair. I was also able to stitch a lot more of the mirror. I am sort of over the white and several shades of off white that make up the mirror and am looking forward to stitching with some color.

It was really nice to sit here and stitch, with my sweet little dog tucked in next to me in her red blankie. She looked so comfy and content. It really was such a nice ending to such a hectic day.

The Rain Is Here!

Wow! It is really raining out there! We have been somewhat concerned around these parts as we did not really receive much rain here so far. Usually it rains non-stop through January, but this past month has been sunny and in the 80s and 90s. No bueno. However, today the rain arrived big time and according to the forecast, it will rain for the next 7 days.

I do so love the rain, as long as I am home. It is so cozy. Tonight was a perfect night to pull out the cross stitch and stitch away. I am working on the mirrored section behind the lady's head. I am afraid of all of the confetti stitches in all of the greenery surrounding it. That is going to take some incredible patience. Luckily, right now the mirror has large stretches of the same colors so I can mentally prepare myself.

It was really a nice, peaceful evening and the rain on the roof is a very comforting sound. I think I will sleep well tonight...

Stitching again!

We are still amidst the move, but I have been able to steal a few moments here and there to stitch. Hubby was gone for two weeks back to the midwest to be with family. Since I just started a new job and we were two days into the move, I remained home. My goal during that time was to make sure that DH returned to a home that was cozy and not full of boxes and more stress for him to deal with. So I worked to unpack and rearrange furniture so that it would look like home when he arrived finally on Monday night. Liesie and I were so glad to see him!

I have been able to find a few minutes here and there to stitch. I have been working on MLI's "Lady of the Thread." I forgot how much fun it is to stitch her pieces. She does use large blocks of colors so it does go quickly.

This weekend we will be moving the last of our possessions from the old house. I am looking forward to being done over there. It's funny how once you move on in your mind, that it is hard to work on the old place. I feel badly for DH that he has to spend his first weekend back working on the house, but I think he is also eager to finish as well. There really is not that much left, so hopefully we can get it done quickly.

I am also hoping to get some stitching time in this weekend, too! I am thinking good thoughts!

Bummer, dude...

I am bummed. I took a really nice photo last evening of the beach at sunset to post. I have spent the last hour looking, and for the life of me, I can not find my fire wire. I have the sinking feeling it is at the other address. I will not make it over there until later on in the week. Now I am sad...This week has been a treasure hunt for all kinds of small treasures. Most of them power cords or the cord to my Ipod. I have come seriously close to no bars on my cell phone and had to conserve my phone calls until I finally found it. Have I mentioned that I hate moving?

Anyhoosky, the photo was quite nice. Now that we have moved closer to town, Liesl and I have been taking hour long walks to the beach, whereupon I let her off lead so she can run like the wind and clear the beach of all of those pesky birds. When we first got our little furbaby, we did a lot of research. The research said that miniature schnauzers need at least a 30-45 minute walk a day. So since we got her, one of us takes her for at least 30 minutes in the morning. She loves her walk and she goes rain or shine.

The beach has always been her happiest place on earth. She has always had a standing date with her daddy on Saturday mornings to go to the beach as soon as her little puppy feet hit the floor. It was always a half hour drive to the beach, but now it is within a half hour walk. I think it makes her crazy just knowing it is so close. Several times this week, I have found her in the morning just sitting in front of the door, waiting for her walk. She bounds down the stairs just so happy.

All of this long walking has done two things: 1) I am finding that my pants are fitting a little more loosely. Um, yay! 2) Liesie has been taking some really good naps. I am finding that I do not groan when I stand up, and the hills are becoming easier. Plus I really like the time shared with Liesie, with her happily trotting down the street. It is cool to see her so happy.

I am sure that I will have plenty more opportunities to take photos. Hopefully, I will be able to find my fire wire by then. LOL

Boxes, boxes, everywhere!

First, may I say that I am doing my happy dance today, for the nice Comcast folks set up my internet and cable today. So, I am not restricted to the few minutes that I can grab here and there on public Wi-Fi. It has been kind of interesting for the past week with no access to television and internet. Hubby and I joked that we were forced to have conversations with each other. I even read my book in the late evenings before retiring instead of watching reruns of Seinfeld, which I happen to love, and do not seem to tire of.

The book that I am reading is "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." I have to say that it is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read. I have loved reading all of my life, and I am quite partial to the classics. Since I was without the usual electronic forms of entertainment, I opened this book up and I was so delightfully surpised by it. It is so tragic, but so beautiful.

When I am not goofing off, there are so many boxes to address. We are actually downsizing into the new place, which is fine with me, as it will be easier to clean. We still have the other house until the end of January so I am going through stuff there and throwing out, donating, or moving it to the new house. It is a bit stressful, particularly since I can only work on it on days off or after work. I will be so glad when it is done. When we moved last Saturday, we took most of the furniture, boxes that we packed and the stuff we need day to day. Everyday, I do as much as I can to unpack and I am proud to report that I was able to sit at the table to eat tonight. I got it totally cleared. Please do not ask to see my kitchen counters though. I will be glad when the move is over and we have everything in one place.

I have picked out my stitchy spot in the living room. It is in a nice corner, which gets a lot of natural light. I will be so glad when I can stitch again. I am hoping that life gets boring soon. LOL

Bittersweet Holidays

2oo8 has been a really trying year. We consider ourselves really fortunate as we still have jobs, a place to live and food in our stomachs. We are pretty lucky in general. However, we have had a really difficult year and hope for good things in 2009 for all people.

The worst thing of the whole year happened on Christmas Eve. During the day, my husband's mother was taken to the emergency room. We were terribly worried as it was the third time since Thanksgiving. That night I was the assisting minister for the Christmas Eve service at our church and made certain that she was included in the prayers. DH and I came home in a jovial mood and commenced to try to clean the house in order to give it some semblance of looking nice despite all of the moving boxes. Around 10:30 pm the phone rang with the news that Bob's beloved mother had passed away 15 minutes earlier (at 12:17 am Christmas Day, in her time zone.) The family is so sad and her children are brokenhearted. DH had been to see her in the midwest several times this year, due to the health issues of his dad. He had been there most recently right before Thanksgiving. Plans are being made for a memorial, but with the holidays and all, it is going to take quite a bit of time and planning.

We did proceed with the move as planned, and DH found keeping busy was quite valuable for him. We now sit amongst the boxes. The dog is a bit stressed but is settling in. I took her shopping today at Petsmart since the Christmas toys are 50-75% off. She got 3 new ones at $2 a piece. It tickled my heart to see her with them in a little pile and her covering them possesively with her little puppy arms, just smiling up at me with a radiant little puppy smile. There is something blissful about watching a dog with new toys.

In spite of all of the difficulties this year, I am so grateful. Grateful for my family, my friends, my terrific dream job, my sweet little dog, creative pursuits, fair ribbons, food to eat, knitting and shopping with my daughter, and living in a beautiful part of the world.

I pray that you will have good health and much prosperity in 2009. May your joy be boundless.

Moving The Cozy Cottage!

I have not posted in about two weeks now, with good reason, I swear. I really thought that life would slow down after my classes ended. I was picturing baking, stitching, and asundried hall decking. But nooooo. Sadly, the cozy cottage's landlady passed away earlier this year. (She was a really neat lady.) Her sons would like to sell the cozy cottage and have had several construction and painting projects over the past few months. However, they are planning a major construction project which involves finishing the basement and putting in a staircase through the interior of our house. Since it has been averaging in the 30's F lately, this scenario, plus all of the construction workers coming and going would make the cottage less than cozy.

So after the contractor and the landlord did a walk through of our house two Sundays ago, we put Liesl into the car and started driving around the neighborhoods that we like, looking for a new cozy cottage. The most important features would have to be that 1) it would be dog friendly and 2) there would be no sign of contruction, scaffolding, and tools near the place.

Just as we were giving up for the day, we decided to take a route up a street that we do not drive on much, on our way home. There was the perfect little house for us with a "For Rent" sign on it. Fast forward a couple of weeks and we are sitting amongst boxes. Moving day is next Saturday, two days after Christmas. We are excited but very stressed, as you can imagine.

This will be a good move for us. We will be closer to town. The craft room/office has really good light. The house has central heat. It is in a really good neighborhood. We really loved it here, but are getting excited about the new adventure. Plus I get to decorate a new living space. Fun!

I really miss stitching. It brings me so much peace, but my play time is at a minimum. I just keep thinking that a month from now, things will be much better and less stressful.

On A Cold Winter's Night...

Brrrr. It is cold. Like, 35 degrees cold. Like, oh my goodness, it is totally chilly. I have had a fire going all evening. It does not help the fact that I have a head cold and don't smell too good. LOL

And yet, I am happy dancing. I am totally finished with my classes for the semester. It does not seem real. I had to take my last test tonight, so now I can be one with my stitching again. The only problem is that my hands are too cold to stitch.

We have one by product of the cold that we are enjoying. We have had our little Liesl for about a year now. She is 16 months old. She has small moments of cuddling, but is basically too busy to sit still that long. She tends to prefer to sleep in her own comfy little bed. The last few nights have been so cold that she get up in the middle of the night and waits for her little elevator ride (daddy picking her up) so that she can get into the bed. She has been snuggling right under the covers and unapologetically shares my pillow. It has been pretty nice. She generates alot of heat. She has been very cuddly.

I am super duper excited about tomorrow evening. My daughter and I are meeting for sushi and then doing a little shopping together. I think it will be so much fun. She has become an accomplished knitter, so we get to talk about crafts. Perhaps we will even go to the new Michaels. Yay!

Whoohooooo!

Yesterday, I wrote my last brief for my business law class. Now I just have the two tests tomorrow and I will be D-U-N, done! I can not wait.

I actually got to stitch today! It was awesome! I finished the forearm and some of the stitching in the hoop section on the Lady of the Thread. As I looked at the pattern, it looks like there are large blocks of color, so stitching actually goes quickly. It is stitched on 18 ct black aida. This presents an interesting challenge, eyesight-wise. LOL

In any case, it was really nice to stitch. My hubby lit a nice fire today so I was able to warm my feet while I stitched. It was so nice. My next class is not until March 31 ( a compressed course) so I have some time to stitch after the holidays. I could not believe it until today how much I have really missed it.

I'm Having Issues...

I am not usually the kind of person that has multiple projects going at once. I am an accountant and pretty linear in my thinking, so I finish one project before I start the next.

The hardanger doily is driving me nuts. I think because I tend to have to rush through my stitching, the buttonhole, turning the corner stitch has me all dazed and confused. I have had to frog the same stitches over and over. Since it is pearle cotton, it is a total drag to try to pull out. I think it would be best if I try to work on it after the holidays when I have time to concentrate.

The guilt is killing me. In addition to be an accountant, I am also Lutheran. We can do guilt like no other. LOL I feel like I am wasting money by not seeing the project through to the end.

I was going through my box of kits (another producer of guilt.) It was like Christmas. There were a lot of things in there that I had forgotten about. I ended up pulling out my kit that I bought on a ridiculous clearance of about $10 at the Stitchery several years ago. It is a full kit of Lavendar & Lace's Lady of the Thread. I love MLI's work and have wanted to stitch this for a long time. It is on Aida and I usually prefer linen, but I really think it will be lovely. I have a fetish for stitching fruit so I love the little fruit boarder.

In a way, it is better that I am starting something new. Since the other project was becoming a drag, I was avoiding it. As a result, I was not stitching anything. This way I can at least be working on something before coming back to my little challenge.

I Love Stitching And All, But...

About a month ago I saw a blog that had a stitcher holding up her finished project. It was a huge stitched version of the Sistine Chapel. It was absolutely stunning. She is a much better woman than I.

I love big projects. I really do. I have stitched three L&L angels, a huge Permin sampler, the Celtic Sampler, as well as several other large pieces. In fact, I favor big projects. However, these projects pale in comparison, size-wise. The finished Sistine Chapel is about the size of my fireplace. Wow!

Fast forward to tonight. I was fiddling around on Nordic Needle and saw the Sistine Chapel on sale. The regular price was $645 but it was on sale for $451. I was telling my hubby that it must be some kind of kit. But no, I was mistaken. That was just for the pattern. Holy moley! I am just wondering where and how you find a piece of fabric that size. It boggles my mind.

Evidently, I was not feeling it for doing my last homework assignment tonight. I sat down and could not bring myself to review a case and start writing a brief. The dog was cuddling on the sofa with us, so I just wanted to sit and relax with the mister and our furgirl. I ended up fussing around on the laptop looking at cross stitch. Most productive. LOL