FULL MOON CHECK IN

I have been back at my old/new job for a month now and I have been seeing familiar faces, some of the customers have just stopped by to say hi and welcome back. Before my 1st day back they had this banner hanging on the outside of the building. How's that for making someone feel wanted and appreciated.

I'm still enjoying my e-reader. I just finished reading the new J. D. Robb aka Nora Roberts book "Celebrity in Death" and liked it. I wouldn't say it was my favorite of the In Death books but it was still a good read. I was glad getting back to NYC and the rest of the normal characters. I like Peabody, McNabb, Mavis and the rest of the group, and missed them in the last book. I recommend reading these books to anyone who likes Nora Roberts' style of writing. Although they are classified as futuristic, they really aren't too far out there in the future. Some of the technical and computer stuff are probably just around the corner as fast as technology is going now.

I have been stitching some too. I finished one of the projects listed in my WIPocalypse- "Happy Christmas Row" by Bent Creek
I worked on it the most, because I wanted to accomplish at least 1 finish from my list this year. LOL.

I also picked up a WIP that I started last year right before Thanksgiving. It is from Tralala "Carre'd'Automne" Here is the picture I took and posted then and where I am now This is what it will look like when I finish it. I doubt if I finish like this picture though. Since I have a finish from my WIPocalypse list, I started another from the list. I decided to start the LHN "Winter Band Sampler" I have chosen 25ct Country Mocha Lugana(one of my favorites), and using DMC floss. I will be doing it 1 over 1. I feel like I should have my head examined, but it just is too big over 2 on this material. The stitch count is 61 X 149, so that would make the design size about 5 X 12". Doing it over 1 it's 2.5 X 6" which is so much better. This is what I have stitched so far on the "Winter Band Sampler".















Until the next time


May Your Guardian Angel Watch Over You

Susieq

2nd FULL MOON POST......

Boy, did this month go by quickly. This past month I have read several books, baked lots of goodies, said goodbye to clients and co-workers from one job and have been saying hello to customers back in my old job after the being away for 4 years. I have been stitching a little more lately too which is good because it means that I have made some progress on my WIPs. I finished stitching my small ornament.
It is my version variation of "Dragonfly" by Country Cottage Needleworks from her Garden Party Thread Packs. I wanted to stitch the dragonfly 1 over 1 but the rest over 2, so I had to change it somewhat to fit that and also I wanted it to be a smaller size(about 2.5") than it would have been stitched like it was charted. I hope the designers do not take offense by my changing their creations to suit my taste. I never claim that they are my designs or anything, but there are differences, like color changes or in the case of this ornament, I used the colors, but I wanted part of it smaller, so I had to do some changes with the overall pattern and because of the smaller size I had to make mine simpler, with a lot
less detail.

Now on to my WIPocalypse projects. I am going to be doing some of my projects 1 over 1, and some over 2 on linen or evenweave or on aida of some size. And since 1 over 1 is harder on my eyesight, I am going to try to be doing 2 projects at a time, 1 over 2 and 1 over 1. If I do too many at a time, then I will have a whole stack of WIPs which will become UFO's and I don't want that.
Last month this is what my project Blue Ribbon "Sampler for Merry Pat" looked like. It is stitched 1 over 1 on ant white evenweave using the called for floss. Since I do not complete each stitch as I go when stitching over 1, the variation of the colors in the floss is more subtle. And here is where I am now






This one is the BC "Happy Christmas Row". I am doing it on 18ct aida and using so far Anchor 45, and will be using DMC for the greens.
The now picture is truer to the color of the fabric, it more of a beige/light khaki. I didn't write it down, so I don't know exactly.


Until the next time....

May Your Guardian Angel Watch Over You

susieq

Same thing this week....

as last week and the week before. I again put some stitches in some of my cross stitch projects, but didn't get around to taking a picture of any of them. I am almost finished with the ornament I was working on and the other stitches were in the WIPs of my WIPocalypse list, so I'll take a picture of the progress on those when I post the next full moon.


Today I woke up feeling pretty good and industrious. I've done 3 loads of laundry, vacuumed the carpet, and have all the dishes washed. Since I don't have a dishwasher, that makes me the one who get to wash them and I put that chore off as long as possible(I am so bad). Then I put a beef roast on to cook, baked the 1st layer of an experimental bar cookie, it is a chocolate version of the Payday bar-cookie I make, and cut up some oranges to make a fruit salad. I love cooked carrots, so I am now cooking some in some of the beef broth from the roast and as soon as they get done, I will make some gravy to go with mashed potatoes and have lunch. Everything smells sooooo gooooood. So I'm going to go....

Until next week

May Your Guardian Angel Watch Over You

susieq

VERY LITTLE STITCHING.....

this week. I picked up a small ornament that I began stitching last year and put a few stitches in it. No pictures, sorry maybe next week it will be done and I'll have a picture. I also bought an e-reader tablet on ebay and have downloaded some books, so during most of my quiet time, I have been reading rather than stitching. I finished 3 "SHELTER BAY" series books by Joann Ross, and several older Harlequin type books that were on sale for .99 cents. My lunch hour has changed also at work, and rather than eating by myself and stitching, I am eating with several co-workers. I don't get much stitching time, since I sit and gab and laugh with them. I will be changing jobs in a few weeks and then I will be by myself again, so the stitching will proceed as normal.

I am looking forward to the job change. 4 years ago I was laid off from a job that I had worked at for 30 years. The family who owned the business decided they wanted to semi-retire and sold the business. The new owner decided to lay me off(needless to say he is not one of my favorite people). At 56 I had to start all over again, and I know I was very lucky to have found a job after just a few months of being unemployed, but I really missed my old job. Now after 4 years and a lot of drama over a non-competition clause in the sale agreement, the original owner has decided to reopen the office, and has asked if I'd like to come back. I said yes and I start on Feb 1st. I will miss some of my present co-workers because they are really a lot of fun, and some of the clients that we deal with, but the job is soooo stressful and I am doing several tasks that I really do not like. So I can't wait to get back HOME.

Well that is what has been happening in my world.

Until next week...

May Your Guardian Angel Watch Over You

susieq

READ SET GO.....

As I commented in my last post, I have joined the WIPocalypse at Measi's Musings. You will find the link to that page here on my blog and many more blogs that you might visit. It is the one with a dragon to the right. Here is the list of designs that I want to stitch and have the patterns in my stash, but never got around to stitching them for one reason or the other.

1. "CHRISTMASLAND" RAISE THE ROOF
2. "I BELIEVE" MOSEY 'N ME
3. "TIME FOR GOD" LK
4. ALL "INSPIRATIONAL BOXERS" LK 1 COMPLETED 1 3 LEFT TO DO
5. "SAMPLER WINTER" MARIKA BELFIORI
6. "TREE OF STITCHES" ABI GURDEN SAL ON YAHOO GROUP STITCH SPECIALISTS
7. "ONE HUNDRED YEARS" LK
8. "FAMILY MATTERS" HINZEIT
9. "ABC LESSONS" LK
10. "ROMANTIC STITCHER" PASSIONE RICAMO
11. "WINTER BAND SAMPLER" LHN

I also have a couple of designs that I have stitched on, and want to finish.



This one is "Happy Christmas to All" by Bent Creek. I am stitching it on 18 ct aida. I wanted it a certain size and any linen smaller than 32 ct is getting harder for me to see, so I went with the 18 ct aida.

This next one may look familiar to anyone who has followed my blog for awhile. I posted this as one of my WIP I wanted to finish in 2011. I had found 2 things that I had started when I was going through some of my stash in May of 2011. I finished one, but I think I only put a few stitches in this, so it goes on my list this year to complete. It is a Blue Ribbon Design "A Sampler for Merry Pat". I am doing it over 1 on 28ct antique white evenweave.


Well I've got ham and beans cooking in my slow cooker, a list of groceries that I need at the store and a book I'm in the middle of on my e-reader, so I better get off the computer.

Until next week...

May Your Guardian Angel Watch Over You.

susieq

The ending of 2011 & beginning of 2012 and...

I only had 1 finished WIP for 2011. Next week I will be posting pictures of the projects that I want to do in 2012. I have joined Measi's WIPocalypse . Hopefully this will help me keep up my momentum throughout the year. Some will be WIPs and others will be projects that I really want to stitch and have had for a number of years (1 since 1995). I have been adding to my pile, so next week's blog will be loaded with pictures.

But until then--Here are a couple of little finishes I did for my LNS THE STITCHER'S EXPRESS . They will make them into ornaments to put on the shop's tree for display. These are LK 2011 ornaments that were recently released. The material is 28ct Toasted Almond evenweave, and I stitched them using the called for WDW floss except the light blue around the windows, that was DMC.









I have been off on vacation this past week. My work closed down for the week and I have to go back to work tomorrow. I guess I'm ready to get off the computer and read for awhile and then off to bed so I'll be able to get up early and be ready to start the new year at work.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!


Until next week...

May Your Guardian Angel Watch Over You

susieq

HO!HO!HO!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! My Christmas was over last Sunday. These are a few pictures of the star of the day. Gracie. She still isn't quite sure about what is going on, but she enjoyed the animated snowman that I had that sang. She danced with the music. This 1st one is Gracie and I. I do not like to have my picture taken and I was trying to get her to tell her Grampa to go away The next one is just her in her Christmas dress. And the last one is with Gramma Vickie..Vickie had jingle bells on her shirt, so Gracie thought they were pretty great.


I can now show you the ornament that I made for the ornament exchange that we had at my stitch group.Nancy, who follows my blog when she has time, is a member of the stitch group so I couldn't show it until now. I made it by covering 2 button covers that you can get at a fabric store and then glued the covers together. These are great to make something small perfectly round. I made the cording with my handy dandy cording tool(see past post)

I finished stitching my "Merry Christmas" by the New York Dreamer. I do not know if I want to frame it or finish it some other way, but since it is a Christmas design and my Christmas celebrations are over until next year, I think that I have a little time to decide.

Well until the next time...

May Your Guardian Angel Watch Over You.

susieq