It's Been A While...

Yes, folks, it's been a while since I last put finger to keyboard to do a Blog post, partly due to being busy and running out of time, as the days keep flying past (who can believe it's the middle of March already???!!! Not me, that's for sure) and also because the blogging mojo went awol for a while. Still, it's better it was the blogging and NOT the stitching mojo - right? :0)

OK, so where do I start? Hhhhhmmm... first off I have to show you all the lovely belated half of the Christmas gift I received from Barb - only belated due to the weather and poor Barb's ill health preventing her from getting and sending them. They were well worth the wait, I can tell you - lookit the pretty wrapping in my favourite colour:

Inisde were these gorgeous goodies:

Barb tells me that the bag was printed by one of the ladies who is on a dig that she told me about some time ago. The image is of a Roman torq which was once worn by a Roman lady - this is much more vivid in colour than my pic shows. There were also some Piecemaker needles for me to try, now I've found my missing mojo. LOL The card is so pretty and looks great next to my Kwan Yin statue. Thank you again Barb, I love them - you know my tastes so well. :0)

Now let me cast my mind back again and try and remember what else I've been up to. Well, I made a stack of cards, ready for the Birthday Thread Exchange that I joined over at Needlecraft Haven... but I can only show you the ones that have been sent. There were two birthdays in February, one for Sheila:

and one for Kathy:

No more of those until April now. Though I did take part in the NH Forum's Sweet Feet Sock Exchange, with opening and reveal being on St Valentine's Day.. and that was alot of fun. Unfortunately I got a bit previous and managed to delete the pics I took of the socks I sent to Jaclyn (no blog, as far as I know)... but here's a pic of the accompanying card I sent to her:

Here's a pic of the lovely card, thread and fab pair of socks I received from Lindsay:

Another pic I'd managed to delete - thank goodness it was uploaded to my Webshots Album! I enjoyed this exchange so much it would be great to do it again some time (Hint! Hint! LOL)

I did make some other cards but this is going to be a pretty pic intensive post as it is, so I won't post them -  but if you're interested.... or just plain nosey and need to know (like me LOL), then you can see them in my Webshots Album.

It's good to report that the stitching mojo has stayed around - and that's another reason for the lack of blogging. There are only so many hours in a day and any spare time has seen me sat in my favourite armchair, plying my needle. I've been so keen I've joined the Monthly Challenge at NH Forum and a number of SAL's, as well as stitching gifts (like the Polar Bear and Tiger) just because I want to. It's been a reasonably productive year so far. :0)

First item for your delectation is the January Challenge piece:

Design: Petit Chat, internet freebie

Designer: Tralala - Des Filles et une Aiguille

Fabric: Zweigart 28ct Brittney, Antique White

Threads: Dragon Floss, Barrels of Laughter (blues); Carrie's Creation, Rose

Finish: Pinkeep style Scissor Keep

I had wanted to finish this as a cube (it would have been a first for me) but the polystyrene stuff I'd been hoarding had disappeared and I couldn't find any foam shapes online any bigger than 2cm sq, so this didn't get finished in time to go in the album... in fact I only got around to finishing it this month, after doing the finishing on the February Challenge piece. It took that to get the cube finish out of my head and give an alternative I was going to be happy to do. LOL

Then I finally got around to stitching a piece that was a previous Monthly Challenge on JA/S&S Forum.. it had guilt tripped me for long enough:

Design: Mr Penguinee, internet freebie

Designer: Mary Olson and Candy Scott of The Work Basket

Fabric: Zweigart 32ct, White

Thread: Carrie's Creation, Raven

Finish: good old Pinkeep

It came out quite a bit bigger than anticipated, so there was only just enough of the thread to complete it (anyone know where I can buy Carrie's threads from in the UK, please?). It was lovely to add another design to the finished pile though. And soon after that followed the NH Forum's February Challenge piece:

Design: Love, internet freebie

Designer: The Stitcherhood

Fabric: Polstitches 28ct Jobelan, Ice Ltd Ed

Thread: Carrie's Creations, Wedgwood

Finish: Pinkeep style Scissor Case

Now this one was a must stitch and I knew immediately what to use and which finish to do. Those are my Ann scissors, bought because I loved the colour and due to them having the same name as my Mum, now in Spirit... so now my Ann scissors are wrapped in Love. :0) Then I had a rare sleepless session one night so, instead of tossing and turning and disturbing DH (who had to go to work the following day and wouldn't have thanked me), I headed downstairs and grabbed a small project from my stitchy bag.... and got it fully completed. That was my January Christmas ornie:

Design: Robin and Holly

Designer: unknown, pullout from a magazine

Fabric: 28ct Brittney, Antique White

Threads: DMC oddments from my scrap box

Finish: Tuck Ornie (pre-finished tuck pillow)

Another pic I've managed to delete.... thank goodness for my Webshots Album! The tuck pillow was a pre-finished bargain from that well known auction site... wish I could find a few more of these, as this type of finishing is beyond me at the moment - and it's sooo quick! LOL

In between some of the smaller pieces I'd been stitching away at my piece for the NH Forum's Quaker SAL, Quaker Winter Slumber by Midnight Stitching. It went from this, which I started on the 6th of February:

To this, towards the end of February:

But soon became the first Happy Dance of March:

Design: Quaker Winter's Slumber #020

Designer: Midnight Stitching

Fabric: 32ct opalescent Lugana, Wind (unknown make)

Thread: Thai silk, Navy - very fine, stitched 2 over 1

Finish: to be finished as a Bellpull

The pic makes the fabric look a bit pink but it's all a greyish blue, very wintery... and very sparkly. There wasn't much sunshine when I took the pic, so it's not come out that well. This was an absolute joy to stitch and I'd love to do the other seasons at some point. The chart will be winging it's way to Tina (no blog) soon - hope she enjoys stitching this as much as I did. :0)

It was then time to choose a new project.  Clare is running a Prairie Schooler SAL on her Forum, Needlecraft Haven, and it was impossible to resist.... especially as it gave me an excuse to buy a gorgeous piece of sparkly fabric for it. Yes, that MS piece has set off a new love for opalescents... why have I not tried these before?! So here's the small start made:

Can you tell what it is yet? ROFL For those folks that aren't members of NH: I shall torment you a little longer with this one and only tell you that the fabric is Polstitches 32ct opalescent, Mummies Curse. Eheheh.

Also on the cards is another new start: Sampler au Bouquets by Jardin Prive. It was too late to join the SAL blog, so some of the memberss over at NH Forum are having a SAL with this. I've opted to stitch all three designs as one piece and am eagerly awaiting the release of part III this month. The NH SAL starts today (Tuesday 15th) and it's a "go at your own pace" one, so no pressure, for anyone that might be interested. Still waiting in the wings is my Enchanted piece, for the Carriage House Samplings SAL (another NH activity), but I don't have a suitable size of scroll frame for it at the moment. I could use a Siesta Bar Frame but I do not want to use drawing pins to attach this fabric to the frame and risk damaging it.... especially as I was a bit frugal on the extra for framing/edging. I can't help it - it's the Yorkshire blood in me. LOL ;0)

Oh, I nearly forgot! Whilst I was in a finishing mood I dug out an ornie I stitched back in 2009 and completed it - yes, it's taken me this long to get around to it *blush*. Here's the result of that:

Design: Holly Reindeer, internet freebie

Designer: Sharon Bennett, Daffycat

Fabric: 32ct linen, Mocha (unknown make)

Threads: Carrie's Creations, Buffalo Fur and Frosty Pine; DMC: 498

Finish: Pinkeep style Ornie

Many thanks Sharon - I love these little reindeer and it was another lovely piece to stitch... I just need to be in the right mood for finishing.... and it took a while *blushing again* Right, I think that's all the stitchy bits up-to-date now. Phew!

So what else has been keeping me busy? Lots of fun over at the NH Forum for one thing.... and my home. Yes, DH finally realised that the bathroom and kitchen need a total overhaul, so we've been planning and choosing what's wanted and getting quotes. The bathroom suite and a plumber to fit it have been chosen - he'll hopefully be starting in April (unfortunately that was the earliest he could fit us in, as he's popular). The kitchen maker/fitter has been chosen and we'll be in the process of finalising everything for that soon. The bulk of the waterpipe trench has now been backfilled and some of the slabs have been relaid... that's an ongoing job, as the weather doesn't always play ball when we have a free weekend to do jobs. I booked our summer holiday (vacation) - the same cottage we've stayed in the last couple of years... looking forward to recharging my batteries in my favourite place. :0)

DH and DS are still busy with the theatre stuff. DS has a part in the May production, Jekyll & Hyde, and DH is Stage Manager - he's popular for that job, as he gets everything and everyone organised well in advance, so everyone knows what they're meant to be doing and when. I shall probably be going to the performance... another solo seat at the back. LOL

I've been continuing with Development Circle meetings... but I don't know for how much longer, as one of the ladies has just dropped out. It has never been a large group anyway, so every member counts, and we suspect that it won't be long before a second member drops out - if that happens it won't be viable any longer. I shall be gutted if/when it does fold.... but I know that these things always happen for a reason... and when one door closes, another one invariably opens. I just have to be patient and see what the Universe has in store for me. :0) One door that has opened already: I will soon be going to a new monthly Meditation group that's being held locally - just a small group of women who wish to develop their Meditational skills. It starts in April... am looking forward to that.

DH and I have been to two Mind, Body and Spirit events so far this year, the first in Grimsby in January (the first time we've been to that event in a while) and, most recently, to the one in Elsecar, near Barnsley. They are always interesting.... and a lot of the stallholders now recognise me and say hello, which is nice. The main pull these days are the talks/workshops they hold, rather than going for the lovely goodies.... though I am now saving up for a Native American style flute, as that instrument is calling strongly to me. It helps that you don't need to read music to be able to play a passable tune. LOL

Well, that's not all of the news but it's the main happenings... enough there for you to have needed to make a coffee and put your feet up for a while. ROFL I will admit that I'm now extremely far behind on the blog reading/commenting but it's got to the point where it's unmanageable.... so, I don't like doing it, but I'm going to have to admit defeat and start again with many of your blogs, for which I apologise. I hope you'll all understand.... but I really don't want to be chained to this computer for the next month or two, trying to catch up. DH and DS would soon complain if there were no clean undies in the drawers or food on the table at mealtimes. LOL

Thank you all for taking the time to stop by... hope to be paying a return visit shortly. :0)

Pumpkins, Blackwork, Digging, Chat and Another SAL

It's well past time I put in an appearance on this poor blog... it does seem to get put to the back of the queue on the list of things to do these days and I have no idea why. So, what have I been up to this time? Well, believe it or not, a second Happy Dance has followed hot on the heels of the Tiger - I guess that goes to prove that the sttichy mojo is definitely back from it's holidays and here to stay. Yay! It did help that the piece I picked out was an absolute joy to stitch..... and here it is, in all it's unpressed glory:

Design: A Spot of Halloween

Designer: Midnight Stitching

Fabric: Sparklies 28ct evenweave, Pumpkin Patch

Threads: DMC B5200 & 310

Apologies for the slightly blurry pic - the weather here has been dull and dismal much of the time and the digicam isn't that good.... and neither are my photography skills, to be honest. LOL This one was the best of the lot I took. It didn't get finished for Samhain (Halloween) this year...... but I am well organised for the next one..... providing I can decide how to finish this up before then. I'd like to finish it as a wall hanging but my sewing skills aren't up for it - the darned sewing machine will insist on galloping off and doing it's own thing, no matter what I do. I shall get to the other side of Yule (Christmas) and into January and go find out what sewing courses, if any, are available via the Adult Education classes or the local Colleges - it's way past time I tamed that darned machine and cured my terror of it, once and for all. School sewing classes have got an awful lot to answer for!

As soon as I got Spot of finished I picked a new WIP progress out of the To Stitch pile.... sorry Julie and Mr Stick, those UFO's are just not grabbing me at the moment and not even Wanda brandishing her broom at me has worked - though I have got rather good at ducking and diving! LOL I bet you're all wondering what the new WIP is, aren't you? I did wonder about leaving that until the next post - then remembered that poor Tina (no blog) has been itching to see what it is and I've been tormenting her for long enough now. So here's the first update pic:

Design: Blackwork Mystery SAL

Designer: Seba Designs

Fabric: 28ct evenweave, Vintage Blue

Threads: Thai Variegated Silk (so far)

It's another really naff pic too, due to the same reasons as above. :0( The fabric is actually a lovely pale blue, in a Vintage style, and the silk thread is graded from a lovely deep blue to a pale blue. Strictly speaking, the Mystery and SAL are no longer relevant, as the SAL finished long since and it's no longer a Mystery as I have all the parts... but I won't go splitting hairs. ;0) It has grown a bit more since this and would have grown even more if that darned frog hadn't come a visiting. What was so annoying about it was that I was just half a stitch too low. Yes - not even a whole one, just half a bloomin' stitch! So it got frogged, then restitched in the right place, with the satisfaction of adding a couple of extra stitches, just so it seemed like some progress had been made overall. Sheesh.... when I think that without that mistake I could have had two squares stitched, not just one, I could spit like a camel. Well, I did have the hump big time afterwards.... does that count?

Now let me cast my mind back and see if I can remember what else has been happening since my last post. Eeerrrrmmmm..... well, I've had a few sleeps since then, so it's a bit of a struggle. The poor wee brain cell is on overdrive, trying to keep up with the regular stuff, and this might be a step too far. LOL

DH and I attended the Mind, Body and Spirit event at the Lincolnshire Showground on Sunday 7th and had a great day. I attended three of the workshop/talks: Past Lives; Meditation with Instruments and Healing with Crystals - DH came to the second and third ones with me. They were all very interesting. We also had a little retail therapy, though not as much as previous times, and I also underwent a Crystal Healing session, from one of the stalls..... now that was a great experience and further proved (not that any was needed) that I have an affinity with crystals and need to develop this further. It also helped me to go straight to a crystal stall and pick out a new Pendulum, for use in Dowsing specifically for health related matters. This event was the last one in this area for this year.

Oh, I know what else: the chaps decided that, with the help of one of DS's mates, they would lay the new waterpipe. You know how these things go with the male of the species..... they get a professional in to give them a price; they then see a large amount of £££'s on a quote and go: "You what? How much? I can get it done cheaper than that"; then they start the job, all enthusiastic..... and very soon realise that, actually, it's a hell of a lot more work than they'd realised and it's going to take them longer than they thought and, then they go: aaahh crap - wish we'd paid somebody to come and do this.

Seem familiar? Yup, that's about what happened here.

Getting the slabs up was relatively easy.... it was the bloody horrible clay stuff they had to dig out that was the problem, especially as it all had to be done by hand because we weren't 100% sure where or how deep the existing water and gas pipes were. Here's the front all dug up (one days work) with the sand layer in and the new pipe loosely laid (the second day):

This and other pics had to be taken for the benefit of the Water Board, to prove that we'd done it correctly - as we need the drive for parking our cars on, it all had to be backfilled and the slabs put back down afterwards, all before they could come out to inspect it and connect it up. Waiting for them to do that can take around six weeks (or more) and we weren't prepared to leave the trench open that long.... someone was bound to "accidentally" fall in it and try for a nice bit of compensation just before Christmas, weren't they? (Yes, I am a tad cynical. LOL). Our neighbours, the Pete's, got their trenchwork and piping done on the Saturday - lucky so and so's had proper soil to dig through and a couple more helping hands than we did - but they very kindly came round and helped us finish up the front on the Sunday.

Now the side of the house, behind the wooden gates, is a whole different story. That had to be left in this state:

That bit is from the side gates and almost to the back door and the next pic is from the back door to the back end of the house (the wooden board is so I can come out to put stuff in the recycling boxes without falling into the hole):

Since then DS and another mate have dug it all down even further (has to be a certain depth, by law) , so the clay heaps are even higher. DS then went out and backfilled the stretch from the back of the side gates to just short of the first carport upright post:

Saturday (20th) I thought I'd show willing and I shovelled and ferried two half barrows of sand round from next door (can't lift a full barrow of wet sand) and then shovelled a layer into the bottom of the trench, from just after the carport upright up to the back door and tamped it all down - it's now ready for the chaps to lay the pipe, stick a sand layer on top and backfill, whenever the mood takes them. After that I was mildly cream crackered. ;0)

DH spent much of the first weekend taking apart a kitchen cupboard, to access the outside wall, and drilling through, for the new pipe to come in.

That bit I don't mind..... it means the kitchen refurb has just been bumped higher up the Must Do list. Yay! LOL I spent most of that weekend making cuppas and a combination of bacon/egg/sausage butties - the fuel that keeps the British Workman going. The only bit about that was that I couldn't eat any of it, due to the food intolerances/special diet - bum!

This weekend, as if there hadn't already been enough destruction, DH had to dismantle some of the downstairs toilet and uncover the wall, so he could drill through for the new pipe to come in there too (it has a separate pipe system to the rest of the house, as it's in an extension). This is what it looks like at the moment:

Yup, it's definitely out of commision for the foreseeable future - we're all getting a little extra exercise going up and down the stairs, to use the updstairs loo. LOL The little white "lump" in the right hand corner of the pic is a piece of kitchen roll blocking the hole to the outside. The outside bit now looks like this:

Thankfully we have a pile of bricks at the bottom of the garden, some of which can be used to repair the bashed out area there, plus the matching bashed in bit to the kitchen. We have no idea what that random bit of brickwork is to the right of the trench: the proper manhole and sewerage pipe is further over, running straight between the houses and out to the main sewer under the road - that bit is totally out of alignment with our house and the neighbours house. All we can think of is that the builders got that bit wrong and decided it was too much hassle to rave it all out again, so just left it in situ. You find some weird bits and pieces when you start dismantling or digging bits up in and around this house. LOL Fingers crossed (and everything else!) that this job gets finished before Christmas because the level of muddy footprints that are getting traipsed through my house is now starting to give me a decided twitch.

Development Circle is going OK, though there wasn't a session last week as Aureen was undergoing some hospital tests for a couple of ongoing health isues she has. Lots of healing vibes have been going her way. My acupuncturist is currently on holiday, so I booked myself in for a couple of Reflexology sessions - those have been very interesting, not just for the healing but also for the chat with the practitioner, B. She is undergoing training in Hypnotherapy... so I've requested that she lets me know when her training is complete, as I would like her help with a couple of things: to get me back on track with my diet, as that's gone to pieces since my op; help with learning some self-treating techniques, to help me tackle the last couple of post-agoraphobia/panic attack things that still give me a little anxiety and to aid meditation; wanting to remember a couple of childhood incidents that could have a bearing on issues I have now and, the main thing, to undergo a Past Life Regression. B should receive her certificates in January and will be able to give Hypnotherapy treatments from then, so 2011 looks set to be an even more interesting year than this one. :0)

Oooo, I nearly forgot: the lovely Tina (no blog) will be running a Shores of Hawk Run Hollow SAL over at the Stitch & Stash Forum but it's not just for stitching Shores - folks can join in with any Carriage House Samplings piece. So I went rummaging in my stash and found three CHS charts lurking in there and this one shouted the loudest:

Enchanted... and, as you can see, I've already got the fabric chosen and done a floss toss. I've been extra good, as everything is from stash. I think the SAL starts in January 2011 (best check, hadn't I? LOL), so it'll be a nice way to start off the New Year and, hopefully, I'll manage to keep up this time... unlike with the Just Nan SAL (sssshhh, don't let Mr Stick know! LOL).

Oh, and before I forget again: someone asked about the new header pic. It's a view of the Langdale Pikes, as taken from the path between Skelwith Bridge and Elterwater, in the Lake District. It's one of the pics I took when DH and I did the walk on our summer holiday this year. :0)

Thank you for taking the time to visit... and especially for the lovely comments you leave. Welcome to newbies to my blog too.. please say Hi. Have a good week folks. :0)

It's Officially Official......

Yup, it definitely is...... after not one but four night's of stitching this week..... the mojo is finally back and looks like it might just be staying around for the forseeable future. Yay! That is worth a Happy Dance all of its own! LOL

So what has had me sat and busily plying my needle on those four nights? Well... there's the start of the new series of V, a couple of documentaries on Ancient Egypt that I hadn't seen (a feat in itself, as I have usually watched everything there is about that era several times over), a couple of episodes of Criminal Minds I hadn't seen before, plus a new Sunday evening historical drama on Channel 4, called Pillars of the Earth... worth watching just for the main character of Tom Builder! LOL And which one, out of several WIP's and UFO's, received my attention, I hear you all asking.... it was the Janlynn Tiger I've been stitching for my Development Circle friend G. In fact I got so much done, this was the result:

Yes, folks, we have an actual finished piece..... and there's a major Happy Dance going on here at the moment. I can't tell you just how good that feels after such a very long hiatus! LOL It is so good to finally be back stitching again.... I feel like throwing a party for that long-gone mojo.

Soooooo....... now that the Tiger is completed, a frame has been freed up..... and I've already got the fabric for a new WIP on it, ready for tonight. Fingers crossed there's something good on TV, to ensure my butt stays firmly in my armchair to make a good start on it. Yes, I know you're all wanting to know what the new WIP is going to be.... but you're just going to have to be patient until next time, when there'll hopefully be enough stitching done to show you all a pic. Cue *evil laugh* here. ;0)

So, what else has been going on since my last post? Well, the play my DS was in and DH was Stage Manager for went well - not the greatest aucdience turn outs each night, but not bad for an am dram production. The book An Inspector Calls is currently on the high school curriculum, so it was nice to see one of the schools sending along the students to watch the play - and the cast did a post-performance Q&A session with the kids and teachers who attended. Methinks the grades for that particular school might just be up this year, as they got a lot out of it. :0)

Right when the post-show blues hit my DS, he got a letter to say he didn't get the job he'd applied for - that's the third (or is it fourth?) time this has happened and it's not doing his confidence any good at all. The feedback he was promised from certain of the interviewers hasn't been forthcoming either, so he doesn't know what the problem is, if any (there does seem to be an awful lot of in-house moves going on... kinda seems a waste of his energy applying if he doesn't stand a chance from the outset). So he's now extending his search for a new job outside of the company he currently works for. Fingers crossed he gets something soon. Meantime, the readings for the Panto have been and gone and it's now cast - DS has a minor role in this but he does have a sword fighting scene to do, so he'll have fun with that. The rehearsals will be starting shortly, so it should help to take his mind off the recent disappointment.

Things are a bit up-and-down with the Development Circle - sometimes I do well and others not so great..... the weeks I do well keep me going back for more. LOL I am really getting into the Pendulum Dowsing and am practising that a few times a week. My DS bought me a great Reiki manual recently (a belated Birthday gift), so I'll start reading that before too much longer, ready for when I eventually train to do Reiki. I had the Reflexology session... and what a treat that was. A lovely foot massage and manipulation that left me feeling great. It was also very interesting when it came to the effects of the manipulation - I could actually feel a gentle movement in the various areas of my body that corresponded with the areas on my feet that were being pressed.... and several times I could actually feel pops in my feet as the blocks were cleared. The practitioner could also tell me, from the feel of my feet, what my problem areas are: my neck and shoulder and part of my back; hips (I've suspected for a while that some of my back trouble is originating from my hips) and breathing/the lung channel (I struggle to co-ordinate the meditation breathing/pulling in energy exercises) and a couple of other things. All told I was really impressed and would recommend this treatment (providing you get a good practitioner). It was interesting chatting to the practitioner too and I like her approach to healing and hope to go back for some more sessions before too long. Meantime, the acupuncture Clinic has re-opened for business and it looks great.... and the feel of the place is so much higher and lighter, iykwim. It was so much more relaxing, I had just about fallen asleep by the time the acupuncturist came back in to remove the needles.

As for the weight: I have been off the tortilla chips for over a week now, going cold turkey. The cravings seem to have hit me hard this last few days. Unfortunately our scales are on the blink so I have no idea if I've actually lost any of the regained weight..... guess I'll know I have when my jeans aren't quite so hugging any more. LOL I'm not going to beat myself up about this though.... I'm still far lighter and healthier than I was. :0)

There hasn't been much progress in the DIY jobs department lately, as DH has been quite busy at work and the weather hasn't been that kind. He has been up on the extension roof today (Sunday) giving it a bit of a clean and adding some sealant along various bits, to try and stop the rain getting in. I gave the lawn what I hope will now be its final mow of the season. Various bits of cutting back and the like have also been done at various times, as well as some weeding, to try and get it looking half way decent before it gets too cold and wet to go out there at all. I've moved the blueberry bush into the greenhouse already, as the first frosts of the year are threatened this week... the baby fuschia will be joining it and so will the larger one, once it's been dug up from the garden and potted up.

The auction selling has been continuing, as the free listing has been coming along regularly... and I've been really good, as I've only bought a couple of items. Must remember to share pics of those next time round too. I've also been having a steady catch up with blog reading too. I know I still owe quite a few of you a visit and I will be by soon, it's just that there's a huge backlog to catch up with.... and I can't just scan through, as I'm real nosey and like to catch up with all of your news.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for the kind comments you leave. Hope you've all had a good weekend and have a gentle start to the new week. :0)

A Final Fanfare, Please

Yes, please stand for the final Fanfare for Her Majesty Queen Guenevere. Thanks to Julie, Mr Stick and the girls on the JA S&S Forum Tuesday UFO Night yet another UFO has bit the dust....... or, should I say, finally turned into a finish. :0)

Here's Her Majesty in all her unwashed and unpressed glory:

I reckon she'll look good as a wallhanging in my hall, so I shall be keeping my eyes open for a suitable medieval style fabric for that. Meantime, those Egyptian bellydancing CD's have had another outing so if there's any news reports of earth tremors in the UK you'll know why. LOL
There are several other candidates for next weeks UFO Night waiting in the wings, so watch this space.

Night Watchman has grown nicely but I shall do a little more on him before posting a pic - will leave that until next time.

It was the Monthly Challenge Reveal Day on JA S&S Forum at the weekend. The design was a lovely one by A Mon Ami Pierre and once again there have been some gorgeous finishes - some novel finishing ideas and lots of inspiration there. The selection for this month is up for voting (which I've done) and it'll be some early Christmas stitching this time round. Looking forward to seeing which one wins and I'm determined not to have to drop out, like I had to last month. Got my fingers crossed for one particular piece to win as I've already got a thread colour in mind for it. LOL

We had a good day at my DSis's on Sunday: we went to a garden centre for dinner, then had a shop. DSis bought an ivy plant for one of her pots and some bags of glass nuggets for decorating the tops of her pots. We bought a couple of metal toadstool decorations as part of her Christmas present - they look quite magical and make a lovely sound when the wind rattles them - as well as some cyclamens for our pots, to replace the violas that have died off, and a kneeling mat for DH to use inside the house. While we were there DH removed the radiator from her front bedroom and sealed the pipes, so she could get on with wallpapering the room this week (she's off all week) - she's got a shorter double radiator to replace it with when the decorating is done. A local gypsy kindly took the old one away, saving her a job and a rupture from moving it (very heavy).

I had quite a nice surprise yesterday afternoon: I was sat at the computer when I heard a skittering noise on the sun lounge roof. I almost ignored it, thinking it was Poppa blackbird, until I realised he'd have to have clogs on to make quite that amount of noise. Glancing up made me realise it wasn't a bird at all and a double-take had the realisation hit that it was a squirrel! I shot out into the garden to see he had jumped off the roof and into the neighbours garden and as I watched he scampered across their garden and shimmied up a concrete fence post to stand on the top of the fence. Unfortunately the kids in the next house were making a bit of noise, startled him and he shot off along the fence like a rocket, soon disappearing from sight. It's the first sighting of an urban squirrel I've had round here in many years and it was such a thrill.......... but I've been kicking myself ever since that I didn't once think to grab the ruddy camera to take a pic! I shall be keeping the camera to hand from now on, in the hopes that the visitor will be back again some time soon. :0)

DH is off to Italy tomorrow (Wednesday) morning with several work colleagues, on another trip to Buttrio, due back Friday night. With a little forward planning (for a change) we did a Tesco's online shop last night and had it delivered tonight, so DS and I can eat while he's away. ;0) As DS will be busy with rehearsals in the evenings I shall be on my own more than usual but the cupboards are now stocked, the TV remote is mine and there are plenty of stitching projects waiting to keep me busy, so the time will be filled quite nicely. Hopefully the weather will behave during the days (had rain in the afternoon and a thunderstorm around 6pm today) so I can get those cyclamens in and have a potter round as well. Who knows, I might even feel inspired to have a trip to the library and back! :0)

Karen: I heard about the Ozark Mystery SAL via Jayne's Stitch & Stash Forum & signed up for it there (there's an actual Ozark Forum but I never got round to joining it and don't know the link). Jayne is currently taking sign ups for the 2009 Mystery, if you're interested. :0)

Well I'd better go and make sure DH has packed everything he needs for his trip.

Thank you for visiting and thank you for taking the time to comment - all are very much appreciated. :0)

Belly Dancing Time

Yup, the Egyptian Belly Dancing CD's had another outing yesterday for another Happy Dance. LOL

Here is Queen Cleopatra, in all her unwashed and unpressed glory, thanks to me being too excited to wait before posting a pic to share:

As ever, the scan makes the colours look a little washed out - they are more vivid IRL and so typical of Ancient Egyptian colours. I enjoyed stitching her and am now trying to decide if I now fancy starting one of the sister kits to go with this. No, not another Egyptian one: there's a Venetian and a Moorish woman to go with. I thought there was a fourth as well but I must have imagined it, as I couldn't find it when I looked (sheesh - yet another brain fart moment!).

Then again I may opt for something completely different. I've been eyeing the LHN chart Always and Forever as a potential start. I've got some R&R 30ct fabric in Goldfinch to stitch it on but am dithering over a thread colour, as I don't have the recommended one (Belle Soie in Mer Blue). It doesn't necessarily have to be blue so, folks, to help get my imagination going with this: what thread/s and colour/s do you suggest?

I had a stash package with a difference arrive this week, with no threads, no charts and not a single evenweave or linen in sight. What kind of stash do you call that? Patchwork and quilting stash or, to be more precise, fabrics and wadding samples that I bought from an online patchwork and quilting shop called Cotton Patch:

Aren't they lovely? No, I'm not taking up yet another hobby (mighty tempting as it is, as I've always fancied taming the sewing machine and having a go at P & Q). These 9" x 11" cotton fabrics and the wadding were bought solely with the intention of using them to make up cross stitched ornies of varying kinds. I enjoyed the browse through all the fabrics on the site and will most probably go back there again at some point....... there were lots more lovely fabrics that were mighty tempting. :0)

Tonight I shall be phoning my DSis, partly to check if she's got over her trauma (LMAO) but mainly to see how her day of babysitting our nephew Fin went yesterday - his teachers were on strike and DBro and SIL were working, so DSis stepped in to help out as it was her day off. She was well prepared for it: DBro was leaving Fin's booster seat, in case they decided they wanted a trip out in the car, and she'd also bought a packet mix to make some choc chip muffins and a badge making kit. Nice - brings back memories of when my DS was little! :0) I did ask if I could go for a play too but she wasn't having it and reckoned I'd probably eat most of the choc chip muffins. Huh! Right cheek, I told her - I'd probably have to fight her off first so I could get a look-in! LOL

Other plans for tonight? Well DS will be at the theatre again, as he managed to get roped in to helping out with a dance schools production of Mouline Rouge all this week, and DH will be out on a works male bonding night out in town (an excuse to go for an ale or three, as he'll not be driving)........ so I shall be in sole charge of the TV remote and have a selection of stitching projects that need some attention. Night Watchman is feeling neglected, as I haven't had him out of my work bag for ages and the same with Mother Earth; then Memories is waiting for me to get round to stitching the final part, as is For Amanda, and there's the thought of a new start beckoning. Guess I'll wait until after I've had tea and seen the two fellas off and then see what mood takes me. :0)

Weekend plans haven't been decided on yet. My DSis is working, so we'll not be going to hers, so I guess it all depends on what the weather is doing...... if the last couple of days are anything to go by, then it'll be more rain showers. Still, there are enough DIY jobs to do in the house to keep DH going for a very looooooooong time. LOL

Julie: if I suggested that DH would still be running next week - and not because of the beetle! LMAO ;0)

Well, that's it for today. Hope you are all having a good day and have a fun weekend planned. Enjoy! :0)

A Thank You and a Needle Nanny

What's the best way to start the day? Getting stash post.
What's an even better way to start the day? Getting surprise stash post from a stitchy friend!
This week Karen not only gave me the kick in the pants I needed to finally get around to making up a Wish List (something that I'd been promising myself I'd do for aaaages) but she also very kindly RAK'd me this LHN chart that was on it:

Thank you once again Karen for your kindness and generosity and for not just making my day but my whole week. I love this design and will thoroughly enjoy stitching it! :0)

Yesterday the finishing for the Needle Nanny went better than I expected it to: it was fiddly but not that bad that I wanted to throw it through the nearest window in frustration. LOL
Here's the finished item: The picture is a bit blurry but it gives you the general idea. It's not perfect but as it was another first for me I'm pretty pleased with it and the learning curve means that the next one should turn out better. :0)

I also had a good evening stitching the details on the back piece of the JA/S&S Monthly Challenge item and got the bulk of it finished - just a few little bits to add tonight, then it's on with the finishing. I don't think I'll get time to do that over this weekend though: not yet sure of tomorrow's plans (the optician's appointment I thought we'd got in the morning isn't until next Saturday. Doh!) but I'm hoping we can go off on the Motorhome Hunt. On Sunday we are going to pick up my DSis, visit Rosehill to leave some flowers for Father's Day and then take her out somewhere, so we won't be home until late evening. I like to do the finishing on items in the day time, while I'm feeling as fresh as a daisy, rather than in the evening's when I generally feel more like the fertiliser underneath the daisy! LOL

Julie: your comment about the superglue made me LMAO. I was lucky as DH decided to do the honours and be the first to try out his own repairs. Thankfully we didn't need the help of the emergency services to prise him off it....... and the repairs seem to be working well so far. (Touch Wood!)

Karen: so glad you stopped your comment when you did, as that mental image would probably not have been good. ROFL. DH has re-positioned one of the rubber thingies under the seat (he reckons it was in the wrong place, so it kept slipping off the rim) and it seems to be OK now. Yay!

Well that's it for today...... and I can't believe just how fast this week has gone, can you?

Whatever your plans are I hope you all have a great weekend. Many thanks for visiting. :0)

Another UFO Night Success

Last night was Tuesday UFO Night over at the JA/S&S Forum. Yes, Julie, I was good and left Cleo alone and stitched on my UFO instead....... so Mr Stick's services won't be needed. LOL
I was so close to a finish but had to call it a day around midnight when my eyes had finally had enough of the 1 over 1. I'm no quitter though, not when a Happy Dance is calling loudly, so when I'd finished my lunch I picked it up and carried on until it was finally completed.

The details, for those who need to know: the piece is called Love Is You and was a Limited Edition design by Carol Tinson of Heirloom Embroideries, issued for Valentine's 2007 via her forum. Fabric is Permin (Wichelt) 28ct Lambswool Linen and the silk threads I used are: VC Heart Wood and Kaalund Poinsettia. All stitched 1 over 1. It was started back in February 2007 - not my longest ever UFO piece but it is good to get it completed and have one less guilt trip in my workbasket to deal with. ;0)

Many thanks to Julie and Mr Stick and all the girls for all the encouragement. The group sure is on a roll for finishes at the moment - I think this is one of three completed this week!
I shall be back next Tuesday with yet another UFO....... not sure which one yet, will decide that on the night.

As there's no other stitchy pics here are the ones of the swans. Momma swan on the nest:

Not sure if this was pre or post hatching - guess if it was post hatching DH would have been fending off Poppa swan before he could get the camera out. LOL

Here's the proud Momma and her three babies:

Up on the bank there's a Mallard drake to the left and Canada Geese in the background - Poppa swan regularly gave them hell. LOL The Geese were about the noisiest things there - no traffic noise, no blaring stereo systems, no emergency services sirens blaring, no Friday/Saturday night drunks shouting and using the gate post as a urinal........... nothing. Sheer Bliss! :0)

The proud parents with babies: Notice Poppa swan swimming towards us? He may have had a limp but he sure could move fast when he thought Momma and babies were under threat. He reckoned my cousin got too close one day and was across the water and up the bank, hissing and snapping like a demented thing, before my cousin realised what was happening. We didn't hang around when we saw him swimming in our direction: we took the final shot of the view of Lincoln Cathedral and walked back to the cabin, leaving them in peace.

Helen: the cabins (or Lodge's, as they call them) are great. They are big enough that we all said we could quite fancy living in them! They are also extremely well kept, equipped and clean and Katie and Tim (owners) are lovely - any problems and they are only too happy to help. We can also highly recommend the breakfast and summer baskets they've started doing this year: mostly locally produced farm foods in them (the salmon and asparagus quiche was huge and very tasty!). Can recommend some good eating places too. Let me know if you want any more info. :0)

Tonight's stitching plans: I might just start the next part of the Ozark SAL....... if Cleo doesn't shout too loud. ;0) I also have to decide soon on which of the JA/S&S Monthly Challenge pieces I want to stitch and pull the fabric and threads for it. Due to the technical glitches the votes were lost, so it's been decided the best thing is to let us choose whichever one (or two!) of the freebies we want to stitch. We've also been given extra time for completion, due to everything being in limbo while the forum was down......... so if I really knuckle down I could conceivably stitch and make up two items (one for me and one as a gift). All pics will be posted in the album and I'm really looking forward to viewing that, especially as there's going to be even more variety than usual. :0)

Thanks for stopping by. Wherever you are: hope the weather is being kind and you're having a great day. :0)

A Small HD

Back in November Jayne ran a Beginners Hardanger SAL on the Stitch'n'Stash Forum and, me being me, I didn't get around to doing it then because I was busy doing other stuff. Suddenly feeling inspired last night I dug it out from under a pile of stitching magazines and made a start, finishing it off tonight.Once again the scanner has made it look dull: the stitches lay much better than this and the glitter thread wrapped around the wrapped bars really sparkles. Such a cute piece, it was a lot of fun to stitch, so thanks for designing the piece and running the SAL Jayne. :0) Not sure how I shall finish it yet: it's small enough to make a nice card but would also look good as a small ornie. Guess it'll go in the finishes drawer for a while, with the rest of the pieces that are waiting for me to make a decision on how to finish them. ;0)
I've now stitched hardanger pieces on 28ct and 22ct fabric and have to say that I prefer using the 28ct, as the stitches do seem to lay better on that.

DH booked Friday off work so he could get a few things done: like getting his hair cut, hoovering off the plate rack in the hall and similar boring but necessary stuff....... but he mainly seemed to get under my feet as I was trying to get my jobs done. I did get a bit of peace when he drove DS out to Epworth village in the evening: DS's works Christmas "Do" was at an Indian restaurant out there - DS didn't want to drive as he wanted to have a drink or two, so his Dad volunteered to take him and pick him up again afterwards. I finished the replacement card for the exchange and made a start on the hardanger bauble while they were gone whilst listening to one of those Ambience Music CD's - well, there was definitely nothing on the TV worth watching, was there.

DS shot off to a Panto rehearsal this morning and had a bit of Christmas shopping to do afterwards, so DH popped to the Post Office, then we went to a local garden centre for dinner. While we were there we had a look round: lots of pretty Christmas decorations but we came away with a nicely decorated pot for the garden instead. It's planted with two types of heather and what I think might be a cyclamen but as I know beggar all about most types of plants, don't quote me. Anyway: it's got dark reddish coloured leaves, so looks different and pretty and that's good enough to get into my garden. ;0) As we'd actually gone there to look for some of those metal hangers that hook over the top of your door so you can hang a wreath (or whatever) on and didn't find any we decided to go to the big garden centre out at Brigg to see if they'd got any. That place always has a big Christmas decorations display upstairs at this end of the year so is always well worth a look round. We got what we needed from there, paid and left as there were way too many mardy kids in there for it to be enjoyable, unfortunately. We did a couple of small errands after that, then decided we'd had enough and came home.

DS is out at The Little Theatre Club's Christmas party tonight so we've had a take away from our favourite curry house and have been chillin' in front of the TV since, giving me chance to finish the hardanger bauble and have a think about what to stitch next. The WDW Garnet thread - the one that was out of stock when I ordered those lovely JBW Designs Christmas charts from Sew and So - arrived this morning, so I may just go for a new start tomorrow. :0)

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated. Hope you all have a good weekend. :0)

A HD and a Surprise

Look at what I finished last night. :0)As I have a few larger, longer term projects on the go at the moment it's good to have a finish for a change. As the walls of our house would fill up awfully fast if everything I stitched was framed I've decided this one should be finished as some type of ornie - if I can decide on what style of finish I'd like to achieve.......... and providing I can take the plunge at finally having a go, as my finishing skills currently rank at zero. My drawerful of stitched but unfinished items will attest to that. >rolleyes<

I had a lovely surprise in the post this morning from Dusty in the USA, a beautifully stitched hardanger ornie. The scan has made the red look really bright and the green quite dark when they are actually lovely traditional Christmas colours. It is gorgeous and is going on the special tree we bought last year: it's branches are of fancy scrolled metalwork and it revolves slowly, absolutely ideal for displaying handmade ornies. Am hoping DH is going to get it out of the loft for me one evening this week, so I can put it up and decorate it.

I'm glad to say I finally got around to writing my Christmas cards and letters on Saturday which took me all afternoon and some of the evening to complete. I'd been putting it off because I had to write the letters with news of this year - not an easy thing to do. Thankfully they're done now and in the post.

Another reason I was so distracted last week was because it was leading up to the 4th anniversary of my Mum's passing, which was yesterday - it's always an emotional time for us. We went to Doncaster on Sunday to spend the day with my DSis and we all went to the Crem to lay flowers and leave cards in the afternoon. I don't know if I got a bit chilled while I was there, or what, because yesterday I didn't feel too great: sinusitis, headache and my stomach felt awful, making me feel seriously nauseous. Unfortunately it meant I had to cancel Alex's usual Monday afternoon visit, as I had to take some tablets and go back to bed. Thankfully two tablets and a few hours sleep later and I felt much better and even went on to complete the little chickadee in the evening. I feel much better today, with normal service being resumed as soon as I'd eaten and had a coffee. :0)

Did I tell you that a few weeks back I signed up for the Ozark Mystery SAL at The Attic's Stitch'n'Stash Forum? Normally I don't sign up for mysteries because I always think: what if I hate the piece when it's done? I only ever stitch pieces I love, or know that the person I'm giving a piece to will love, and the thought of spending all that time and money on something that I can't stand the sight of when it's done just turns me cold. This one is an exception to the rule though: Debbie Draper is the designer. Every time I had a mosey over to her site for another looksee at her designs I was sunk and had to sign up. I was so glad I'd given in to temptation when Jayne announced she would be specially hand dying the fabric for the UK stitchers in the SAL - after receiving her lovely Count On Me fabrics, thanks to the monthly club I'm in, I can't wait to see what she produces for this. :0) The first pack will be despatched soon, for starting this in January 2008 - whoohoo! Anyone else taking part?

I think 2008 will be a bit busy, stitching wise, as I have signed up for both the Carol Tinson/Heirloom Embroidery Amanda SAL and Jayne's Memories SAL as well........ hope I actually manage to keep up with all of these! I shall look forward to seeing what everyone else's 2008 stitching plans are going to be.

Thank you again for visiting my Blog and for all the kind messages, they are greatly appreciated. :0)