More dragony goodness...

and another progress picture. This means that I have been working slowly and steadily on Guardian. I haven't been working on him every day, but have made it a point to do at least touch him every few days. Here he is as of Sunday night (as usual, click on the picture for a bigger version):



Why, yes! The whole right side is finished. Thank you for asking! The needle organizer has done wonders with how fast I am getting this done. I may not stitch as quickly as...well...everyone else...but the organizer has stepped it up. I was spending soooo much time threading one needle that I wasn't stitching much.

Instead of carrying over and continuing on the sky or the dragon, I decided to try out some of the knotwork border. Those of you who has worked on a TW know that Teresa doesn't do anything simple. This border is no different, though it does give the piece something extra and will be gorgeous when finished. I just think I may have to go back between picture and border to prevent my throwing Guardian across the room. I don't want him to end up in the "I don't love you anymore pile."

Lots of non-stitching related things have been going on here. Friday was my baby's 7th birthday. We got her hair done, a mani/pedi, went to Build-a-Bear Workshop, had Krabby Patties for dinner, saw "Ramona and Beezus" and she got a new "big girl" bike. What a long day but she said it was the best birthday ever! My teenager spent a half hour at WM picking out her sister's new bike: looking, test driving, comparing. She was determined to get sister the best bike ever, and she did a great job!

Also, an old old friend of mine was heading back to Colorado from Iraq and he stopped by NC for a few days. It was so much fun and it was a blast reminiscing about what our lives were like 20 years ago. My teenager was in awe that this man was almost her father.

Only a month left until it's back to school? I hope everyone gets to squeeze a bit more fun out of their summer!

A castle and a tail...

is now finished on TW's Guardian. I can't believe it took me 14 years to get that far! On top of that, I can't believe that it took me so long to figure out to use a needle organizer! I used one on TW's Wedding Sampler for my sister, and I use one for my other larger projects. But for some reason I thought that the floss organizer that came with the kit was good enough.

Not. Even. Close.

But here he is after a week of work. You can see how he looked previously in my webshots album. Click on the pic for a bigger version.



Looking good!

My mom bought Aislin a little cross stitch kit of a butterfly. She has been dying to learn how to cross stitch, but since she's only 6 I wasn't sure if she was old enough. Trying to teach Alyssa was a nightmare! But she did great and LOVES it! I will definitely post a finished picture.

Where did you go...

2009? I feel like time is flying by!

I started school full time this semester, and it's taking all of my time. I intern in an elementary school two days a week, and do classes the rest of the time. This is sucking up all of my free time, but I think I may be more obsessive with it than I should be. I got good grades this semester (3 As and a B) but is that worth losing time with my girls and time to myself? I have learned the hard way that I can't go like I could in my 20s, and it's time I took a look at my life.

I will be 40 soon, and my oldest will be 16 in less than a month. Getting the certification for teaching will be so worth economically, but is it worth missing out on my girls growing up? Is it worth my health and emotional well being? I don't really think so anymore.

There are changes coming. It's a reality check...

...and my reality is going to be much different than it has been!

A little of this and a little of that...

February is almost over, and I realized that all I do is work. I started classes this semester also, to finish up my elementary education certification. I get very little time with my girls, and I certainly don't get to do anything that I like to do. Relaxation is NOT my middle name here!

I have made the decision that after this weekend (since I'm grading final essays right now) that I will spend at least 30 minutes stitching or doing something that I want to do every night after the girls go to bed. To get me back into "stitching mode" I uploaded a picture of my current favorite WIP, Desiderata Sampler. This picture was taken last September. There's a full-size picture of it in my webshots album.



I love(d) stitching this piece! In addition to having lots of different types of stitches, it includes silk thread, which those of you who know me know that I have an obsession with crunching silk. It's a very relaxing piece to stitch, and it actually keeps my attention for longer than 2 days.

2008 passed by so quickly that my resolutions and goals I made at the beginning of the year were pretty much made in vain. I made the lists when I was unemployed, and had no clue that the year would end the way it did.

So here are my resolutions, revamped for 2009 (which means they will probably be exactly the same!). If you feel you *must* know what my resolutions were in 2008, here you go.

Stitching Related
1. Finish Guardian, which is my longest running TW wip.
2. Finish Desiderata.
3. Finish my neice's birth sampler by her 2nd birthday in May.
4. Finish the Bride's Tree SAL.
5. Stitch 1 ornament a month.
6. Keep up with the SBQ.
7. Join the local EGA and go to the meetings/stitch ins. (This will probably have to wait until at least fall.)

Work/School Related
1. Teach two classes 4 times a year with UOP online.
2. Get the book I'm editing into production by May 31st.
3. Get my beading and calligraphy businesses up and going, on a minimal basis of course. My BIL finally finished my logo, but I have a few tweaks I want done on it.
4. Take two classes a semester toward certification.

Personal
1. Continue in my dance class. It's so much fun!
2. Go to the gym. I did sign up, but I don't have time to go. Wasting money!
3. Lose 20 pounds.
4. Pay off whatever bills I can.
5. Save at least $5000 by the end of the year.
6. Start a college savings fund for both girls and contribute to it often.
7. Have at least 2 Alyssa-only dates a month. I worked hard to keep this up last year, and even had "Mommy-Aislin" days. Even if I had to skip on something I was supposed to do, I made time for them. Granted, it wasn't as much as I would have liked, but it's better than nothing!
8. Go on a real vacation with the girls. Myrtle Beach here I come!

That's probably enough for the year. I will add or delete as needed...

...yep, probably delete.

Nothing!

I have finished nothing this year!

On the positive side, my girls are great and my sister is here with her family. Joy!

My baby had her follow up today...

and the doctor said everything looks great! The scabs are all gone from her throat and there's no infection or swelling. I'm so relieved, and I think the procedure was worth it because she is sleeping better. No snoring, no apnea, no waking up screaming. I can tell she's breathing better and just feeling better in general. Thank you so much Dr. J!

I'm almost ready to post a WIP pic of Desiderata. Maybe after tonight, because I want to get the first part completely finished. But I so totally love working on this piece. It's not difficult, but its simple elegance makes it look like it is. I haven't been this excited about working on something in a long time!

It's time to go pick up my big girl. She has a doctor's appointment too. If it's not one...

...it's the other!