Lots to Share...But Must Stitch!

The title says it all! Let's see...where do I start?

First of all, thanks for all the kind comments on Grandpa Glenn's passing. My sister appreciated them and even showed my BIL. My sister peeks in to make sure I stay out of trouble but she's forgotten her logon and can't comment. That's ok. I'm happy she's reading my blog.

It took me a couple of days to get used to the sight of my new huge recliner. Then I finally sat in it and let me tell you, it kind of takes a lot of motivation to get out of it now! I love it! I'm a little worried since I picked a cream on cream pattern but it was the color/pattern that worked the best for my room.
I still need to situate my stitching lamp a little better and test out the floor stand. I didn't realize that the recliner has a wide metal frame at the base so I am a little worried the stand won't fit very well but I'll figure out something to make it work! So far, it's been a very comfy stitching nest.

The recliner replaced this chair and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I stuck it in the bedroom for now while I decide if I want to keep it or sell it. It was never the comfiest chair but it was cute and stylish for my living room. Now, it can be a catch all for the clothes I don't feel like hanging right away. Uh, yea...clothes never get hung right away!I've gone and squeezed it in a corner of the bedroom. You can see I have a little pillow on the chair. Deb did the finishing for my QFRR from a couple of years ago. Simple but elegant. I love it!
The other day, I was surfing on etsy for pincushions. I have no idea why. I should have stayed away because when I saw this, my finger did beaucoup clicking and next think I knew, pretty pumpkin was winging it's way to me!
Here is it next to my blue one that everyone else in stitching land seems to have or covet. I love the felt one so much, I want to try my hand at making my own. You know...when I have time which may be never but a girl can dream once in a while. I love the orange and white pumpkin! I would have preferred that the black ribbon not be all frayed as it is but that's easily replaced.

The stitching has been slow in areas where it needs to be fast. How come that's always the case too?! I managed to finish Monster...because you know...let me work on anything other than what I should be doing! lol
And the obligation stitching. This is all I managed yesterday. Not nearly enough and I have yet to pick up the needle today. I had hoped to finish two this weekend. Apparently, I will be lucky if I finish one! What was I thinking?!

The weekend so far has been a mellow one. I went to my favorite restaurant ever which I've already touted on the blog so many times. Nopa was wonderful! We missed our normal server though...and our normal table. We were heartsick for both but we still managed to stuff our faces and leave smiling. Now, they serve brunch! Be still my heart...must go back soon!

I also dragged myself out of the recliner and my pj's yesterday to try and meet new people. It wasn't so successful. There were about 100 people crammed into a little wine bar that maybe fits 60. I get way too claustrophobic and shy for crowds of that magnitude. I met up with Mr. Octopus instead to see if he understood what I mean by "friends". I don't think he does. I had fun out all the same. The interesting comment of the evening was when a very buzzed girl came up to me and told me I look like Tina Fey and then invited us to some picnic tomorrow. Uh...yea. Tina Fey...I don't see that but considering I like Tina Fey, I'll take that as a compliment.

Has anyone else been watching the "Labor of Love" marathon on the USA network? Holy cow, they don't want me to leave the house! I've watched more chick flicks in the last 36 hours than I have all year! I also watched "The Back-Up Plan" via netflix. It was pretty funny aside from the scary/bizarre/traumatizing childbirth scene.

Ok, time for more chick flicks and stitching. Maybe, just maybe I can finish up one of these angels!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Wow, what a week it has been! I am feeling pretty run down and lethargic. Truly as lazy and slow as a slug. So much so that I gave myself a mental health day yesterday and I slept the entire morning away!

The weekend was a blur. I had yet again procrastinated in my sewing class and left things to the last minute. Why, oh why, do I do that?! So, for most of the weekend, I was stressed about sewing my project. Saturday, I spent the majority of the afternoon sewing my samples so I could turn them in for grading and get caught up. That was all relatively easy. Once I finished, I got ready to meet up with Claire and AM. AM was in town and treating me and Claire to dinner for our birthdays. Mine was the 1st and Claire's is the 16th. We decided to try Zazie in Cole Valley. Little French bistro that gets rave reviews. To be honest, I forget all about Cole Valey. It's a tiny 3 block quaint neighborhood hidden amongst the huge houses of Cole Valley and Ashbury Heights. Everything was delicious and superbly done. We had a leisurely 2.5 hour dinner spent eating and catching up and we weren't hurried in any way by the waitstaff. That's always nice. We left happy and by the time I got home, I had to lie down and go to sleep...so heavy was my food coma.

Sunday woke to a new day and I headed to Absinthe for brunch with another friend. Hayes Valley was hosting a Union Designer Faire and so I went to take a look around and found a wonderful tote that I have been trying to resist for months. I love the color of it...a wonderful burnt orange...just perfect for Fall! I had to cut the fun short (plus it was freezing for an outdoor fair!!) though since I had to go back home to sew. I think I spent more time restitching things and pulling my fabric from the "teeth" of the machine than actually sewing! Serious battle of the wills with the Singer machine! Ugh! So frustrating. I was all worried I wouldn't have time to finish my tee by the Monday night deadline! I was kind of right. By 10pm, I was beat and in need of a siesta on the futon so I stopped for the night. By that point, I only had sleeve hems and bottom hem to sew up. I finished those up during my "mental health" day and was able to model it for my sewing class last night. It's a basic 3/4 sleeve purple crewneck tee. It doesn't make much of a statement but seeing as I've never used a machine before the beginning of September, this is a huge accomplishment. I actually made a wearable piece of clothing! Mind you, it's far from perfect. I sometimes have problems sewing a straight line and it's a little too big in the sides but that doesn't matter much as this will be added to my sleep attire and who cares what I wear to sleep provided I don't get cold in the middle of the night. So the tee was a success...next project...pajama pants!

Here's an impromptu pic of my tee and new tote.


Last week was mentally draining so my stitching (and sewing) suffered. I'm close to finishing Letter G (Gigi) so I won't take a picture. Just a little more backstitching and all the beading left to do. I've been on a one project kick which I know gets boring for you guys in blogland.

Some exciting news...the final QFRR finally landed to its original home last Friday! Yay! In 13 months, it has travelled within the US, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. This piece of fabric is more well-travelled than I am! A huge thanks to Edgar for inviting me into the RR and for stitching on it as well as a thanks to Wendy, Carol R., Rowyn and Donna. I love it!

Quaker Style Friendship Sampler by Samplers and Such
36 ct. Lakeside Linens Vintage Light Examplar
Belle Soie Creme de Menthe & Gloriana Birch Brown (1 over 2)

Now to decide what to do with it. I am still going with my gut feeling of turning it into a small pillow for the bedroom. The colors coincide with the ones on my duvet. Now just curious if I do it myself or send it off to be finished. Decisions, decisions.

Well, that's about it for today. This week, I hope to finish Gigi, start Newton again and maybe, possibly start on a scarf. That's assuming I can find my knitting needles...they're around here somewhere!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and best wishes for a calm week.

Until next time...

Vacation - Day One

So I am officially on vacation but is it really a vacation if you aren't going anywhere or really doing anything? Since I am *so* close to paying off my credit card debt, I didn't want to book a vacation and well...I have a broken down boyfriend at the moment so that pretty much cancels out any vacation I want to take! Touristy siteseeing...hard on crutches! Beach vacation...can you even crutch on sand?! I can't imagine. So I brought a bit of the tropics to me and made some sangria. I *love* sangria but don't usually make it for myself since it's pretty much a "mmmm, tastes like punch and smacks you in the head after a glass" kind of stuff. I don't have any pretty pitchers so I'm stuck ladling it out of a plastic bowl. Note to self: buy a pretty pitcher!
See! Sangria in a bowl. =) Loaded with lemon, oranges, apple and some grapes. And I eat every bit of the booze-soaked fruit...except for the lemon of course! Love, love sangria!
Besides making sangria...and drinking it too. I spent the morning at a doctor's appointment and doing housesitting chores. Bor-ing! Once I settled in after lunch, I devoted my time to this. I finished my section on CarolR's QFRR. Yay! I completed the bottom left section. This is ready to be mailed to the last and final stitcher on this piece.

Carol R's QFRR
35ct Lambswool
HDF Imperialosity and AVAS 1743

The plan for Day Two: Get car repaired and finish christmas exchange. Let's see if I can get those two accomplished without any drama. :)

Until next time...

Weekend Events

So what's on your agenda for the weekend? Mine? Stitching, stitching and more stitching. It has not been a very good week so I definitely need some stitch therapy and hopefully all the frogs will stay in the pond.

Yesterday, I called out sick (of working) and slept almost the entire day. I woke up about 4pm (yup) and watched some tv, read a bit and indulged myself in some ABC Lessons stitching. No picture though since I barely made it through the saying for *A*. In the mail, I received Carol's QFRR awaiting me to stitch a section. This is the last one I will stitch on and the rotation is over! I think I will claim that bottom left corner.
Also, I received the necessary silk from Drema to finish my Wishful Sheep. Wow, talk about fast. I just put in the order on Tuesday night and received the silk plus Mirabilia Lilac with embellishments that I treated myself to last night! From order to in hand in two days! Awesome. I have no idea whan I will get to Lilac but I could not resist her...she is too beautiful to not stitch in my lifetime!

So I think there will be ABC stitching and QFRR stitching and Sheepie stitching and there should be some exchange stitching. My tushie is so being planted on the futon most of the weekend. There is responsibility stuff I should do too like housesitting stuff and errands and looking at new cars. I am very, very nervous about car shopping. I just want to look around and not be pressured and car salesmen have this reputation of being sharks. I don't want to be bullied into something I don't want. We'll see how things go. Plus, I think I need to squeeze in some fun outside stuff too. It will be one busy weekend but after such a crappy week, I am determined to have a great weekend.

I hope you all have a great weekend too!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Yay! Monday was so productive that I made great progress on Edgar's QFRR. I only had 60 stitches or so left to do by the end of the night and I finished those easily this afternoon. Here is the section that I stitched on his RR.
And here is his RR as it stands in all it's glory. As you can see, my section is the one on the upper right. Only one more section to go!

Edgar's RR
32 count Lakeside Linens Lentil
Vikki Clayton Raisin Wine and Old Maid of the Soil Silk

I really like how the colors variegate in this piece and it was my first time to stitch with Vikki Clayton silk. It was lovely! After finishing this up and getting a couple of packages together, I debated what to do and I dug out the BC Snappers to continue working on the September block. I didn't get too much done on it so no picture. My thought is to finish the block before tackling the major border repair. I can just feel that the border repair will be tedious and not so fun but I think it will be necessary for me to feel happy about that eventual finish. I haven't had anytime to get to NiaH for fabric for Letter G so I may just start on Fairy Moon. She's all kitted up and has been patiently waiting forever for me to bring her to life. It's such a daunting project as well but I know that once I see her start coming to life, it will bring me lots of happiness and I could use some happy vibes. Stay tuned...I'm sure more pictures will soon follow.

I thought I'd entertain you guys with a little post-it collage *the boy* left for me after the weekend. I guess all my napping inspired him?! Please ignore the mess under the coffee table but this is what I found when I went to sit on my futon to watch tv.
You probably can't read what they say so from L to R: pensive cat, sleepy cat on table, valerie cat with tongue out *smiling* and on the kleenex box: sleepy cat. I thought this was hysterical! I wonder if the sleepy cat on table was inspired by me practically falling asleep into my plate after breakfast?! Hmmmm....

And I guess he thinks I have some wild poufy hair?! And my hair is much longer than chin length! I've no idea but I thought this was just too funny that I had to share. Sorry for the dark pictures...still learning the camera. Hope this made you laugh as much as it made me.

Well, that's it for me...hope you guys are all seeing lots of stitchy progress.

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Another week and now we're already in April! Time is just flying by! I promise not to be "the voice of gloom" in this post as I'm quite tired of delivering sad or bad news.

Over the weekend I managed to finish the stitching on my CCN Peace Ornament. I used the recommended fabric and threads and I do have to say...it's kind of big for an ornament. I think I'd have been better off on 32 or 36 count but that's ok. It was a nice transitionary project to work on to help me get out of my stitching slump and I like how it came out. I didn't have time to actually finish this into an ornament but that will have to be a project for another day!

CCN Peace Ornament, JCS 2007
28 count Lakeside Linens Patina
Recommended DMC

I've diligently been working on Edgar's QFRR the past couple of nights. Excuse the photo but I was too lazy to take it out of the q-snap and it's little cozy to take a proper snap. You get the gist though. I had really wanted to finish that one motif but it got too late to keep my eyes open. You can tell I only need to put in a few more stitches to finish it and then I have two more large motifs to stitch before I can sent this onto it's next destination. This is the first time I have stitched with Vikki Clayton silk and it is very different than most silk I've worked with. It has very nice coverage...must be premium. Nice! I really like the color combination that Edgar picked which I of course can't remember now but I will report that when I finish my section.

I think that I will be planting my tushie on the futon again tomorrow night to continue work on this QFRR. While at Starbucks today, I tried to sneak past someone to get to the other side of the "condiment bar" and someone jumped back and stepped on my ankle. It's a tad swollen and a little bruised and painful. I might skip yoga since I wonder how well I will do balancing on a painful ankle. Plus, I really want to get this QFRR on it's way since I know another one is coming to me soon and I have loads of stitchy ideas in my head.

Since I've found my mojo, I keep bouncing around ideas as to what my next project will be. I am still working on the BC Snappers but haven't touched them since I discovered my big border mistake of 2009! I must start frogging and repairing the border. Since that seems tedious...I need a fun project. I was thinking about starting the Mirabilia - Letter G as a gift for *the boy's* niece. We've been tossing around the idea of a trip to Italy in October and the neice's birthday is in September so I figure it will be fun and a nice present that she can keep forever! Even if we don't make the trip this year, the gift will be readyfor when we do make the viist and that project seems less daunting than starting Fairy Moon right now. Plus, that gives me the chance to go fabric shopping as that's the only thing I need!

To motivate me a little, I joined Yoyo's Totally Useless SAL. You basically start an orts jar and show your progress on every new moon. So...it's totally easy plus, I'll have a colorful jar at the end of the year of all my orts! Of course, I have to keep stitching to have a colorful jar so stitching I must do! I went to Goodwill to find a cheap jar with lid and found the perfect one and have started to contribute to it tonight with the QFRR scraps.

Here's a cute little tidbit. When my mood is in the dumper, I tend to go into a "I want a pet" phase and since I love dogs but am not allowed to have any in my apartment, I start looking at cats. My favorite being an orange tabby. Now, I've never had a cat before but the idea of a little orange tabby makes me happy and I always think it would be nice to have a cat to pet that purrs and keeps me company. Now, *the boy* has lately been listening to me yap on and on about orange tabbys and looking for totes but not finding any I like and how I am so behind on stitching and need to carry my stuff around with me to maximize project output. Poor guy...he's been getting an earful! So, yesterday, I opened my mailbox and found a "surprise" package with this tote inside! *The boy* was browsing around on CafePress and saw this and thought it might cheer me up and it did. It was a very sweet gesture! It's not my usual taste seeing as my other tote is all *i heart goth* but it's growing on me. Insert *awww* here! =)
*The boy* has his follow up x-ray on Thursday. Think happy thoughts!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend and you have a fun and stitchy week.

Until next time...

QFRR Weekend

I did it! My goal this weekend was to finish my section on Rowyn's QFRR so I could post it first thing this morning. Woo! So happy. I finished about 9pm last night and took pictures. Excuse the poor quality...bad lighting and all. Following is the section I stitched...three motifs on the left as well as my initials.
And here is how Rowyn's piece looks so far. I absolutely love the effect of the Needle Necessities overdyed floss she chose...goes from a lovely sea green to a dark blue. Love it!I was happy to get this off in the mail to the next person...especially seeing as I was one week behind due to all the drama revolving around *the boy*. But I am back on track and I have no stitching obligations for the next month or so. Yay!!

I debated long and hard late last night as to what my next project will be. There are so many calling to me...ornaments, Bent Creek Snappers, Peppermint Twist, Fairy Moon, Letter G-Gwendolyn, knitting *the boy* a scarf...so many to choose from and only so little time not to mention only two hands!! I pulled all the materials to start Peppermint Twist but I felt unsure about the Woodsmoke linen with the threads despite that being the recommended color. It seems a little dark but I think it's because I'm not used to stitching on something so dark. I'm leaving it out on the coffee table to see if the combo grows on me. If it does, I'll head to NiaH for serging this coming weekend and if it doesn't grow on me, I'll head to NiaH anyways to buy an alternate fabric. So the projects at hand this week will be the Country Cottage Needleworks Peace ornament as my travel around project and I will work on the August block of my Bent Creek Snappers when I am actually home.

The weekend was filled with lots of errands and driving around. It is the new routine that I'm not so fond of but I try to remember that it's all just temporary. *The boy* is doing well and healing fast. I took him around to do some errands including grocery shopping. He drove one of those handicapped carts in the grocery store and I cringed in fear that he'd knock over an expensive display. Luckily none of that happened and he went grocery shopping for his own stuff. He loves grocery shopping whereas I hate it. The only demand I had for our time together was for him to treat me to breakfast so we tried Ole's in Alameda which had yummy waffles and to top it off...he made me dinner! Well I helped seeing as he needs crutches...and it was an easy dinner but he takes all the credit for the steaks.

The week is shaping up to be a busy one and I hope to get some stitching done to show mid-week. In the meantime, I hope that everyone has a wonderful start to their week.

Until next time...

Comforting Tra-la-la

I've been in hermit mode the last week or so. I figure it's normal considering the circumstances of the last two weeks. Hard to imagine that two weeks ago today, I was sitting in the hospital fielding calls from *the boy's* family and friends and waiting to see when his surgery was going to be performed. Now, two weeks later, *the boy's* facial coloring is back to normal and he's becoming a pro on getting around with crutches. His leg is still a lovely collage of purples but that is slowly and surely fading. He's managing his pain pretty well and has even started his new job. It sure has been a very interesting two weeks! Once I managed to get *the boy* settled in the East Bay, I really needed to take some time for myself...hence canceling my sewing class. And I took things out of rotation. I needed something that brought me comfort and made me happy. Since I started my Bent Creek Snappers, I had been looking forward to when I could stitch the July Block. I thought that the birds looked cute and it was a happy block. I finished the June block in early November and just haven't had a chance to get to the Snappers since. Last Thursday, I pulled it out and started on it...even though I should have been working on Rowyn's QFRR. Last night I finished the July block. I kind of wish that my skein of WDW Deep Sea wasn't so dark...you can't even see the frenchknotted eyes, but I do think the color goes with the rest of the muted earthy colors in this piece. July sings Tra-la-la!
Speaking of Rowyn's QFRR, here is all I've managed to get accomplish to date. Sad...very sad! I've stitched my initials and started the motif below the bunny. Two more motifs after that one and I can send it on. I'm late again! But this will be my focus for the rest of the week and I hope to get it in the mail on Monday at the very latest.
Last week, I put up a post asking people to join my PIF if they were so inclined and the deadline to sign up was last night. I only had one taker! I'm not surprised...I requested my PIF a tad late in the midst of a "selfish-stitching" year for most. I completely understand since I've cut down on exchanges for the most part and am aiming to finish a couple of decorative projects for the apartment plus ornaments. The taker of my PIF is Natasha! Yay! I will also gift two PIFs to bring it up to three. Natasha, please send me an email with your contact info. Thanks!

Well, that's all for me for now. Next time you hear from me...I hope to have finished the QFRR and move onto another project. Which one...nobody knows...not even me! :)

And Another One

I had a productive weekend. Lots of time spent with *the boy*. Lots of errands were done. And best of all, I managed to get a decent amount of stitching done. At least enough time to get my section on Wendy's QFRR completed. As I mentioned before, I got a little backed up in the QFRR group and I have been working diligently to catch up. I hate being behind on deadlines! So I set my goal and warned *the boy* because I was determined to finish Wendy's RR by the end of the weekend. By Sunday night, I was doing my little jig around the living room. Below is the section I stitched. I had the upper right corner and stitched it in DMC 808. Wendy's RR was varying shades of blues and purples and the color I used was a nice dark blue.
And here is how Wendy's RR looks all completed. I was the last person to stitch on this piece as well so I get to give Wendy the happy news that her RR is finally on it's way home. Yay!!
I still have one more RR to stitch on for the time being so I will start on that tomorrow. I think that I can manage to finish it by next week and actually mail it before the deadline and be all caught up. I'll feel very accomplished if I get it all done on time.

On Monday, *the boy* and I decided to take a drive to Half Moon Bay...just because. We wanted to see some of the Mavericks competition but we saw that the waves were too mellow for that type of a surfing competition but I wanted to go anyways. We headed to the Moss Beach Distillery and the weather was amazing. 70 degrees on the coast!! Usually the coast on the Half Moon Bay side is a total fogpit! But we managed to get a decent spot on the deck and take in this view.
Amazing, isn't it?! Ugh, I wish I could spend every Monday like this. We sat, drank, watched the waves roll in and out and made friendly with the nice couple next to us with their very cute Boston Terrier.

More Round Robin Stitching and Work Woes

I haven't had very much time to stitch since last week but the little time I've scrounged up so far has been devoted to Wendy's QFRR. I'm a little backlogged in this group due to the holiday crunch. Not to mention I signed up for a lot of stuff thinking I was a single girl. Now, all of a sudden, I'm in a relationship! How the heck did that happen so fast?! I'm still trying to get into my routine for work, *boy*, stitching, parents/friends and classes and I still haven't gotten the hang of the juggling act. As you can see, I've done one medium sized motif, one tiny motif, my initials and I've just started one large motif. I just need to finish that one, do two more and then I'll be done. My goal is to have it finished by the end of the holiday weekend and ship it off to Wendy. I'm sure she will be happy to have her completed round robin in hand as I am the last one to stitch on it.
After this round robin, I am debating whether to make a start on Rowyn's RR or do my christmas ornament for my Christmas Challenge. I have the supplies but just need the time to make the start. I think it will all depend on when I finish Wendy's and my mood.

This week has been stressful as well but it's been a combination of work and personal. Work has been hellacious lately and I don't see an end in sight. I am the grantwriter for my organization and I am in the process of finishing up the management on one grant(that got completely screwed up), starting the management of another and brainstorming to write up a third and seeing where a fouth is in the planning process. This is on top of my regular work duties. Work is busy!!! *The boy* has been having a tough time. He took a job last month and he told me that the people have not been paying him so I told him to confront them and if they don't pay, to move on. This puts him in a hard position. Strangely enough, on the day he did not report to work, he had two phone interviews with a panel interview the following day for another opportunity. He has one more interview next week . Please send any happy thoughts and vibes his way. He really, really needs to find a good job...that actually pays him. I know that in this downturned economy, we can't be picky but payment is kind of necessary. Any good vibes are appreciated and I am so hopeful that he gets it.

Tonight, I am dragging *the boy* with me to the local community college so I can buy my books for the sewing class. Yup! I signed up. I figured that it was a good opportunity at a good cost and my schedule will never get any lighter so now is as good a time as any. Class starts next week and I will be sure to report. Afterwards, we'll have a low-key date night of dinner out and a video in. Should be nice. I hope everyone is having a good week...

QFRR and Laptop

Well, during my Friday ramblings in my last post, my photos were still on *the boy's* camera and I truly had no energy other than to whine and complain and wonder what cocktail I would order for myself during happy hour. If anyone is at all curious, Ketel One martinis truly helped dull the pain away and put a smile on my face for the rest of the weekend. Woo...love happy hour!

So after the 30th time of me asking *the boy* to send me my pictures already...he finally did. Ugh, that is the last time I have him take a blogging photo. I am reading that stupid camera manual ASAP!! So here is a picture of the section I stitched on Donna's QFRR. Please excuse the unevenness of the photo...the futon cover was all wrinkly underneath. I was a stand-in stitcher for this group when one of their original stitchers went awol. This is the first piece I stitched on and I was "assigned" the devil's horn section which consisted of two large motifs, two small ones and my initials. It was enjoyable except the devil's horns attacked me early on and I had to do a bit of frogging. But I didn't let it get me down! Plus...
I got to be the one to stitch the last section on this piece and send it on to Donna all completed! It's the group's first completed one! I heard she received it today and is very happy!
I have two other QFRRs sitting in the wings and I will begin stitching on Wendy's tonight. I was supposed to start yesterday but I keep getting these blasted migraines that prevent me from doing anything fun so my Sunday was shot and I spent most of the day lying about trying to forget I had a blasted migraine. Oh well...I get to stitch tonight.

Below is a photo of my new laptop (off the retail website). It's definitely not as pretty as an iMac but it cost me $500 less and I get 4GB! Talk about a great deal.

Weekend Things and Stuff

What a great weekend! *The boy* and I had a funfilled time and I actually started my Monday on a good note. Miracle of miracles! On Friday night, we settled in to watch Semi-Pro with *the boy*. For every 2 Valerie movies, I'll pick out a boy movie off Netflix to share with *the boy*. I really do not understand the Will Farrell draw but whatever. It was an ok movie with a bunch of basketball references I didn't understand or would pick up like 10 minutes later...you know...when the joke is old.

On Saturday, *the boy* and I headed onto Bart for our little city adventure. We avoided the masses by heading through the Financial District and then walking up to North Beach. We grabbed an awesome chinese lunch at Brandy Ho's and walked about the neighborhood running errands. Not too long though because we had to hustle to grab two buses to the Castro Theatre to see Milk. With 15 minutes to spare before the movie was to start, the theatre was packed and we had to climb up to the balcony. I've been to the Castro Theatre tens of times and have never sat up in the balcony but it was very nice and much less crowded. *The boy* was in awe of the old glory of the theatre. I guess I've been there so may times that I now take it for granted but it was funny to see his reaction. The movie was fabulous but very sad considering the subject matter. All the actors did a wonderful job. After the movie, we walked back to Bart to end our journey. Once home, we tucked in to see a Bing Crosby movie called Going My Way. I had never heard of it before but it was very well done and quite funny! We both really enjoyed it.

On Sunday, I told *the boy* I wanted to stay home and stitch. It was supposed to be stormy and I had no desire to be out in the rain. While I stitched, *the boy* went to the grocery store, watched some football, took a nap and made a scrumptious roast chicken dinner. I had such a great day. Before the sun went down, I took this picture of my progress on Donna's Quaker RR. Not much to show but it's progress. I did stitch more after taking this picture and have that bull's horns motif almost done. That was a pesky motif seeing as there were a couple of mistakes in the chart and so I had to do a bit of frogging. With the holiday approaching, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to stitch since I have out-of-town visitors and big family dinners planned but I already have some time slotted for next Saturday to continue on this project. I really love this fabric and dark shade of green!
And after dinner, *the boy* and I tucked into watch Holiday Inn...another Bing Crosby movie. I had never seen it before and it was also quite funny. Not to mention, Bing Crosby's voice is amazing and Fred Astaire can dance like no other! Lots of movie watching this weekend!

This morning, I received an email from Carol telling me she received the birthday package I sent to her. I was so hoping I would time it right and that it would arrive on her birthday but alas, I was a few days late. Here is the pinkeep that I made for her. She told me she really liked it so I am very happy!

Quaker 2008 by Gazette94
32 Count Lakeside Linens Navy Bean
Crescent Colors Belle Soie Blue Lagoon

Carol included some much better pictures of the pinkeep details and extras which you can find on her blog here. I am so happy she liked her birthday surprise! Yay!

Be merry and delight...

Quickie Post

I almost made my deadline. OMG, so close. Only one day late though...not too bad. I had issues trying to decide between 1 strand vs 2 strands of silk for the "Creme de Menthe" and I had to set this aside for a day or so to decide. I decided on 1 strand and boy am I really happy with it. Here is how my QFRR stands for now. I've completed my vine with the year, my "matchy-matchy" initials and a little bunny. Now I will send it off to Wendy so she can stitch her section and pass it round and round. Oh, sounds like such fun! I can't wait to get the next one I stitch on. And for some reason, I can't really figure out whose I get now but I guess that will be a surprise for me from the mailman! I love mail surprises!
Now that I don't have any QFRR obligations for the time being, I will focus on my May Snapper until the weekend. I think the weekend has a NiaH trip in store for me again. I need to get supplies for my Halloween exchange and other tidbits for the next month or so. That will keep me busy and of course means I can't share those details until received by the recipient. So I will try to keep the May Snapper going to at least show some stitchy progress.

But for now, I bid adieu. The very yummy petrole sole risotto I had for dinner is causing major food coma symptoms. I need to lie down and take a nap!

Stitchy Weekend

What a wonderful weekend! Lots of rest, some shopping, accomplishment on chores, massage, video viewing and stitching. Things are good.

Saturday was the highlight of the weekend. I headed to Alameda and met Sweet Mary of NiaH, before the shop opened, for breakfast. She is such a sweetheart with all sorts of crafty ideas. It was so nice to sit and chat when she wasn't working. The shop gets busy and she has to juggle lots of customers. After breakfast, we headed over the shop so I could pick fabric and floss for the Quaker Friendship Round Robin. Last week, Edgar asked me if I had any interest in joining since the group had a problem with one of the members and now needed a sixth. After just a slight episode of nervousness, I said "of course" and now I'm the sixth. It's kind of exciting. I've never done a round robin before but I like the idea of my piece traveling more than I get to and lots of people working on it and it being a work of friendship. Isn't that a nice thought? I think so. So Mary told me to pick 6 colors I like so I headed to the task at hand and gave them to her and then she picked a bunch of complimentary colors. Whoa, there were a lot of colors to pick from. Given many choices, my indecisive Libra trait really shines. *gulp* I had gone into the shop thinking reds or sage green. Next was comparing all the thread colors to fabrics. Oh God, more choices! I managed to set aside all the fabrics I thought were too dark and the threads that were a tad blah and was trying to decide between red/brown or green/gold. And here is what I decided on:

I will be stitching my QFRR on 36 count Lakeside Linens Vintage Light Examplar with Crescent Colors Belle Soie *Creme de Menthe* and Gloriana *Birch Brown*. I am thinking the green for the large motifs in the sampler and the brown (I say gold) for the smaller bits and initials. We'll see if I stay with the two-tone plan. Also in the picture are a lovely pair of scissors. I decided to treat myself to my first pair of Dovos. After hearing so many stitchers talking about their Dovos, I had to check out what they were talking about. Wow, these little scissors are fabulous! I never knew what I was missing out on. It was funny...after coming home and looking at the colors, they reminded me of the colors of my college alma mater. Ha! Very subconsious. So a little shout out. Go Dons! They'll all be starting school and sports soon.

The rest of Saturday was spent housesitting and doing about 4 loads of laundry and other little bits. Sunday was relaxing...massage appointment, going through a mountain of mail (ok, not so relaxing) and stitching. Below is my progress so far on my Bent Creek Snappers. I was really hoping to be done with April tonight but no dice. I'll keep plugging away at this until I get my QFRR chart. Just an umbrella, raindrops and accompanying border to crank out.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a smooth start to the workweek...