Picture update

I haven't posted a real photo in a few days, so I thought I would show off my progress on the Cardinal ornament. It's almost finished. I have the backstitch on the leaves to do and the rest of the beading. I didn't really want the beads, but HTB likes them, and he offered to go to Michael's to get them for me. He asked, "So you want round beads or heart beads?" I told him seed beads. He looked confused. I got a mental image of him standing in the bead aisle, terrified, asking random women what seed beads are. Luckily, I had the right color beads in my stash, so he's safe. Check that, the rest of the Michaels' shopping public in North Central Maryland is safe. LOL.

I also wanted to post my favorite picture from the weekend. I'm never in the pictures we take on vacation. Mainly because I don't just hand my camera off to anyone. So HTB took my photo while we were visiting the ponies on the National Seashore (though this is on the inland side of the island. He did a good job. I am not naturally photogenic, and especially not so when I've been walking in slop, but he took a good photo. I love that we saw a palomino pinto pony, like Misty. I really haven't seen a lot of them on our visits. I wanted to get closer, but it was a bit boggy, and I didn't want to fall, not with the camera in hand. I'm hopeful the next time we go down, we can spend more time exploring the island--it is such a pretty place and I feel so blessed to live so close to it.



I changed the header photo too. That pony watched me the whole time I was taking pictures. He reminded me very much of the horse my grandfather gave me as a kid. It really was nice to see them in a natural habitat, not scrounging through campsites. He looks so dignified and wild, truly a creature born of sand and surf and wind.

Start the countdown!

2 days and a wakeup til I leave for the Richmond GTG.

I stopped over at Mom's for the box of stuff for the trade table--AKA, the Big Bin O' Stuff I No Longer Want. She asked me when I was putting it in the car if I was sure I didn't want it. I told her I went over it twice, and I don't want it. She said, "Well, just be sure because what if you want it in 5 years, you won't have it." I could probably trade for it then. I don't really see it happening, though. Not with what I have. I still have some stuff from the house to add and then that is ready. But that box is so jammed with stuff, I could feel the difference in the car's get up and go on the way back.

I also grabbed my HOHRH from Mom's dining room. One of the events at the Stitch-in is a contest and I thought I'd enter it, especially since I was working on it when I met a lot of the attendees at CATS in 2006 and I'd like them to be able to see the finished piece. It had been leaning up against the wall since I brought it back from the state fair in 2007--it doesn't match the decor and I was too nervous about putting nails into those old plaster and lathe walls to hang it up anywhere else. It really does need to come home with me. You can enter two pieces, plus two unframed pieces, but I'm not sure if I want to enter anything else. I'll have to think about it.

I have pretty much finalized my take-along projects. I'll be bringing Sleepy Hollow along, with the hope that I can get at least the angel/tombstone thingmajig finished, as well as the wording. It's time I put effort into that. As well as my ring pillow. I really do like working on that project; it moves along really quickly as long as I keep track of where I am. It just, at home I have so many other things that call to me and it's so easy to say, "I can work on this later." Well, I'm down down to 142 possible 'laters' and, in real time, that's not that many. What I need is a solid weekend of focus and it would be DONE, ready for the rings. So those are my two goals for the weekend. Let's see if I can accomplish them by Monday.


I will not be taking my car to Richmond. I need new tires, and that is not in the budget this month. They're OK for driving around here, but HTB doesn't want me taking them on long trips. He didn't ask me why I was spending money to go to Sue's and not on tires; he knows I need this, like he needs to go racing some weekends, we need our passions to get us through the stressful times. So, instead, he told me to take the Tahoe. ROCK ON! I won't have my XM Radio, which is quite the bummer, but . . . it is a larger vehicle with more cargo area (I'm just being prepared, just in case), it's comfortable, and it really is not that much more difficult to drive than the Vibe. Especially if I'm driving straight through.

I'm trying to figure out what goodies to take. I didn't buy a Smith Island Cake when we were at the beach--it didn't seem particularly smart to try to haul it home three hours, especially when that three hour trip took five due to traffic. I could attempt to make one, but part of me knows better--why inflict my first attempt at making it on others when we can eat it at home. Maybe I'll just do Rolo Pretzels or saltine cracker candy. It's been a while since I made both of those, they always go over well, and I think, other than nuts, I have what I need.

I really am getting giddy. I was looking at the list of designers who are coming. Whispered by the Wind! Stitchinspiration--! Sue Hillis will be offering the designs she had on the 2007 Cruise, which I have WANTED with all my heart for two years. And I am looking forward to hanging out with people. My roommates are stitchers I've known for a while. One grew up in the same county I did, the other I've known for a while and roomed with before. So it should be lots of fun!

Went away for the weekend

The change in my header photo was in honor of our weekend trip to Assateague Island. We were both in serious need of a getaway after that long winter and with all the stress we've both been under. It was also Car Cruise weekend in Ocean City, and HTB loves going there. So we took the camper on its maiden voyage. HTB went down Wednesday, and I left Friday.

Of course, this being Crazyville, nothing exactly happens as planned. They called me Thursday from the bridal salon to tell me my wedding dress was in, and to come get it. So I had to make a stop-off. For me to drive over, try it on, then take it home and turn around would have been too long, so I was going to drop it off at my mother's. She had no room to hang it and suggested laying it across a bed. Well, HTB vetoed that right off the bat. He said no way, what if one of the cats laid on it? Or did worse. I didn't want it wrinkled, so I took it over to his parents' house. They babysat my dress and the dogs for us this weekend, LOL. By the time I got to the beach, I was so hot and tired.

Saturday was a pretty relaxed day. We woke up and went on a pony hunt. It may just be that the ponies haven't realized the plethora of good eating in the state park, but we didn't see a lot in there. None came to visit, and I'm all about the ponies. So we went over to the national seashore to look for them. And it was lovely. They were in their element, out in the marshes. We came onto 3 bands (what they call the herds): one with maybe nine ponies in it, one with two, and one with seven. We had to walk out quite a ways to see the band of seven. Flip flops are NOT good shoes for treks through mud, I forget that every year. HTB was wearing socks with his flip-flops (he'd hurt his foot and was trying to protect it), and they were trashed by the time we got out to the band. We didn't get close--HTB is still wary (some would say 'scared') of horses, and I have instituted a new rule with myself that I will no longer be part of spoiling their wildness by petting them.

We don't feed them, but I have petted them, even though it's illegal to do so. Everyone pets the ponies. People do far stupider things; I've seen people put their kids on them. Um, hello, you're putting a tiny child on a wild stallion. He might be little, he might be cute, he's still a stallion. I've ridden for 25 years and never been on an untethered stallion's back, even a tame one. STUPID STUPID STUPID. But really, I can't be that critical if I'm petting them. These are not tame horses, they're used to people, but that's no excuse to touch them. So I made a decision to not pet them anymore; instead I'll just talk quietly to them about how lovely their island is. And I'll stay away from behind them; I've been kicked enough to know better than that!

We went to the beach in the afternoon. It was a nice day, but too cold to go in the water. I am a bit ashamed of myself; I jumped in the Bay in a snowstorm on a 19 degree day and I can't handle my feet in the Atlantic Ocean on a sunny day 50 degrees warmer? Perhaps if I'd worn my cap and red lipstick? Is that the secret? Instead I contented myself figuring out what color DMC the ocean water was. Maybe in the 560 range, but maybe closer to 368? I'm not too sure about that.

We went into town for dinner, then went to watch the cars cruise up and down Coastal Highway. The best thing I saw all night was two Mini Coopers pulled up along side each other. One was a new one, the other was a very old one. With a tractor trailer horn on it. Which he blew. It was awesome. I want one. I think that is EXACTLY what I need to have for my daily commute. Can you imagine? How obnoxiously cool would that be? I chuckle thinking about it. Think about it the next time you are in traffic, especially if you are in a little car.

We came home yesterday. I HAD to stop at Salty Yarns in Ocean City. I haven't set foot in an LNS since the last time I was there, in September. And we needed popcorn from Fisher's. So HTB took the camper up to 94th Street and parked there, while I attempted to find a parking place for my car closer to the LNS. Y'all, it took me an hour to park the car. The parking is so unclear, and I don't want my car towed. I finally found one, two blocks from the LNS. That wouldn't have been bad, but it was 12 blocks from the popcorn stand. I had forgotten to pack capri pants, and I don't own shorts, so I walked down that boardwalk in jeans, my tee shirt and ballet flats. I was quite the beauty by the time I got back to the car and then wilted into the pizza parlor for our lunch.

But I scored good stash! I try to only buy things on vacation that are particular to that place or that I haven't seen at home. It's a wierd tic I have, but I feel like I'm doing a better job of supporting my LNS that way (despite the issues I've had with them over the last couple years about when I should bring in framing, and the way they look at freebies, they're still a small business owner). Fortunately, Salty Yarns carries a series of Ocean City designs, and has a nice selection of seaside designs. So I indulged, knowing that my summer won't be spent at the seaside and wanting to have a hint of summer and beach. I bought an Oberlin Samper design of light houses, a summer-themed Hinzeit, Shepherd's Bush, "O Say." I also bought LHN Summer Strawberries, which I may do as one of my ornaments for the Bride's Tree. I toyed over getting a tote bag with a Halloween chart by Prairie Moon, but $30 seemed like a lot to spend right then, so put it back.

It was a nice trip, a pleasant break, and the kind of weekend that gets one through til the next big weekend away.

Vacation

Are we there yet?

Is it time to sit under an umbrella with a frosty beverage watching the rest of the world go by, while we enjoy the novelty of "nothingness"? Or people watch? Or daydream? Have we made our appointment for the pre-vacation mani, pedi, fill, or spray tan? We'd hate to not be at our cutest--this is vacation! Has anyone seen the sunscreen?

Are our stitching bags packed? Have we thought about what projects to bring: let's keep the hand-dyed stuff for indoor stitching, and the simple stuff for outdoor? Are our scissors sharpened? Have we cleared out our cars to make room for random S.E.X. acts--we'd hate to not be able to find that Dazor lamp in that was on sale at 70% off because we kept the first aid kit in the car . . . and think of all the room for stash that we'd have if we just took the spare tire out!

If we're meeting up with other stitchers during our travels, did we remember to bake a snack, or pick one up at the store. Like, say, coconut cake or Smith Island 9 layer cake--don't we need the nine layers and the fudge frosting for energy to get us through long vacation stitching sessions? We shouldn't bring fruit, unless it's bought at a farmstand; we can eat fruit at home, vacation is about cake and salt water taffy and funnel cakes and water ice. And, since we're eating, did we pack elastic waist pants? Stitchers should be like Girl Scouts!

I think we're almost there.

Don't you?

Picture post

A little late but here they.

Kitty and Me ornament from JCS 2000 issue. I think it's an amazing gift that she possesses that she can take 3801, which is a bright flourescent shade of red/pink, as un-cardinally a color as I can imagine, and make it work through fairly easy shading to be the perfect color for a winter cardinal. Very few designers, really, have that talent. Stoney Creek is far more intricate, and Teresa Wentzler is in love with tweeding. The only issue I am having with this is that the blackwork leaves are all in that HORRIBLE DMC Light Effects. That stuff pops and snarls worse than the elastic waistband on an ancient pair of underwear and I hate it. I keep using it because I think the Kreinik would have made it thicker, but GOSH, does it irritate me. I keep expecting it to become easier to work with as I get older, but it's like a bad relationship; you keep going back, thinking, it will be different, and it's not, and it irritates you more because you expected better. I'll get through it, and it will be gorgeous, but, it's a waste of floss.



This is a quick stitch project from the Sanman board, the Inky Dinky Snowman SAL. I did this very quickly over the weekend, probably in 5 hours for the whole project. I like blackwork, something about that being all there is to the project makes it OK. and I really do like the challenge of not jumping across the back of the fabric, and figuring out how to minimize the lines on the back. There will be ten more of these little guys over the coming weeks, and I am really looking forward to stitching them.


Here are photos of the 2011 Keepsake calendar. I hope this doesn't violate copyright. It shouldn't; I'm not showing the charts, just a sample of what they have available. It's maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but there are some nice charts here.

The back cover. It's impossible to get a good photo showing everything.


July. I think this would make a pretty pillow.


September. Probably another good pillow, but you really could leave this out all year. It would be a pretty dining-room picture.


October. I would really leave this out all fall. It's pretty.


And December. The December 2010 is a juggling Santa, so this is, I guess, appealing to the elegance of the season, so you bookend the year in elegance and whimsy. But it would be kinda fun to put these out on a table in an entry way or amongst a buffet at a Christmas party.


I'm starting to embrace the idea of easels as a way to display stitchery, not on the wall. I'm sure this will change when we have jostling children, but it's a lot easier to use them to display little seasonal framed pieces than to try to find places to hang them (we have a patriotic piece up on the wall in our living room that is 4X4 and the normal piece is 12X16 and it grates on me to see that tiny little picture on that big expanse of wall) and they do make a pretty presentation.

Hope you are having a good week. Thank you for your kind comments about dealing with change. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels this way, and I'm glad people found my comments OK. All we can do, in a changing world, is keep finding humor. And at least I walked out smiling, not crying, and I made Norah smile. I think that girl has a future in puppy blogging, LOL.

2010: the year of change

Saturday, I said goodbye to one of the best bosses I've ever had. She is a young mother, newly married, with the most adorable little girl ever. I only worked with her part-time, and so we didn't have a normal boss-employee relationship. Yes, we talked about work and had serious discussions about the future of our employer and our concerns for how we're positioned in the market, but she was also someone I could talk to about transitioning into marriage, and that it feels wierd to go from single, independant, self-focused person into a partnership where it's putting someone else's needs first. She understood the frustrations of planning a wedding and having to deal with everyone's input. We could joke around, and look at pictures of cake online and drool together. She brought her 2-year-old to work all the time. Norah showed me her knee, once she figured out where her knee was. She loved to look at puppy (pronounce pah-py) videos on You-tube. We had a group love affair for donuts. But she wanted to go home to the Midwest. She needed to be home, and, although most of me understands that, because I feel the same about Maryland, it was still, "Oh, crap, it's another change."

I'm noticing a trend with this year. Change. Maybe I've been dense the last 33 years and just didn't notice things were different--it feels like I just woke up one morning with wrinkles and grey hair--but I notice that life is changing more and more these days. I've never handled this type of thing well, probably left over from growing up in a small town, where everything stayed the same all the time. It can be overwhelming.Part of me just seems to want things to hold still. Even the good changes. I won't ever really be content til I know they're "good" and that's hard.

I'm trying so hard to work on this. Other than work, I've never had a change that was bad. Even the things that changed in a way I didn't like, always ended up OK. And I know everyone feels like things take time to get used to. And I am working to put aside my fear. To be brave. To accept that life is not static.

I almost called out sick on Saturday because I didn't want to say goodbye. But that would have been wrong, so we joked and chatted all day. Before I left, I told my boss I appreciated her. I held Norah, she showed me where her knee was, and we looked at pictures of dogs on blogs--she LOVES Diane Williams' Golden Retriever ("Pah-pies, pah-pies," she said), and she was laughing at Pumpkin's dog. At the end of the day, I gave my boss a hug, and I told Norah to "stay Southern, don't let them change you, girl, no matter what. You're one of us." I hope she remembers that. And I hope I faced change with grace.

Unforeseen S.E.X

I went over to Mom's today to let the twins out. I still get mail there, and, in addition to PS Prairie Birds, which I have been wanting, there was another package. I thought it was the new issue of Stoney Creek, but it wasn't. It was a 2011 Cross Stitch Calendar.

Last summer, I ordered the 2010 Cross Stitch and Needlework Calendar. It was a good buy for $20. There were at least 4 charts in there I like, and I have a habit of changing tastes as I age, so maybe more will strike me. And it was cheaper than buying it at the LNS. I forgot that I had signed up to have them keep sending them to me. And there it was. A little early, but I think it's worth keeping. My favorite design is of kitties looking out a snowy window in January, closely followed by a picture of the flag for July.

It came with a super-cute pocket calendar with a chart by Val's Stuff. WITH. A. BUNNY. The only drawback is that the bunny is stitched with CC threads with no DMC conversion. Why doesn't someone man up and do a conversion? I know, I know, "But Rachel, you can not convert overdyeds. The variations are too subtle, too intricate. You must stitch the design using suggested threads." HOOOOOOEEEYYYY. If they can convert Weeks, they can convert these. I know, I know, "Then YOU do it, Missy. If you're gonna complain, fix it." To which I answer with a resounding, "I'm BUSY." For now, I'll just write in my parents' wedding anniversary, and place my order for the overdyed threads.