Lo How a Rose - Week 3: Can I Count?

Here we are after my third week of stitching with the Lo How a Rose SAL, and I still can't count! I had to unstitch and restitch two separate areas, and then I decided to just leave one boo boo in because I'd gone to far to make going back worthwhile (to me, anyway). Even though counting seems to be a challenge, I'm loving the colors.

As I was thinking of Brightneedle and counting, I remembered the difficulties I had with this piece called Sunshine and Shadow ...

I got cocky while stitching this one and decided to work from two different corners (you can see where this is going, can't you?). Because I had made too many of the little checkerboard-type border squares, I found that the two parts I was stitching were gonna miss each other by about ten threads. Bummer. So reverse stitching became the task of several days, because about a third of those cute little over-one motifs had to be removed. Can you say "frustration"? I knew you could. Frustration wasn't the only f-word used during that time. Deep breaths help sometimes, as does vodka. Cocktail, anyone?

Meanwhile, back in the Garden, life is good. I've decided to stitch tonight and have a little show and tell tomorrow. I had the day off on Tuesday after a little torture session (painkiller required) with the nose doc, so I got to stitch for a few hours (my reward). It felt like playing hooky, and I love that feeling.

I'm gonna refrain from commenting on the lady with 14 kids, counting the eight new babies. Everything I have to say, including my many questions, would sound hideously judgmental. And as my mom told me when I was a bitchy, know-it-all 14-year-old, "It's not necessary that everyone knows what you think." I think of that advice before opening my mouth during a potentially controversial discussion, and I'm certain that it's saved me from tasting my toes on more than one occasion. Isn't my mom smart?

Happy Friday!

Too Much Info

Before I get into the too-much-info portion of my blah-blah-blog today, I have to fill you in on Super Sunday. First, I kinda wanted those Cardinals to win ... they were the underdogs and the team from out west. They put up a good fight, huh? Then there was stitching during the Super Bowl. It was a complete non-issue! Isn't that great? Of course, there was so much going on (two men, two dogs, food, beer, game, commercials, etc) that I had to unstitch and restitch more than once ... duh ... because I was rather distracted. But the point is, it was no big deal. Fabulous!

And now for TMI. I rarely answer lists of questions, but as I was visiting Anna one day, this looked interesting. So here goes ...

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to: leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to Disneyworld – Hell, I didn’t make it to Disneyland until I was 41!
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis – and a tarantula named Rosie
10. sang a solo – not what you’re thinking … junior high choir class
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea – complete with a waterspout!
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked – Sorry, Mom, but it was that bitchy know-it-all 14-year-old who used to live at your house.
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill - Do people not do this?
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language – I’m not counting the Spanish I learned in junior high and high school.
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied – Having it doesn't guarantee satisfaction.
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing – not really high rocks
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person – I wish everyone could hear my mom talk about the time she saw David!
41. sung karaoke – not a chance
42. seen Old Faithful (geyser) erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance – my poor mom
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater – source of many a story …
55. been in a movie - only Grandpa’s home movies
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia