Too many jobs equals...

not enough time for Sandy to do what she wants to do. I have a 45-minute commute (one way mind you) to my regular job. That means I have to be out of the house extraordinarily early and worry whether or not I'm going to be able to pick up my baby on time at the end of the day.

I have about an hour to spend with my girls, and then it's time to teach online. I am contracted to spend four hours a night online, which means I get to bed after 11 pm every night. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to be up by 5 am. I feel like a walking zombie most of the time.

Let's not even talk about stitching. I won't make any of my goals this year. I was supposed to have finished my niece's birth sampler for her first birthday in may. Not even close. I haven't worked on an ornament for the Bride's Tree SAL in months. Even Desiderata has been languishing in the closet for a long time.

I am dying to do creative, fun things, to spend time with my girls, and to just have time to relax. If this is what being a grown up is all about...

...I refuse to grow up!

No thread means...

I had to go to an LNS downtown and order thread for my heart. So that means I am almost 3 months behind on the Bride's Tree SAL. I'm very irritated and disappointed, as the person I ordered from originally has been my ONS for many years. She has always been very dedicated to the best service and has always been very fast. I'm not sure what happened but I won't be ordering from her again.

I did finish the first section of Desiderata and took a picture. Hopefully sometime today I will get it off of my camera. I am going to start the wrapping on the heart and get a scan of that up. I have also been working on my niece's birth sampler, which is not difficult. It's a lot of white on white though. But it's going to be very pretty and dainty. I have been put way behind, between helping my mother with her classes and working on that book.

Spring has finally come to North Carolina (I think!) and we have had a few nice days. The trees are blooming and the Japanese maples outside the house look amazing! I always feel better mentally and physically when things start blossoming again, like we have come out of purgatory or something. Maybe not the best comparison, but there's nothing like seeing the first hummingbird of the year flittering around the empty feeders.

I am determined to get a good picture of a cardinal this year!

There is no end...

to the amount of things I do. Especially for other people. My poor mother is taking classes to get an add-on to her teaching license, and this project she had to do was so unbelievably ridiculous! But it's finished now, and I doubt she would have even gotten finished if it weren't for me.

On the stitching front, I STILL haven't received my one tiny spool of thread to finish my February heart for the Bride's Tree SAL. I ordered it on February 2. It's really getting on my nerves, and even though I ordered it from the shop that always came through and got things to me within a week, I'm thinking of finding a new place to shop. I have even started the March ornament because I want to finish the February one first!

I am almost finished with the first part of Desiderata (probably tonight!) so I will post a picture of it tomorrow. Then I have to move on to my niece's birth sampler, or it will never be finished and framed by her first birthday.

I found a neat book list on Terri's site. Just follow the directions!

Look at the list of (100) books below. Bold the ones you’ve read. Italicize the ones you want to read. Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in. (Movies don’t count.)

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

There are a few on the list that I have absolutely no interest in. Like the Ayn Rand books. I really hate her writing. I started Atlas Shrugged in graduate school and just couldn't stomach it. So anyway, have fun with the list! I think I'll have to wait until tomorrow to catch up on the SBQ.

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!

Let's play catchup...

on the SBQs! I have some time before I need to run some errands, so now would be a good time!

For 2.26.2008: What is your cross stitch weakness? (i.e., What do you have to have when you see it, even if you are supposed to be on the Wagon?)

I would have to say that one of my weaknesses is thread. There are so many colors and types out there, and I have to have them all. I am especially fond of silks, because they glide right through the fabric. And when I squeeze the skein there is a very satisfying crunchy sound that no one else understands! I probably have a few thousand dollars worth of just thread, because if I get one of a particular line, then I have to get all of them.

Another weakness I have is Christmas patterns, especially ornaments and snowmen. It's my favorite time of the year and I'm always on the lookout for really unique or pretty Christmas patterns. I mostly only stitch the ornaments, but I like to look through them, even if I might not ever stitch them.

For 2.13.2008: Do you have any projects that you have scrapped and started over? What made you start over from scratch?

I have several projects that I have scrapped for various reasons. Either I made a huge mistake and didn't have the energy to fix it, I ended up not liking the pattern as I stitched it, cut fabric threads by accident, my daughter wrote on it, or any other number of reasons. I did scrap one ornament because I messed it up when I was trying to be creative in sewing it to the backing fabric, and cute it right against the stitching. I will do this one again because I really liked the ornament. But I usually don't start them over unless it's a gift for someone else, so they just end up languishing in a drawer forever. After the next ice age, these projects will be found and they will end up in a museum in the Primitive Art wing.

For 2.6.2008: Are there other crafts that you have tried and abandoned? Why do you like stitching better?

I did try scrapbooking but really didn't like it. It is SO expensive to buy all the stickers and tags and paper and all the other goodies that make the pages look good. I thought my cross stitch habit was expensive, but the scrapbooking was ridiculous! Plus it was very stressful for me, when it should be relaxing. Trying to find just the right doo-dad to put on the page, or choosing the perfect picture, was making me lose my mind! I'll just stick to what I do best...following someone else's pattern.

Well, that's it for today kiddies,...

...as I'm sure that was more excitement than you can bear in one day!

I can't believe...

that February is almost gone already! Things have been so hectic and chaotic around here that I haven't had time to do much of anything. And forget about finishing anything.

My baby had her surgery on the 12th. The doctor went ahead and took out her tonsils along with the adenoids because they were bigger than what she thought. Plus her adenoids took up about 75 percent of her airway. My poor little baby girl did NOT do well after the surgery. She refused to eat and cried a lot of the time. Mostly she just wanted to snuggle in my lap. She started vomiting and couldn't keep down anything. She lost almost 5 pounds, and my whole family was beside themselves as to what to do. We thought she was going to have to go back to the hospital.

Luckily, she had no bleeding, just a ton of pain. She missed a week of school, and then I slowly got her back in for just a couple of hours for a few days. She still has a little bit of pain, but her throat is looking much better! Thank you so much to everyone who sent encouragement and prayers!

It's really difficult to edit a book when a 4 1/2 year old wants to be in your lap for two weeks, so I'm behind on both of my books. I've also started training to teach online courses, so that takes up most of my evenings. I have this week of training, then a week break, then two more weeks of training. But I would like if possible to get both of my books out by mid-March. Keeping my fingers crossed!

On the stitching side, I have gotten to stitch a bit on Desiderata. Within the next couple of days I will post a picture of the first section. I have to say that I love it and it's looking gorgeous! I'm really enjoying this piece. Still waiting on my thread for my hardangar heart for the Bride's Tree SAL though :(

For the first time, I have been tagged by Olenka.

THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Here a 7 weird or random facts about me:

1. My eyes are two different colors. They are both blue, but the left one is blue on the bottom half and greenish gold on the top half. A doctor told me that one day my left eye could very well become all greenish gold.

2. I have five tattoos and two piercings (not my ears).

3. I absolutely hate the smell and taste of celery. It tastes like soap to me. So of course my parents make everything with celery!

4. I wanted to be a veterinarian since I was in preschool. Until I got to college and couldn't pass chemistry.

5. I wanted to see the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre when I was five years old. I haven't lost my love of horror movies one bit!

6. I'm obsessive about my handwriting. I had trouble finishing things in school because I would restart everything if I didn't like my handwriting. Unfortunately, that has crossed over into much everything else I do.

7. The first car I bought was a little green Ford Festiva. They don't even make those any more! I named it "Little Green Roach-Mobile." How lame.

I won't tag anyone, because most people I know have already been tagged for this one. But if you are reading this and haven't been tagged...

...you are now!

What a great start...

for February!

First let me say that the Giants were awesome last night! That was one of the best Super Bowls I've seen in years, and my dad and I were yelling ourselves hoarse the whole time. Eli made some great plays, and I'm so happy he got out of big brother's shadow. The Patriots needed to be taken down from their pedestal, and Tom Brady and Bill Belichick found out that they are not invincible. I can't believe that Belichick walked off the field before the game was over. What a poor loser!

And House was on after the game! It was a really good episode, and it really threw me for a loop. That's one of my favorite shows, and I plan on getting them on dvd. What a great tv night it was last night!

I also got my February ornament for the Bride's Tree SAL *almost* finished. It's a hardanger heart, and I got everything done down to the cut threads, until I realized that I had bought the wrong size of perle coton to do the wrapping, weaving, and dove's eyes. So I had to order the thread. But that's ok, because I'm way ahead of the game. Whoot!

Today is TW Monday, so *maybe* I'll finish my brother-in-law's ornament. Although I have two books to work on today, so I don't know how much stitching I'll actually get done.

So, I guess I'd better get started on the books. No time for a nap, no time for stitching, no time for working on calligraphy samples. How is it that I don't have a job...

...but I still have to work?

It's finally hit me...

this cold that is. I've been fighting it off for a while, and I woke up today feeling like I've been hit by a truck. My nose is running, my head hurts, my body aches, I'm constantly coughing and sneezing, I can't breathe, I can't talk. Well, you get the picture.

I'm assuming this cold is the reason that I haven't felt like doing much lately. I've messed around with my calligraphy blog, took long naps, and basically neglected my freelance editing and my stitching. I have played about 4,000 games of bingo though!

I was going to answer the latest SBQ, but there isn't one yet, so I'll just go pass out until my doctor's appointment later today. Maybe tonight I'll have something interesting to write about (it's not as if I usually do though lol!).

I really hate cold season!

Procrastination...

is my middle name!

I haven't felt like doing much lately, except wasting my time playing bingo for a jackpot that I've been trying to win since 1996. I did get my calligraphy site running, but there's just so much I need to do on it. This seems to be my lifetime habit: jump into everything with both feet and then get overwhelmed because I'm not sure where to start.

So, I haven't stitched but maybe two words on Desiderata since I finished my house ornament. I just feel blah.

SBQ for 1.23.2008: Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that mentions it.) If not, when do you predict it will be?

Yes, I've had a happy dance on the house ornament. But maybe I should consider it half of a happy dance, because it hasn't been ornamentified yet. I've really got to finish my brother-in-law's ornament (insert big pathetic sigh here).

Maybe I'll go watch Spongebob with Aislin...

...so I don't have to expend but half a brain cell for that.

I think I've had a semi-productive week...

even if the week isn't over yet.

I got my federal AND state taxes filed, applied for health insurance for me and Aislin, and finished an ornament ahead of time (although I still haven't finished my brother-in-law's). Plus, I have my heart ornament picked out for next month! It's a hardanger heart, and I'm starting it on February 1st!

Aislin had an appointment with the ear, nose, and throat doctor yesterday. She has to have her adenoids removed on February 12th. I know it's a rather routine surgery, but I'm scared to death! She's only 4; just a baby! I'm worrying so much that I'm giving myself a migraine. But it's something that has to be done. She snores and has sleep apnea, she breathes and eats with her mouth open, and has bad breath no matter how much we brush her teeth. I hope it makes her feel better, but I'll be so happy when the surgery is over!

One thing I need to get working on is my calligraphy business. I have the business card done, I just need to make up a brochure with some of my samples and a price list to send out to stationary stores. Plus I need someone to develop a professional website for me, but I can't afford to pay anyone to do it right now. For the moment, I have a blogspot page for my calligraphy:

An Ornamental Quill

I think it looks pretty good for a beginning. I'm sure it won't generate much business as a blog, instead of a real store-type website. But...

...it's a start!

It's a house...

although it looks much prettier in person. This is the January ornament for the Bride's Tree SAL. I think my scanner is putting too much light into the scans, but when I try to fix it, it just gets worse. But this is stitched in the most yummy warm shades of browns and tans.

One down, eleven to go!

Victorian Cottage Ornament
designed by Nancy Spruance
stitched on 28 ct antique white Monaco with DMC color variations



YAY ME!

It's Giants versus Patriots...

on February 3rd. I watched the NFC playoff game last night, holding my breath and biting my tongue until the very last second of overtime. I absolutely HATE the Green Bay Packers and am so glad the Super Bowl will only be half a suck-fest this year, as I hate the Patriots just as much. Of course, if the Packers had won, I would have had to stay true to my conference and kinda root for them. But MY babies didn't even get close, and I was hoping the Cowboys would have gone on. Dad and I are supportive of each other's teams if our own team doesn't do well.

I was raised in a fanatical Cowboys family, and have heard many a time the story of the dreaded *Ice Bowl* of 1967. My dad tells the story at least 12 times every football season about how his 'boys had to kick holes in the ice with their cleats at the Green Bay end zone just to get traction. Of course the Cowboys lost that game, and that was one of the catalysts to Super Bowls only being played in southern cities.

Anyway, on the stitching front, true to my personality I got bored with Guardian. I was hoping to work on him all weekend and into TW Monday, but I couldn't do it. I did get a whole 5 days in on him though.

So, I decided to work on my sister's house ornament for the Bride's Tree SAL. Yes, I actually found one that I liked fairly well. It's a blackwork house, but instead of black, I'm using the DMC Color Variations I bought to do ornaments for Christmas. This one is various shades of brown and tan and I love this color! I may even finish it today! I'll finish my brother-in-law's ornament today too (I hope!).

I'm getting ready to get a haircut. My hair is almost to my waist now, but I'm going to cut it off to my shoulders. I can't stand my hair that long anymore; it's just a pain. Aislin's getting a haircut today too. She says she wants "beautiful hair." It's really cute the way she says it. I long for the days...

...when a haircut was the most exciting thing going on in my life.

I got toys...

in the mail today from Diana at Paw Prints! I got some stitch clips because I put Desiderata on a scroll frame, and I like my fabric to be drum tight. Then, I got a Tacky Bob since Aislin keeps dumping my beads everywhere. It's like a mini cd case with sticky stuff on the inside so that the beads stick to it. There wasn't a choice as to color or pattern, but I got one with butterflies, which is fine by me because I LOVE butterflies.

I can't wait to try out my new toys! I was feeling a bit down today, but it's amazing what a package in the mail can do for you!

I've been working on Guardian for the last week. Mom let me borrow her needle organizer, since most of my stitching stuff is in storage. I use it mostly for the blends, and since Guardian is mostly blends, it's a life saver! I still have to finish my brother-in-law's ornament for last year, which I think I will do on TW Monday. But I'm going to work on Guardian for the rest of the weekend. I'll post a progress pic probably Monday.

My neice's birth sampler needs to go back on the Q-snaps, because it needs to be finished and framed by April 30th, so I can get it to my sister before my neice's 1st birthday on May 12th. So until that is done, I will make that my focus piece, but work on Desiderata when I can't stand the birth sampler anymore.

I will still work on Guardian on TW Mondays and the dragon SAL one weekend a month.

On the Bride's Tree SAL front, I still haven't found a house (January) I like. It's really frustrating. I guess I should probably say I like too many patterns and I can't actually narrow it down to just one. Maybe that's why I have soooo much stitching stuff and patterns...I can't make up my mind as to what I can't live without as opposed to just liking something.

SBQ for 1.16.2008: What is your favorite past time while stitching? Do you just enjoy silence, listen to music/audiobooks or do you “watch” TV/movies? Do you have specific favorites you listen to/watch while stitching?

I usually have the tv or a movie going when I stitch. If it's on one of my "show" days, I watch American Idol, Bones and House, Ghost Hunters. Sometimes I just have on whatever channel I come to that looks semi-interesting if none of my shows are on.

On weekends, Alyssa and I watch a movie (usually her choice) while I stitch. Sometimes during the week we'll watch her "Friends" dvds.

I tend to not do much else while I stitch. Silence is too intimidating for me, and I always have to have some kind of background noise. I can watch TV and concentrate on my stitching but still keep up with what's going on.

I just looked outside, and it's snowing! Aislin is running around the house screaming, "It's snowing! It's snowing!"

Children are so easily entertained.

Here's something fun...

that I *borrowed* from a few various blogs. It's an "About me in pictures."

Answer the questions and type your answer into Google images search. Post a photo from the FIRST results page. (this can be tough!!)

Age you will be on your next birthday?


Place you would like to visit? (Ireland)


One of your favorite places?


Your favorite object? (yummy silk thread!)


Your favorite food? (angel hair pasta with artichoke hearts lol!)


Your favorite animal?


Your favorite color? (forest green)


Name of a past pet? (Shadow)


Where you live?


First grade teacher's name? (Mrs. Glendamen)
Couldn't find anything.

Middle name? (Leanne) WHAT THE...?


A bad habit of yours? (I pick at and chew on my cuticles)


Favorite flower? (carnations)


Favorite holiday? (supposed to be Christmas?)



Your turn!

Yeah, I really hate insurance companies...

but that's another story! I thought I would catch up on some SBQs because I don't feel like I have anything witty or even remotely interesting to talk about. Well, I do, but I don't want to turn this into a rant today (of course that hasn't stood in my way on other days, now has it?)

SBQ for 1.9.2008: What was your favorite finish of 2007?

This question makes me giggle a bit and scratch my head, because I finished all of 3, yes 3 ornaments. That's it. Nothing else. I DID NOT stitch until the end of the year. So I would have to say the answer to this question is all 3 ornaments, for different reasons. But mostly because I know I can still stitch, and that a stitching slump doesn't have to last forever!

SBQ for 1.3.2008: Are you starting something new to celebrate the New Year or participating in “Guilt Free January?” If so, what are you planning on starting?

Actually I started Desiderata Sampler sometime in November of last year, so I am considering that my New Year's celebration. If I participated in Guilt-Free January, I would have another 47 projects going in addition to what I already have. So I am limiting myself to what I am allowed to do this year. The only new start I have is going to be the Bride's Tree Ornaments SAL, but I don't know that I would really consider that a *new* start, because it's an ornament a month, which is part of my 2008 goals.

SBQ for 12.26.2007: Did you receive any stitching-related gifts for the holidays?

Actually, I really didn't this year, which is surprising. I usually get a GC to an LNS or ONS or various stitching related things. The only gifts I got that were remotely close were from my sister. She got me a few tubes of gorgeous beads (too big for using on stitching projects though), and vintage (pre WWII) swarovski crystals (I LOVE THEM!). Plus, she sent me a bead a day calendar, which has a different beading project for every day of the year.

Now that I think about it, those aren't even CLOSE to being stitching-related...

SBQ for 12.19.2006: Have you ever helped anyone else learn to stitch? Have you ever helped anyone learn a new stitch or technique?

I did try to teach my oldest daughter how to stitch a few years ago, but it didn't go very well. She was very good at it, but didn't find any designs that appealed to her. I suggested that she substitute her own colors, or modify the design a little to suit her needs (and reassured her that most stitchers do this). As an *ar-TEEST*, the thought of changing someone else's art was completely mortifying to her. I understand that.

Well, that's all I feel like discussing. I feel a migraine coming on (thank you so much insurance people!). I probably need to eat something, so as Donkey says...

"...I'm making waffles!"

I love my new toy, but...

Mac does not like blogs. Especially mine. Things are overlapping and totally funky-monkey looking. Big sigh.

I went through a large box of pictures today. Apparently, *someone* went through them before I went back to NM to get them, after I had moved to NC and was in the process of a separation. I got more irate by the minute, because a bunch of pictures of my babies, including Aislin's ultrasound pictures, were wadded up and thrown into the box. I reorganized everything, labeled all of the envelopes, and put everything into a smaller box.

I got a picture box and put all of the pictures of Justin and his family (with and without Aislin) in the box for when she's older.

I also found many pictures of my beloved Shadow. I haven't so much as looked at a picture of her since she died August 19, 2006. It was just too painful. I thought it has been long enough, but my heart is aching and my chest feels tight. When does the pain and sadness of losing a beloved pet and best friend go away. Sometimes it's so overwhelming.

I haven't stitched in a few days. I need to finish my brother in law's ornament, but I'm losing stitching motivation again. Most likely because I have so much to do that I just don't know where to start.

I'll be working on TW's Guardian several times a month: On Mondays for the general TW SAL, and the 3rd(?) weekend of the month for the dragon SAL at TW's discussion board. Maybe I'll get more done on him. I am bound and determined that by December 31st, 2008...

...that dragon is going to be finished and ready to frame!

I just got...

the absolutely coolest Christmas present ever!

My parents got back from visiting my sister yesterday evening, and a package had come for mom while they were gone. I thought nothing of it, because she gets a lot of teaching materials and books in the mail. Said package sat in the formal dining room, awaiting my parents' return.

Meanwhile, after we picked them up at the airport, they were unpacking their suitcases, and mom pulled out a huge shopping bag. She said "We were out shopping and I saw a man carrying this. I asked him where he got it, but he said it was the last one. So I knocked him down and ran off with it!" (Mom has a very strange sense of humor.) So she hands me the bag, and inside is a gigantic, OFFICIAL St. Louis Rams fleece blanket. Of course I squealed and wrapped up in it right away. My girls keep wanting to steal it.

Then, mom got the package that came while she was gone. She put it on the kitchen table and asked if I knew what it was. I said I had no idea. She told me to open it. I open this little box and inside is a MacBook. I said "Neat! You got a new laptop." She said, "No, YOU got a new laptop!" I was pretty stunned and I just stared at her with her mouth open.

Apparently, my parents got me a new laptop for my freelancing work, and for my businesses. My brother-in-law is going to rebuild my old laptop, and try to get the cd rom working again. Then, Alyssa will have her own computer! She's just as excited as I am I think.

But now I have some more things to add to my wishlist...

...new toys for my new Mac!

My Wishlist

I will obviously be adding and/or deleting as I either get something, find something else I want, or change my mind.

Cross Stitch Kits
Janlynn:
Mickey Sketch

Lanarte (Spring 2009):
Ballet Silhouette 1-4

Cross Stitch Patterns
Bent Creek:
Photobooth Snowmen

Passione Ricamo:
Little Christmas Angels
The Fairy Queen
A Christmas Spirit

Nora Corbett Designs:
All of the Christmas Couriers
Santa's Sleigh

Teresa Wentzler:
Needle Guardian
Miniature Autumn Sampler
Miniature Winter Sampler
Knotwork Bookmarks I and II
Castles by the Sea
Delightful Dragon Scissor Fob
Medieval Miniature
Celestial Sun
Sun Dragon
Tropical Dream

Margaret Sherry Collection:
Calendar Cats All Together
Moo Moo Moo
Snowman
Bee My Friend

Just Nan:
Floral 15 with embellishments

Cat's Whiskers Design Studio:
Victorian Memories Chaise Lounge
Garden Chair

HeartBreak House:
Watercolor Tulips
Watercolor Pansies
Watercolor Daffodils

Amy Bruecken Designs:
Say Anything Alphabet

ASN:
Cross Stitch for Photo Frames

Barbara Ann Richter:
A Treasure of Jewish Cross Stitch
Medieval Nativity (Treasures in Needlework 1.4 1992)
Medieval Manuscript I (CCCC Jan/Feb 1990)
Medieval Manuscript II (CCCC Sept/Oct 1991)

Patterns from New Stitches Magazine:
Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves
Katherine Howard
Elizabeth I
Mary Queen of Scots

Rovaris:
R-29
R-19

Punchneedle
Red Barn Collections:
Snowman Sampler

Beading
Any and all Delica beads!

Calligraphy
From johnnealbooks.com:
Century turned pen holder
Copperplate Nib Sampler
Copperplate practice pad
Century Oblique Holder
Spenserian practice pad
Learning to Write Spenserian Script
Elizabeth I: Her Life in Letters

Stamps
Stamps Happen:
Camelot Alphabet
Celtic Alphabet
Camelot Borders
Celtic Knot Borders

Penny Black:
Angel Cat

I was thinking...

about making a stitching/crafting/calligraphy/beading/etc wishlist. Not that I'm going to be buying much stash for a while, as I have everything I need to finish my stitching goals for the year (with the occasional need for random floss for ornaments).

But everyone else seems to have a wishlist, and I would love to sit and stare and daydream over the yummy goodies on my list. I WILL make an attempt to be frugal, but...I have OCD and have a tendency to overcompensate when I'm depressed.

The positive side of making a wishlist is that when someone asks me what I want, I can direct them to the wishlist...um...YEAH!

Hopefully, I can just LOOK at the stuff I want, and buy once in a while as a treat for finishing a goal. Or, it could go the other way...

...and I'll end up with MORE stuff I don't really need...sheesh!

I hope everyone...

had a safe and happy Christmas yesterday! My girls didn't get much this year, but they were thrilled with what they did get. Aislin is only 4, but Alyssa is so understanding and mature when it comes to knowing that Mommy can't afford much right now.

I have been fighting a migraine all night. After all the presents were opened yesterday, we were sitting and watching a movie Alyssa got, and a migraine hit me so suddenly that I thought I was having a stroke. For those of you who get migraines, it was the type that no type or amount of medication makes it go away, and if you even blink your head throbs. I hate it when my head throbs with my pulse. It makes me want to put a gun to my head, it was that bad.

I still have it, though it's not throbbing. If I sit still and not move too much then it's ok. Although my neck hurts from having to sleep sitting up.

I decided to make resolutions for the new year, which is odd because I NEVER make resolutions. I have tried to make resolutions before, like quit smoking or lose weight or finish a project. I know my limitations, and I know that I will never follow through with them. I always had good intentions, but well...I'm a procrastinator. And let's face it, when the kids are in bed, I'm a lazy ass. Plus I get bored with my projects and always have a desire to start something new. But this year I'm going to try to make time.

So these are my resolutions for 2008:

Stitching Related
1. Finish Guardian, which is my longest running TW wip.
2. Finish Desiderata, which I just started.
3. Finish my neice's birth sampler by her 1st birthday in May.
4. Stitch 1 ornament a month.
5. Join the local EGA and go to the meetings/stitch ins. There's a chapter right here in town! I need a night or two a month to myself.

Work Related
1. Teach at least 1 class a term with UOP online.
2. Pick up at least 1 more freelance editing job.
3. Get my beading and calligraphy businesses up and going. My brother-in-law really needs to send me the logo that he designed for my beading business. I have a logo and business card designs for the calligraphy, I just need a brochure to go to the local stationary stores. The websites also need to be designed. Obviously, right now this won't be a full-time thing, but one day I hope that I won't have to work full time, and I can just freelance and have my businesses.

Personal
1. Continue in my dance class. I'm having a blast in there and I can feel my muscles getting stronger.
2. Join a gym. There's 1 here in town that's only $10 a month. I think I can afford that. I was also told that a good exercise regime consists of a mixture of cardio (dance) and muscle training (weights).
3. Lose 20 pounds. It seems I can't write that without laughing for some reason!
4. Pay off 2 credit cards.
5. Save at least $5000 by the end of the year (not including what I get back in taxes).
6. Probably the most important of all: Have at least 2 Alyssa-only dates a month. She feels resentful sometimes that Aislin takes up so much of my time. So even if it means that Alyssa and I go to the movies, or out to dinner, or to her favorite store, or whatever, I'm going to make time for just us two.

I think that's it. It seems like a really tall order when I read back over it, and I think I may have to adjust it in places as the year progresses. There's only so much I can do when I work full time, and freelance, and have kids to take care of. I wonder if I'm asking too much of myself?

I guess we'll find out at the end of 2008.