Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my blog friends! May all the blessings of the season fill your house and home with joy today and every day. I hope to return in the New Year with lots of stories, news and stitching photos. It's been hectic, busy and stressful but in the midst of all that there have been some nice surprises. Love and hugs, Valerie.

For Cathey

I felt badly that I was not able to post pumpkins for Cathey last week and am now, even more saddened by the news that she lost her battle with cancer. I may not have known her personally but I got to know her in my own way through her blog posts and the short emails we exchanged. Cathey, may you be at peace now that you are free from pain. You fought the fight with grace and determination and were an example to us all.

We thought of you with love today

But that is nothing new

We thought about you yesterday

And days before that too

We think of you in silence

We often speak your name

Now all we have are memories

And your picture in a frame

Your memory is our keepsake

With which we'll never part

God has you in his keeping

We have you in our heart. 

~Unknown~

They Say It's My Birthday!

For once, I am not running away for my birthday. There is no woodsy escape near the foggy beach for me. It's a place I love and will visit again soon...but not today. Today, I decided to be brave and throw myself a cocktail party. To see what impressions I've made over the last two or three years and who shows up. Something I have not done since I was a child and well, back then, my mom threw me parties that I was too shy to enjoy. I'm excited to have my little gathering of 20 close friends and acquaintances at a fun little bar in the city to celebrate being a year wiser over yummy cocktails! Oh my, but there's so much to do! Hair to flat iron, makeup to put on, false eyelashes to have fun with, fun outfit to pick out, delicious St. Honore Cake to collect and devour...with friends, of course. Thank you for stopping by my little space in blogland to celebrate with me. I'll share how it all went when I can! Love and hugs...

The Rollercoaster of Life...

Hi Everyone...

Hard to believe that it's been almost three months since my last blog post. I don't even know where to begin. I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster I can't get off of and I anticipate things feeling this way for the remainder of the year.

For most of June, I was busy researching homebuying and came to the conclusion I would probably need to find a higher paying job if I wanted any chance of owning something here and if I couldn't do that, to at least feel comfortable paying my rent and living the lifestyle I am accustomed to. Without the higher paying job, I run the risk of losing my apartment next June because they keep raising my rent each lease term. I love my apartment!! I'm also not fond of thinking I will need to move into a place with a roommate because rents in the Bay Area are just insane. I've never, ever had a roommate and it's not something I favor the closer I get to 40. I worked on updating my resume and LinkedIn and started some minor networking.

For most of July, I dated a guy who was just like all the rest. It was the straw that broke the camel's back and I gave up on dating...for the time being. I didn't have the time anyways because I was whipping my parents' house back into shape because they were coming back after being away for 14 months. I had to coordinate things with the plumber, the gardener, the house cleaner and try to figure out why appliances were not working or acting "funny". Uh...definitely not sure about the home ownership stuff after all that. What a ton of work! At the end of July, my parents returned.

For all of August and September so far, I have been helping my parents. Their health is declining and they are not doing that well. Their conditions will not improve. It's hard to see them struggle to do little things and I find it stressful and heartbreaking all at the same time. Since neither can no longer drive, I need to do weekly errands and grocery runs and take them to their numerous weekly appointments. I find that with full-time work, I only really have the energy to help them with their stuff and I have little energy to take care of my things. My life is on hold. The job search, the dating, the household chores, stitching...there is no time. I'm lucky that I have good friends that make sure I do something social weekly but I've reached the point where I need to hermit. The plan is to get their treatment plans in place and they want to relocate to Nicaragua permanently. There's a lot to do to make that happen and I am hoping that between me, my siblings and the doctors, we can get that to happen before the holidays. Hope, hope...for the sake of my sanity. Of course, after that, there is the matter of the house but one step at a time...one day at a time.

I miss stitching! I miss it every day. I think about it all.the.time. But sadly, when I have time at home, all I can manage is lying in bed in an exhausted stupor while I try to follow a tv show. I still check message boards. I try to read and comment on blogs but that's hard and I am terribly, terribly behind. Sometimes at work, I play with the fabric viewer and just gaze at Mirabilias and fabric choices. I am over the moon over the new Mirabilia Red (Riding Hood). But I'm on a stash diet until my birthday splurge. Speaking of splurging on stash, who signed up for Lizzie Kates's Holly and Hearts Mystery? I am so curious about that one too! I am hoping someone will stitch fast so I can get a good peek at the first part of the sampler. I am wondering if I need some L*K brightness to lighten my mood when I can find those minutes here and there to stitch.

The few minutes here and there that I've found the time to stitch, I've been working on Lilac. She hasn't grown very much but the lilac flowers on the skirt are slowly starting to form. I really enjoy this project but find that I need to use a highlighter to keep track of what stitches I've completed otherwise I lose track and get confused.

I can't wait to finish the skirt! It's not that big in comparison but I think it's big for me at the moment! :)

I hope everyone is doing ok. I miss you all *so* much!

Until next time...

Quick Recap

Hi everybody...how's it going!?

Just a quick post today. Things have been pretty chaotic. I've been to a couple of homeowner workshops and did a phone call to a mortgage broker and all that did was make me really depressed. The housing market in the Bay Area is insane. Rentals are at an all time high and houses cost a pretty penny. I would be limited to mostly condos which means expensive HOA's that kind of put me out of the housing market so my saving grace would be to find some sort of cottage. We'll see what happens. I'm going to sign a year lease on my current apartment (which I love!) and hope that something exciting happens whether it be on the job, dating or housing front. 

But for the moment, I am taking a break from dating. I'm not meeting anyone who give me butterflies or that excitement looking forward to the next date. I've also been dealing with ex drama. One who blabbed my business to a mutual group of friends and I have been struggling to recover my social life ever since and to boot, he is now dating someone I also know and he expects me to just co-mingle with them to events we may all mutually be at. I am sorry...I don't think so! I have been so livid. And then he dares to tell me that I am being paranoid that people have been talking behind my back when I know for a fact that they were. Perhaps they aren't any longer but my suspicions that they were were confirmed and made me all the angrier. He may have a Masters' in Psychology and think he's uber smart but I am sorry, I have a Masters of Life Experience and I know more about what is what and what is going on.

As for stitching, it's been slow going. I've only been focusing on Mary Wigham. I am currently on Part 6 although Part 5 is incomplete since I have not stitched the name over one. I think that I will wait until the very end for that bit. 

Since the last update, I have stitched the dusty rose motif, the white one to the right of that, the dark brown flowery one and the black one of the far right. I am working on another white one. I may put this aside for a while because with everything going on, I feel like working on something whimsical when I have the rare time to craft. Lilac may be making an appearance soon. 

And my TUSAL jar...still skimpy on the orts. Here it is with my Giggles figurine. 

 

Sorry I have been so busy that I am about 600 posts behind in my feeder. I hope that everyone is doing well and I can't wait to catch up and see what everyone is up to!

Until next time...

Big Happy Dance!!!

Hi Everyone...

I'm back after a much shorter absence. This feels a little more normal. I've been keeping busy as usual and had a nice IHSW weekend and a nice weekend away in the North Coast of California. That consisted of lots of wine tasting and stitching. It was fabulous! Of course, I'm now back to the grind of work, housesitting and figuring out how to cram everything I need to do in the few hours I have free each day. It's basically impossible!

The good news is that I have a happy dance. I ignored all chores that needed to get done on Monday so I can stitch my way to a finish. I am happy to announce that after 53 weeks of mostly off and on stitching, my Jane is complete and she is gorgeous, if I don't say so myself.

 Shakespeare Peddler Jane Pattison 1806

Lakeside Linens 40 Count Porcelain

GAST Overdyed Cottons (not the called for wools)

And a close up of the final third of the sampler. I just love the left and right flowers. The cream one just reminds me of some sort of Art Deco design. 

While up at the cabin, I made a small start in Mirabilia Lilac. For now, it just looks like a green blob. I started in the middle as starting at the top seemed too fussy with the color changes and that didn't seem too fun right off the bat.

Of course, now that I finished a project, there are a million I want to start. That sounds familiar, I'm sure, doesn't it? Top of my list is BOAF A Very Fine Sampler but as I dug out the pattern last night, I realized I don't have most of the called for threads since most colors call for 2 skeins so I think I will need to wait a bit for that. So instead, I pulled out Mary Wigham. I haven't worked on her since April of last year and am still on Part 5. But perhaps I can make a little progress on her as Jane has me accustomed to working on 40 count linen now!

So there is a lot going on and I'm contemplating a lot of changes. My rent is increasing so I will stay put for now but it's time for me to start researching if home (ie condo) ownership is feasible for me because it's pointless for me to throw my money down the drain if my rent is comparable to a mortgage. I see lots of forms, credits checks, bankers and realtors in my future. Since rent went up, I am thinking about switching gyms to another place that's more cost effective and canceling my cable and just catch up with shows via streaming Netflix and Hulu+. That would be a huge step for me since I've always had cable and am a huge tv addict. Athough, I have to admit that I have fallen behind on many of my shows and have been relying on On Demand and Hulu+ to catch up as it is. Maybe I don't really *need* cable. It would save me $70 a month! All these things make me think that I need to slow things down so I can focus on these things on top of the organization projects I've been putting off at home. So heads up that I may be a spaz in the next few weeks and my "randomness" posts may make a reappearance. 

Hope everyone is doing well and has a wonderful weekend!!

Until next time...

Resurfacing...

Hello my dear blog friends...

It's hard to believe that I've been away from my little space for more than two months. I have no idea how time flies so fast. Much has been going on. I had a lovely trip to Portland and Seattle. Portland to visit a friend and Seattle for a girl's getaway. I do have to say that Seattle feels as much to me as SF does and each time I leave, I pine to be back. I hope to go back in the Fall for a couple days more so I can explore and perhaps figure out if SF or Seattle is where I need to be. So strange to say that. I'm quite lucky to be where I am but Seattle calls to me much the same. Although in the end, it's quite a lot of work to pick up and move a life when everything I know and love is here. Perhaps frequent trips are what I need to visit Pike Place Market, gaze upon the same ocean from a different vantage point, eat delicious food and lust after the hot bartender that made this past visit so much fun. Sadly, he has a girlfriend but looking and chatting doesn't hurt nothing and no one.

Besides the hottie bartender and spending time with my great friends, the next biggest highlight was visiting the Chihuly Glass Garden. L-O-V-E!!! Here are a couple of snaps.

The trip came at the perfect time. It was a wonderful distraction. Since the beginning of the year, I was spending time with someone that I hoped would become more than just friends but after months, I realized that even though I was attracted to him and his totally adorable dog, I deserved to be treated better if we were really having a relationship. So I parted ways and threw myself into dating. So much so that my friends were calling me a "dating fiend" and asked how I kept up. The answer is that you don't. After a couple of months, you get tired, throw in the towel and get frustrated with men. I'm exhausted!! I realized that none of the guys I was dating made me feel butterflies...or super excited. They were great guys. Nice. I could sit over dinner and talk and talk with them. I could have a fun time. But I just wasn't feeling *it*. So at the moment I am feeling quite "ho-hum" about dating.

With working full time, housesitting chores, dating galore, spending time with friends and the usual errands and such, stitching has been low on the totem pole. I get to a point where I feel that if I don't stitch soon, I will go insane and when I get to that point, I'll cancel plans for a night or two just so I can force myself to relax and stitch.

I've only been stitching on my Jane. She's all that holds my attention and since she is a little on the big side and on rods, I can only stitch on her at home. Not like I have time elsewhere anyways. I managed to complete the middle section. She's looking pretty! I didn't even realize until I was stitching that the name on the sampler is more like "Iane Pattison" versus "Jane Pattison". Who knew! I need to pay closer attention.

I've moved onto the last third of the sampler which has the last flowers. This is my favorite section and I am getting that feeling that the project is winding down. Not much farther to go!

This weekend is stitch group and next weekend I am driving up to my little sanctuary in the woods to get some R&R, disconnect from the technology world and get a little bit of stitching done. I was thinking I would leave Jane at home and work on a new start. Over the last few days, I've been slowly getting the supplies together to start Lilac. I've loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her. I saw a finished photo of her on (old) Silkweaver Fallen Leaves which is a soft green-grey color and I bought the fabric ages ago. I think that I can start her in qsnaps and once Jane is completed, Lilac will take her place on the rods. Here is the floss toss. I need to get a move on if I'm going to be able to start by Saturday!

I managed to get a couple of packages out in the mail. Of course, in my rush to send them out I didn't take any photos! I stitched up this Drawn Thread ornie for Carol as a happy belated birthday gift.

I was so happy that it was well received! I stitched it on 32 count Light Mocha Belfast and stitched it completely according to the instructions. The finishing instructions were easy but no matter what, I seem to have a block when it comes to finishing. I am really happy with how it turned out! Carol, I hope you don't mind that I snagged a photo from your blog!

And lastly is my TUSAL report. My jar is woefully lacking in orts. But then, stitching on 40 count doesn't produce very many to begin with!

Doesn't that gigantic peony look gorgeous?! They are my favorite flower and their season is so short. I can't resist treating myself to those fluffy blooms. I'm hoping the big flowers distract from how empty my jar looks!

So I have a couple of things that I need input on. While I was on vacation, Google announced that they are discontinuing Reader. Why are they getting rid of such a good thing?! So I think it's between BlogLovin or Feedly. Any pros/cons? I haven't had the time to research since I've been slammed. Also, how do you write a copyright on a photo? I thought it was Paint but Paint was being a diva tonight so maybe I have it wrong.

I appreciate all my friends and followers sticking with me during my absence. I'm hoping to blog more often but we'll see how things go!

Hope everyone has a good end of the week/weekend!

Until next time...

Planes, Trains and Automobile

Hello dear blogging friends...

Just a quick post today to catch you all up before I go on vacation. Time is flying by as usual and I haven't stitched as much as I would like. Honestly, I've only been managing about 10 minutes per day and maybe one hour on weekends. Life is busy and if I do have the time, the chores and bills are calling me loudly. I am having a hard time keeping up. I wish I didn't have to keep saying that. I feel like a record playing on repeat.

Here is a quick look at how Jane stands. She won't be coming with me as it's more comfortable for me to stitch on her on the floor stand so I'll be taking some smalls to work on.

And here is how the TUSAL looks since I won't be here later to report on it. Lots of little threads from Jane. So strange to think she is all I've worked on this year. There is so much I want to start but fact is, I'm a one at a time kind of girl with maybe a small thrown into the mix.

I was so lucky to win a giveaway hosted by Chris. I received the package last week and am so in love! I loved this design from the minute it was released and am so happy I have the opportunity to stitch it. Thanks Chris!

I soon leave for a much needed respite to the Pacific Northwest. I'll be flying to Portland to visit an old friend. Fact is she is an old neighbor who turned into a friend. One day, we bumped into each other at the mailboxes and I asked if she was my downstairs neighbor. She was and she invited me to dinner!! And after that, I would go downstairs in my pjs and slippers to have dinner, watch tv, play with her kitties and stitch. She liked to stitch too! Now, I think she's more of a quilter but I will still be getting in some crafty time with her and she agreed to take me to Acorns and Threads. Yay! So excited!! Plus, she'll drive me around to sitesee. Then I will take a train to Seattle and meet up with a couple of girlfriends for a weekend full of sites, food, cocktails and fun. I am so glad this vacation is finally here even though I don't feel ready. If you have any fun "must sees" for Portland or Seattle, let me know.

Oh and here's a fun photo from Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt a couple of weeks ago. We were finished and headed to a place to eat and rest when we happened upon another dragon and firecracker show! It was fun to see.

Hope you all have a happy and safe week and St. Paddy's Day!

Until next time...

Sometimes Time Gets Away From You

Hi Everyone!

IHSW was a total bust. On that Friday evening, very late at night, at around 1130pm, a very good friend of mine called to tell me that his mother had suddenly passed away. I spent the following 16 hours making sure he was handling things as best he could, reminiscing and just being there for him. I was sad. His mother was younger than most moms of friends my age and it all seemed surreal. Not to mention, she was the cool mom I wished I had when I was in my early 20's. She listened to me. She allowed me to spend endless hours and sometimes nights in her home. She was a confidant. She was a wonderful person and it saddens me that my friend had both his parents pass away within four months of each other. Both much too young. I was too sad and distracted that weekend to stitch or be super social but I was lucky to spend the rest of the long weekend in the company of a friend and his super pup. Dogs have a way of being the best therapy you need. They are happy to see you. They want to run and play. They sense that you're sad and want to lick all the makeup off your face to give you kisses and cheer you up. Sometimes, you let them because in the end it does make you both happy. I wish I could have a pup of my own but I'm happy to be close to this pup by association.

Obviously stitch group didn't happen but I was able to get some stitches in and finish the top third of Jane. Here are some photos. I tried pressing that crease but it really doesn't want to come out! I know that the stretching during the framing process will fix that though so I am not too worried about it right now.

Jane in full view:

Close up of top third:

Close up of the birds and the funky planter. This part is my favorite in the top third section:

Since the news of my friend's mom, time has been a blur. I've been keeping busy to not dwell and be sad and I've upped the socialness although this creates issues with the condition of my apartment. The projects are not getting done and neither is any stitching! I've gone out to dinners. I took a short class with Jeannette Douglas who is a complete and total doll. I was even sitting at the same table with Ann of Gloriana and didn't even realize it because I am completely oblivious sometimes. Oopsie! I celebrated a friend's birthday. I participated in the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt and had so much fun and walked my fanny all over Chinatown and North Beach in the midst of a parade in the search for clues. I watched the Oscars. I looked for and tried on many eyeglass frames. It's been busy. I kind of wish things would quiet down so I am hoping to keep this coming weekend pretty free to catch up on tons of responsibility stuff.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Until next time...

Happy St. Valentines Day!

Hello my loves. I came across this little vintage postcard on the world wide web and thought it appropriate for today, St. Valentine's Day, because I find the saying so true amongst stitchy bloggers. I am always grateful for my little slice of blogland and am happy to have made wonderful friends and received much needed support in times of need. Without all of you, my life would not shine as bright.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!!

I don't have too much to share. Last weekend was busier than I thought it would be. I spent time in the city with friends...dinner, barhopping, brunch, lazed in front of the tv watching new to me shows (Archer and Game of Thrones) and saw Les Miserables at the movies. I do have to say that I was pretty disappointed in Les Mis and surprised about it. I was anticipating it especially after all the hype about the actors doing their own vocals and being very good so I was excited to watch it! But the vocals and acting in the first half really didn't do it for me. Of course, I was a bawling mess the last half hour of the movie. Perhaps I'm a tough judge. I've seen it so many times live plus on PBS and know almost the whole score by heart. 

Below is my TUSAL report. Lots more threads but they don't produce as fast when you are stitching on 40 count. There's some fuzzy ones there because I had to do a little frogging on Jane. Nooooo!!

Ugh, I hate frogging. But at least it was just limited to one motif and I will soon get back on track and finish the top third. I am almost done! I think that by the end of the weekend, the top third will be complete and I can finally iron the linen and shift it to the mid-section. I can't wait! So that's why there is no Jane update today.

Don't forget it's IHSW!! It's a long weekend for me plus I have stitch group scheduled. I hope to get lots of stitching done this weekend!

Until next time...

On Stitching By Color

Well, the last week has zoomed by and I am back to share more on Jane. I had the feeling I was in the minority with that whole stitching by color thing but was surprised that I was really one of the few. Wow! I always figured it was just easier to stick to one color at a time, especially when traveling because I just take one or two skeins of floss with me versus the whole array of colors. There are times that if the distance is too great, I change to a different color because I worry about having to frog later on down the line but I count and re-count a ton.

Last weekend was crazy social and Jane didn't get any attention. I had Thursday happy hour, Friday happy hour and dinner, Saturday brunch, beach walk, scavenger hunt at a museum (so much fun!!) and coffee with a friend and Sunday brunch and crazy fun Superbowl party with a friend and his friends. It was all so much fun (even though the Niners lost *sob*)! I think the Superbowl party put me over the edge though because by Monday I was dragging ass and sick by the evening. I had to cancel my Monday movie night plans! I've been trying to nurse myself back to health while going to work because my coworker is sicker than I am so it's been an interesting week full of meds, kleenex, sneezing, noseblowing, congestion and super laziness outside of work. Jane barely got any attention but the top third is closer to being completed. What do you think? I am really digging that funky orangey crown. I can't wait to stitch the birds! They are my favorite part in this section.

This weekend is not as social which is probably a blessing. I got things to do at home! Bills, taxes, dishes, organizing. Ugh...this being an adult thing is overrated. I wish I had some of my "I'm so bored" hours back from my late teens. Things would be so different! On the agenda is happy hour and dinner tonight and brunch/coffee tomorrow. Nothing too crazy.

Hope everyone had a good week and has an even better weekend!

Until next time...

More on Jane

Hello dear friends...

It's been about a week since I last posted so I think it's time for an update! Nothing too exciting in my little neck of the woods. I am trying to spend a little more time at home and try to tackle projects. I wasn't entirely productive this past week since I had dinner plans twice. Then I made impromptu plans with a dear friend I hadn't seen in two or three weeks since I was sick so it was time to catch up with him and see what was new. Then I had brunch plans with another dear friend and next thing I know, half the weekend is over! And then I decided I wanted to make a one-pot meal for the week. I don't really like to cook but I came across a recipe for curry shrimp chowder so I made it! It came out yummy although I think it needs something else. I don't know what even though I used 2x the amount of curry powder the recipe called for. I'm much better and intuitive about baking! Cooking...and cleaning up after takes time. Now I remember why I'm not that fond of it! :) And then I just caught up with shows, did laundry, housesat and stitched some on Jane. Oh and I finally put away Christmas. Only took 35 days past Christmas for me to do it. I am so behind in all aspects of life...not just stitching. But I vow to catch up sooner rather than later!

Here's Jane!

I stitch by color...does anyone else do that? I think most people stitch by motif so I have some incomplete motifs. I really enjoyed working with the medium green in this section despite having stitched with that forest green for months on the pine border. Once I finish this top third, I will whip it off the rods and iron the heck out of that crease. It's driving me nuts but laziness prevails when I think about ironing and then having to put it back on the rods. No fun...so I keep stitching.

As I stitch, I keep thinking about things I want to stitch. At the top of the list are BOAF A Very Fine Sampler, some ornies and Letters to Santa. I still haven't sorted a travel project so Jane has gotten all my attention. A couple more nights and she will be abandoned for social time. I have two happy hours, a possible scavenger hunt, Superbowl viewing (Go NINERS!!) and a movie night. Huh...how did that happen?! At least next week and weekend is looking pretty quiet...so far.

I hope everyone is having a good week so far!

Until next time...

IHSW Update

Hi everyone!

I was lucky that IHSW fell on a weekend where I already had stitch group planned since that meant I would actually get some stitching done. However, the funny thing is that I used stitch group to do some finishing which I can't show...yet. The ladies kept me in check and on task with my finishing despite the amount of whining and bemoaning that was coming from my side of the table. I have to admit that finishing is not my favorite thing to do but my pieces came out lovely...if I don't say so myself...and I learned a new trick or two. That's always a good thing. Never too old to learn new stuff!

Before Saturday, I managed to put in some stitches into Jane. I count the whole week as IHSW because sometimes I don't actually get to stitch on the weekend. Here is how Jane is looking so far. I have to admit that I love all the little motifs. When I finish one, it feels like a little happy dance!

I am trying to figure out what to start as my traveling small. I got all my supplies together to stitch a LHN ornie and then I realized that the piece of Tin Roof Gingham I bought is more greenish than grey. Darn dyelots! I'm not having the best of luck finding a grey-ish hued Tin Roof Gingham. If you all have any leads, please let me know! I was so set on having it look like the model that I don't want to sub for a boring neutral. So I'm in limbo until I have the time to search out the supplies for an alternate start. And when I have a few minutes here and there, I've been winding my DMC threads. So boring and tedious but it will be so worth it to have them all organized and pretty in one place. Right now, my stash is a jumbled up mess. Makes finding supplies for new starts a total drag. How did everything get so messy!?

I am finally better from my cold/flu after two weeks. It was terrible! I missed 4.25 days from work which is usually unheard of for me. Tuesday was the first day where I didn't need any meds. Yay! I do have to admit to being tired though. I have to work on my stamina and work hard at getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night. My body is apparently insisting that I need it!

Hope everyone is having a lovely week!

Until next time...

Happy Twenty-Thirteen!

Happy New Year dear friends! I had hoped to be here at the start of the year with goals and resolutions but time escaped me as usual and I've been down for the count the last six days fighting this cursed flu that is making me miserable and super cranky. Oh my goodness, I've blown my nose at least a million times and sucked on close to 50 throat drops. It has been years since I've been this sick and I even got a flu shot way back in October! I've missed three days of work so far and my co-worker is trying to convince me to stay home for one more day to ensure my recovery. She's probably right but I feel badly being out of the office so many days despite the hundreds of hours of sick leave that I have.

It's already the thirteenth day of the first month of Twenty-Thirteen. How did that happened? At this point, it's useless to list goals and resolutions. I will be super happy if I permanently lose those last five pesky pounds I've been half-heartedly working on and have more finishes than I did in 2012. It was my lowest number of finishes in years. Only five. A little sad I think. This year, I hope to finish Jane Pattison and Fairy Moon and get them framed and hung on my walls. I hope to continue my path to more happiness and friendships. And everything else, will be icing on the cake. I want to keep it simple. Life is too busy and too pressured and I've been pulled in many directions and spreading myself too thin. I hope to find the balance between quiet life and social life that pleases me and provides me with the amount of rest I need.

Nothing too exciting has happened since my last post. For New Years Eve, I went to a fancy schmancy dinner with my social group and was able to see the fireworks show over the bay up close. It was a little weird since my ex was there and it wasn't how I had hoped or imagined NYE would be but I made the most of it and had a friend ensure that I had a good time and I did. I put on a party dress, curled my hair, put on fake eyelashes, made myself up and wore red lipstick. I had fun! It was a great time and I am glad that I went. Not sure if I would do the same scenario again but it beat sitting at home alone watching videos...not that that's a bad thing...just what I have done for a few years running now. Nice to do something different for  a change.

I don't have much worth sharing on the stitching front. However, I did manage to put the final stitches in the piney border of Jane Pattison. I was so happy when it matched up! Whew!

Excuse the bad photo. I really need to take the linen off the rods and press it. I have that annoying crease that won't straighten out! Now it's time to add some color and stitch the motifs. Of course, the color I start off with after all that green is brown. Figures! Not too exciting!

I've been stitching on a little something as well but I can't show it yet. It will be for show and tell at a later time.

And I have my TUSAL to report. I think I waited until after the first of January to remove my old threads from the jar so I have a puny amount to show.

Can you see them? Green from Jane and the rest from the secret stitching.

That's all for today. I hope you've all had a good start to the year and that fellow sickies start feeling better soon too!

Until next time...