Breaking Up is Hard to Do

The title says it all.

*The boy* isn't having any luck on the job front here and the strain of his lack of employment, money, mobility...everything that could have happened that did happen...has taken a toll on our relationship.

Despite loving each other and trying our hardest, the stars are so mis-aligned. Nothing we do is working and sometimes, you just have to step away.

It's hard. It's sad. It's depressing. It is heartbreaking. Neither of us really want to be apart but what he can provide isn't enough for me and we aren't being fair to each other.

Unless he gets a miraculous job offer in the next few days that will pay him a decent amount of money, he'll be heading back east. Maybe Boston would be kinder to him...give him a job. San Francisco is being unforgiving. There's a little bit of planning to do so he can go back East but it will all happen soon.

And now I'm faced with being single again...and alone...and pretty much friendless. Well, friendless in the "not having local friends that can get drunk with me at the nearby bar" type of friends. Frankly, most of my friends are in a different place than me that I feel like I am a third wheel and don't really belong.

It's hard when you try and try and try and no matter how much you do try, nothing works. I already know a lot of people think this should have happened ages ago. I tried to prove them wrong.

So I won't be blogging much or stitching much or returning phone calls much or emails much. I apologize to those who are waiting for anything from me. I won't be doing much of anything except crying, healing and working on my work deadlines, even though work is the last place I want to be. Sharon and Lisa, it may be a while before I get your gifties in the mail too.

I wish I had good news but good news never seems to find me. I know I sound low...but I think I'm allowed.

SBQ and Announcement

First of all, Lee at Lake Stitcher has brought the SBQ (Stitching Bloggers Question) back to life! Yay! I remember when I first started talking about stitching on my blog, I googled a ton and was amazed that 1. there were so many stitchy blogs and 2. there was this whole community stemming from it including the SBQ. But at the point I discovered it, I was still a little too shy to fling myself into it full-throttle and the SBQ kind of drifted away. This month's question is:

Suppose we say that there are two types of stitchers.

There are those who enjoy the “process” of stitching. They stitch for stitching’s sake and if something gets finished, so much the better, but it’s not necessarily the end goal. Primarily, it’s the application of needle and thread to cloth that makes them happiest.

Then there are those who are “project” stitchers. They move steadily through their projects, certainly enjoying their stitching time, but finding their greatest joy in the completed stitching.

If you had to pick one to describe yourself, which type of stitcher would you be? I imagine that we could all say that we fall somewhere in between, but really think hard about this and try to pick just one. And once you’ve decided whether you’re a Process or Project stitcher, tell us if your recognize that approach in other parts of your life.

I am definitely a project stitcher. Hands down. Some projects speak to me and I fly through them and others, I grumble through (remember that Snapper Year border?! ugh!), curse them and really want to throw them out the window. I finish them though and when I do, I hang it in full view for me to see and I feel so happy and excited and confident when I finish something. I tend to really be a one at a time stitcher. It's only now that I kind of juggle multiple projects but not very well. Since I'm a project stitcher, I don't have very many wips or ufos. My actual wips are Letter C, Boo Club and Mary Wigham and well...that Mary hasn't seen the light of day since January. She yells LOUD! The ufos are a christmas stocking on Aida and Newton (which I kind of hate). There are a few projects out there that have a few stitches in them but I don't count them anymore. The stitches are so few that they may as well be unstarted. So I'm a project stitcher.

I'm a process stash buyer by the looks of my growing stash cabinet! lol

Onto the announcement. I've decided to do the draw for my party favors! The first prize goes to Daffycat/Sharon and second prize goes to Lisa! Congratulations ladies! Thanks to everyone for entering my party draw! Sharon and Lisa, I've got your addys so no worries. I just ask that you be patient. Work has been something fierce and I just haven't had the time to get things together. I'll get your packages out in the next couple of weeks or so.

Work has been insane and it's only going to get crazier! Ugh! I have barely been stitching after work. Yesterday, I actually read. That means I'm just too pooped to do anything else. I've got lots to do in the next 19 days. I am going to lose my head...just in time for my vacation. And because of that, I may not be blogging as much.

I'm exhausted already. I have the feeling tonight will be an early night. *yawn*

Until next time...

Saturday Progress

It's been a busy week and it's only going to turn into a busy month. So stitching during the week was scarce. Last Sunday night, I decided to start Letter C. This will be a gift for my niece, Cristina's sweet sixteen. I sure hope she doesn't peek on here but I doubt it what with my tendency to drop the f-bomb once in a while. By Friday night, this is all I had done. Not much.
On Saturday, we ran some errands and I snoozed through the afternoon due to burrito overload. I really need to lay off the heavy food and eat more salads! I keep falling into food comas lately. About 6pm, I loaded up on some strong coffee because I really wanted to stitch. This is how much I got done in an evening.
I would have gotten more done if I could just stop browsing on the computer! Someone please put a padlock on this sucker. For someone who made a "no stash" resolution, not only did I fall off the bandwagon but I've outdone myself. Lots of inspiration on the web and lots of "add to cart" clicking.

I really enjoy Mirabilia/Nora Corbett designs. *The boy* is amazed that I can ass-plant and forgo food and liquids if need be and just stitch away. The new Ott-lite is a total sightsaver too. Love it! But there is something about the whimsical view of Nora's that just makes me want to see fairies come to life. One day, I'll actually have some fairies, ladies and mermaids to add to my wall. The only thing I don't really like about these letters are that there is a good amount of fractional stitches which I think are a pain. There weren't that many in Letter G but there seem to be a ton in this Letter C. I've progressed to the wings and will do the water effect and fillin soon. I will save the face and skin for last so my fairy will look weird for a while. I am debating whether I want to do over 1 skin. I figure it would be easier to do at the end so I won't mess up converting over 2 to over 1 in my head if that's what I decide to do.

Letter C is being stitched completely as charted...down to the fabric. 32 count Waterlily Belfast with recommended Crescent Colors. I wish this Waterlily would photograph well. It's a greenish-gray color in real life.

I haven't forgotten about my draw. I am postponing it for the simple fact I got sidetracked with Letter C that I didn't do the finishing I was supposed to. Sorry to leave you hanging but I'll do it as soon as possible!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Until next time...

Questions Answered...

In my last post, I mentioned how I had a nacatamale lunch with my parents. Here is a pretty good representation from the web so you can see what a nacatamale looks like. It's pretty big...a little bigger than 2x the size of a standard mexican tamale.

There's a good amount of masa, rice, pork, potato, onion, tomato, olives, raisins (yes, raisins), chili and mint. It's one of those "clean out your refrigerator and throw it in the pot" type of meals. It was delicious!! But due to the high amount of starch and carbs, I couldn't eat another thing for almost 24 hours. Stuffed!!

A couple of weeks back, I was organizing my stash cabinet and Jackie asked what my cabinet looked like. I love my cabinet but I wouldn't recommend it if you have a moth problem or anything since the drawers have these decorative holes. But, it works for me. Living in a one bedroom apartment, I don't have a lot of space to cater to my crafts. So there are some yarn bins and my stash cabinet which sit in part of my really huge closet.
I bought it at Target and it was basically a "build your own" type of shelving unit. I bought the standard 3 drawer (one small, 2 big) and bought another small and big drawer as my stash increased. A very nice co-worker, built me a platform on wheels to rest the shelves on and that way, I can roll it around the apartment to whatever spot I am working on a project. I usually only roll it around when I am doing major finishing...with pins and glue and clothespins and ribbon and stuff. Ugh...that's too much stuff to carry and potentially drop! That pile on top of the cabinet is stuff I still need to sort and organize...mainly dmc and silk.

I wasn't very productive with the stitching yesterday. I was lazy and watched bad tv, P.S. I Love You (how does anyone get through this movie without bawling buckets?!) and finally finished reading Julie and Julia. I sure hope I get a lot done during the week. We'll see how that goes...I am trying to get back to my almost daily ellipticaling. I hope I can do it!!

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Until next time...

Catching up & Questions...

Wow, what a week! How do the days fly by?!

*The boy* and I just got back from a lunch date with the parentals. Mom's been feeling lonely and I thought it would be nice if I picked up treats and shared with my folks. My dad and *the boy* chat and chat and chat and that gives me time to hang out with mom. I've been having major cravings for Nicaraguan food. I don't make any...because I don't cook...and I hate asking my mom to make me food since she's getting on in years and doesn't move around very well. She needs to rest...not busy herself in the kitchen making food for her spinster child and her boyfriend. No...not allowed! But I succumbed and decided to pick up some nacatamales. I did a little research, drove to the Mission, picked up some Nacatamales from an authentic Nicaraguan restaurant along with some yummy pieces of cake and arrived loaded down with food to my parents and had a nice lunch. And with my last bite, I realized I should have brought my camera to take photos so I could share what a nacatamale looks like!

Well, trust me...it was good! And long overdue. I think I spent so much time talking about nacatamales and needing a fix that *the boy* found a tamale vendor at our local farmers' market last week and brought one home. I admonished him about how a nacatamale from a tamale stand can't be authentic and it couldn't be good....plus also not the way for him to try his first nacatamale. I was right. It was terrible!! So *the boy* had his first authentic nacatamale. He was finished before anyone else! I guess that means he liked it! lol Even my mom loved it!

That said...eating a nacatamale is the nicaraguan equivalent of eating half a pound of pasta. I need a nap!

The week's been a blur and I haven't been stitching very much because I've been trying to finish Julie & Julia which is now a week overdue to the library! Whoops...I've become a slow reader! I'm enjoying the book a lot...and have about 80 more pages to go!

I have managed to get a coulple of stitching finishes done but have to do the finish finishing on them which means I am procrastinating. With that, I've kitted up my next 2 projects. Letter C by Nora Corbett and Cinderella Sampler by Willow Hill Samplings. Here come my fabric questions:

1. Despite ironing both of these linen pieces to the point of getting an arm cramp from ironing, there are still creases! Any tricks to get the creases out?

2. Does anyone have any experience with Country Stitch linen? I was internet surfing (someone stop me please!) and found the perfect piece of linen for a someday Mirabilia. Of course, I found two pictures using the same color and they are both very different. I'm worried about ordering and getting a piece not like what I am expecting. I'm going to have to internet order directly from NZ (cheapest way) to obtain the fabric. Just want to know if anyone has any feedback with this supplier.

I'm hoping to get some stitching in this weekend...and I am so in the mood for a Mirabilia. I hope that working on Letter C is enough...that one is for a gift. But all I can think about is Fairy Moon, Waiting for Ships, Stargazer, Titania, Petal Fairy and Trick or Treat Fairy...all of them just clammoring to see the light of day. One day...I'll have a Mirabilia wall...one day!

But I am thinking this will help me get more stitching done.
I bought a new lamp for my stitching perch. I've been wanting an Ott-lite forever but I didn't want a white craft lamp since it would stick out like a sore thumb in my black-furnished living room. I've been looking online and I hated thinking I would have to order online and then have to return it and pay for the shipping if I didn't like it. It's kept me from buying a lamp for years. But my old lamp was really making it hard for me to see and I would keep every light on, blind *the boy* with the klieg lights (as he called them) and still have a hard time seeing despite it being as bright as an airport runway in my little living room! In my internet surfing, I discovered some Lowe's carry Ott-lites and after some calling, we drove to the one 30 minutes away and found this one. What's even better is that they had the price mismarked on the floor model and I got it for $25 cheaper than it should have cost. Woot...sale!! I am loving it so far and I can see perfectly with just this light on. It's awesome!

I hope to show a progress pic of my next start...once I get some creases out of linen!

Enjoy the weekend!

Until next time...

It's my Party!

FogCity Dweller is...
Sit back, relax and join me in a piece of cake...mmmmm, cake!

I never thought when I started this blog 5 years ago...that many people would read it. It was a way to really chronicle my dating adventures...being a single girl in a crazy city and allow me to look back on it. And looking back on it...I was a crazy serial dater. Wow...seriously...I was nuts!

Now, there are more stitching stories than dating stories. You hear a lot about me, my city adventures and the ups and downs of my relationship with *the boy*. And *a lot* about stitching! I am thankful for the friendships that I have made through this little blog with folks from all around the world. Thank you to everyone for stopping by my little part of blogland and sharing in the good times and the bad. I can never feel lonely knowing I have so many friends and readers out there who care and offer me support. This was not what I thought the outcome of my blogging efforts would be but I am glad. I'm also happy to stumble upon new to me blogs and meet new readers. Please don't be shy to comment! I hope to make more friendships in the
blogging years to come.

I've got party favors to distribute! I'm a little delayed though...remember I said I would be late to my own party? Yea. I wanted to have things finished so I can show you what the party favors would be but uh, I'm late. On May 1st, I will do a draw for two party favor packages. The grand prize will be a stitched gift from me with a few goodies I'll come up with during stash diving. The runner up prize will be the pattern and remains of the kit I used to make the item for the grand prize plus other little goodies(no stitched gift). If you like surprises, you can sign up now by commenting on this post. Be sure you actually say you are signing up for party favors because I don't want to be guessing. You don't need to do anything special...no posting on your blog. All I ask is that you become a follower if you aren't already and that you put your email in your comment if you don't have one in your profile. Easy Peasy!

For those who don't like surprises, I may put up a sneak peek over the weekend...provided I get my act together!

Thank you for celebrating me turning five! Who da thunk it?!

Until next time...

Super Quick

Hmmm...it feels like I am always late. I thought the new moon was yesterday but apparently it was the day before. No matter. I spent the majority of the day in a software demo that sucked the brain out of my head and on top of that, Aunt Flo came for a visit and I was tired, cranky and in need of a cocktail and the tv remote!

So, without further ado, I bring you my TUSAL progress. *The boy* took this photo...I think it's pretty nice with the flowers in the background.

It seems like my jar is growing rapidly. I don't really feel like I'm doing a lot of stitching seeing as I am constantly behind and late but the jar does seem to get more and more full. The big blob of red was from my sister's gift and the pinks and tans above that are from the PIF with some orange, black and white Boo Club threads thrown in for good measure. The little blob of teal and pink on top is for my upcoming blogiversary. I might be late to my own party but it's coming along.

This is "girl's weekend". I'm off to the city to do all the stuff I haven't done in a while. Nice dinners out, bar hop, mani/pedi, explore the city...shop, stay in a hotel and pretend I'm a tourist! Aunt Flo is kicking my ass though. AM, don't be surprised if I fall asleep in my margarita!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll be back with photos from the weekend plus, I hope you all stop in on my party. It's coming soon! Edgar is having a party soon too...be sure to stop by and visit him!

Until next time...

The Early Bird...

gets the worm...

Saturday, *the boy* woke me up at 8am to begin our 100 mile trip around the Bay Area. 8am is pretty darn early for me on a weekend...like really. Getting coffee on our way to the highway seemed like the biggest ordeal...no sugar, lids stuck together, than lids that wouldn't come off than spilling coffee all over my hand and the inside of the car. I was very tempted to just go back home and crawl back into bed but curiousity had the best of me. A few weeks ago, I was browsing on Craigslist and saw that Kooler Design Studio was having a clearance sale. SALE!! After much hemming and hawwing, I decided that if I didn't go, I'd be wondering if I missed out on something big. *The boy* decided to come along since he knew I'd be out of the house all day and it would eat up one of my two days off. So we began our little adventure and I had fun thrifting at the sale. I walked out of Kooler Design Studio with 5 fat quarters of Wichelt linen and yards of assorted lace...for $7.50. I practically ran out of there before they came to their senses and made me pay more money!

Here's my haul...
After that, we headed to NiaH because I just had to get a piece of linen for this new project I would like to start. I bought a piece of 40 count Lakeside Linens Meadow Rue and the Shepherd's Bush Blue Snowman kit(in photo above). Too bad that stuff wasn't on sale!

I also got some fun stuff in the mail recently. Here is Willow Hill Samplings Cinderella Sampler (the project the Meadow Rue is for) and Brittercup Bunnies Galore. Along with a couple of fabric cuts from Enchanted Fabric ordered before they went out of business. I really love the Summer Glade piece and envision a Mirabilia on it...one day.

Sunday was a rainy, stormy, wet day. I was a slug! I didn't do anything except watch tv and stitch while *the boy* delivered my meals to me on the futon. Total and complete slug. But for my sluggish efforts, I managed to finish both "Eek" and "Creepy" on my L*K Boo Club. I'm halfway done now!! Woot!
I am really enjoying this one..my only complaint is the boring and tedious border. This was my one week stint of selfish stitching. I am still behind on the gift and obligation stitching so I am back to that this week.

I spent this evening organizing my stash cabinet. Holy cow! I need to retire now so I can stitch all my stuff!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Until next time...

Birthday Gift Arrived!

Wow...two posts right after one another. The Postal Service is working overtime getting my packages out in a timely manner!

First of all, my sister says thank you to all my blogging friends for wishing her a happy birthday! She was quite pleased! Thanks for taking the time to do that. I never realized how much she reads my blog now. Apparently, I am supposed to be posting more. I'm working on it Karen! =)

Second, my sister received her gift today. She dropped major hints a few months ago that I was way overdue in stitching her something. You have to remember that she was taught the same way I was (by mom) but with a full-time job, 2 kids and activities with kids' sports and church involvement, she's more content reading or napping when she has free time than trying to make heads or tails of a pattern. That's my job! She told me she wanted something red and cream and I immediately had something in mind. And with her 50th birthday quickly approaching, I had big reasons to stitch her something nice! A while back, I had seen a kit in The Stitchery called Bless This House by Kooler Design/Janlynn. I chucked the fabric (aida...ick!) and the thread and replaced it with Lambswool and Gloriana Cranberry. Deb finished it for me into a bellpull and she did a wonderful job considering the tight time constraints. Thanks Deb! Here's Deb's photo to me. It always seems like folks take much better pictures than me!

Remember all those red/cream sneakpeeks? This is what it turned out to be...

Here's my attempt:

I think I need photography lessons...

Karen called me today and was very happy with her present and even told me she already hung it on her wall. Yay! Hearing that made me very happy. I'm so glad it was a hit!

Ok, off to stitch on Boo Club a little more. I do more computer surfing (and cart clicking!) more than stitching nowadays. I already have enough stash to last me my lifetime...like I need more! I'm working on the Eek block and it's pretty simple. I'll probably finish tomorrow and get back to my gift programming.

Until next time...

PIF Arrived and a Birthday!

Wow...a post...with some actual stitching. Miracle of miracles! I finally set my mind to doing the finishing on my PIF pieces this weekend and I just received an email from Natasha letting me know it arrived and she loves it. Whew!! Here is what I sent her.

I stitched her the Ewe & Eye & Friends Basket Scissor Weight with the recommended DMC and Blackbird Designs Small Token with Crescent Colors and DMC. Both are on 32 count Lakeside Linens Vintage Light Exampler. I so love this linen!! And I figured that Natasha could always use a pair of good embroidery scissors so I threw those in.

Natasha, so sorry it was late!! I hope it was worth the wait! Funny thing is I stitched her something completely different in January. First, it was the silk I hated, I picked another silk and then I realized I hated the linen and that just made me hate the whole thing and I can't send anything that I hate! What sense does that make? So I tossed it and brainstormed and came out with this. I'm glad I did. The scissor weight and cording was a breeze but that pinpillow was challenging. It was the first time I made anything with fabric backing vs. linen. The first attempt at blindstitching wasn't that good. I could see that some crushed walnut filling might fall out so I had to go through it again and blind stitch closer together. So Natasha...be careful! lol I think I have to practice the fabric backing finish a few more times. Either way, I'm happy with the results. It was also my first time using fabric dye...for the pinpillow lace. It was super easy!

Nothing much else going on...same old stuff. I'll have another finish to share soon though so stay tuned.

Today is a super special day...it's my sister's 50th birthday!! Happy birthday Karen! She checks in on my blog so if you can wish her a happy birthday, I'm sure she'll be both surprised and happy!

I've been blog giveaway stitching but I think I need to treat myself for a couple of days and pull out Boo Club. It's just so mindless and the colors are so cheerful. I think I could use it!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Holiday!

Until next time...

Pocketful of Sunshine

I'm taking a mental health day from work today...I had it planned because with everything going on, a day off here and there really helps! And it's a good thing because the last week + weekend was awful and emotional and just so incredibly draining. I'm pooped! But some lovely ladies out there sent be a little bit of sunshine to boost my spirits and I'm ever thankful! Thank you to Blu, Nicole and Tammy for sending this my way!


I pass this on to everyone out there because reading your blogs gives me a little bit of sunshine and inspiration each and everyday.

A couple of weekends ago, I mentioned I went thrifting. There's a local shop near me that benefits the local humane society and the proceeds go towards the care of the animals. I don't have any pets but I would like some and it's an opportunity to see the shop's resident cat. And since the shop caters to animals and lots of crafters out there are animal lovers, there is lot more craft-related items here than at the Goodwill. So *the boy* and I walked over and I got some great finds! I found a complete Shepherd's Bush Charmed Hearts kit...for $1! The original tag on this is $24. I jumped on that thing like you wouldn't believe. It seems to be all intact...the only thing is the linen has a spot on it. But it's probably nothing a little Shout and a toss in the washing machine can't handle. Can you believe that bargain?! I also got a Spring Blossoms TableTopper kit "charted for needlework" which I assume is cross stitch for $1, complete with aida and floss. And the next find was a Country Lullaby leaflet by Jean Farish which has the bunny on skates that I saw Harmien stitch up a couple of times. And for 50 cents...I couldn't leave it behind. So for $2.50...I got 2 kits and a chart. Hmmm, I kind of like thrifting. Too bad none of the places I went to had any scissor frogs. That was what I was really looking for. The sad thing is I ordered one from eBay after this trip and it arrived shattered into pieces!! Now I'm scared to try and get another one.

I also received some fun mail. My PIF from Dianne arrived and she sent me some lovely silk in a nice deep blue color and breast cancer scissors with stitched sheath. It's beautifully finished and very meaningful!

Thanks Dianne!

When I signed up for Dianne's PIF, I put mine up as well. I think I was supposed to wait until I actually received something before offering my PIF but what do I know. I'd never done it before. Fact is, I am way behind on my own PIF but my recipient knows and I've been slowly stitching away on it for a week. This was after making something and disliking the fabric/thread combo so much, I chucked it. With the emotional upheavel lately, my output is slow going and I am way behind on my stitching. But I've reached the finishing stage. It should be done and mailed out shortly. At this point, I should be happy only one person signed up and not three! lol

Once I'm done with the PIF, I'll move onto my blog giveaway piece and then an exchange. So posting and pictures will be scarce until I manage to get to my own stitching.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Until next time...

An Award!

The lovely CarolR nominated me for the Beautiful Blogger Award. How sweet! Thanks Carol! You're a beautiful blogger too!

Here's how the award works. The rules are simple:

1. One must accept the award

2. Thank the person who gave you the award

3. Add a link to the person who gave you the award

4. Paste the award on your blog

5. Write 10 things about yourself that others might not know

6. Pass the award on to 10 others

10 things...sheesh. I might bore all of you to tears! Let's see...

1. I learned to stitch when I was 7. My mom taught me from a plastic canvas kit that is still lying around somewhere in their house. After that, I would drag my dad to Woolworth so he could buy me the $2 kits. I've been addicted ever since with breaks here and there. I really, really miss Woolworths!

2. I call myself the "accident baby" because my parents were surprised by my arrival. They were in their late 40's and my siblings were already high school and college age.

3. Because of #2, I'm kind of used to being a loner. Not to mention my parents were strict and wouldn't let me do anything or go anywhere!

4. I'm also very shy which most people don't expect coming from this blog seeing as I've very mouthy. I'm good one on one and with small groups but big parties, forget it, I become a clam and the wallflower in the corner.

5. I'm 100% Nicaraguan and come off looking more Irish. Dark hair, pale skin, freckles. I don't know what happened. To say I stand out in my family is an understatement. Taller than most of them! I'd say I was the mailman's kid but I look like my dad and he wasn't the mailman. :)

6. I've lived in a 20 mile radius of the San Francisco Bay Area my whole life. I love it here!

7. Despite loving it here, I often wonder what would have happened if I moved to Seattle years ago. After visiting it with my sister years ago, I deemed it almost as cool as SF and fell in love with it.

8. I'm a coffee addict. I'm pretty non-functional in the mornings and need high octane brew. Peet's is my favorite. Blue Bottle is a close second but it's hard to get easily near my home or work.

9. I'm a total night owl which makes working an 8am-5pm job very difficult!

10. I would love to travel more! So far I've only been to WA, OR, CA, NV, IL, TX, NH, MA, RI and FL. Outside of the US; Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Canada and France. Ok, that's kind of sad. I need to go about planning my next vacation now.

and as a bonus...

11. I love eavesdropping on spanish conversations...because to most spanish folk, I'm the "gringa" that can't understand a word they say. Goes to show them if they're talking smack!

I'm being a party-pooper on selecting 10 beautiful bloggers because I think that everyone is one and I read far more than 10 blogs to even try to narrow it down! But if you haven't received the reward and want to play the game, please feel free to help yourself and share a little.

I hope everyone is having a terrific St. Valentine's Day! This Nicaraguan is proudly wearing her green. *The boy* who is Irish/Italian was not this morning and he was thoroughly pinched! Hmph!

Until next time...

The Cat Stole Treats and Jumped on Spiders

You get it? The past couple of weeks, I've been lethargically stitching on Boo Club and I stitched the Treats, Black Cat and Spiders segments. I'll be attaching the buttons at the very end since I'm using q-snaps. This was a nice change from all the red!! It's now been pulled off the snaps and put away for the next month. Gift stitching is back on the agenda. I hope it won't take me too, too long. I have three smalls and one medium design to stitch up. At least the medium design was started a while back...it just give me fits! Perhaps with enough wine, I'll get through it and the frog will give me a break!

The weekend has been relaxing but busy. We went to the farmer's market for some weekly veggies and while we were there, these flowers came home with me.
Aren't they pretty?! *The boy* bought me the tulips and after seeing the anemones, I bought a bunch for myself and another for my mom. I've never seen anemones before and they just seemed so happy. See...
So happy!! I like happy flowers!

While I went and visited the old folks, *the boy* was productive fixing some things around the apartment like my coffee table that had various heat rings and scratch marks. I was upset to think I needed to buy a new table since the table looked like new (almost) before *the boy* came to visit. But...he gave the table some love and it looks just like new. I'm amazed! He did some other stuff too.

Today, we went antique-ing and thrifting in the neighborhood. We got some good exercise in walking around and I found some great finds which I'll share later. I'm behind on blogging. Too many stories and not enough time! Remember last week I mentioned I went to the White Elephant Sale? It's an annual fundraiser that benefits the Oakland Museum of Art so the money goes to a good cause. For $15, I bought three charts, 7 fat quarters and two yards of lace. All the charts I bought are out of print. I just about squealed when I came across The Goode Huswife Noah's Ark chart for $1. One dollar...can you believe it? The Beatrix Potter was a quarter and the most expensive one at $6 was Of Female Worth Mary Ann Johnson Sampler - 1816.
I bought the Of Female Worth Chart because I knew it was an OOP/HTF chart but it's not to my taste. If anyone is interested in this pattern/was looking for it and would like to purchase it from me, please send me an email. I will, of course, sell it at my cost plus the actual postage.

Oh and in the sewing section, they had a Lowery frame selling for $125 which I know is a deal. I contemplated it for a second before thinking that would be an expensive doorstop in case I didn't like it. There was lots of great finds there...and lots of people! Wow!! *The boy* was too scared to really look around because he might lose me. Good thing he's tall so I can spot him in almost any crowd.

So a little catching up with the next few photos...

It's the New Moon tomorrow which means time to share my TUSAL jar.
Here it is posing with the last of the Valentine's Day roses which *the boy* dried. Look at all that red! That was from the gift I just finished stitching a couple of weeks ago and then there are Boo Club threads on top of that...white, black, orange, yellow.

And Snapper Year is finally hung! I went rounds with my apartment manager about how this is the spot I wanted and how he felt it wasn't showcased enough. I finally got him to hang it how I wanted.
Photos are clickable and you can see what I mean by hanging my art with fishing line and moulding hooks. I wonder if anyone has to do this. It's a clause in my lease so everything is hung this way in my apartment.
Apparently, I am feeling better if I am stitching and walking about town. I see that *the boy* is trying hard. Doesn't mean I'm not frustrated with him but he's interviewing and sending resumes and applications everywhere and making noticeable contributions to the apartment, cooking, cleaning, fixing stuff and running my simple errands. He's scared and he's trying. I can respect that.

In my funk, I managed to read a book. Go me! I haven't read a book in ages because stitching and tv always takes precedence. I've checked out another three from the library so I hope to fit it in somehow. I did notice that in my no stitching funk, I was very productive at work. I wonder how to continue that. I tend to have ADD at work, getting easily distracted by whatever stitchy idea enters my head. I think stitching ALL day! I wish I could stitch full-time but I hardly think that would sufficiently pay the rent and the bills! If work wasn't *so* boring, I'd probably get more things done!

Well, I've babbled on enough. Time for Undercover Boss and Cold Case before I head to bed to get ready to face the week. How is it heading into Monday already?!

Until next time...

Things Got Worse...

I think I will have to put the idea of bi-monthly date nights and Mendocino weekend on hold for now. When I got home on Monday, after posting my vent post, I got home to find *the boy* waiting for me with a glass of wine. Sometimes this practice is a sweet gesture and other times, it's to liquor me up before spilling some bad news. I really couldn't take it at that point and just asked what had happened. Well, after working at the new place for two weeks, he had to present a proposal with suggestions on how the company was to move forward with the project he was hired to do. He presented the proposal, they didn't like it and they fired him on the spot. Oh, excuse me...they let him go because they "didn't think it was going to work out". I suppose that is the more genteel way of saying my original statement.

The Eff?!

I don't understand why this whole getting a job and keeping a job is so hard for *the boy*. I don't. He's super smart about business stuff. He has worked for big name companies and is very well connected. He likes the start-up environment which is risky and unstable. I keep telling him to look for a big, established company that can offer more stability but then, in this market...there isn't very much that is stable. But I have a real problem with how business is done nowadays. In the time I've known *the boy*, he's had 4 jobs that have all ended up being short term. The first company ran out of money and was probably connected to the Russian Mafia, the second was run by a crazy woman (I can say this since I actually met her) and it went bankrupt, the third was a temp job that was run 99% by women and I don't think they really wanted men in the business and the fourth apparently didn't like the proposal and didn't feel like working together was possible. What is with the one shot and you're out?! Are we stuck in some real-life version of The Apprentice? Fore reals... how do people conduct business this way? Not to mention wasting a month and a half interviewing and doing the paperwork to bring someone on only to let them go 2 weeks later. It is ridiculous!

So I'm even more bummed out which has led to stash therapy via online stash shopping. At least I'm stitching...but very little.

A part of me wonders if it's *the boy* or if it's business. Either way, I'm frustrated. At least I see that *the boy* is driven to find another job and as I type, he's at an interview. That's good but he needs to find something that will last longer than two weeks otherwise, the days of this relationship will become numbered and fast. My happiness really lies in him being able to take care of himself and that includes having his own job that brings in money. I have enough of my own things, not to mention the old folks, to worry about without him adding his mountain to my molehill.

Thanks to all the lovely supportive comments I got on my last post. I had meant to reply to many but my energy level was at an all-time low all week. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. My plans are quite low-key...farmer's market, visit with the old folks because my mom is bribing me to visit by making homemade chicken soup which I love, massage and a little stitching. I've managed to stitch a little more on Boo Club. I'm on the fourth section which I want to finish so I can catch up to the end of April since I have more gift stitching to do.

I'm half-tempted to drag *the boy* to church to thrown some holy water on him and make him light a candle at St. Jude's alter. He didn't appreciate the reference of him being a lost cause but hey, it can't hurt, right?

okiedoke, until next time...

In a Funk...

I've been in a funk since the beginning of the year and with the tide, the funk ebbs and flows. Lately, it's been flowing. I just feel like things have immensely changed over a short period of time. That's probably not *really* the case but all of a sudden, I'm aware and I feel like the lives of those around me are progressing and moving forward while mine is at a standstill. Marriages, pregnancies, births, home-buying, new jobs. How come exciting stuff isn't happening to me?! I know, I should be happy for them but I'm sad and jealous because I feel a retreat from them. I'm not married, I don't want children, I haven't got enough money to even come close to buying a condo, let alone a house in the area I live and whereas I would love a new and exciting job in the arts, I've got 6 more months to become vested in the job I currently have and I would like to become vested because come 65+, I'm sure I'll appreciate the extra stipend.

And I feel like time is a-wasting. I turn 35 and for some reason, it may as well be 40! Not that there is anything wrong with 40 but I really thought that by the time I was 35, my life would be established. I thought I'd be married with a couple of kids in a cute, old Victorian-style house. Somewhere, the train de-railed. I've wasted a year waiting for *the boy* to get better from an injury that was supposedly only going to take 6 weeks to heal. Six weeks...what a laugh! And I waited and helped out like a dutiful girlfriend. I did the right thing...but sometimes I question if it was the right thing for me. And I've talked about this stuff with *the boy* and he knows where I stand. There's no embarrassment in me putting my words to blog because it's not news to the characters in this real-life play. He's upset at the circumstances and everything I've gone through for him and he doesn't feel like I've wasted my time and he says he'll make it all up to me. *The boy* loves me. But I've lost any grain of patience I've had just waiting for his circumstances to change. So now that they have...I want everything to happen right now...like right this very second! What do you mean I have to wait even longer!? Of course, the alternative would be to go our separate ways and I know that won't make me happy either. Ugh, have you seen the characters on Match? No? Well I peeked just to see and trust me, I don't want to touch any of that with a ten-foot pole! *The boy* says this is the year for changes and great things will happen. I hope they are great, exciting things and not great, tragic things because I can't take anymore bad. I need fun happy things to happen to blow away that great big Eeyore cloud that is hovering over my head.

So we'll have fancy date nights 2x a month for now and a planned Mendocino weekend trip in May. Let's see if I can make it that far. Frankly, I think I need a 2-week vacation to completely de-stress my mind from all the drama over the last year and a half. But I guess I'll take a long weekend for now.

And onto the kids thing...everyone thinks that the fact I don't want children is odd. And now that my friends are starting to have kids, I feel like there's a disconnect because I'm the nutjob who doesn't like kids. I like kids enough...I just don't want to have any. The older I get, the less I want to have a child because I don't want to be like my parents. My parents were 47 and 45 when they had me. That was old back then to be having kids. My parents were the oldest amongst my friends and they were old school, strict parents who wouldn't let me out of their sight. It was tiring and frustrating. Everyone thought they were my grandparents. Try having to explain this over and over. It's kind of embarrassing. Plus, I was in a parental care role by the end of high school and still have to take care of their things to a certain extent. In a way, I feel like my childhood was stunted. I suppose the norm now is to have kids later in life once your career is established but if I were to have a kid, I'd have wanted it to happen earlier and now, I'd much rather travel the world.

So, I'm in a funk. I wonder what to do to get out of it. I think I should meet more people but for the most part, most people my age are busy being married and raising their kids. I wonder where the old cranky spinsters go hang out? And can you show up in your pj's and with your tv remote? I don't know.

With the funk, there is less desire to blog because I just don't feel chatty. I have stuff to talk about though...like going to the White Elephant Sale and grabbing some finds. Maybe if I get another burst of the chatty, I'll share sooner rather than later. But I may be posting less for a little bit. I hoping the funk ebbs again soon...it's rather affecting my stitching production too.

Thanks for sticking with me during this blathery post.

Until next time...

Saved by Silk

Hey All...

Not in the most talkative mood but I thought I would blog really quick. The weekend was a complete drag because *the boy* was sick ALL weekend. I don't know what is up with this guy but he seems to be sick every other weekend and it's no fun. Not to mention the whining and the inability to do anything else when he's feeling bad...I don't really want to deal with it on my days off that are so few and far between. Maybe that makes me cold-hearted but sheesh...after a year of broken leg and everything else, I just want a break already! And we had such nice weekend plans. Plus, you know, he just started a job! He's supposed to be able-bodied and ready to work...especially after a 2 year hiatus. This is just ridiculous!

But anyways, you guys aren't here to listen to me rail on about *the boy* and think I'm a meanie. Stitching...that's what you're here for! I dragged my bum to the LNS this weekend and picked up the silk and it was pretty much a dead on match! Yay! Initially, I thought it was a little brighter than the original but the variation made it blend well. Since *the boy* was sick, I stitched my little heart out. Stitch, stitch, stitch! I would have finished this gift Sunday night but I was unfocused and burnt out on all the red. But I finished Monday night and am sending it to Deb so see if she can work her magic on it. OMGosh, I hope so. I feel pretty darn proud that I managed to finish this up in one month. A short month too and the finished dimensions are 8" x 18". Proves that if I focus, I can really be a fast stitcher when I want to be!

Here are a couple more sneak peeks...
Ignore the boy hair...I don't know how it got there...
I'll reveal it in its entirety once it's been received by the recipient.

For now, I am going to enjoy a couple of low-key days stitching on Boo Club. I'm behind now since I didn't stitch on it at all in February. I'd like to get 2 more sections stitched before I set it aside again. I still have 2 more gifts to stitch and my blogoversary is rapidly approaching and I would like to stitch something up for that as well for a giveaway. So Mary will have to wait a little longer. I swear, she yells at me everyday!

Thanks for everyone's suggestions on the "running out of silk" issue. They were useful for the future. I'm just happy it all worked out this time around.

Until next time...

Thanks and a Question

Thanks for all the nice compliments and comments on my Snapper Year! Wow! I'm so overwhelmed! That was almost as much as my blog anniversary giveaway last year! I am really happy with them. Thank you, thank you. I did get all annoyed over it this past weekend though because my apartment manager, who is a nice helpful guy, is also an opinionated "I am right" type of guy and he convinced *the boy* that where I wanted it hung was not a good spot. So when I got home on Saturday, it was still not hung and still isn't today. I don't really think I have to justify where I put things in my own apartment. So, I'm kind of annoyed. Mind you, I've been cranky and punchy for the past week as well because...it's just that time of the month. Fact of the matter is, I have plans for most of the walls in my apartment...I'm just slow in making the reality happen. I will probably get it all perfect and then have to move! Oh wait...positive thinking...got to think positive. =D

So onto my question. As most of you know, I'm diligently working on a gift and it's really all I've been working on because I've been very deadline conscious about it. My goal is/was the end of this month but I know that's unlikely now. I mean...there's only two nights and two days of stitching time left! I'm about 85% done with it which is very good but I am rapidly running out of silk! Oh noes! I definitely do not have enough to complete the project. I saw this coming and went to my LNS and ordered more silk because the LNS was out of stock. The silk has come in and I'm planning on stopping by on Saturday to pick it up but I am worried that the new silk/dye lot will be noticeable different. Really, I'm kind of freaked out. Has anyone had any experience of one skein of Gloriana being completely different from another?

I was wondering if anyone out in blogland has the same color silk in the same dyelot in their stash that isn't spoken for any particular project. I know this is a long shot but then I know I've done everything I can other than call every needlework shop in America. I'm crazy but not that crazy. So I'm looking for a skein of Gloriana silk in Cranberry (color #062), Lot T37/3289. If you have one, please let me know. Please, please, please...it's for a special gift! I can exchange for another skein of Cranberry or another color, trade for something else or just pay outright. If not, I'll just wish really hard that those skeins waiting for me at the LNS are a close match.

I'll come back to share some stitching, whether sneak peeks or otherwise, over the weekend. For now, I'm off to stitch until I run out of silk!

Thanks for the comments and looking in your stash...

Until next time...

Tease

As promised, I've returned with show and tell but am being a tease and only showing one of the two pieces I got framed by Jill. I probably should have mentioned that these are not extravaganzas like the Letter G I got framed. In fact, after I received Letter G, I emailed Jill gushing over her talent and then asked if she could do "simple". She said she could and to send whatever I wanted framed to her. So I did! I decided to send on my Bent Creek Snapper Year and Plum Street Samplers Christmas Tea.

Here's Christmas Tea:
I liked how the model looked so much on the pattern that I wanted to frame it exactly as pictured. That was harder than I thought though because Jill didn't have any moulding that matched the one in the photo and I couldn't find it online anywhere.

Then out of the blue, I received an email from Sharon Crescent about some old duplicate magazines I was unloading that I posted on a message board and lo and behold...we traded! Yay! I was so happy! Off went the frame to Jill and ta-da! I'm quite pleased with it and I haven't even seen it in person! The package came Monday but since the housecleaner was coming today, I didn't want to make a mess or have things in her way of cleaning. Yea, I know...I'm weird.

This was stitched with the recommended fibers but I changed the color of fabric to Lakeside Linens Tundra because I liked the silvery-blue effect.

I'll come back with Snapper Year. *The boy* is playing photographer and this piece is very hard to capture due to it's size. So...I'll be back! :)

Snapper Year Reveal!

Ugh, *the boy* is a bad photographer! He falls asleep in the middle of his photo shoot! I had to steal the camera and try to pick the best photos. Seeing as I leave early and get home late, it's practically impossible for me to take photos of anything during the week. Here are the best photos of the now framed Snapper Year! (all photos should be clickable!)

Wannabe artistic side angle with lots of glare
And close up of frame detailThis piece is really hard to photograph and show it the justice it deserves. It's just so big and now that it's framed, it measures 12" x 47". It was a huge, huge box that got delivered and I was very happy I didn't have to drag that box up my three flight of stairs. Thank goodness for apartment managers! lol

I LOVE it though! I originally told Jill I was looking for a colorful frame...but she emailed me with this moulding choice saying that it just seemed meant to be what with the leaves and swirls that matched the leaves and swirls in the stitched border. I had to agree and I am so glad that I did! The warm cocoa tones in the frame really brought out the warm "caffe latte" tones of the linen in person. I am so happy to have this sucker stitched and framed. Now the task to hang it...I have to rig things with fishing line and moulding hooks so I don't make holes in the plaster walls. It's challenging...I think Ill have the apartment manager do it while *the boy* is around...they can both talk each others ears off and I can keep stitching!

Thanks for all the nice comments on Christmas Tea!! I am really loving it! I was going to put it in my bookcase with a little japanese tea set I have but *the boy* is trying to convince me to hang it in the dining room because of the "come to my table" reference in the piece. I can't decide so for now, I've left it on the chair near me so I can enjoy it. Decisions are not my forte!

I am feeling rather glum. Why is it that when you have big plans with your money, other things come up?! In my case, I'm seriously shopping for a new sofa and snuggler. As I suspected, I owe taxes but I owe 60% more than I anticipated! I have no idea why and am considering making an appointment with an accountant to understand and make sure I set up my W-4 correctly so this doesn't happen again for this tax year. Then, on the way home from Valentine's Day dinner, *the boy* goes "uh-oh, the check engine light came on". I am hypervigilant about the car since it's old and my only way of getting around. After some research, we came up with three possible scenarios of what was wrong and took it to the mechanic. Of course, of the three issues, the car has the most serious and expensive problem! I suppose that's the risk when driving a 13 year old car. After being without a car for two days, the part is now on order and the car will go back to the mechanic next week. Between the taxes and the car repair, I am out the amount of money I would have used to buy the sofa and snuggler. You know what that means...no new furniture for a little while. Argh! It's hard to fulfill the positive thinking goal when your car and Uncle Sam are sucking you dry! Wah! I'm going to go drown my sorrows in stitching. Thank goodness I have enough stash to pull be through this dry slump!

Okiedoke, hope everyone is having a good week!

Until next time...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

I did not have huge expectations for Valentine's Day this year as *the boy* is still technically unemployed and isn't due his first paycheck until mid-March and he is scraping pennies since his unemployment ran out months ago and EDD is slow on appeals. That's ok. We're going out to a nice dinner thanks to a gift certificate he bought at half-price months and months ago and that's fine by me.

We wakes up *way* before me. This morning, when I got up and went to the front room, I bypassed the kitchen and saw a bouquet of roses, card and small box of chocolates on my dining table. I did a double take and asked how he managed to sneak that stuff in! He snuck clothes into the hallway closet last night and woke up at 7am. While I was sleeping, he snuck into the hallway to change and snuck out of the house and walked to the nearby grocery store! I'm surprised I slept through it all but most nights I sleep with earplugs. What a sneaky boy! He says there were loads of guys out trying to pick out flowers and cards too. Hmmm....
He also said he'll be stuck eating tuna this week! haha Good thing we have a stocked pantry. Neither of us will starve! After slowly waking up, *the boy* made me a pancake breakfast and we headed to Costco. Normally, I need a valium (joking) before or after any Costco run but it was very quiet there today...although I got the usual sticker shock at the register.

It's also time to report on my TUSAL. Here's my jar modeling with our cards.
and a rather dark close-up...notice all the red threads!
I've been gift stitching every spare moment I have. I'm only about 40% done with it but I'm enjoying the process thus far. I'm only showing sneak peeks because the recipient peeks here every so often.
Hope everyone enjoys their day!

Until next time...

P.S. I'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for my delivery from Jill Rensel scheduled for tomorrow. I'll be sure to share my framing soon. So excited!!