January 6

Friday, finally.  For a short work week it sure felt long.

I have another little finish to show from the box.  This one is called Hip Hop by Lizzie Kate.  Isn't this cute?  The kit came with all of the finishing supplies except for the fiberfill.  I love when I can make a project look just like the designer's.

I have it sitting on the back of Peter and Peep.

Have a great day!

January 5

Not much stitching to show today.  I did a little bit at lunchtime but it's not worth a photo.  Maybe tomorrow.

I do have a finish to share from the box I showed yesterday.  This is Toil and Trouble Pinkeep by Stacy Nash. This is one of the kits from the Country Sampler club.

A fun little stitch and it will look great in my dough bowl with my autumn stuff next year.

Have a great day!

January 4

A little more progress on Trick or Treat today.  Very little because I realized that I had neglected to put scissors in my kit.   So I took a little nap instead.  And I added scissors to the bag tonight.

I also want to share this picture of some things that I assembled in December.

I got it into my head that I could empty the 'bin of shame' before I move.  Have you seen that bin? Here are a couple of pictures.

Seriously, I can be a bit delusional at times.  Of course, I neglected to factor in Christmas shopping, decorating, wrapping, and baking. And then there's the week or so I didn't feel good.  Oh, and did I mention that I'm moving.  So I'm making daily trips to the house to check on things or drop stuff off and trips to Home Depot and Lowe's for supplies.  Oh, and of course work which keeps things afloat here.  Silly me!  So the bin will be moving to the new house as is.  And I will be working on it when after I move and get settled.

In the meantime,  I'll share what I did finish.

First up, is Peter and Peep by With Thy Needle and Thread.  I began working on this one last winter. And finished it kind of like the picture on the chart.  I did tea dye my lace because the only lace I could find was white. My daughter said she thinks this is her favorite piece.

That's about all for today.  I've got to do a little more laundry and my nails before I head off for bed.

Have a great day!

January 3

This will be a quick one. It's late and the happy chair is calling but I think my bed is calling even louder.

Today was a busy day at work.  Lots to do and lots left to do tomorrow and for the rest of the week and that's all good.

After work I went to the new house to paint the trim in my daughter's room.  She came after work to help, too.  And we got it finished.  As she said, one room down, lots to go!  But it's a start.

When I arrived home I checked my mail and found this

and when I unwrapped it this is what was inside.  Happy mail!

I also had a little start yesterday - a very little one followed by a little stitching at lunch today.
This is Trick or Treat by Blackbird Designs, the next stocking in the series.

That's all for today.

Have a great day!

January 2

I had  a new start last night.  I began working on Tis the Season Sewing Bag by Blackbird Designs.  This is the latest design for the Ladies Prim Society.

I spent most of today at my new house doing some painting.  I finished painting the inside of the pantry and put the shelves back in once the final wall was dry.  I started painting it on Saturday but found out that I couldn't work in there without brushing up against the walls I'd painted which were still wet.  Not a lot of room in there.  No picture to show of that yet.

I painted my daughter's room today.  I got the ceiling and walls done.  I'll work on the trim after work this week.

It's not supposed to be that purple and I'm hoping that once it dries thoroughly it will lighten up.

Oh, here's the before picture.  She really did not like the gray green.  I can't blame her.

Other stuff I saw when I was looking at pictures.  My calendar that's on my desk at home.  I love this Susan Branch calendar.  My son bought it for me for my birthday.

I finished reading this book yesterday.  A nice read, geared more for women with small children but I did find some useful insights.

And the two books I'll work my way through this year.  I've read Simple Abundance before but not for many years.  These are my morning inspirational reads.

Have a great day!

Happy New Year!

Last night was a quiet, unplanned celebration with a friend.  Late yesterday afternoon she sent me a text asking me if I wanted to come over and spend the evening talking, eating, and stitching!  Three of my favorite things!  Turns out it was just the two of us.  We did go upstairs for a quick visit with her neighbors, nice people - the same ages as my children.  And then spent a quiet evening watching "A Holiday Affair" and "Christmas in Connecticut."  I didn't see all of the second movie as my eyes were getting a bit heavy.  

I did put in a few stitches on Hibernation Day.  I've been almost exclusively working on smalls and this seems like so much fabric to hold!  I'll get used to it again, I'm sure.

I spent a quiet morning enjoying a second cup of tea.  My current favorite is Yogi Sweet Tangerine Positive Energy in this mug.

I read lots of blogs this morning.  It's been good to catch up with my friends and the goings on in their lives.

I think that my blog will become a journal of sorts this year.  Maybe I'll have it printed into book form at the end of the year.

My first stitched finish for 2017 - Whooo's Knockin' at My Door! by Blackbird Designs.

I'm still contemplating my rotation for this year.

Thanks for stopping by.

Year End Round-Up

Most years I manage to write one post around my birthday.  I missed it by a couple of weeks.

This year has been a year full of changes.  I recovered nicely from knee replacement surgery before my last birthday.  I broke my shoulder and tore my rotator cuff in a fall in January.  All of that has been repaired and is working as well at it can be.  One more follow-up with the doc and we can mark the books closed on that one.  I left my marriage of 31 years.  I moved into an apartment with my newly graduated daughter.  I got divorced. I have closed on a townhouse which I will share with my daughter until she is launched.  Exciting stuff - and some of it a bit sad.

So here I stand at the ripe age of 58 with lots of determination to reach my goals.   My weight has fluctuated up and down - up right now - but I am hoping to get that under control.  My stitching life is full to overflowing with old friends and new.  And projects - lots of projects - not so many finishes.  I have been doing quite a bit of stash buying and will rein that in before the new year.  I have lots to stitch and lots to finish (meaning all of the stuff in the bin of shame.)  I have made some progress on that, too.

I have tried to come up with a stitching plan for the coming year and I think I have too many choices, sometimes overwhelming for me.  So, no plans per se, except to enjoy the journey and go where it takes me.  I've been gravitating toward patterns/charts with red.  Not sure if it's Christmas or my love of red.

Now, I did read/listen to 102 books in the past year.  I owe a lot of that to time spent recuperating from the shoulder thing and not being able to stitch very much.

My new home will have a designated stitching room.  I have purchased some Martha Stewart Craft Space furniture to go in there.  It arrived in these boxes.

My son, with a little help from me, spent the better part of a day assembling the stuff.  I must say that it is nice.  The only issue we have had is with the sliders for the drawers and Home Decorator's got some replacements out to me right away.  For now, that furniture is in my bedroom and now my bedroom looks kind of like a furniture store.  I do anticipate moving to my new space in January.  Then, I'll be able to organize and set things up.  For now, I'm working out of boxes.

Goals for the coming year -

1.  Read/listen to 100 books;
2.  Move an hour each day;
3.  Write Morning Pages (see Julia Cameron's writings about these) daily;
4.  Empty the 'bin of shame';
5.  Attend two stitching classes;
6.  Attend two stitching retreats;
7. Take a one week vacation with my children; and
8. Keep in touch with my siblings.

My word for 2017 is Transformation.

I am toying with the idea of a stitching rotation .  I have been reading this article to try and figure out which rotation I would like to do.  Stay tuned for a decision on that one.

Happy New Year!