Of Thanks, Frames and Sisters

All of you sweet stitchy bloggers deserve another giant THANK YOU for all of your kind and thoughtful messages this week. I so appreciate your understanding.

Look what was ready at the framer this week! Yep, it's Lo How a Rose making her framed entrance!

I'm very happy with the way it turned out, and it's now ensconced next to my bed. Lo fits in perfectly.

So now I have to ask you a question. Do any of you, like me, have a knack for choosing the most expensive mouldings? Truly, every time I'm in there to pick out a frame, it's always some hideously expensive moulding, and after seeing it next to my stitching, I can't live without it. I'm somewhat envious of those of you out there who frame your own things. I say somewhat because I don't really wanna do that. I'm stingy with my time, and framing isn't how I wanna spend it. Until I'm retired and have more extra time, I'll keep trying to earn enough money to pay for my framing. I'm still secretly laughing about my dad thinking that my mom and sister and I can frame all three ATS's for $500 (hee, hee, hee). We can never, ever let him know the true total price of all three frames. He'd never recover from the shock.

Wanna hear about a couple of new Sisters? The Sisterhood of the Rose has welcomed two new stitchy buds: Melissa in Vancouver, Canada, and Hazel in England. Exchanging a couple of notes with them has been very fun. Adding these two sweet ladies has put us up to nine members! I'm wondering if one of our members will win Edgar's copy of LHaR. We'll see.

When/if you email me about the Sisterhood (or anything else), it occasionally gets caught in the spam net. If I don't answer right away, I'm not being rude (like usual), I just haven't checked my spam box yet.

Did you see the fabulous prizes that the BBD ladies brought back from France for the lucky winners of their contest? Outstanding items. I want to fondle them. The items, not Alma and Barb. In fact, I'm feeling rather covetous (that feels like a word, but I'm not certain) of those items. But I'm very happy for the winners, and surely they'll enjoy their new treasures.

OK, I'm off to stitch in the purple chair. Wanna know what tomorrow's number is? 3. Yep, three weeks 'til the last day of school. Work has been somewhat drama-filled this week, and I've been less than willing to deal with it. Hopefully, it's just temporary emotional overload, and my serenity will return soon. The end of this school year is bittersweet, as they'll be closing my morning school. I'll save that for another post. Adam and Eve are calling me.

Happy Friday tomorrow ... make some fun.

Lo How a Rose - The End

Didn't I say in my last post that I'd update on the next day? Ha! Life always has a mind of its own. So here it is ... I'm very happy with it. I've gotten some questions about it, so I'll give the details again. The design is charted with DMC and with WDW, so I chose WDW colors. I had to change London Fog to Pelican Gray so the words would show up on my fabric. It's stitched on 30-count R & R Old Mill Java, and it measures 5 and 3/4 inches by 5 and 1/2. The hexagon in the lower right corner is empty in the design, but I decided to treat it as a cartouche ...

I tried to keep my initials and the year in the same style as the letters that the Brightneedle girls used. Sorry that picture is so difficult to see, but you get the idea. So, hooray, my second finish of the year. That's all? Yep. I'm blaming it on Eden.

My book with LHaR in it is going to Canada tomorrow to be with Jennifer (no blog), who found that the price of the book has become a little silly. I agree. I paid one dollar for the book, and the last price I heard was $30. Yes, booksellers have every right to set their prices according to supply and demand, but some of us would rather splurge on the three F's ... fabric, fibers and framing. So we're starting a little pass-along. When Jennifer is finished, she's gonna send the book to Valie in France. If anyone else would like to join us in our progressive stitch, please email me, and the book will continue to travel. And who knows? Valie may find the book at a more reasonable price while she's waiting. I reckon we'll see.

It's finally snowing here, so I'm gonna drag out the sewing machine and try to get some things finished. Then I'll be back in Eden. Since Lo is finished, I'm gonna keep my mini-rotation (me? rotate?) going on Thursdays. Miss Lila is waiting along with so many others in the WIP basket, calling out to me to pick them up and pay them some stitchy attention. Shall I start today? Maybe, but it's been a while since I spent some days in Eden, so by next Thursday I'll know which project I'm in the mood for. I'm off ... make some fun.

** Oops! I'm editing to say that LHaR is stitched over one on 30-count, which is why it's so small. Sorry I left out that important piece of info. **

Gee, Thanks

It's been one of those more-than-just-interesting weeks, so Blogland has been a great escape during some times when my day has given me a little more than I can handle. Coni and Anna have been especially guffaw-provoking this week. Thank you all for the relief I get from cruising through your familiar and happy cyberplaces.

Thanks also for your funny and kind comments about my new man and his new best man-friend. Sometimes Santa is just what we need in a man. If I can figure out a way to work in another project so I can have a third man, I can use them to imagine what it's like to be Bill on "Big Love". On second thought, I'd be infintely happier with my three Santa men than Bill could possibly be with his wives (apologies to those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about). No drama with Santa men.

Now a thank you to Patti for presenting me with this bloggy award ...


I'm truly appreciative that she finds this little corner of Blogland a good place to be. I'm supposed to nominate eight blogs to receive this award, but that's not my best skill. Because I tend to bend rules and regs and want to do things my own way (look, Mom, I'm admitting it), I'd rather encourage anyone who's reading to look at the comments on my last post (even my blogless mom commented!)and visit each one of those bloggers. They have their own unique styles of stitching and writing, and they're more than worthy of a visit from you. Patti, I apologize if I've driven you nuts by refusing to follow the rules. I can be a pain in the ass.

Finally (she said, feeling like an Oscar-winner who's gone on and on and ...), how about some stitchy talk? Very little stitching was accomplished last night. I was hanging around with the man I hang around with, and then I drove him to the airport at 4:00 this morning. The big stinker is now on a beach in Belize. The plan for this evening is to work on Lo How a Rose, but I may need a nap first. I also should walk my miles (I try to require at least four each day), but a nap may win my attention first.

One more work day 'til Spring Break! Make some fun.

Lo How a Rose - Week 8

Finally, the flowers are blooming. I was really tempted to just keep stitching on LHaR until it's all finished. But Eden won't leave me alone! I do love the flowers.

Especially this one ...

Isn't it cute? Little flowers are everywhere! Hopefully, there won't be too many more weeks of updates on this little piece.

Since Spring Break is only a week away, I've already been mentally filling up the free days with stitching ideas, but there are so many other things to do. Many out-of-control and well-hidden corners of my little house are in desperate need of organization. Then there are the carpets that are screaming to be cleaned. We're also gonna have a four-legged guest for a few days (more on that later). And don't forget about skiing and golf! The best Spring Break includes both. Not nearly enough hours to get everything in, so we'll see which activities win out.

That's it for now ... back to Eden. TGIF and happy weekend to all of you! Make some fun.

Lo How a Rose - Week 7

Weekends are the greatest, especially when they have extra days. Even one extra day makes the weekend so much more relaxed. Yesterday was a comp day for having worked two 12-hour days for conferences last week, so I pretty much took it off. When Nikki came home from work at 4:00 or so, I still had my jammies on (gasp)! I know! What a slob! I'd spent the whole day stitching, paying bills and doing paperwork. At least I accomplished something.

So here you see my LHaR progress for this week. There are only a few gold letters left, and then it looks like we'll have a flower-a-thon for a few weeks. Just as I thought I'd finished all of the grayish letters, I found that I'd left off two little stitches on that same H that made me crazy last week! LOLOL! Do you think focus could be a problem? Hopefully, my mind won't completely desert me until I get more of my stash stitched.

That's all for this edition of "As the Threads Are Counted (or not)". Tune in again next time, and maybe I'll list the many objects that I misplace and have to search for on a daily basis (the inability to count is only one symptom of my lack of focus). I'm running away to Boulder to make some fun. While I'm away, maybe my mind will become more cooperative.

Lo How a Rose - Week 6

I'm finally getting around to posting my progress on Lo How a Rose from last week. I had intended to do it on Saturday, but I got busy with other things (laundry, vacuuming, walking miles, running away to Boulder). After I took this picture, I was smugly admiring my work and found a little boo boo, which will have to be fixed this week (damn!). At the time of my goof, I'm pretty sure I was talking on the phone ... never a good idea for me when counting is required. I consider walking while chewing gum multi-tasking, but that doesn't stop me from trying it more often than I should. Anyway, I'm almost finished with all the words, and then look out, flowers!

We're having the world's most fabulous weather in the eastern half of Colorado. It was close to 70 yesterday and set a record in the 70's today. We hit golf balls and then went hiking yesterday. How can anyone stay inside when it's so beautiful? Boy, did I wanna play hooky today. Nice weather will continue all week, with the exception of wind (ugh ... wind, wind, wind) tomorrow, but we really need some moisture. So all of you who are sick to death of your snow and rain, please send it this way. I'm in true need of a snow day, and Colorado's eastern slope is in need of something wet.

I have a man story to tell. While making weekend arrangements on the phone, the man I hang around with was telling me he needed time to straighten up and do some things before I arrived. So I told him I could stay home and stitch for however much time he needed. Then he said (get ready for this), " You should bring your stitching." Really! That's what he said (gasp)! I know! Amazing. Of course, I only had time to do a little bit, because I had to bite my nails and fret during "The Changeling" (probably not a movie I should've watched). Men can be surprising, huh?

I'm off now to spend some time in Eden.

The "O" Word

I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. It's not "O" for orgasm (although I could go on about that for a length of time), and (as I've already gone on about in recent posts) it's not "O" for odor. It's the "O" in OCD ... obsessive.

I got a wild hair at about 10 o'clock last night and decided to start something quick and cute, Shepherd Bush's 2009 fob. I'd been stitching on ATS, of course, and I wanted just a little bitty break. Here's a pic of my progress and a few of my pretties, so you can see that I'm a small fob (scissor weight, to me) girl. This cute SB fob is gonna be way too big for my usual stuffed-with-rice kind of fob. I'd already planned to try crushed walnut shells for a filler this time, but at the size this is turning out (ok, I figured out how big the design size was, but I was in denial), it's still gonna be heavy. I like some weight to my scissor weights, but this would be a little too much. I've been resisting the obsessive urge to pull out all the stitching and start over ... over one. Don't get me wrong ... I love Tina's and Teri's designs. I just don't like 30-count over two. So, after several large cleansing breaths, I've decided just to look at it for a day or two and then decide what to do. I'm gonna do a few little over-one practice stitches on the fabric, just to see how they look. It would be really cute over one, and leaving half an inch or so all around the design, I'd end up with about a two-inch square fob. Can you say obsessive? I knew you could! I'll keep you posted, but you can tell that I'm dying to unstitch it, can't you?

On a saner note, here's my progress on Lo How a Rose. I stitched a little on Thursday night and a tiny bit on Friday, because it felt like I was on roll. All letters again! It's kinda fun to think about getting all of the letters done and then having a free-for-all with the flowers.

While ranting about odors the other day, I completely forgot to tell you how much fun I had with my sister Wednesday night. We laughed at everything (it's what we do) for a couple of hours, saw a few old friends, avoided being asked to dance by a man who kept lurking threateningly by our table, and made fun of the pub clientele. That probably sounds mean, but we make the most fun of each other and ourselves, so it's fair.

Back to school tomorrow as the Sprink Break countdown begins ... four weeks to go, which include CSAP testing (a rant always on the tip of my tongue) and parent-teacher conference week, which is brutal. I love time off!

Lo How a Rose - Week 4: Letters Only

As you can see, it was letters only that were stitched in LHAR ... with no boo boos ... or none that I've found yet. Since it worked so well, I may have to continue with letters for another day and then have a flowers-only stitch day. Whew! Thank goodness there's a plan in place for the next two weeks! ;)

I'll bet I don't even have to report that I'm back in Eden, in the last section of ATS. I've been discussing the filling-in of the grass with my sister, and I think I have myself settled on what I'd like to try. Siobhan also told me what she did, and I've seen a couple of other finished pieces online. If you have some experience with that last section you wanna share, please feel free.

It's one of those cold, cloudy, breezy Saturdays. Since it's Valentine's Day, I'm baking the man I hang around with an apple-blackberry pie. We're gonna have some tasty chile, cornbread (of course) and some of that too-yummy-for-words pie with ice cream. It'll be nice to sit in front of the fireplace on a cold night and maybe watch a movie ... or not.

Thank you to everyone who leaves kind comments. They're fun to read, informative and much appreciated.

Happy Valentine's Day

Final Phase

I couldn't resist a quick update. All day yesterday, I could think only about finishing that next-to-last section of ATS. So I got home as soon as possible (gee ... almost 7 o'clock), put my ass to the purple chair and finished the pretty little scene (woo hoo!).


Just to give it a little perspective, here's the whole Garden so far ...

Sorry for the blurry pic ... I think I have a problem standing still enough while clicking. But you get the idea. And don't you love the wrinkles and the tangle of threads and needles on the left? Stitching in-hand creates wrinkles, and keeping fibers ready to stitch on needles stuck into my work is my version of convenience. Prettier, wrinkle-free, uncluttered pictures will come at the end. So on to the last section! People have been telling me the ways they've chosen to fill in the last section, and they've caused me to start plotting my own fill-in plan. Before sharing I'll try a little to see how it looks.

Last night was supposed to be Lo How a Rose SAL night, but Adam and Eve and friends tempted me away. Now I'm off to spend some hours on LHAR, take a break from Eden, and think about the upcoming long weekend. My hopes for a blizzard with accompanying snow days will remain unrealized for the near future ... dang it.

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!

Lo - Week 2

Yesterday was Lo How a Rose SAL day, so I had a little break from the Garden. Here's a pic of my progress after replacing the L and then stitching, unstitching, restitching, unstitching and restitching some of the other letters. Having seen Staci's, Vonna's (who is finished ... holy cow) and Laura's progress, I believe I'm (again) the slowpoke and (apparently) numerically challenged (who, me? count?).

I like the new floss color (the name of which escapes me, but I'll tell you later) better ... I think. It shows up much better than the London Fog (just look two posts back), and it blends pretty well with the other colors. It'll do. Maybe next week I'll be able to count. I know! I could blame it on my old man cat Merlin. He wanted to sit in my lap, as he usually does when I stitch, but he can't fit up there because of the book the Lo chart is in. Without the book, he takes up my whole lap all the way to my knees. He fussed a lot (he's very old and very whiny) and made multiple attempts at sneaking up (not too old to jump into the chair). In fact, we had kind of a spat over it, and he was still a little cranky this morning. That's it. It's all Merlin's fault I couldn't count to 5 or 7 last night. Yeah, that's the ticket.

I know I said this last Thursday, but here it comes again ... ahhhh, tomorrow is Friday. I'm so happy to be employed, but I need three-day weekends to happen every week. OK, time to get to stitchin' in the Garden.

Lo How a Rose, Week 1

Having joined a Lo How a Rose SAL with Staci, Vonna and Laura (oh, how I love partners in crime), I jumped right in last night and made a little bit of progress. And then, I started to notice how WDW's London Fog just fades right into my Java-whatever. Rats! So I suppose I'll be doing a little reverse stitching and hunting to see what I can find that's a tad darker (of course there's nothing in all those little plastic bags at home that will do). Since all the words are stitched in that color, something's gonna have to be done. Otherwise, we'll see the pretty little flowers, but we won't be reading the lovely words to the poem. Trouble is, I like the way London Fog goes from tan to purple-gray (is that whining?). If this is my biggest problem this week, life is too good. Ew, now that I'm looking at the picture, it looks a little blurry. When I looked at it on the camera screen, my old-lady eyes thought it looked fine. Oops ... sorry about that. This short week has seemed excrutiatingly long (could it be the nasal nuisance and Ambien hangovers?), so I'm thrilled that Friday will finally arrive, as promised. Six days off, even with the nose crap, spoiled me rotten. Time off is like really good chocolate ... it always tastes like more.

Uh oh ... New Project

Because Staci, fabulous and speedy knitter and stitcher extraordinaire, is such a bad influence (and I so love a bad influence), I'm gonna start Brightneedle's Lo How a Rose. I'm using WDW floss over one on R & R's 30-count Java-something-or-other (hopefully memory isn't the last thing to go). I desperately needed another project, right? Since I've had my face buried in ATS for a long time, it'll be good to branch out from the Garden of Eden into some roses.
Is it still true that whoever dies with the most projects wins?