Friday, April 11, 2014

Resurfacing

Hi Dear Blog Friends...

I really didn't think it would take me 6 weeks to come back to my little space in blogland. The weeks have been a blur and I am struggling to get into a routine. My parents made it safely to Nicaragua and so I've been keeping busy trying to catch up on my personal things before I tackle more projects at my parents' house. Mostly, I've been reorganizing my bedroom and getting rid of things. It's amazing how much stuff a person accumulates when they've lived in the same space for over eight years! I still have a lot of work to do to get my place how I want it. Very little stitching has really been done in the last 6 weeks and all of my effort has been focused on Lilac.

About 4 weeks ago, a stitching friend invited me to a get together at her house. It was probably the first time I had really stitched since the start of the year and I got so much done! This is how Lilac looked when I went to her house.



I forgot to take a progress photo after that day and it took me another 2 weeks to pick her up. I went to a local stitching retreat that my guild puts on every year. This is the first year that I've gone and I signed up because my stitching accomplishments last year were abysmal. I figured that if anything, I'd get a full weekend of stitching in case 2014 was as crazy as 2013. So I left on a Thursday afternoon to meet up with my stitching buddies and start 3 full days of basically sitting, stitching, eating (repeat) with a couple of walks thrown in for good measure. 

It was such great fun! Those ladies are hardcore stitching drill sargeants! But I stayed on task and stitched late into the night until I was blearry eyed. Here is how Lilac looked at the end of Thursday night...

And again, at the end of Friday night...

And at the end of Saturday night...
I got a lot done! I made an effort to pull Lilac out this week and had to do a little frogging on the torso but got that corrected and have made even more progress than what's shown here. She is a lot of fun to stitch on!

It's amazing how fast time is flying! My weeks are as busy as ever trying to juggle work, job search, apartment reorganization, social time with friends and spending time with my beau. Somehow I need to squeeze in gym time and more regular stitching time but I am finding it really hard. I am also planning a couple of trips in May; one which will require me to be in bikini shape in 5 weeks. OMG...I need gym time now more than ever!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Until next time...

22 comments:

Barb said...

Lilac is looking great! Good luck at the gym!!!

Anonymous said...

I love those colors. You got a lot done at the retreat.

It amazes me how slow stitching really is. I put in several hours on "sheep" and it doesn't look like I did much at all.

Jackie's Stitches said...

Lilac is looking wonderful! It sounds like a retreat with friends was very much needed. Glad to hear your parents made it back home safely. I always find it hard to fit everything in too. It all seems to work out eventually!

cucki said...

Liliac is looking so pretty :)
Hugs x

Kaisievic said...

Well, Lilac is looking so pretty! Good to have you back in blogland.

Annie said...

Great progress! It's looking really beautiful!

Carol said...

So good to read that your parents are safely back in Nicaragua, Valerie, but what a huge undertaking you now have in sorting out their house and contents! Good luck with it--hope you can find a bit of stitching time to help with the stress.

Love your progress on Lilac and it sounds like you have a fun May to look forward to... Best of luck at the gym--you can do it!!

Melissa said...

Lilac is looking wonderful, Valerie. Those colours are so vibrant!

Glad to hear your parents are settled in back home. Good luck with all the work you are undertaking now but the big hurdle is over!

Have "fun" at the gym!

Ann at Beadlework. said...

Always good to see a post from you to hear what you've been up to. You've made great progress on "lilac" - the colours are so bonnie.

Christina said...

Lovely to see a post from you Valerie. :0) your life sounds as busy as mine...not enough time for stitching unfortunately. Lilac is coming on a treat.

Julie said...

Lilac is looking stunning.

Margaret said...

You're done great with lilac fairy! You are busy busy busy! I'm glad it's all about you now though. That's good! Good luck with everything! Have fun on your trips!

Chris said...

So nice to see an update Valerie! The time is flying by! We used to be able to do all this and stitch too! What is going on? LOL!
Gorgeous stitching progress. Such pretty colors in Lilac.
I hope that your trips in May are wonderful and fun!

Rachel S-H said...

Lovely!

Jennifer said...

Stitching is theraputic!

Glad to hear your parents are safely back in Nicaragua. It will be good to have more time to focus on your own things now that you have a little more room on your plate.

Caitlin @ Naughts Cross Stitches said...

Gorgeous stitching :-D

Giovanna said...

Very nice going on your WIP - pretty colours! Glad you're having a bustling life, no wonder time's flying for you :-)

Anne said...

Oh wow! You accomplished a lot on her! She's almost finished! So pretty! It's great though to have a busy life since when you do have a moment to pause, it's really worthwhile! Hugs!!

The Maiden said...

Well after a stitch drought you certainly made up for lost time! Your stitch retreat sounds heavenly, the ones in Las Vegas only last a day. I too am trying to juggle work and job hunt so I feel your pain! Great progress on Lilac, I found her a challenge with those confetti flowers!

~Narita said...

It WAS fun at the retreat, I'm so glad you came this year.

I also love that I know you in person, so when I read your words, I can hear them and I can see you telling them.
LOVE THAT!!

*hugs* for you sweet friend

Tammy said...

Beautiful stitching! And if you can get into bikini shape in 5 weeks then you already are WAY ahead of the game!

Meari said...

I am SO behind on my blog reading!

You made a LOt of progress on the lilac piece. Good for you.