ET Go Home!

This particular ET (Egyptian Tablet) anyway because the end is in sight (cross stitch side of things, at least) and I'm fast approaching the "I'll be glad to see the back of it" stage that seems to kick in with some projects. Yes, I've enjoyed stitching the bulk of it and yes, it's going to look great when it's finished but it does seem to feel like it's taken ages to get to this point.
Anyway, here's the before: Here's where I got to after this weeks UFO Night stitching:
Today got off to a good start when the long-awaited pinkie containing the first Ozark Mystery SAL pack arrived on the doormat. It's my first ever Mystery and so far I am a very happy bunny because I love the colours and the border looks interesting. Hopefully I'll get the chance to work out the start place, mark it and get the fabric attached to the frame some time this afternoon so it'll be all ready to start when I've finished the first section of the Memories SAL. Oh, and done the final finishing on the Monthly Challenge piece, seeing as how the reveal is on Saturday. Methinks a bit more organisation is needed in this house!

/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////

Panic over re: my Thread Bear order. Got an email yesterday to let me know that the roller bars and one of the charts are currently out of stock. Arranged for the rest of the order to be sent, as it contains plastic floss bobbins that are desperately needed for my thread organisation drive - the other bits will follow when they arrive in stock. Must say the lady who emailed me seemed very nice. It also confirms what Jayne once said about me seeming to have this knack for ordering certain goodies that have just been sold out. LOL

/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////

Whilst a cold front seems to be moving across this area at the moment (it's getting bitter out again) the one that's been affecting me since Friday seems to be finally clearing off. Yay! Snotty nose has virtually gone, so I can breathe and eat at the same time without risk of choking on crumbs, glands no longer feel like they want to burst and I can taste/smell things again. Double Yay! I've celebrated by sorting out the clothes in the tumble dryer and setting off another load of washing. ;0) Thanks for all your well wishes, they've been very much appreciated. :0)

/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////\\\\\\\\\/////////

Sorry about the lines across the page: for some reason I can't get any paragraph breaks, even when I've hit the return key a couple of times. This seemed to be the quickest solution.

Thanks again for stopping by - hope you're all having a good stitchy week. :0)

Monday - Memories

Well, despite the miserable weather and yukky cold, the weekend wasn't too bad - a chill out with some stitching was a good prescription and I highly recommend it to anyone else who is feeling a bit off. :0) Here's where I got to on the Memories SAL: Isn't that just so pretty? The leaf stitch was a bit tricky at first but that was entirely my own fault, as I kept getting distracted by the Alien V Predator film (bit gorey but I love it when a strong female character gets into kick ass mode - I so wanna be like her! LOL). Am enjoying working on the Pol's Linen and am glad I chose this fabric for the latest L*K designs........ think they'll be high on the list of New Starts for this year (and I haven't done last years yet!).
Hopefully I'll be able to carry on with this tonight.

DH had a trip out to Screwfix yesterday afternoon and was in seventh heaven afterwards. Not only did he come back with the bits he was getting for my DSis but he also got a new drill and circular saw for himself, so that's his birthday and Christmas money all spent. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting everything out of it's boxes, checking it out by giving them a whirr or two and reading up on the instruction booklets. When DS got back there was a bit of a Show & Tell session. When I pointed out that they were behaving just like a stashaholic (naming no names) who has just opened a package from their favourite online store they just looked blank and couldn't equate the two. LOL

DS obviously needed a chill out after his day out and all the Ooh'ing and Aaah'ing over the Man Toys so when the Alien movie finished he put the Over the Hedge DVD on - one of those animated crittur movies from DreamWorks. Finally had to stop stitching when that was on as I was laughing too much to concentrate. I love the demented squirrel character called Hammy: imagine a talking squirrel on a severe caffeine hype and speed and you'll get the general idea. LOL. It was a good way to round off the weekend. :0)

Alex is due for her regular Monday visit soon, so I've got some of the dreaded H'word out of the way. Going at a much slower pace to usual, due to the regular nose-blowing stops. Having tried out a couple of different types of tissues I can tell you that, whilst the anti-viral properties of a certain type of tissue may be a good idea, they are next to useless in the absorbency department. On the other hand a well-known brand of so-called Men's Tissues may not have any anti-viral or nose soothing properties but are excellent for copious nose blowing absorbency. The rate this household is getting through them at the moment (DS has it too and the third empty box in a week has just gone into the recycling bin) I just wish we had shares in the company! LOL

The parcel from Thread Bear hasn't arrived yet. :0( I suppose the ongoing delays in the postal system and flooding have added a delay factor in. Fingers crossed it arrives soon, as I could really do with the scroll bars, as the ones I'm using for Memories are barely wide enough........ plus I'm desperate to get my hot little hands on the charts that just happened to fall into the basket as I was ordering the bars. ;0)

Thanks for stopping by - hope you've all had a good weekend and that the weeks has got off to a good start for you all. :0)

Finally!

Yes, I finally managed to finish both the stitching on the Monthly Challenge piece and make a start on the Memories SAL yesterday. Whooohooo! The snuggle under the fleecy blanket warmed my bones through and I suddenly felt like getting on with some stitching.
Glad this cold has helped me be more productive in areas other than the one that is producing a mountain of snotty tissues that I seem to be slowly disappearing under at the minute! >rolleyes<
No pics of those yet as I can't show the Challenge piece until the 26th and still need to do the finishing now anyway and there's not enough of the SAL done to make it worthwhile posting a pic yet - but if I get enough done today will post one tomorrow. I really like the colours of the SAL and am so glad I changed my mind about the fabric - the linen colour is better and it's lovely to work on.

I enjoyed the cheesey film I watched yesterday too. It was one of those cheap budget disaster "We're all gonna die!" type things that seem to be one of many that's on at the moment (wonder if they're hinting at something we don't know about? LOL). Totally untaxing on the brain - just what was needed. A little more culture was developed in the evening as we watched the first two parts of Sense and Sensibility on BBC 4......... now I do love a good costume drama from the Beeb and DH loves the excuse for a snooze! LOL Enjoyed it but Sorry: once you've seen Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy it rather spoils you - no other fella looks as good in breeches. ;0)

Speaking of culture: DS is now getting involved in a production of Canterbury Tales (modern version, I think, judging by the book he's brough home). This time he's going to be backstage as Stage Manager and it will be very good experience for him, as they are hiring a professional Director.

Right, can't think of anything else to waffle about and my comfy armchair and the Memories SAL is calling.

Thanks for all the kind comments - cold is grotty but it is only a cold and I should be feeling like my old self again in a day or two. Take care all and (((((hugs))))) for anyone who is feeling under the weather.

Snuffly Saturday

No pic of Memories yet as I still haven't made a start! I got side-tracked on Thursday and then we went out for our meal. It's the first time DH and I have been in the restaurant (DS has been a couple of times with friends) and it was lovely: they made a big fuss of us and we were given a complimentary after dinner drink. It was lovely to sit and chat and take our time over the meal - usually DS eats and runs because he's got something on - and not have to do the washing-up after! LOL. By the time we'd walked home, via a trip into Tesco Express for a few bits, and put them away it was around 10pm. I was shattered and had an early night.

Friday I woke up feeling a bit off and sniffly which made me decide not to make a new start, as I couldn't concentrate. I continued stitching on the Monthly Challenge piece instead and made good progress: stitched all of the front, bar the heart, and made a start on a backing piece by stitching the border, which is needed if I do the finish I want to try. I've "personalised" the piece a little by stitching it all in cross stitch, instead of using tent stitch for the flowers and basketweave stitch for the basket. I'll fess up to that being accidental: I failed to read the instructions properly, due to feeling off, but like the result.......... it's also that fine it would be a right royal pain to frog so it's being left well alone!

By bedtime last night I'd got a full-on cold. Result: lousy night and am feeling right out-of-sorts with myself today. Snuggling up under the fleecy blanket while watching old films on TV is about as energetic as it's going to get today. :0(

The package from Thread Bear hasn't arrived yet. One of the items I ordered was a new set of longer length no-stitch roller bars - the sort that have three plastic "clips" each side to secure fabric to the bar - as I wanted to use them so I could chop and change between projects on that particular frame without too much hassle. Had hoped to be sorted for the weekend but it looks like RM are on a go-slow - hope it turns up Monday.

Thanks for the link Dawn, that worked a treat. Not ordered the cream yet but I will be doing some time next week. :0)

Julie: I can't remember who's blog the Thread Bear link was on - if DH spots it on the CC statement I'm blaming everybody. ;0) Mini's are a great first car to learn to drive in: proper "seat of your pants" stuff and so much fun! Hope your DD's test went well.

Well that fleecy blanket is calling, so I'm off. Thanks for stopping by, and for all the nice comments about Mother Earth - hope you all have a good weekend. :0)

Mother Earth

Well I didn't make the anticipated start on Jayne's Memories SAL last night so there aren't any progress pics of that to show today. :0( No idea what happened: the evening just seemed to get away from me and then I felt really tired, which made me realise starting a new project would only end up being a great invitation for that flippin' frog to make a visit, so opted to leave it well alone until today.

Have decided to share some other pics instead. :0) Anyone remember what my HAED Mother Earth project looks like? Just in case it's a dim and distant memory (well, it has been a while) here's the last progress pic I posted: I got all enthusiastic about Her again on the lead up to and during the festive season and made Her my focus piece. I didn't complete a whole page as I wanted to, due to a page being a whole lot bigger and involving a whole lot more stitching than I remembered, but did achieve quite a bit. Here's where I left off at the end of December:
It'll be a while before She comes out again due to the three SAL's and Monthly Challenge pieces I signed up for but, once I get into a routine with those and have my magnifier/light combi, am hoping it won't be too long.

Well, with all this rain we're still having the bit of Mother Earth we live on is decidedly wet and soggy right now. The worms have been coming up through every crack in the paving in my garden and just laying out full stretch - if they could speak they'd probably be gasping: Save me! Save me! I reckon the poor little blighters should opt not to wait for evolution to give them a helping hand in the gills department but go straight for full scuba diving gear instead...... something we're all going to need if this keeps up. >rolleyes<

Julie: I am seriously impressed with your car knowledge. Respect! Said car had its MOT re-test this morning and passed - the bill for that is minimal compared to what it would've been if the garage had done the work. DH and DS are very happy bunnies.

Cars are on my mind because this week I spotted a little black Mini in a drive about 5 or 6 doors up from us and it looks like it's got a For Sale sign in the window....... if ever this flippin' rain stops DH and I will be having a little wander that way for a nosey. :0)

Dawn: I keep trying to have a look at the Fatquarters website but all I keep getting is a web hosting thing come up instead. :0( Any ideas?

I didn't let that stop me though: I spotted someone's link to the Thread Bear site and went for a nosey there instead. Oh, now I remember: that's part of the reason why last night disappeared on me...... they have some rather nice goodies on there and I thought I'd died and gone to Devon! ;0) LOL Let's just say that it wasn't as expensive as it could have been, especially once I realised their WDW threads are a fair bit cheaper than where I usually get them from.

I'd better go and make a start on Memories: we're going out to our local curry house for a meal later which means a couple of hours less time for stitching tonight.

Many thanks to all that take the time to visit and leave comments, it's very much appreciated - it's niceto know that I'm not just blethering away into the ether. :0)

Update Time

Another UFO Night has been and gone so it's time for another update pic. This is the progress made: That's all of the light grey half cross stitch background bit fully completed and a start made on infilling the patterned areas. I had planned on having another session on this today but have realised, since going on the Stitch'n'Stash Forum this afternoon, that it's the start of Jayne's Memories SAL tonight......... so guess what I will be doing instead! LOL

Earlier in the week I'd had a good look at the fabric for the Memories SAL. I'd opted for the Pol's Heirloom evenweave but when I got a piece of the Heirloom linen (for the latest L*K designs) and compared the two I was a bit taken aback at the difference and soon wished I'd gone for the linen choice that Jayne's original piece was stitched on. A phone call from Jayne later and a piece of the linen was on it's way and arrived yesterday. Note to self: when the designer of a piece clearly states that there's a difference between the fabric used and the alternative and said alternative will give a different look to the finished piece - don't go for the alternative! >rolleyes< Now all set to go with the linen and the evenweave has gone in my stash - it will come in useful for another project somewhere down the line.

I still haven't sorted the fabric for Carol's Amanda SAL but there's still time to get around to doing that - a Forum member called Kathy from the US is very kindly keeping a countdown that gives us all a reminder of how long there is left to get organised. :0)

There's a delay on receiving the Ozark Mystery SAL, which Jayne has kept us informed about, but that won't be starting for a while yet - there's a spare frame ready and waiting to go, so I don't need to do anything else until it's arrived.

The Challenge piece is proving to be that: the 1 over 1 stitching is playing havoc with my eyes. I've got the border and lettering up to T completed so far. One magnifier/light combi desperately needed now, so am going to step up the research for that. Someone did tell me there was a place in Grimsby that sells all kind of hobbyist lighting which is generally at a cheaper cost than you pay in specialist stitching shops.......... only I didn't write it down at the time and now can't remember for the life of me what it's called or whereabouts it is. If I could we'd be having a trip over there on Saturday. Meantime, I've still got a scroll frame going spare, the one that Karen very kindly sent, and Tanglewood and Rosemarkie waiting in the wings. To make another new start, or not to make another new start - that is the question. What do you all reckon? LOL

DH did some more work on the Mini last night. He muttered something about "rubber boot" and "nipping up" when I asked what he was doing. Any ideas what he was on about? Nah, me neither. It involved setting up a light (so he could see) and taking a wheel off and banging about for a bit, then it all went quiet but he was still beavering away out there. The outcome: he got wet and cold for a second time this week but didn't moan (so he must have enjoyed himself again) and the Mini is back on the road again. It must be OK because he and DS gave it a run out to Tesco and back afterwards - with a bit of shopping done while they were down there - and nothing fell off. DS has been to work and back in it today and it's still OK and they're muttering something about MOT and re-test, so it must be sorted. As you can tell cars innards don't mean a lot to me. All that concerns me about them is: if it's got four wheels attached at the four corners, you put fuel in it, switch it on and it goes it'll do fine, thank you. ;0)

One of the results of the Tesco trip was a partly filleted duck which is currently in the oven and roasting. As it and the veggies are just about done I am now off to go serve up and eat it.

Hope that no one is suffering from the horrible flooding due to the bad weather and that you're all having a good day/week so far. :0)

Miserable Monday

No, I'm not referring to me........ it's the weather, which is totally mucky at the moment. How much rain have we had? Too flippin' much: there's a paddling pool in my front drive again and the lawn is so waterlogged the poor worms are gonna need resuscitating if they don't develop gills soon! What with that and the cold, gusty wind I'm far from tempted to go out in it - but what a great excuse to stop in and stitch, eh? ;0)

Here's one of the things I got up to on Saturday whilst DH worked on the Mini: A birthday card for my DSis. Her birthday isn't until the 28th but I wanted to make sure she had her goodies in plenty of time, so made the card and wrapped the pressies and took them with us when we went to visit yesterday. We had a good day but we didn't get back until late, so I didn't make it onto the computer at all. DH did a couple of electrical jobs for her while we went through all the paperwork generated by the legal stuff we've sorted since our Dad passed away and got it all organised, filed and put away. That's every single thing finally finished and the difference in my DSis is great to see. :0)

DH got the new handbrake & bulb fitted to the Mini on Saturday. There wasn't much difference between him and one of those ice sculptures by the time he'd done and it took him a while to defrost but he'd obviously enjoyed himself because he didn't moan once. Julie: we know all about subframes - DH once owned a Mini that seemed to eat them! DS's baby is now back on the road - hope your DD's B/F's baby is too. :0) As well as keeping DH supplied with tea and doing a few jobs I finally made a start on the Challenge piece stitching. Boy, is 1 over 1 on 32ct fine! Am currently doing some research into light/magnifier combinations so I shall be aiming to buy one very soon. Am a little disappointed with one choice of thread I'm using, as a couple of sections of the colourway doesn't show as well on the fabric as I'd have liked it to, but the overall effect is very pretty and is spot on for the look I wanted. BTW, thanks for the offer of help with ideas Karen - I shall probably take you up on it at some stage during these Challenges.

As promised, here are some pics of the lovely gifts I received for Christmas. The purpley Old Willow threads were from Jayne, accompanied by some Rocky Road Choccie that is now looong gone (wow, is that stuff MMMMMMmmmmmmmm!!! Never thought I'd ever say this but it was even better than Thornton's Alpini choccies!). The WDW threads and Mill Hill beads were from Elaine H:
There were some Pol's threads and a lovely pewter charm inside this wonderful hand embroidered bag which were all from Helen I've put a lovely scented soap inside the bag and hung it on the wardrobe door handle in my bedroom, so it smells just as good as it looks. :0)
Thank you again for my lovely gifts ladies - it really is very kind of you and very much appreciated. :0)

My PenPal Maggie, who I started writing to when I responded to her appeal for some charts in one of the cross stitch magazines more years ago than I care to think about, sent me these lovely goodies:

The one that's in the middle at the bottom of the page is a must stitch for my niece Erin.
I haven't stitched any of the Flower Fairies before, so this one will be a first for me. :0)

Thanks Dawn for the website address re: the Udder cream with aloe vera. I shall be checking that out soon.......... if it gets expensive I know who to blame. LOL ;0)

DS is going out tonight to an "all you can eat" Chinese Buffet at a local restaurant for a friends' birthday. His idea of heaven, methinks, but I keep telling him that it shouldn't be seen as a challenge. LOL. Quiet night in for us oldies with, hopefully, DH putting the boxes of decorations back up in the loft out of the way. I reckon I'll get a bit more stitching done at some stage.

Hope you've all had a good weekend and an easy start to the week. :0)