Goals for a New Year

I am so happy to see 2010 end. In 6 hours and 45 minutes, it will be 2011. And in reading Berit's blog yesterday, I realized it is the Year of the Rabbit. Yes! As a rabbit, it just has to be a good year, right? I'm just going to keep thinking that. Not to mention it's a prime year...

Ok, let's have a little recap, shall we?
2010 Personal Goals
~Be more positive and happy. This is my number 1 goal. The rest will be icing on the cake. - Um, no...another terrible year.
~Lose those 10 pounds and exercise regularly. - Lost 5 pounds mainly by cutting out pasta and less breads.
~Save money towards big purchases - Bought the recliner and saved...yay!

2010 Stitching Goals

~Stitch from stash...I can do it...I know I can! - Um, no. I bought more than any other year!
~Continue to limit exchanges (2-4) - Completed 2 exchanges
~BAPS for me: Mary Wigham, Fairy Moon and L*K Boo Club - Mary Wigham = WIP, Fairy Moon = not started, L*K Boo Club = completed.
~Gifts: Newton, Bless This House, Letter C - Newton = UFO, Bless This House = Completed, Letter C = Completed.
~Stitch 12 Christmas ornaments - Ha!

2011 Personal Goals

~Be more positive and happy.
~Lose 10 pounds and exercise regularly.
~Continue to save money
2011 Stitching Goals

~Finish Mary Wigham
~Finish BBD Where My Heart Blooms
~Stitch one design per month on the BBD Anniversaries of the Heart Series
~Start two Mirabilias
~Stitch 12 Christmas Ornaments
~L*K Christmas Rules

2010 allowed me 18 finishes...9 less than last year. I didn't like that very much. I had hoped to have a productive year that allowed more *me* finishes. So that's my focus in 2011. Me. Stitching for me. Becoming a happier me. Doing things that make me healthier and more positive. I know it will be difficult as I have much negative around me but I have to take the steps away from that to really allow myself to shine. I've felt lost for a while now...floundering...always trying to make those around me happy while sacrificing my own time and happiness. No more!

Goodbye 2010...and good riddance! And ecstatic greetings to a brand spanking and shiny New Year. Hello 2011!

Hey, froggie...pass the champagne but stay away from my stitching!

Thanks to everyone for sticking with me through my roller coaster happenings over the last couple of years. I wish you all the very best in 2011. Happy New Year!

Two More Days...

Until the New Year! Do you all have any special plans? I just plan on staying home in my pajamas all day, having a movie marathon and stitching as much as I can on Mary before going into a rotation with projects. Or shall I say *try* to go into a rotation with projects.

Stitching this week has been slow. With family in town, I've been playing tourist and coming home late and tired. It definitely hasn't been the lazy, stitchy week I imagined so far! Oh well, that's ok.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I've never been very good with holidays. It's the most difficult time of the year for me. I am just eager for the year to be over so I can feel like I have a clean slate. Once that happens, I should perk up some.

Before Christmas, I received a lovely package from Lisa. I'm a little late in posting my thanks here. She sent me this beautifully stitched ornie by La D Da found in the 2010 JCS Ornie Issue in a fun green with a beaded tassel. I love it!
She also included a journal and some tissues. Thanks so much Lisa! =)

Speaking of fun mail, I recently won one of the giveaways Blackbird Designs was hosting.
And received four great little packs of fabric. These will come in handy for pinkeeps, ornies, etc. They are small cuts so it would be my first plunge into piecing when I use them.

Now for stitching...as I said, stitching has been slow. I decided to take Mary off the scroll frame since I was tension issues with the fabric. My scroll bars are a little short for the fabric. And with family in town, I wanted to have my project portable so I can stitch at my parents. But there really hasn't been any time to stitch. What I have stitched has been in hand and I am starting to think I stitch faster this way even though I am a stabber and not a sewer. I haven't made that jump yet.

Here's my update on Mary...photo is clickable.
Since the last update, I've stitched the smaller pink-red motif, the large blue motif, the smaller yellow one with the yellow blob that I am still trying to identify, the quarter white motif and the initials. I am almost done with part 2. Just need to stitch up the squirrel in tree motif and I can move onto part 3.

NYE will be Mary stitching and on NYD, I hope to start on Snow Garden of the Anniversaries of the Heart series. Will have to try my hand at a weekly rotation. There is no way I can do a day of the week rotation as many evenings, I just can't get to it with work and gym and errands. So I am thinking first week, AoTH, second week, Christmas stitching, third week, Mary Wigham and fourth week, Where My Heart Blooms. When I finish one project, I can insert a new project into the rotation. I'm not very good with rotations but I will see how this works.

Are any of you starting a new project on New Years' Day? I think this is the first year I am actually committing to it!

I'm not sure if this will be my last post of 2010...but just in case...I wish you all a happy, safe and joyful new year!

Until next time...

Merry Christmas

I've tried to stop by and wish everyone a personalized Merry Christmas on their blogs but I know I missed many and am behind on emails. So please accept my sincere wish that you and yours have a wonderful Holiday. May your day be merry and bright!

Until next time...

A Charlie Brown Christmas, Part 2

When I was visiting my sister and family in Dallas, we went to go see the ICE show at the Gaylord Texan. I didn't really know what to expect other than the theme this year was A Charlie Brown Christmas and it would be cold. Ice, you know. Seemed appropo to go since I've been immersed in all things Peanuts at the moment.

The Gaylord Texan is a huge resort-like hotel. There was lots of walking to get to the area where the show was.

The whole time we were walking, I was wondering how I was going to stay warm in an ice show. The Gaylord provides you with a garmongous unattractive parka. I was still a popsicle when I left the show. Wow, it was cold. But they do tell you they have to keep the temperature between 9-18 degrees. They also say that they fly in a team of ice carvers from China and they sculpt the ice into the displays in the show. It's very impressive!

And we finally got inside the show.

And the ice display begins...these photos are just some...there was lots more but some areas were so crowded, it was hard to take decent photos.

This was one of my favorite scenes

The platform that Charlie Brown is sitting on are 4 ice slides that you can slide down. Cristina went down the slide and had fun although it was a little hard to actually slide, she said. I passed...didn't want to get frostbite on the buns!
Yay! Linus and his little piano!

Kind of hard to see but this is a nativity scene sculpted and made entirely of ice.

Even the wreath is made of ice.

It was a fun time! I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow! I'll be back with at least one more post.

Until next time...

White Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas, Part 2 will be postponed til tomorrow. Too many vodka sodas/martinis last night. Oy! I'm getting to old for anything beyond a glass of wine these days.

Tonight, I'm heading to see The Shop Around the Corner at the lovely classics theater nearby. Natasha agreed to join me so should be fun! A little Jimmy Stewart to set the tone over the next few days. So picture fixing will have to wait til tomorrow...

When I was a little kid...a long, long time ago...each Christmas I would dig out my parents' Bing Crosby White Christmas record. This gigantic LP...that I played on my tiny Fisher Price record player. And I would play it over and over and over again. I think because it was the only Christmas album we had in English. I think my favorite song on this album was a White Christmas. Living in San Francisco, there is no snow. And if on the rare occasion there is snow, it doesn't stick. So as a kid, having a White Christmas sounds exciting and I wished for one each year. I mean, there was snow in just about every Christmas movie I watched...couldn't there just be snow here?! But there has yet to be a White Christmas. One day, I will treat myself to a White Christmas in New York (hopefully), when I can invest in some snow appropriate attire and not risk freezing my buns off!



I've been enjoying the snowy picturesque scenes that everyone has been posting on their blogs recently. They are lovely. I know that with the lovely-ness comes the possibility of being snowed in, the power going out, shoveling and treacherous driving conditions. But all I see is lovely expanses of snowy wonder.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Until next time...

A Charlie Brown Christmas, Part 1

For being such a Snoopy/Peanuts fan, I've never really watched any of the specials or movies. I am a fan based solely on the comic strips. I loved reading the comics as a kid. I actually liked reading the paper. And on Sunday, forget it! I was in comic strip heaven!

The other day, I flipped the channel and they were showing A Charlie Brown Christmas so I watched it...well, most of it...

And it starts like this...

Narrator: It was finally Christmastime, the best time of the
year. The houses were strung with tiny colored lights, their
windows shining with warm yellow glow only Christmas could bring.
The scents of pine needles and hot cocoa mingled together,
wafting through the air, and the sweet sounds of Christmas carols
could be heard in the distance.
Fluffy white snowflakes tumbled from the sky onto a group of
joyful children as they sang and laughed, skating on the frozen
pond in town. Everyone was happy and full of holiday cheer. That
is, everyone except for Charlie Brown.

Charlie: (to Linus) I think there must be something wrong with
me. I just don’t understand Christmas, I guess. I might be
getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees
and all that, but I’m still not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m
supposed to feel.

Linus: Charlie Brown, you are the only person I know who can take
a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.
Maybe Lucy is right. Of all of the Charlie Browns in the world,
you are the Charlie Brownest.

Hmmmm, does this mean I am like Charlie Brown? Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas.




It puts things into perspective some don't you think?

Very little stitching in my corner of the world. The kitten search has been slightly traumatic and I'm going to take a couple of days off from that at the very least. My search only bore the lesson that I am better off dealing with the shelter. The people there are pleasant and nice and don't pressure you to change your views or talk you into kittens or cats you don't want or aren't sure you do want or tell you a bunch of horror stories. My experiences with rescue organizations has been pretty crappy so far. Enough to have my anxiety shooting through the roof. And even though I was on track for an adoption, I couldn't deal with the hard sell tactics. It was like I was buying a used car instead of adopting a kitten and providing it a good home and a loving environment. I know the right kitten is out there for me. I'm not going to be pressured into the wrong situation. And I feel like I will know when it's right. Just like I felt it was right with that cute orange tabby that got away. For the moment, all the excitement has been sucked away by the hard sell.

That's ok though because I have stitching to do and fabric to fondle and threads to choose.

Tomorrow comes part 2 of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Once I untangle myself from the giftwrap, tape and ribbons...stay tuned.

Until next time...

Holly and the Ivy

It's dark and gloomy and rainy in my little corner of the world. It would be very conducive to stitching if I wasn't on an organizing bender. So no stitching photos. I've barely made any progress on Mary but I suppose that some stitches are better than none. I did realize that I need to tone down the stashing! I've gotten most in it's proper place and my 5 drawer stash cart is fit to burst! I may need to buy an add-on drawer soon. I do realize I need to purchase some darker fabric for ornies...I need to find some that will be good for ornament stitching and will be good to showcase snowy scenes/snowmen. If you have any color suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

So I have nothing to show and all I've done is organize...which is a big yawner to talk about. I'm going to share another carol.

If you haven't seen it, you should check out Nicole's finish of Shepherd's Bush Holly and Ivy. She did a terrific job with it! When SB first came out with this, I had to hold myself back. Considering my insurmountable stash, I'm glad I did but every time I see this design, I start to hum.

Holly and the Ivy was one of my choir songs in high school...every...year. I always thought that this was a strange carol to be singing cuz you know, it isn't jingle bells. As a First Soprano (back then, def. not now) it was a more difficult song to sing since it hits some pretty high notes in the choral range. Here's a more contemporary version showcasing Bambi. Don't watch it if Bambi imagery makes you sad. The tone of this version was nicer than the choral or amateur videos out there.

The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,

Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

Refrain:

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,

The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet saviour

Refrain

The holly bears a berry as red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good.

Refrain

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in the morn.

Refrain

The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all.

Refrain

Until next time...

Almost...

I almost became a kitty mom even though I didn't feel ready. Friday before last, I had gone to the shelter annex and this orange tabby mewed and mewed at me. I was on my lunch break and busy the rest of the weekend and not feeling ready even though he mewed and rubbed against my hand on the outside of the cage and reached out to me with his paw. Enough to make your heart break. So I went back on Friday because all week I thought about Mr. Mew and I wondered if he was still there. He wasn't but I saw that he was still on the main shelter's list so I went after work. And I looked and I looked and I looked amongst the "holy cow, are you in heat?!" meowing and the crazy "did you give this kitty some kitty crack?" jumping and I didn't see Mr. Mew. So I went to the counter...just in case and I asked...if he had been adopted. I was 2.5 hours too late. I was sad all weekend! I hope Mr. Mew has a wonderful happy home now though even though it isn't mine. Just goes to show that things won't wait because you don't feel ready.

The rest of the weekend was errands and gift shopping and meeting up with a couple of friends for dinner. Nothing incredibly fascinating. I did go see Burlesque. Ok...don't go rolling your eyes! It was fantastic! I could have sat there and watched it all over again. The singing and dancing was top notch and toe-tapping. I actually felt compelled to clap after each performance but then I remembered I was in a *movie* and not a live performance. I love Cher! Can you believe that she is 64...she looks terrific! Cam Gigandet is pretty easy on the eyes to. I never realized that Christina Aguilera had such range...mainly because I stopped listening to most pop years ago. End result is that I can-not wait for this movie to be released on video. Loved, loved, loved it!

So what else...

I heard from my partner in the Hooked on Exchanging ornie swap that she received my ornie. It was hard for me to part with this one. I love Frosty Flakes! I saw that my partner seemed to be a LHN fan so I decided to stitch up this cute snowman. Simple finish, white beaded edging and a sheer white ribbon hanger.

LHN Frosty Flakes
32 count Pearled Barley
Recommended CC, DMC and Mill Hill Beads

I also stitched the back with the simple tree from the pattern.

For the last week, I was trying very hard to finish part 1 of Mary Wigham. Wow, it seemed to take me forever! I don't know what it was. It's a little hard for me to get into a good position with the floor stand and recliner. I can't seem to get the stand close enough. I think I got too used to bringing the qsnap so close to my face to see that now I am struggling a bit with the distance. Maybe I should try out my magnifier and see if that helps some. I am so tempted to get a Stitchmate but I know I have to wait a little bit longer before I indulge in that fantasy.

The new motifs I've stitched are the funky flower stitched in dark green, light yellow and cream, the initial box in cream and dark green, the SH initials and the light green motif on the top. Ignore the deep crease. I guess I didn't iron the fabric and the rods are too short so I don't have the best tension on this fabric. The ecru is a little hard to see but that is how it is reflected in the color photo so I went with it.

Now onto Part 2. I wonder if I can finish part 2 by the end of the month. Hey now...I hear you laughing at me! I'm laughing at myself! But I will try and see how far I get. I'm devoted to Mary til the end of the month and then I have to put her in some sort of rotation. She will be neglected a little and we'll see how well I am at rotating. Past practice on rotations has been pretty dismal.

I've been setting my goals and projects for 2011 and kind of freaking myself out! There is so much that I want to stitch and I'm trying to be reasonable. This was a poor stitching year. I'm about 10 projects down from last year. I wonder if I can get back to that standard of stitching again...

Well, I'm off to wash the dishes and relax a bit. I have the back of an 80 year old and it has been acting up a lot the last week and holding me back from the chores I have to do around my apartment...you know...in my quest of getting ready for my own little mewer. But tonight, I think I need to just take a muscle relaxer, ice some and hope I don't drool all over myself. Stash organizing tomorrow!

Hope you all had a nice weekend and that those of you in snow country are keeping warm and safe.

Until next time...

Christmas is Coming

Back in a time...long, long ago, I sang in choir. And we would sing traditional Christmas Carols and some not so traditional ones. I keep seeing "Christmas is Coming" written all over blogland...and I start humming to myself. Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat, if you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do, if you haven't got a ha' penny, then God bless you...

I came across this video on YouTube and laughed my head off! I figured if it made Ms. Scrooge laugh, then it might bring a smile to your face too. I'll type out the true lyrics below.



Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do
If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you!

When I'm feeling blue, when I'm feeling low
I start to think about the happiest man I know.
Now he doesn't mind the snow, he doesn't mind the rain,
But all December you will hear him at your window pane,
Singing again and again and again and again and again;

Christmas is coming and the bells begin to ring,
The holly's in the window and the birds begin to sing.
I don't need to worry, and I don't need to fret,
And the more you give at Christmastime the more you get.

God bless you, gentlemen, God Bless you!
The more you give at Christmastime the more you get.

Christmas is coming, the egg is in the nog.
Please give a friendly man a friendly dog.
If you haven't got a friendly dog, a friendly cat will do,
If you haven't got a friendly cat may God bless you!

God bless you, gentleman, God bless you!
If you haven't got a friendly cat may God bless you!

Christmas is coming, the lights are on the tree.
How about a turkey leg for dear old me?
If you haven't got a turkey leg, a turkey wing will do.
If you haven't got a turkey wing may God bless you!

God bless you, gentlemen, God bless you!
If you haven't got a turkey wing may God bless you!

Christmas is coming, the cider's in the keg.
If I had a mug of cider I wouldn't have to beg.
If you haven't got a mug of cider, half a mug will do.
If you haven't got half a mug, may God bless you!

God bless you, gentlemen, God bless you!
If you haven't got half a mug, may God bless you!
If you haven't got a thing for me, may God bless you!

There are a lot of true sentiments in this carol. Maybe I'll snap out of it by Christmas. Don't be surprised if you see more carols pop up. What's your favorite?

Ms. Scrooge

23 days til 2011
16 days til my furlough and 10 glorious days to myself...and stitching...and maybe playing with a new kitty...and spending time with family.

Those are things I am looking forward to...

I haven't been in a blogging mood since I am in a hunker-down mode to get myself through the holidays. I am yet again Ms. Scrooge. I enjoy seeing everyone's photos of decorations and I live vicariously through their Christmas spirit and prettily lit Christmas trees. Those of you that have trees solely decorated with hand-stitched ornies, I stand up and applaud. OMG, can I get my needle to stitch faster?! I envision one of those little trees in my home someday. But for now, I've slapped a wreath on the door and that's about it. At least the hallway smells all pine-y and nice. I hope my neighbors appreciate it!

I've been re-organizing and cleaning...trying to kittyproof because I want a Christmas Kitty. I still have to re-organize my stash and put all the things like floss, fabric and such that I have lying about IN my cabinet because, you know, that's what it's there for. And while I'm doing that, I may as well box up the VHS and get rid of them seeing as I don't watch them because I don't have a VCR anymore and what's the point of keeping VHS if they are practically obsolete?! So little projects like that keep cropping up. Busy, Busy. I'll soon go to the pet store to look for a kitty bed and scratching post and food bowls and placemat so those are already here when I get the kitten. I want to be prepared.

I'm also dealing with annoying little issues that have cropped up that kind of round out the feeling of "rounding out an already bad year". Things like discovering a tear in the fabric of my 3-month old recliner. I am still trying to figure out who will come out to fix it but they had better come soon! At least the recliner is still under it's one year warranty but really...3 months in and it's got a problem?! And I received one of those lovely "give me your first born" red light camera traffic violations. Seriously, why does California have so many budget problems when they are bleeding people dry with these fines?! And for the record, I didn't run the red going straight. I made a right turn without stopping at the red because it had just turned and the coast was clear. No "Camera Enforced" sign. But the plain fact is I didn't stop at a red. Do I really want to go in front of a judge and say I was starving and stuffing my face with popcorn on the way to buy some fake Spanx and the coast was clear and won't you give me a break because I have a clean record?! I don't think they would understand. I will just have to pay the fine and go to traffic school. Terrible timing. Huge fine to pay while having to buy Christmas gifts too!

2011 can't come soon enough!

***

Onto the stitchy stuff...

On Saturday, my stitching group had their Christmas get together. It was a lot of fun to see ladies I only get to see occasionally and be dressed up (for me) and have a fancy lunch. I stitched a little, I knitted a little and talked a lot, You have the option of participating in an ornament exchange and this year, I whipped something up.
Thanks to Karen V. for posting her overdyed conversion. I don't have very much silk and so I used her suggested colors of GAST Endive, Piney Woods and Oatmeal with DMC 347. Stitched on a scrap of 32 count Lakeside Linens Pearled Barley. I backed it with the fabric shown here and did a braid with skinny green ribbon for the hanger. It was the first time I used the sewing machine in months and I think it turned out nice. Simple yet elegant. It did make me realize that I need to stock up on some pretty ribbons because I am seriously lacking in that area of finishing supplies!

I also stitched an ornie for myself. This was the first ornie of the three that I recently stitched. I fell in love with it and just had to keep it. I think I would like a pinkeep style finish and don't feel up to cutting the matboard at the moment. My creativity really seems stunted when it comes to finishing despite being surrounded by wonderful ideas in blogland...I wonder why.

Tweet Gift by Full Circle Designs

2010 JCS Ornament Issue
32 count Vintage Examplar
Recommended Threads

I stitched a third ornie which was for the Hooked on Exchanging Ornament Exchange. I'm a little worried as I haven't heard if it's been received and it didn't have far to go. I guess USPS is busy with the holiday boom.

And last but not least is my TUSAL jar. It got quite full...mainly from ornie stitching and fraying linen threads which I stuck in there.

I'm wondering what to do with my orts in the new year as after the next new moon, I think I will start over from scratch.It's fun to see the threads fill up the jar and how they vary in color. Daffycat is continuing the TUSAL this year. Go sign up if you're interested!

Over the weekend, I pulled out Mary Wigham. Talk about a blast from the past! I am still working on the same motif...the weird funky flower. I am 1.5 motifs from completing Part 1. OMG, there's 8 more parts to it! Ack! But in all seriousness, it's nice to see the motifs transform and since each one is a different color, it feels like a mini happy dance each time you complete one. I decided to stitch this as a true reproduction meaning I'll be stitching Mary's initials and not my own. I figure if I'm going this route, I may as well go all the way. I'll be personalizing AotH next year anyways. It doesn't look much different than the last time I posted, ohhhh months upon months ago, so I will wait until I at least finish the funky flower before posting a photo. I need to get cracking so I can liven up the Mary Wigham blog and be a good moderator. Life seriously got in the way this year.

I've been reading about the Crazy January Challenge on so many blogs lately. That is one crazy challenge! I will not be taking part though because I have anxiety attacks when I have more than 4 works in progress! But I am going to enjoy seeing what everyone is up to.

Well, as I end my post, I want to take the time to say thank you to my regular blog readers and followers. When I was feeling especially low this year, I'd come on my little blog and whine and your positive comments and hugs really helped me power through all the emotions I had been feeling and make me feel a little less alone...and well...I've been feeling lonely a lot. I don't think that people really understand how stitchers really bond and come together. But I am thankful that we do. And in the new year, I will do a little something special. I don't know how and I don't know what, but it's coming. And even though I am Ms. Scrooge, I hope that you and yours are enjoying the holiday season full of twinkly lights, decorated trees, carols and smiles. May your season be merry and bright.

Now me, I need to find some cider to make me some spiked mulled cider and then I won't be so scrooge-y! :)

Until next time...

Happy December!

Wow, December 1st. How'd that happen? I can't believe Christmas is right around the corner and the year will soon come to a close. As much as I'm not ready to deal with the holidays.at.all...I am ready to put the year behind me. The first 6 months were terrible and the remainder of the year has been spent trying to get over the drama, while meeting new people and getting on with my life. It has not been easy. All the things I had hoped to do in 2010 will shift into 2011 and I'm hoping I can dig up some positive outlook from somewhere.

I don't have much to show in the form of photos. At least not today. I finally managed to stitch and finish my exchange ornament...2 days late. I need to get better about finishing. The stitching is easy...the finishing stumps me sometimes. I have 2 other ornaments that I need to finish via the sewing machine. This might get interesting...I haven't turned on the machine in a good 7 months or so. I hope I don't sew my fingers together! After that, I have one more ornie to stitch and finish and I can get back to Mary Wigham and WMHB. Both haven't seen the light of day in a while!

Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving holiday? Mine was nice and relaxing. I spent time with my sister, BIL and the kids. I am now the little one. The kids have grown so much; it's amazing. They now tower over their auntie! We had a nice turkey dinner that I ate in my pajamas and us girls (sister, neice and I) went to watch Harry Potter. Fantastic! I also met with new blog friends in the DFW area. Michelle and Natalie were kind enough to meet me at a local coffee shop and we had fun talking and talking. We talked so much, we didn't even pull out our projects! Thanks for taking the time ladies!It was great meeting you both!

I went to a wedding and wore a fancy dress and met new friends and bumped into old acquaintences. That was nice. It went from being 70+ degrees down to being 40 degrees while I was there and I think I almost became a human popsicle because I was freezing! As much as I had a nice time, I am happy to sleep in my own bed, wear my flannel jammies, shuffle about in my slippers and have full control of the heater. I think anyone else would be sweltering in my apartment but I can't manage to get warm enough...and it's not even truly winter. This is going to be one cold season!

No more traveling for a bit so I have the feeling that I will be getting a lot of stitching in. Especially after coming to the conclusion that online dating is 5000 times worse now than it was 3 years ago, that I haven't been on a date since the breakup...unless you count Mr. Octopus and I didn't even realize I was on a date then and that I haven't come across one single guy that I *do* want to date. Not one. So I've resigned myself to be one of those crazy spinsters with cats. I just need a kittie. But I have to clean first...because there is way too much "string" and fabric and other wonderful things lying around that a kitty would love and would cause me to have a fit if a kitty got into it.

One more month, clean slate, new outlook. Can't wait!

Next post, I'll tell you a story about a certain Charlie Brown Christmas. Hope you're all having a great week!

Until next time...