Mystery Over

The Ozark Mystery that is. The last part of the Sampler was finally completed on Saturday night and yes, those bellydancing CD's got an outing for another Happy Dance. It was lovely to take this off the scroll frame and see it in it's entirety for the first time:

Ozark Mystery Sampler 2008

Designer: Debbie Draper

Fabric: 28ct hand dyed evenweave - Polstitches?

Ozark Threads: Blue Ivy; Mountain Violet; Mimosa; Blue Jeans; Emerald; Rose of Sharon; Spring Grass; Blueberry; Teal Kiss and four unnamed colours.

I still wonder if I did the right thing stitching those numbers in that thread - although they do show up better IRL. I think I'm about the third to finish this on the JA/S&S Forum. The other ladies have posted their pics and it's lovely to see the different choices that were made by each stitcher - although we have all opted to stitch the central heart motif, rather than the bird, rabbit or squirrel that were the alternatives to choose from. Although I liked the rabbit motif I really didn't fancy seeing a purple one - it would be almost as bad as seeing pink elephants! LOL

I picked up Night Watchman again last night but there's not enough progress to make another pic worthwhile yet. I may just do more on him tonight - although I now have a large scroll frame that's sat empty and is begging for a new start....... ;0)

On the reading front: I finished The Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick last night, the book that Karen very kindly sent to me. There are more details in the side bar and on The Reading Corner blog about the book, if you're interested. I've registered this with the Book Crossing site and it's now available, so please shout if you would like it. My next book is one by Barbara Erskine, which has the historical figure of Cartimandua in it, a contemporary of Boudicca - this will be my first BE book, so am looking forward to seeing what I've been missing out on. This is already spoken for by Julie and I'll be sending it to her as soon as it's finished. :0)

Sunday was a horrible day weatherwise but we popped to the Silica Lodge garden centre for dinner anyway. Good move - there weren't many brave (or should that be foolhardy?) souls about, so it was pretty quiet. After eating we had a look round their Christmas and gifts display - glad we did, as I found the first item for my Exchange partner in the No Stash For Christmas Exchange. No, I don't know who my partner is yet, but it's a universal/useful item that will suit anyone so I couldn't resist getting it - once I know who my partner is, and their likes/dislikes, I shall concentrate on finding specific things for them.
Next stop was Wilkinson's for a look round and we scored again: as well as the toiletries and household goods we wanted, I finally found somewhere that sells decorative Crimbo card holders that are of a suitable size to hang on the hall doors - they'll save having to damage anything by using drawing pins. Yay! Now I know they are the right size I shall go back for a couple more and we're all set to go when the festive season arrives.

We got back home in time to watch the final Grand Prix race of the season and what a race it was! Yes, it even had me watching some of it - something of a rarity. A shame for Massa, who was obviously gutted, but it was fantastic to have Lewis Hamilton, a British driver, win the Championship - that's one in the eye for all his detractors, especially those negative beggars in the media. Well done Lewis! :0)

Today has been my usual jobs day. Half term is over and Alex is back at work now, though she didn't visit today because of that. Roll on next week and a mega news catch-up! LOL

DH is off to Italy with two colleagues tomorrow. The regular flight they've been taking from East Midlands is no longer running, due to them changing to their winter timetable, so they have a very early start, due to having to travel down to Stansted instead. It's going to be a long week........ I expect I shall be doing my usual sleep-deprived zombie impression for much of it. Roll on the weekend! As he's not back until Friday I guess it'll give me more time this week to have a blog reading/commenting catch up, as I seem to have got behind again - so if you've nt heard from me lately, I will be by soon.

Many thanks for visiting and for all the kind comments. Hope you all had a good weekend and an easy start to the week. :0)

That's Better!

Just when I began to wonder if Motivation might have gone on holiday and taken her good friend Mojo with her up they popped again last night, so stitching commenced and not one but two SAL sections got finished! Yay!

First up for some attention was the Ozark Mystery SAL and I got the second motif finished:


Can you spot the mistake? Unfortunately it wasn't until the motif was complete that realisation hit: although I'd correctly altered the motif to be the same distance from the border edge as the other, and despite counting and recounting, I hadn't been totally accurate and it's finished up positioned one stitch lower than the other motif. After venting and bringing it's parentage into question it's been put to one side and left. I shall wait until Part 10 arrives and see what that entails before deciding if it should be frogged and redone....... or not. If it doesn't look too out of kilter I will probably decide I can live with it and leave well alone - the motif looks nice but I didn't enjoy stitching it and, to be honest, don't fancy doing it again.

Next up was the next part of the Good Friends Count SAL and this, thankfully, went a whole lot smoother:

I love that four-sided stitch as it's really simple to do but looks so effective. The next part should be in my InBox soon - am looking forward to seeing what's next.

Tonight is Sea Stars again, so tonight's stitching is taken care of. Tomorrow I shall probably kit up the JA/S&S Challenge piece ready to start that. I had chosen one particular design to do and printed it out but have now decided it's a bit too involved to do at the moment (maybe a future stitch?). I had another look at the links earlier today and chose a different freebie to stitch which I like just as much and it will be much more straightforward to do. I also printed out a second design while I was looking: the Gloria & Pat Cancer poem freebie. I found it quite inspirational and intend to stitch and frame it and donate the piece to the hospice that cared for my Dad, so they can either display it or raffle it to make funds. :0)

OK, I'll fess up now: after completing the two SAL sections I almost had a new start last night. Yes, another one. It's a lovely Lorri Birmingham piece called The Four Seasons that I bought from someone's stash clearance sale last month (yes, I kept quiet about that LOL). I adore LB designs, so how could I continue to resist starting it? I wasn't too sure about the best place to start the piece, so had a count up of all the sections on the chart then counted out on the banding and put pins in relevant places to give me a better idea of the placement of each section. Good job I did take the time to do this as the banding is just not long enough to stitch the design on it and do the fabric turning top and bottom for the bell pull ends to go through. I guess someone is trying to tell me to get real and get some current WIP's finished first! LOL Looking on the bright side: this piece of banding will come in for something else and now I do have a rather good excuse to go shopping. ;0)

DS tells me the first night of Henry V went OK, that he'd enjoyed it and there were around a 100 people in the audience - not full but a good first night turn out. He said the final applause was way better than the one pair of hands clapping and echoing round the auditorium that he had been expecting. LOL Fingers crossed that the audience numbers are either as good as, or better, for the rest of the run. :0)

Sally: which of the fabrics do you like?

Time for me to go cook some tea for DS. He may get nerves before a performance but they certainly don't put him off his food! LOL

Many thanks for taking the time out of your day to come and visit. Hope you're having a good day. :0)

The Mystery

The Ozark mystery SAL, that is. Thought it was about time, after all the previous mentions, that I finally posted the promised pic:

This section consisted of the top two bands in the central panel. I decided to stitch the two bands that were on the main chart, rather than the alternatives supplied, as I liked the look of them the most. As I wasn't too sure about the Emerald Green thread, thinking it would dominate the piece a bit much, I stitched the little flowers in the same colour thread as the scrolls in the border to break it up a bit. Am still quite taken with this and glad I overcame my usual "What if I hate it when it's finished?" reluctance to sign up for paid mystery pieces.......... but it's doubtful I would rush into another one when this is finished.

Why? Well I've come to the conclusion that my stitching gratification has to be more instantaneous than a drawn out monthly drip feed. Whilst receiving the section and pretty threads each month on a mystery is OK (who doesn't like getting a stash surprise every month? LOL), there's nothing that beats seeing a design in its entirety and getting that immediate "Wow - I've just got to stitch that" itchy fingers reaction..... with the extra satisfaction of adding it to your stash. I don't know, maybe it's just me being weird again - my DH and DS certainly think I am at times! LOL I'd be interested to know what you folks think about paid mysteries.

I am currently in hot weather stitching slump mode: keep picking bits up with the intention of stitching but putting them down again because I just can't be bothered after all. It has got worse since I completed the Ozark section....... even the thought of a new start seems like too much bother right now and I really can't decide which, if any, projects to take on holiday with me. How bad is that?
Am hoping that tonight's UFO Night stitching will break the slump and get my mojo going again. There's absolutely no way I'm not taking part in UFO Night: apparently the hot weather has made Mr Stick cranky and I do not want a run in with a cranky Mr Stick! LOL

The Mini is still poorly, sick and balanced on the jacks: the arm thingy lost a bolt and DH bought a replacement for it yesterday but he's now decided it'll be best to replace the whole arm thingy (around £12, so not expensive - just means DS will have £12 less to spend on holiday). DH is currently having to run the lad into work for an 8.30am start....... and it's in the opposite direction to the steelworks....... and involves negotiating rush hour traffic on a main route into our town. DH was a mite cranky this morning so I don't think the earlier starts and extra running around are much to his liking. Roll on Saturday and the start of our holiday! :0)

Many thanks for the kind comments about my Challenge piece, they are very much appreciated. I've found they help as a very good motivator and encourage me to keep on trying new finishing techniques, so am especially grateful to you all for that.

Thank you for taking the time to visit - hope you are all having a happy, stitching-filled day. :0)

Another Ozark SAL Instalment

Glad to say that last night's plans worked out well and I managed to complete the second corner motif on the Ozark SAL. Here's a pic of how it looks now:

I rather like those motifs and it's another lovely colour - can't wait to see what the next pack brings. :0)

I didn't get the chance to stitch on anything else though, as that one motif took me all evening to finish. I don't know what it is with me and Ozark thread but I'm finding that it regularly knots up as I'm stitching, delaying progress while I have to fiddle it undone. Never known anything quite like it and it is soooo annoying when it happens for the umpteenth time - if it wasn't for the fact that I love the colours and am enjoying watching this mystery develop it would have gone orbital last night, the first unmanned stitchy mission to Mars! LOL

I also finally caught up with all the blog reading and commenting, as of last night. Yay! It was a pleasure to see all the lovely WIP pics, finishes and some beautiful exchange pieces - a real feast for the eyes. There are some new starts and soon-to-be new starts that I'm going to really enjoy watching develop in the coming weeks too. :0)

I got a good start to the day today, due to being up with the proverbial early bird. No worm catching for me though - it was to get all the preparations done for a rabbit and venison casserole that has now been simmering away in the slow cooker since around 9.15 am this morning. The smell is Mmmmmmm! There's also a full load of laundry out blowing on the line under the car port - the weather kept going really overcast, so I wasn't going to risk putting it out on the rotary drier (good choice: it's just started persisting down) - there's another load sorted ready to go out when this lot is dry. The downstairs loo has been scrubbed and polished so it's as fresh as a daisy plus a multitude of items have been tidied up and/or put away............ men seem to be allergic to doing that, I've noticed. When I've finished blogging (multi-tasking here: I'm also having my dinner) I'll be off to wash the pots. After all this virtuous housewife stuff an afternoon of crafts seems well in order, don't you think? ;0) That's if I don't fall asleep first! LOL

Jane: that book is his first in this series - he's since written two more. Don't think he's had much publicity as I also hadn't heard of him before finding this book.

Helen: I remembered Dawn had said she wouldn't have internet access for a while - had just wondered if anyone was in touch with her by phone/text and knew how the move had gone. She had said she would be glad when it was all over as things had been a nightmare so far, bless her.

Well that sink full of pots aren't going to wash themselves (I wish!) so I'd better get moving. OK, OK - busted........ what I really mean is: that afternoon crafts session is calling loudly and I want to get the pots out of the way so I can get on with the fun stuff. No pulling the wool over anyone's eyes, is there? LMAO

Many thanks to all who take the time to pop by - hope you're having a great day and that life is treating you well. :0)

Post Holiday Blues?

I seem to be having a bout of something like them at the moment, despite just having had a good Bank Holiday weekend. You know what I mean: you feel generally out of sorts with yourself and everything around you, everything seems like too much trouble, so you just can't be bothered, and your stitching mojo keeps wanting to pack it's bags and go off on a holiday all on its own. Not helped by the weather which is either warm and humid, so it feels like you're breathing treacle, or it's raining so I can't get outdoors to try and alleviate my mood. I learnt some time ago that it's best just to go with the flow when I feel like this, doing what I fancy doing when the mood strikes, as fighting it just leads to a deeper low that takes much longer to get over. Thankfully the worst of it seems to be passing now. :0)

Before the intermittent mojo really took hold I finished Part 5 of the Ozark SAL:
I made a couple of changes: the two motifs were different on the chart but I prefer things like that to be symmetrical so stitched them both the same and the numbers were supposed to be the same colour as the alphabet but I thought it would look a little heavy like that, so stitched it in the same colour as the motifs. The lighter areas of that thread get a little lost on the fabric but I like it anyway.

I got a couple of pinkies this week too, which helped to lift my mood.
There's the Twisted Oaks/Dinky Dyes Breast Cancer Needle Nanny (will be thinking of SIL Helen when I stitch that) and my regular Monthly Clubs of Carries threads and Sassy's fabric. So many lovely colours! I quite fancy stitching a single thread project using Plymouth Red, it's such a lush colour. :0)

So what else have I been up to?

Stitching-wise: about two threads worth on Night Watchman before giving it up as a lost cause for now. A little more progress on Cleo (update another time) but I've started on the 1 over 1 Petit Point face, so it's best done a little at a time. I did have a total block on the Monthly Challenge piece, despite having the fabric and thread all sorted, ready to go - thankfully that lifted last night and I made a start (sorry, no pics until Reveal Day later this month). I actually feel like sitting and stitching that again now, so will be off to do more when I've finished here.

Memories and For Amanda are still waiting in the wings but I've had a block on those as well - I will get round to them eventually!

Tuesday UFO Night I just couldn't decide on a new UFO, was really fed-up with myself and not fancying touching anything "new", so stitched a little on Cleo instead. I reckon normal service will be resumed next week, so please be gentle with me Mr Stick! LOL

As for the Bank Holiday weekend: Saturday was Brigg Farmers Market and DS went with Alex to do some shopping. Meantime, DH and I did some house and garden jobs. I raked up a lot of dried and strimmed grass - that didn't help things, as I set off my back and was seriously aching for a couple of days afterwards. Despite that DH and I had a trip to my DSis's on Sunday, with dinner at The Servery then on to Strikes Garden centre afterwards. DSis bought more compost, some willow trellis and a few plants for a couple of pots she'd forgotten about - we spent some time in her garden when we got back, putting in the new plants and doing some tidying up (I did everything very carefully!). Monday DS and DH worked on the Mini, so I took things easy and completed the Ozark SAL section in between doing a couple of jobs - Alex didn't come round, as she was visiting her parents. Tuesday DS was back at work but DH was still off (the steelworks always have an extra day for this BH, not sure why), so we had a trip out to the garden centre at Kirton after dinner. We are on a hunt for a small weeping willow tree: normal ones can grow up to 25 feet, which is way too big for our garden, but you can get smaller ones that have been grafted onto smaller trunks - the bulk of these seem to grow to around 6ft but we want one to grow to around 7 - 8ft, as our garden is big enough to take it. Not found one yet but there are several more garden centres to try, so we're not giving up just yet. :0)

DH went back at work Wednesday so I was busy catching up on jobs that needed doing. Thursday Alex came for a visit, bringing Grace with her. It was good to have a catch up on news and see Grace, who has grown quite a bit since last time I saw her, and her speech and imagination have developed a heck of a lot too. I'd forgotten how much hard work kids of that age can be...... and how entertaining they are too. It was an absolute delight to hear her yell out my DS's name when he got in from work: she was so excited she couldn't stand still and launched herself at him as soon as he stepped through the door - my 22 year old DS just seemed to melt as soon as he saw her. Grace is his god-daughter and it's obvious they adore each other. :0)

Today I've already got most of my jobs out of the way so am planning some afternoon stitching for a change, with a blog catch-up later (yes, I've got behind again!) - that's if I don't get distracted by the new book I'm currently reading. Yes, I am definitely feeling brighter, as up until today I couldn't even be bothered to pick a new book......... not me at all, as I love reading.

Weekend plans: continue with the great willow tree hunt LOL; there's a car show event somewhere around town that will have a couple of motorhomes on display, so we'll be popping along to that for a nosey at those and there's also a Mind, Body and Spirit event on at Lincolnshire Showground - a touch of Reiki and a nosey round the crystal and Pagan stalls will do me a power of good. :0)

Hope all in the UK had a great BH weekend and that all of you enjoy this coming weekend. Thank you for visiting. :0)

Saturday Surprise

During my solo evening last night I carried on with the Ozark SAL and got it finished:

Another lovely thread colour - really happy with how this is turning out so far. Wonder what next month's pack will contain? :0)

Oh, just in case you were wondering: I bottled it and didn't watch the Resident Evil DVD - decided I wasn't that brave after all........ although I did watch a Most Haunted repeat instead and an X Files afterwards so I'm not a total wuss. ;0) LOL

DS went off bright and early this morning, with Alex, to Brigg farmers Market, so there's a nice big corn-fed chicken to roast for tomorrow's dinner, organic veggies to go with and the fridge is re-stocked from our favourite fish and cheese stalls. He also brought back a few one-person portions of meat for the freezer, ready for when DH and I go on our weeks holiday in May - he can be quite self-sufficient when he wants and enjoys cooking.

The surprise bit for today is that, although he didn't get in until gone 2.30am this morning, DH hadn't indulged excessively. He was in that nicely relaxed state: swaying gently backwards and forwards as he attempted to get undressed, thinking he's being quiet when he's actually making more noise than usual. LOL He had a bit of a lay-in and after a meal he was more or less back to normal by the afternoon........ and felt even better after watching the Grand Prix qualifying session on TV, mug of tea in hand. No headache Julie, so no point in playing the radio loud - will save that one for when it is needed though. LMAO

We popped into the town centre to CRAM late this afternoon and the result is that they are building me a new PC in a posh black tower and it should be ready for picking up early next week. Yay!

The weather here today has been lovely - so much so that we sat out in the garden when we got back from town, enjoying the warmth, a cup of coffee and the birds singing. DH must have been feeling nicely revitalised because he then set-to and mowed the lawn........ and I enjoyed watching him. Eheheh!

Karen: sorry but my challenge piece pic is going to be late again - I've really struggled with a finishing idea this time but will send it as soon as it's done.

Anyway if I'm going to get that challenge piece progressing I'd best go and get on with it.

Hope you've all been sharing in the lovely weather and enjoyed a good day. :0)

Ozark SAL and Something For The Men

I still haven't had any lessons on how to get pics off the digicam and on to the computer so am still using the scanner at the minute. As promised, here's a pic of what would fit on the scanner of the Ozark SAL after I completed Part 3: That section was enjoyable to stitch and the band is so pretty - can't wait to see what next month will bring. :0)

Here's that something for the men - pics of some of the cards I made last week. Although it's a male themed card this one will be for our friend Alex, who is a keen cricket fan - she's the only person I know who actually understands the rules and scoring system (it's gobbledigook to me) and doesn't fall asleep while watching cricket (it's better than a sleeping pill, as far as I'm concerned!):
I shall probably save this one for DS's birthday:
I have a feeling DS may pinch this one for his Dad, either for Fathers Day or his birthday:
This one is a possibilty for FIL, although the card I made for his previous birthday was on a cricket theme, so I may well change my mind before then:
I shall post pics of the other cards I made another time, along with a pic of Part 2 of the For Amanda SAL, which I completed on Saturday night.

I shall start on Part 3 of the Memories SAL tonight. DH and DS are back at work tomorrow, so my days will be my own again and my plan is to concentrate on finishing the Monthly Challenge piece in the daytime, as it needs to be ready for Reveal Day on the 29th (I think). It will also be UFO Night tomorrow night, so ET needs to come out of hiding after a couple of weeks break - it would be nice to have a Happy Dance some time soon!

Well yesterday saw around 4" of snow on the ground here but it didn't hang around for long, so our trip over to see my DSis went ahead as planned - it was good to see her and catch up with everything. She showed me the two Scrapbook Albums she's bought recently: DSis is known as the "keeper of the photographs" in our family and she has decided to start scrapping the best ones into Memory Albums, keepsakes to be passed down through the family. :0)
We attended the Memorial Service in the evening: nowhere near as well attended as the pre-Christmas one but, in some ways, it was more moving. Instead of placing our candles on the steps to the altar area, like last time, we were invited to place them on a wooden cross that was laid on the floor in front of the altar and when we had all returned to our seats the lights were turned off, leaving the candles to shine forth. It was another magical moment.

Today has been sunny but bitterly cold. DH ventured down the local High Street to do a little shopping this afternoon but I've stayed indoors all day, where it's warm, getting a few jobs done. The Benylin only seems to be taking the edge off the cough and not really shifting it so Alex has recommended I try taking thyme tea. That involves taking some leaves of the herb thyme, steeping them in boiling water for several minutes, straining it, then drinking the herb water. The herbalist recommended this when she had a lingering cough earlier in the year and it worked for her, so I am going to give it a go........... providing my thyme has made it through the winter. I'm afraid I'm a sad excuse for a gardener and whatever is planted in my garden has to fend for itself (blushing with shame).

The Memories piece is calling so I'd best be on my way. :0)

Thank you to all for taking the time to visit and for leaving comments, they are all much appreciated. :0)

It's Friday Again!

Yesterday got off to a good start with the arrival of a pinkie from Jayne containing the Bianca's Scissor Pocket Ltd Ed chart from The Cat's Whiskers, with the recommended Dinky Dyes silks, that I pre-ordered earlier in the year. Isn't it a pretty design? I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the pic - it's so joyful and is a nice reminder of Spring. It also looks like it will be a fairly quick stitch and with straightforward finishing too. :0)

I had the stitching session on the Ozark SAL the previous night, as planned, then followed it up with an afternoon session yesterday and finally got it finished in the early evening. Here's a pic of what will fit on the scanner:

Pretty colours on this too but Boy, was I glad to finally finish with that border! Part 2 of the For Amanda SAL is printed out, ready to go, and so is the Monthly Challenge piece: haven't decided on colours for the Challenge piece yet (still playing with a couple of ideas), so shall stick with the SAL stitching for now.

Didn't feel too great last night and went to bed around 10pm (not like me at all) and woke up wheezing like a set of old bellows today, so not fit for much of anything at the minute. My DSis is to blame: she wasn't feeling well when we were with her on Sunday, so I've obviously breathed in her lergy. She had to go see her GP on Monday and is currently on anti-biotics and has been told to go back in a couple of weeks for asthma tests, as her oxygen level is lower than it should be. I shall phone her tonight, see how she is doing and let her know I've gone right off her - she's only supposed to share good stuff! LOL ;0)

DS is rather busy again: the rehearsals for Canterbury Tales are now in full swing, ready for Show Week in May, so he's out most nights. Strange how much quieter the evenings seem! LOL
DH is still busy at work, thanks to Disaster 5, which is still continuing to throw wobblers at regular intervals - it certainly seems to be one of those jinxed jobs that everyone will be glad to see the back of. Roll on his retirement! He's managed to have a play with the digicam port thingies, got them working properly (guess who hadn't realised they weren't!) and has had a go at transferring pics - still don't know how to do this yet, as I left him playing while I went to bed. Hopefully I shall get a lesson on it all tonight.......... my lergy and his job permitting!

We were planning on having a busy weekend, getting a few jobs done here on Saturday, then going over to Doncaster to take my DSis out on Sunday but between me and her not feeling too great and the weather warnings in the UK for severe gales on Sunday night and Monday morning (potential gusts of up to 80mph - forecasters are warning people not to travel!) we may have to have a re-think. It keeps going dark and dingy today, with occasional gusts of wind, so guess it's either already on a slow build up or just giving a warning of what's in store. :0(

Many thanks for visiting and hope you all have a good weekend, whatever the weather. Stay safe! :0)

Gifts, an Opinion and a SAL

Hope all the Mum's out there in the UK had a lovely Mothers Day. :0)

We picked up my DSis and had our trip to Rosehill Crem yesterday, meeting up with DBro and his family there: we left some flowers and the tag I'd made by Mum's name plaque, then some flowers by Mum and Dad's plaque on the new monument and some near where Mum and Dad's ashes are. It was cold and windy there but it didn't seem to have put off all the visitors, as it was very busy, and all the flower offerings were so lovely and such a joy to see.
We spent the rest of the day at my DSis's. When I got home my card and gift from my DS were waiting for me - didn't get them before we left as he was sleeping off a late night at a friends 18th birthday party! Here's a pic of my card:
Inside it says: ME! with his name. DH swears it's me he takes after in the sense of humour department. LOL
My gift was the new Elizabeth dvd:

Can't wait to watch this, although DS has made me promise it will be on a night when he's out - he doesn't mind buying these things for me, he just objects to being forced to watch them, the Philistine! ;0) I think I'll be treating myself to "The Other Boleyn Girl" dvd as it's another one I want to watch/own. As you may have guessed by now I have a bit of a fascination with the Tudor era........ have always wondered if I had a previous lifetime back then. :0)

Alex isn't coming for her regular visit today, as she's currently on sick leave, after having a minor surgical procedure last week. I've still got most of my regular jobs out of the way though and have also carried on with the great safe place hunt - still haven't found those elusive reindeer ornies for finishing but I did find another piece that screamed "finish me":

Am debating making this up into a small fob-type ornie, backing it with one of the two fabrics in the pic but can't decide which, if any, would suit it best. What do you all reckon? Have also got some nice Christmas red fine bead trim that would look nice with it and/or some gold ribbon. Please leave comments or email me on what you think. :0)

I managed to do one threads length worth of stitching on Love Is You whilst at my DSis's yesterday but it's not worth showing a pic of - didn't manage more as the fresh air got to me and I fell asleep, as did DH and my DSis (think we're all ready for the knackers yard! LOL). Thought I'd show you where I've got to with Part 2 of the Ozark SAL instead:

Can't fit the whole width on the scanner (DH hasn't had chance to fit the new bits to the computer yet, so can't use the digicam) but it'll give you an idea on the design and colour - isn't it pretty? Must get on and finish this as Part 2 of the For Amanda SAL is now out and I want to start that soon. We should also be finding out what the Monthly Challenge piece is today and I'm determined to complete it on time this month - not bothered which piece it is, as all three were lovely pieces and all ones I would love to stitch.

Usually I stitch in the evenings (seem to get more done then), with an occasional afternoon session when the mood takes me, but I think I may have to start with a few more regular daytime stitching sessions until the SAL's are completed, in an effort to keep up with everything. I would dearly love to start the mixed stitch Papillon SAL, as it's so pretty, and the Loopylou Elegance SAL that's soon to start over at JA/S&S is also mighty tempting - that design got my vote when the SAL was first suggested, as it was one I wanted to stitch - but have finally had to admit defeat and tell myself no: got enough to keep me busy already and any more would be just too much pressure. It's supposed to be an enjoyable hobby, not a pressurised chore. :0)

BTW, the 18th birthday party DS went to on Saturday night was a "masked ball" and he went in fancy dress and a Venetian style hat/mask combination. As he got ready here, rather than at a friends house, I actually managed to get a couple of pics this time and plan on sharing those as soon as the new bits are fitted to the computer. :0)

Thanks for all the kind comments and sorry if I haven't commented on your blog lately: have got a bit behind with blog reading but hope to catch up with everyone's news in the next couple of days.

Hope those who are currently having snow are staying safe and warm, that you've all had a good weekend and all are having an easy start to the week. :0)

Days Out & Days In

I'm still here - although the trek down the windswept High Street on Thursday did almost take my breath away! It was productive though, as we stopped in at the local craft shop and came away with two thicknesses of Vilene and various lengths of pretty trimmings for finishing items and a good idea of what else they stock for future reference. :0) I also re-joined the local library (just a couple of minutes walk from our house now) and took out a couple of books - one of which is about Boudica, which is very interesting. There's method in my madness here: now I've got the books out I've got to take them back - a nice incentive to break that final barrier, left over from the agoraphobia, of going out of the house on my own. It'll be just far enough to be a challenge but not too far that I can't see myself ever doing it. :0)

Friday we went to my DSis's in Doncaster for the day. The weather was still a bit wild, with occasional downpours, but no snow. We took her out to a garden centre for dinner as a belated birthday treat and so she could spend some of the garden vouchers she was given for Christmas and her birthday. She came away with a ceramic hanging bird bath, a pole to hang it from, a suet slab and a holder for it. No garden pots, as they didn't have a matching pair in a design she liked. DH got a few bits, including a book about the Spitfire, and I couldn't resist this coaster:
It appealed to my sense of humour - although DS swears the only one who isn't normal in this family is me. I really don't know what he means. ROFLMAO

The weekend was down for more lousy weather so we opted for staying in and getting a few things done. Saturday I decided to finish the Ozark border so set to with determination.......... only to realise that I'd made two mistakes: one on the left side and one at the top, right near the start. After frogging what I'd done on the left and taking the top back from the beginning - around three lengths of thread (definitely a cross stitch moment) - the top mistake was corrected (this would've made the border one stitch too short and put everything else out) and the rest was re-stitched. That mistake meant it didn't get finished Saturday, as planned. It did get finished Sunday afternoon though: It won't all fit on the scanner, so the pic is of the bit that will, just to give you an idea of colours etc. The amount of thread given for this was very generous and there's loads left over. :0)

Sunday evening was the turn of the Amanda SAL: fabric marked with the top corner starting point and tacked onto the scroll frame ready to make a start whenever the mood takes me.

Guess I could've got more done but I had to keep breaking off in the afternoon, which set me back. DS finally got round to boxing up the Lego models and other bits that were left in the little bedroom (my future craft room) and I was helping him seal the boxes and mark them, ready for them going in the loft until he gets his own place. Then I was on veg peeling and prep duties for our dinner - whilst I would've much preferred to have continued stitching I do like to eat occasionally and, as it was roast lamb with all the trimmings, it was well worth giving up the time for. ;0)

Alex isn't coming for her usual visit today so, once I've done all the jobs and caught up with blogs I'm hoping to get some extra stitching time in. The choices are: making a start on the Amanda SAL or on the February Challenge, which is a beautiful heart design by Kris of Dragonfly Stitches. Decisions, decisions!

Despite all the forecasts for lots of snow over the last few days we haven't had any here, just a tiny amount of hail and lots of wind and rain. So, the question is: who kept all the snow then? LOL

Hope you've all had a good weekend, despite the weather, and that the week has got off to a good start for you. :0)