Where did August go?

August is almost over and before it is, I thought I should get one more blog in! This has been a very busy month. I was lucky enough to hear from my sailor twice (I'm so spoiled now!) and a trip to the beach (which was absoslutely wonderful) and then work has just been plain ole busy. And currently, we, here in Louisiana, are currently trying to prepare for a storm. Phones are ringing in the office and it is starting to get hectic. Although the storm is a good 5 days away, no one is taking it lightly after Katrina. I went to get batteries tonight and they were sold out. Thankfully, my mom will be out and about tomorrow and will have her eye out for batteries.

Now on to other things! I was given another award by Noreen! Yeah! She is so sweet! Here it is:

And for a stitching update. While August has been very busy, I did get some stitching in. Here are two pictures updating on Storykeep Iris and Dragon Knot both from HAED.

I love seeing the progress on these two! I'm hoping to finish Iris very soon. And well, if I get a few days off work from the Hurricane (which I really do hope does not come this way) and I still have power, I will get some more work done both!

Warm, fuzzy feelings....

and not because of the blazing heat we are currently experiencing in the South! It's been so hot and humid, even my dog doesn't want to go outside to take his walk!

Back to the warn and fuzzy feelings. I got an email from my sailor! The first since he went back out on the sub. He's doing fine. He teased me by saying that he has picked up a couple of things already on his travels for me. But won't tell me what! And the Navy has promised that they will be home BEFORE Christmas so he will be home for Christmas this year! Keep your fingers crossed.

My knees are doing much better. Just a tiny scab on each knee so that's good news!

The boss is away on vacation for a week! Woo hoo! That's always good news. The stress level has dropped to just about zero in the office!

I did pick up my stitching this week. I had gotten lazy for about a week and hadn't done any. So I do have an update of Dragon Knot. I'm slowly but surely getting it done!

I hope to be back tomorrow with another update or some kits that I am looking to dispense with. I'll keep ya'll posted!

Award

How cool is this? I've been given an award by SugarDoll

Thanks!

By the way, the knees are much better but they still look UGLY! lol

A Finish!

Finally, my first finish of 2008! I'm excited. Due to an injury on Saturday, I spent most of the weekend on the couch, thus enabling me to finish up on my stitching. I finished Blossom by Dinky Dyes using Dinky Dye Silk Threads. I liked the silk threads but the colors are a little bright for me!

Now, this injury. What was it? Nothing serious but it definitely has me laid up! The clutz that I am fell off the curb waiting for some friends of mine and thus resulted in me landing on both my knees. Needless to say, I now have the most "prettiest" knees full of scratches and bruises. This is the picture from that afternoon. They look better now but I will still spend the evening with my legs propped up and ice packs on my knees as I am still quite sore and they are still swollen!

Update and a New Start

The past two weeks I've worked on the HAED Iris Storykeep. I've only put Dragon Knot down for a short time. I plan on picking it back up shortly but I am trying to work on different projects for a week or two at a time. I'm trying not to get burned out on projects and become bored.

Anyway, here's the update on the HAED:

I've also started a new project "Blossom". It uses Dinky Dye silk threads. I'm really enjoying it. It's my first time working with silks.

Today I also purchased the threads, beads, and materials for "Poppy" of the Pixie Couture collection. I can't wait to get started on this one. And yes, I am going to continue on with my other projects!

4th of July Weekend

Happy 4th! Yes, it's Sunday afternoon but it's still the holiday weekend! I have had a lovely weekend! Time spent by the pool these past few days and watching the fireworks down by the river.

I have gotten some stitching done and have the following photos for updates on two HAED projects I am currently working on. I do plan on doing some more stitching this afternoon.

Crazy Week!

Sorry no picture to update my progress on Dragon Knot. I have finally completed page 2 of 17 of the pattern! Yeah! I hope to have a picture to post sometime next week.

I am off to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida tomorrow morning for a convention. While it is for work, I do have significant down time that I hope to spend on the beach when I am not working or watching baseball. I purchased two new books to enjoy while on the beach and of course I always have my stitching for when I am in my room!

LSU managed to stay alive in the College World Series by beating Rice in the bottom of the 9th inning. While very exciting, kind of wish they would just win a game out right! They play again on Thursday night. If they win, they will play again on Friday night. Guess I won't be going out on the town in Florida! LOL!

What else? I was given a promotion this week. I am now Senior Association Coordinator. Crazy!!!! I was very shocked when told that. I was not expecting that as I have been given the impression over the past few months that the boss was not approving of my current work. I'm the type that doesn't conform and automatically say "yes sir." Tends to get me into trouble at my current job. But he obviously saw something or he had a momentary lapse in judgement. While it is mainly just a promotion in title only, it does get a raise with it. Not sure how much, but with today's gas prices, it'll help!

I was also very lucky in getting a bonus. Which helps offset the fact that for some reason, the company's payroll has not been paid. Today was pay day and surprise!!! No one was paid. Now of course, no one has taken the blame for this, the company or the bank. It was supposed to hit our bank accounts tonight with the correction, but I have to admit, I still have not received mine. I'll check one last time before I head out tomorrow morning.

Well, that is it for now! I hope to have some great pictures of the beach next week!

Finally! An Update!

It's been over a month since I last updated. All I can say is that somehow, I've actually been busy! Been busy without a whole lot to report though. Work has been busy! Gardening, chores, and baseball have occupied the rest of my time! LSU is begins play in the super regionals tomorrow and I will be rooting for them! I'm lucky that I have off tomorrow so I will be able to watch the game, which is on at 1 p.m. Why am I off? Especially since I just had Monday off? Because my sailor was supposed to be visiting but the Navy decided that sending him off on a trip would be much better. But it seems that it is working out so I can go and get my hair done, run some errands and watch LSU play!

I did have a birthday last weekend. I'm __ years old! LOL! I did get some great gifts. Mostly things that I needed. Like 4 new tires for my car. New towels. Some new shoes! These are my favorite pair of shoes that I got! I will be living in them this weekend!

I do have an update on the picture I am doing for my sailor. Thank goodness I don't have to have it done this weekend because NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! I do have a significant amount done, just a lot more to go!

But now that the pressure is off, I may start to work on some other projects because I am getting burned out on this one. Oh, I'll finish it for his birthday in July (I hope) but I get bored when I work on something for a very extended time.

Well, that is it for now! I hope to update more often with other projects or more results on this one!

Sunday Splendor

It has been a very good Sunday. Was able to sleep in late, worked on my little patio garden, cooked a few meals to be frozen, and worked a few hours on the Dragon Knot.

Dragon Knot is going to be a project I will have to attack every single day in order to get it done in time! But I am going to try my best to do it! So here's the latest picture of progress. Unfortunately it is a dark picture. It doesn't really do it justice. I will take another picture soon as I make significant progress this week! I was not able to work on it last weekend as I was in Houston but I've worked on it as much as I could the past week afer work and this weekend.

Dragon Knot Update

So the plan for the weekend was to do some serious stitching. Didn't quite go that way. It seems that life decided that I needed to do other things. I did get in more than a few hours in though. And this is the end result after the weekend:

It was not the progress I wanted to see but I will live with it. I hope to have even more to show by the end of the week. Although I am not sure how much stitching time I will get in this week as I am so tired after packing and moving boxes at work all day. Plus this upcoming weekend I will be in Houston for a birthday party! But I am determined to have it finished very very very soon!

Happy Friday!

It was a very long day today at work. We are currently packing our offices as we are moving to a new site. It's not very far from the current office building, but since it is a new building, we are having to pack ALL of our stuff. It's been a long, tedious chore!

Anyway, because of one single event, it was a very happy day! My sailor called to let me know he was back safely on land. He's been off on one of his "business trips." He is on land till May when he will once again go on a trip but will return the day after my birthday. He has promised that he is going on leave shortly after that and will be spending the weekend after my birthday with me! So for once, in a very long time, I cannot wait for my birthday! But it will be bitter sweet as he will be leaving for 6 months in June. But now is not the time to think about that!

But now that I know when he is coming, I have to start really working on Dragon Knot. I want it completed and framed by then. I have a long way to go!

So my goal for the weekend is to do some serious stitching! Starting tonight! I want to make some significant progress so that I feel better about my progress! I plan on posting a new picture by Sunday evening! All other projects will be put aside until I complete this one!

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

New Stash

Look what I had in my mail box today!



It's Blossom by Dinky Dyes. I was perusing the Picture This Plus website when I came across a posting about these patterns that are small enough for one to sample using silks. So, with the purchase of the thread pack ($6.00) you got the pattern for free. So this is going into my stash pile into I get the fabric.

Next, I purchased a new HAED pattern. I should know better than to look at that website during a holiday. Of course they were having a sale! I picked up this particular pattern for my niece. She'll be 7 next month so maybe by her 10th? LOL!


Really no stitching update to post! I didn't do enough to even worth mentioning! The weather was absolutely gorgeous here this weekend. Spring has arrived! At least down south! So I took Duke to the dog park so he could run around on Saturday and then to my parents on Sunday so he could run around in the back yard. Even today is a beautiful day. My eyes keep wandering to the window where I can see green leafy tree branches and flowers are blooming on my patio plants. It's so bright and sunny!

Hope all is well! Geaux Tigers!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! I know, I'm a few days early but with the frequency I've been blogging, early is good!

It's been busy around here. Work has been extremely busy. We are in the process of getting ready to move offices and then one of our long-time co-workers has decided to move on to another company. It's sad but very exciting for her!

There was also my mom. She hurt herself on a trip a few weeks ago and ended up in the hospital for 2 days and 10 staples in her head. Yes, 10! She's better now thankfully and just had the staples removed.

I've received some lovely floss from my floss exchange partner Debbie Jo. The colors are so bright and cheerful! I'm not quite sure what I will use them for but I am sure I will put them to use! Aren't they pretty? Like a rainbow of colors!

I also have an update on two of my many projects I am working on! I get so involved in one project that I forget about the others. I'm not very good at rotations! I don't like to put something down once I've gotten on a roll!

This one is the Dragon Knot. This is the one that I am working on for my sailor! He has no clue! He knows I am working on something for him but he doesn't know what! The picture really doesn't do it justice because the colors are so light! Hopefully once I get more done you can see real progress!

Now, here is an update on The Kiss!

Stitching Update

I haven't been stitching very much because for the longest time I didn't have adequate lighting to do it at night as my lamp had gone out. But my mother bought me a new set of lamps this week and I was able to start stitching again. I only have one picture to show but I have worked on two projects.

The project I don't have a picture for is the Dragon Knot. I just couldn't seem to get a clear enough picture of it. I think that the light colors and the small progress I've done make it difficult to get a good picture. I'll post a picture when I've gotten more done on it!

The picture I do have is the storykeep. It's not much from the last one but it is some!

Afternoon at the Movies

After a long, stressful week at work, I decided to treat myself to an afternoon at the movies on Friday. The movie "The Other Boleyn Girl" had just come out and I wanted to see it. I just finished re-reading this book this past week and while it was fresh in my memory I wanted to see the movie!

I got off work early on Friday and took for the movie theatre. It's nice to go in the afternoon of a work day, not many people are there and NO children! It was such a great afternoon! The movie was good. Really good. It deviated from the book but I wonder how much? By that I mean, the book is a fictionalized version of history to begin with. So how much did it actually drift towards reality? I'm not a history buff but my good friend Joy is so I can't wait for her to see it so we can discuss it!

Then to top my wonderfully relaxing afternoon off, I had an e-mail from my sailor!!! He's currently on the submarine off to somewhere (it gets annoying sometimes that he can't tell me where he is going, but I understand, it's his job!). Anyway, that was such a pleasant surprise! I try to send him an email every day, updates on news, what's going on around home, and NASCAR. Yes, he's a NASCAR fan so I try to keep up with the news. I've even tried to watch the races, but it just makes me sleepy! LOL!

Well, lots to do this weekend. Errands to run, chores to complete, birthday party this evening for Joy! So I must go! I will hopefully have some progress pictures to put up maybe tomorrow on some of the projects I have been working on! I haven't done much sewing, but a little bit!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

I've Been Tagged!

I have been tagged by Noreen.

First thing first...
The Rules:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

My weird facts. That's actually hard to come up with than you would think!

1. I always drink milk when I eat popcorn.
2. Most people find this strange: I went to an all academic high school so we had no sports. No football, basketball or baseball.
3. When I get nervous or upset, I tend to twirl my hair. I end up with tight corkscrew curls.
4. When I am really stressed out, I talk in my sleep.
5. I love mexican food! I can eat beans morning, noon and night!
6. I can't speak spanish but I can read and write it.
7. My favorite all time movie is Grease. It's kind of like a blanket, I watch it when I need to be comforted.

I don't know 7 people to tag so I will tag just 2! How awful! LOL!

1. Karen
2. Cindy

The Kiss - Update

This past week I focused on one project. I was on a roll and didn't want to stop! I can definitely see significant progress and have gotten over my initial fear of tackling a Mirabilia project!

It may not seem like a significant amount done but it really is! And it's been fairly easy to stitch! Thread Heaven makes working with the threads a breeze!!!

Weekend Update

This weekend I stayed home and stitched. Not because I didn't have anything I could do, but because I was home sick. I was off Friday and that gave me a whole day of stitching. So I have two updates to show off after this weekend.

My first update is the Iris Storykeeper. I stitched on this all day Friday. I got quite a bit done on that day! I'm hoping to have it finished in the next two months.

My second update is on The Kiss. I have to admit that I haven't stitched on it as much as I should. Mostly because I am intimidated by the different elements of this particular project. However, I devoted all day Saturday to it and came away with some great results. I have to say that I have fallen in love with Thread Heaven. It does amazing things with threads! And after you get into the rhythm of stitching on linen, the fear kind of goes away!I did start a new project today, Sunday. I started the Dragon's Knot. I didn't get very far on it as I forgot to buy one of the threads for it and I don't have it in my stash! I guess I'll have to make a run to Hob Lob soon!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Finally an update!

Yes, I have been quite absent from blogging lately. I have been still reading many of my favorite blogs though! Life has just been so busy that I haven't felt compelled to type out my thoughts!

I do have an update on my current project, Iris Storykeeper. I've been stitching on it for a week solid and made good progress. While it was supposed to be a Christmas present, it will now be a birthday present that will be completed well before September!

I finally finished kitting up the Queen of Hearts (see below)! I spent the time while I was supposed to be watching the Super bowl to get all the threads onto bobbins and organized in a box. I have the fabric already and I purchased a Q-snap today so I am looking forward to trying it out!

HAED is having a Valentine's Day sale so I splurged on two new patterns. Because I just don't have enough to do already! I purchased Mystique and Dragon Knot 2. Dragon Knot is for my honey, the sailor. Not sure when I will start this one but hopefully it will be a 2008 project! Mystique I bought for myself! Will it ever be done? Who knows? I have yet to complete one for myself!

Alive!

I'm alive! I've been focusing mainly on work lately as I had my annual convention this past weekend in Shreveport, LA. I won't bore anyone with the details but this was a very difficult convention to put together this year due to circumstances that were beyond my control!

I've been doing a lot of lurking lately. But I've noticed that many of the bloggers I typically read have also been busy with life and not able to update as much as they normally do! It amazes me those people who have the time to do this every day!

I've started to stitch again so I hope to have an update posted soon! It amazes me those who already have 2 or 3 finishes for the year! If I have one done by March I'll be doing great!!!!!

Till later!

No Progress

Unfortunately, I have no progress to report on any of my current projects! It's currently convention time for me so I am very busy with work planning and putting together materials for my convention which is the 24th thru the 27th of January. I'm working really long hours and am so exhausted at night I am not picking up my needle at all! Shame on me! I should be, especially since I am not sleeping at night! I have plenty of time to be stitching!

Saturday I had lunch with an old high school friend. Her husband, daughter, younger brother and parents came along too. It was a great time! It amazes me that no matter how much time passes, we seem to always be able to pick up right where we left off! It reminds me how thankful I should be that I have some very good friends who are genuine people! And seeing her daughter, who is now 13 months old! It made me feel guilty that I had not started her blanket yet! This is the blanket that I am going to do for her! I've had it for over a year now!

Now I am not going to get crazy and say that I am going to start working on it today! LOL! I have plenty of others. But definitely going to start it in the next month or two!

Well, I need to go and start work on at least ONE of my many projects! Plus laundry and other chores! I spent all day Saturday shopping, having lunch with friends and seeing a movie! It was so nice to spend the day with friends (family!).

New Year

2008! Not starting off exactly the way I wanted but it will do.

First off, I had a wonderful Christmas with my family in Austin. There was one little glitch when one of the CV joints on my car broke on the way to Austin but Dad took care of that in Austin before we came back.

I must have been a very good girl because I received a lot of really good gifts. I still have some more gifts coming as I have not yet done Christmas with my girlfriends or my honey either!

One of the gifts that I did receive was this cute craft tote bag. I now have something I can put my cross stitch projects in! I can tote them with me all the time! I'm quite excited!

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, my sailor was not able to come home for the holidays. First it was car trouble, then it was work and then he came down with the flu. So we didn't get to spend any time together. We are trying to reschedule our visit but I have my annual convention this month so that has me really super busy and then he ships out again on the 8th of February. We will have a week of down time between the end of my convention and him shipping off but we still don't know if we will be able to arrange anything! He doesn't ship off for his 6 month tour till June so hopefully things will slow down at some time for the two of us and we will get to see each other. Until then, thank goodness for cell phones, text messaging and emails!!!

This holiday season was so very busy! I think that this has been one of my busier seasons! It wasn't very conducive to cross stitching but I do have an update on my Iriskeeper!

Resolutions for the new year:

1) Try to be more patient

2) Be less dramatic

Stitching resolutions:

1) finish the Iriskeeper

2) Start HAED Queen of Hearts

3) Finish The Kiss

Hopefully now that the holiday season is over, I will be able to post more frequently. Although I have noticed that other blogs I read must have been just as busy as they haven't posted very much either!

I hope 2008 brings all the happiness and love that everyone deserves!

Melinda

Holidays!

I love this time of year! A time for family and friends. I know I haven't posted lately but it's because I have been so busy! And more on the sick side than the healthy. But hopefully I am on the road to recovery!

I have decorated my apartment! My mother was kind enough to purchase me a little 4 1/2 foot pre-lit tree (that has been one of the best innovations, pre-lit trees!) and I have it up and decorated with my few ornaments. I've also put up my stocking and the stockings for my two pets!

I finally finished my niece's present. And by finished I mean that I have a frame for it and I've decorated it. It was originally intended for birthday, but what's a few months late? LOL! This time it was Snow White. She already has Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

I am almost completely done with all my Christmas shopping. I already got out all my Christmas cards to family and friends. And with my ILCS group I have already begun to receive cards and am trying to keep on top of it all!

It's been a few years since I've enjoyed the holidays so much! (And yes, it has a teeny tiny bit to do with a certain sailor who I will get to see again around New Year's!) Between Christmas, New Year's and the LSU Tigers being in the National Championship game, life is pretty good right now!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't know why I thought that going to the grocery store on the day before Thanksgiving at around 1:30 p.m. would be any better than any other time! Yep, I ventured out to the Walmart. It was a zoo. It's as if with the holidays everyone leaves their commen sense and decency at home! I got in and out as quickly as I possibly could and still had to go to a local grocery store to pick up the rest of the items I needed because Walmart didn't have everything! Shock!

Anyway, after vowing to not to return to Walmart until after the holidays, I am home. I currently have two sweet potato pies in the oven baking and I will make a cran-apple pie later this evening. Aren't I just domestic? First time attempting to make dessert for Thanksgiving dinner. First time baking! We'll see how it goes!

After posting on Sunday I spent a few more hours working on The Kiss. That wasn't my intention but I got into a zone so I kept on working on it! I'm actually enjoying working on more than one project. Keeps getting bored with one at bay!

I've spent some time on my Iris Keeper. It's coming along great! It still amazes me how quickly it is coming along with all the changes in color!

I printed out the pattern for the HAED Queen of Hearts today. I am going to see what stash I already have and then prepare a list and hope that either Michael's or Hobby Lobby have a great sale on threads! Next I will order some fabric and I will hopefully have this one kitted up before the end of the year and I will get to start her in 2008!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday! I am lucky to be spending it with my parents this year! And with the start of the holidays that means that my Sailor will be home very soon! I can't wait!

Answer

I had a question about whether or not when Iris Keeper is finished, would you still be able to see the fabric. I made sure that when I purchased the fabric that I got a big enough piece so that I would be able to use it as a "border". I thought that if I framed the piece, instead of matting it the fabric would be the matting.

I also had the question some time back what fabric am I using. It is a 25 count Lugana from Sugar Maple Fabrics. The color is Hera. I fell in love with it when I saw it on the website and was even more impressed once I got it into my hands!

Pat on my back!

I was actually very successful in stitching this week. I don't know how many hours I put in but I put in more than just a few! This has also been a very good weekend of stitching. I came to a stopping point on both of the projects so I thought I would post some progress photos.

The above photo is the progress I made this week on the Iris Keeper. I think that I actually accomplished alot considering how many color changes there were! There were actually times when you only used one color thread for ONE stitch! I worked on this particular pattern all week. I accomplished a lot on Saturday while watching football.

This photo is the progress made on The Kiss. I have to admit I only worked on this one for two hours this Sunday morning. Since my other pattern is for Christmas, I devoted more time to it this weekend. But I didn't want to not touch on this project so I picked it up this morning. I'm hoping to maybe do a little bit more this afternoon before resuming the Iris Keeper.

Since I am only working 3 days this week and thus will have a 4 day weekend, I am hoping to have even more progress to show next week! Thank goodness I don't really care for shopping and most of my Christmas shopping is done so I won't be compelled to hit any of the big sales after Thanksgiving!

I was excited to see that HAED is having a sale this week. I am going to be good and purchase just one pattern when I get paid on Tuesday! I have many patterns already and no clue when I will begin them so I think one pattern is all I should limit myself to! LOL!

WIP Update

Time for an update! I have been working on two projects. Well, not as diligently as I normally do but then I am not used to having two projects going on at the same time. Actually I have three, but I have put one aside for now. I will hopefully revisit it soon!

It's a very gloomy day today so it was pretty dark in the apartment. So the pictures are not very good quality. I know, I am very picky!

The picture below is my progress this past week on the HAED Iris Keeper Storykeep. I am hoping to have this one done by Christmas but there are so many color changes! It just may not happen. It may have to turn into a birthday present next September. But I am keeping my fingers crossed!

This second pictures is an update on The Kiss. I haven't worked on this much . I am going to try to keep this as my weekend project. I worked on it this past Saturday. I have to admit I have been pretty leary about working on it as I am not used to working on this type of linen. I believe it is a 28 count piece. It is 2 over 2. My first one! So it is very slow progress!