Organizing stash

I was motivated to actually list my stash in Excel after joining the SOS group at The Wagon. So, I'm finishing two projects for every one I start and am also mainly stitching from what I already have. Again, probably a "duh" moment for those non-addicted stitcher types LOL! Well, I went through what charts I had already kitted with fabric and I can't believe it -- about 100! They aren't all large projects, but many are. I also have small designs from magazines and leaflets and some towels. I've been in a few FOTM clubs and also took advantage of great deals on fabric at Ebay and at Silkweaver's. I'm still amazed, though. Therefore, I really need to be stitching from my stash for quite a while. When I was working my last job I stocked up on quite a bit because I could afford to. I guess that's good, because right now I'm not able to afford much and I only have to worry about buying floss and any specialty threads and embellishments and not fabric or charts. Now, when it comes to charts, leaflets books and magazines I have about 300. I knew I had a lot but didn't realize I had that many. The leaflets are in binders, two in a plastic sheet so it doesn't seem like I have that many. Oh, that number also includes the ones that have the fabric, so that's not an additional 300, thank goodness. I have sold off quite a bit of my stash but am not ready to let go of what I currently have.

I'm glad I did it, as it helps me realize what I have to work with. I also made note of the WDW, GAST, Seaside Treasures, Caron, Kreinik, Rainbow Gallery and beads I have. It will be easier to look through that spreadsheet than to rummage around every time I need materials for a project.

In other stitching news, I've put in 20 hours on Waiting for Ships since last Saturday. Normally I'd want to work on another project but I really enjoy working on her. I was supposed to start her when I finished Christmas Flourishes, but I needed a break from Flourishes and really wanted to start this one. At this rate, I may finish Waiting for Ships and then Flourishes. Hmmm... if I do it that way I wonder if I'll allow myself a finish when Flourishes really is finished. I shouldn't, but I'll see what happens :) I hope to have a scan of Waiting for Ships early in the week, but I'm waiting on some Kreinik and need to buy a few floss colors so she may be a little spotty.

In Memory of my Great Uncle Jimmy

My Great Uncle Jimmy (my mom's uncle) died late last week and I found a lovely obituary about him. He was the oldest living of my mom's aunts and uncles and I believe he is now in Heaven laughing it up with his wife Evelyn and my grandmother. He and Grandma were two peas in a pod and every time he visited us they just laughed and lauged and it was contagious. He was really a great guy, straightforward, and had a wonderful sense of humor. My living grandmother who I talk about often went to school with him and tells me he was quite the little devil when he was younger. :)


JAMES HARWOOD WAGAR APRIL 9, 1918 - APRIL 20, 2005 James Harwood Wagar, who came of age during the depression and became a decorated World War II bombardier, died Wednesday at his home in Oakdale after a brief illness. He was 87.

A native of upstate New York, Mr. Wagar came to California in the early 1950s after attending the University of Kansas, where he studied civil engineering. After working in administrative positions for several companies, he became a cost analyst for Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. in Sunnyvale, from which he retired in 1984. Known for his dry wit and courtly manner, Mr. Wagar was a staunch conservative who was proud of his Republican roots.

He was born April 9, 1918, in Middlesex, N.Y., the second child of Fenton and Florence Wagar. His mother died when he was 10 months old and he was raised on his family's farm, mostly by his grandmother, Fannie Drake.

After graduating from high school during the depth of the depression in 1934, Mr. Wagar set off on his own, working his way up and down the East Coast. He later said he never had trouble finding work because dairy farmers always needed extra help. When World War II broke out, Mr. Wagar enlisted in the Army Air Corps with the intention of becoming a pilot. He completed his training, but during a routine solo flight, he realized he was late for meeting and cut across restricted air space to return to base. A persnickety superior noticed the transgression and attempted to have Mr. Wagar drummed out of the Air Corps.

Mr. Wagar lost his chance to be a pilot, but his skill in mathematics resulted in him landing a spot as lead bombardier. He was assigned to the 320th Bomber Group and shipped to the Mediterranean in 1943. Flying B-26 Marauders out of Sardinia, he led bombing raids on German positions throughout Italy and southern France. He flew 65 missions in all, as commanders kept raising the number of missions required before airmen would be returned stateside. His Air Force records show that he earned two presidential citations, the Air Medal with six clusters, the French Croix de Guerre and a Purple Heart. He eventually returned to the United States to train other bombardiers.

He left active duty in November 1946, but served in the Air Force reserves for nearly 32 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1978.

In 1942, while stationed near Houston, Mr. Wagar met Billie Lamb. They were married in February 1943. The union produced six children from 1945 to 1965. After the war, Mr. Wagar attended the University of Kansas on the GI Bill.

He later moved briefly to Colorado, then to northern California, where he settled in the East Bay. The couple lived in Hayward for several years, then moved to Castro Valley in February 1960. The marriage ended in 1973.

Mr. Wagar remarried 11 years later to Evelyn Hale, who also worked for Lockheed. They lived in Milpitas and Watsonville before moving to Columbia in the Sierra foothills. They settled in Oakdale in 1993.

Mr. Wagar was an avid fresh-water fisherman and enjoyed deer hunting until his late 70s. He was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, chapter 3154 in Sonora. In retirement, Mr. Wagar crisscrossed the nation many times, visiting relatives from Arizona to New York. He enjoyed listening and dancing to Big Band music, particularly Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller, and he was known for his nifty steps on the dance floor.

A highlight of each year was the annual reunion of the 320th Bomber Group. Among his children, Mr. Wagar was renowned for his straitlaced demeanor. At the 2002 reunion in Kansas City, however, his Air Force buddies passed around photos of Mr. Wagar partying and mixing drinks at the base bar.Always mindful of his reputation, Mr. Wagar had a quick explanation. I was the bartender because I was the only one who wasn't drunk, Mr. Wagar insisted. Somebody had to do it.

Mr. Wagar's wife, Evelyn, died of a heart attack in 1999. Mr. Wagar never really got over her death. In his last two years, Mr. Wagar remained in his home under the care of his youngest son, Bradley Wagar.

Mr. Wagar is survived by six children: Robert Wagar of Yountville; Sandra Gerrard of Santa Cruz; Sheri Borland of Fort Worth, Texas; James Wagar Jr. of Morgan Hill; Kit Wagar of Kansas City, Mo.; and Bradley Wagar of Oakdale. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Always have a backup

Now that I got that last post out of my system, I can go on with what I meant to post about this morning. I saw that other topic before I got to my blogger and it had me pretty irritated. Still does, actually.

Anyway, people always think I'm weird because I have a huge gym bag full of all sorts of stuff, most of which are the same items: 2 swimsuits, 2 or 3 caps, 2 or 3 goggles, 2 towels, etc. Well, I always say that in case something breaks I have another and can still swim. Yesterday I put on my older suit and realized it had gotten quite thin. It seems to have happened overnight, and I really don't feel like showing the world my butt -- bad enough it's in a bathing suit to begin with LOL! So, all I had to do was grab my other suit, change and toss the thin one. It took an extra 5 minutes tops and I was in the pool, no problems. If I hadn't had that extra suit I would have gone to the gym for nothing and would have been ticked. I've shown up before for a good swim and had something thwart it and it just ruins the whole day.

So, always have a backup. Who cares if you gym bag is almost the same size as you? As long as it fits in the locker, that's all that matters :)

So a menopausal person isn't a woman?

There's a new bill making it's rounds in Congress about abortion. I'm not going to get into the actual abortion part of it because I have definite opinions about it and don't feel like inviting trolls to my blog. However, this part REALLY bothers me. It's in the "definitions" secition of the bill , #S.51:

(6) WOMAN- The term `woman' means a female human being who is capable of becoming pregnant, whether or not she has reached the age of majority.

So, I guess any woman who has had her uterus, ovaries or any other reproductive organs removed due to say, oh -- cancer or something -- is not really a woman anymore. Is she a man? I don't think so. Maybe she's just an "unwoman" then. Yes, that's much better. It also means that a 12-year-old who is menstruating is more of a woman than the "unwoman" already mentioned. This also goes for a woman who has had a tubal ligation. Of course, we childfree women already have been told that we aren't real women because we choose not to have children, whether or not we have our reproductive organs or not, so I guess some of us are a little used to it. I just REALLY don't like where this is going. I'm sure I sound paranoid, but will this help set up options in the future so that only "real women" get aid or proper health treatment? Oh yeah, that already happens! I can't tell you how many times I was told I should get pregnant when I was out of work because if you are pregnant of have a child you can get a bunch of aid and all sorts of help. If you are just a person you can't get much of anything because you aren't deemed worthy, I guess.

One last bit: I'm sure the definition should read "age of maturity" not "age of majority." I checked two different sites and this is the way it's worded. I think Congress needs a good spellchecker.

Got a little ahead of myself on my STRIP list

So, I was going to finish Christmas Flourishes before starting Santa's Magic, and start Waiting for Ships after some other finishes were out of the way. Well, it occurred to me this weekend that I have a bunch of fabric matched with designs, so why buy more fabric to start Santa's Magic when I already have so many ready to start after I buy a little DMC? Probably a no-brainer to non-stitchers, right? So, even though I'm not done with Flourishes yet I started Waiting for Ships on Solitude from Dyeing4U. I received it in a FOTM package and I really like it. I'm making great progress after only 8 hours and I may just keep going until I finish the stitching. I need to get a few DMC skeins and some Kreinik I don't have, but I have most of what I need for now. Flourishes will get finished soon, but as much as I love her I just couldn't look at her anymore after my last 10 hours on her this week and I just needed to start something new. So, this replaces Santa's Magic on the list.

Not much else going on today. I'm at my friend's house babysitting her 18-month-old. She hadn't taken a nap so as soon as I got here we went upstairs and she fell alseep on the bed. So, she's there sleeping with pillows around her so she doesn't roll, which is what my friend told me to do. Apparently she's not a big roller, but the pillows make sure she doesn't roll off the bed, and she's in the middle.

Stitching Blog Questions

I haven't answered any of these in a while and feel like posting but am kinda "blah" about it, too. So, it's a good time for me to answer them.

1. Have you ever been asked to do model stitching?Did you do it? If so, what was your compensation? (money, stash, etc.) If not, why not?If you haven't done it, if you were asked would you? Why or why not?
I stitched a model for my LNS and one for a new designer. I took longer than planned finishing the one for the designer and after I'd finished it she decided that she wasn't making enough money from her designs and stopped. They were cute designs, too. I can't blame her though. I think few designers actually make any money and that for most of them it's a hobby and may pay for their own stitching supplies. My compensation was a free copy of the chart and my name as the stitcher, which was fine. I probably won't do it in the future because it feels too much like I'm working and then I don't enjoy it as much.

2. What is your next specialty stitch?
I really want to take a class in Hardanger. I don't dare try to teach myself as I can see that being disastrous! I've tought myself most specialty stitches from diagrams on Just Nan charts or the Just Cross Stitch Ornament issues. They are usually pretty clear. However, if I goof I can easily take it out. Goofing when you are cutting fabric is a different story. I keep hearing that it's easy, but I'm still skeptical :)

3. How has your stitching evolved since you first started stitching?
Well, not only has my own stitching evolved but stitching itself has evolved since I started over twenty years ago. When I first started I was 10-12ish and I only stitched simple ornaments and such. In the past years I've branched out and am now favoring designs with lots of color, beads and metallics - hence my Mirabilia obsession. Recently I've also discovered Chatelaine and plan on starting one sometime next year when I'm better able to afford it -- that's not a complaint, as I think the designs and materials are well worth the expense, just a fact. My technique is also better: I railroad and my backs look pretty good -- not perfect but pretty decent. I also stitch exclusively on linens and evenweaves because I enjoy stitching on them better and also because I personally think the Aida background is a bit distracting sometimes. Lately I've also become interested in stitching more with overdyeds, silks and on hand-dyed fabrics.

4. What are your thoughts on craft and/or needlework shows? Have you been to one or are you planning on going to one this year?
I went to my first CATS last year in Hershey and loved it! I met quite a few people from the boards and had a blast with them and will never forget Anne walking around the main area with Sally's chicken purse on her head. What a hoot! It's also nice to see so many different types of designs in one place. I had never seen anything from Northern Pine designs before and fell in love with their beautiful shiney designs made mostly of specialty stitches. I haven't ordered from them yet but I drool over their website every so often. I was pretty strapped while there so couldn't buy much. I hope to go this year if I can get off work for a few days but it's our busiest season so I'm not sure. If I go I hope I can spend more money on stash :)

5. On average, how many hours a week (7 days) do you think that you spend cross-stitching?
I'd say I spend about 15ish hours a week on stitching. Of course, some weeks I can stitch that much in a weekend and other weeks I hardly get an hour in, but usually I stitch quite a bit on the weekend and at least an hour a few nights during the week.

6. Do you have a favorite designer (or designers)? If so, who is it and why is he or she your favorite?
Most of you know I'm a huge Mirabilia fan! Often I see a design of Nora's that I think I won't stitch, then I see a WIP or finish at the Mirabilia BB and I gotta have it! I can't tell you how many times that's happened. I like her designs because they are beautiful and look more difficult than they really are. I like her use of color and shading and the detail without using a lot of backstitching. I also really like the effect of metallics and beads in many of her designs. I'm not crazy about a lot of beading but I do it because I love the finished product.

I also like Lavender & Lace designs very much, for many of the same reasons, but Nora is still my #1!

7. Which do you prefer and why? "Old-fashioned" black and white symbol-only charts, charts with colored blocks, or charts with a combination of colored blocks and symbols?
I prefer "old-fashioned" b&w symbol-only charts. I have a hard time reading a lot of colored charts and it's one reason why I won't stitch any Dimensions kits no matter how much I love the designs. I tried once and ended up with a UFO I gave away because the chart drove me batty. The blue and green symbols were just too similar to me, and I not only had to match the symbol but also the color and it was just a pain. Give me b&w symbol charts any day!

8. Is cross stitch your only crafty hobby or do you have others?
Not my only crafty hobby but definitely my favorite and the one I spend the most time on. I knit a little, but very rarely as it makes my hands fall asleep. I sometimes make melt & pour soaps and gel candles but not often. They are fun, but I'd rather spend my money on stitching stash than soap and candle stash.

9. After you stitch a pattern or kit, what do you do with it?
It depends. If it's something I think I will stitch again I keep it. Usually I end up giving it away to one of several online stitching friends.

10. Do you frame your cross stitch yourself or do you take it to a professional framer? Why? In your opinion, what are the advantages and/or disadvantages of putting your work behind glass when you frame it?
It depends. I tend to frame most of my small projects myself, or use one of the many tuck pillows I buy from Ames. However, I take my large projects (Mirabilia, L&L, etc.) to a great framer down the street. She's very reasonable, does the stretching and uses good materials and has a great eye. I'm also getting some things together to send to Ames to make into wall hangings, mostly for my seasonal stuff so it's easier to store on the off seasons. I usually use glass on my work for various reasons. For one, people have a tendency to want to touch stitching to have a better understanding of it, and that gets it dirty. Also, I feel it keeps the stitching better protected in better. The drawback is you can't see as much depth on pieces with beadwork if you have glass over it, but I can live with that.

Addicted to browsing hand-dyeds

I've only recently become interested in using hand-dyed fabrics for my stitching. I've been looking at them for a long time and debating but I've finally been bit by the bug. I have been using the fabric selector tool a lovely lady at the Mirabilia board made and it's really cool! It's not perfect as the colors on the charts and on the fabric on the Internet don't exactly match what you get in real life, but you can get a good idea of what fabric will work for various designs.

This has really made me want to start my Moon Spirit Fairy from Passione Ricamo. I have the chart but not the fabric and am holding off starting it until next year. However, I found some gorgeous dark fabric for her -- Phantom from Picture This Plus. It's a very dark blue/black and the moon and her dress look fantastic against it, at least on the fabric selector.

I will be starting Waiting for Ships after I finish Sweet Dreams Santa, and have decided to go with Romance from Silkweaver. It's a nice mix of light blue and purple that really seems to bring out the colors in her tail without competing with them. I'm not a fan of fabric or framing competing with the design and tend to go with simple framing and fabrics. Even though I'm starting to use more hand-dyeds, I don't like the ones that have a lot of contrast going on. I mean, they're beautiful but for me they're too busy for designs that are already busy with lots of sparkles. I think some of those work better for the simpler-looking designs.

I have also decided that when I start Fairy Idyll (whenever that will be) I'll use Tutti Fruiti from Silkweaver. I hope that it's as light as it shows on my monitor because it looked really nice that way. If it's too dark it will not work as well, but when the time comes I'll take the risk.

I haven't decided what to use for Santa's Magic yet, but am working on it. Funny, that will probably be my next start and here I am still deciding. Figures :)

As for health news, I haven't been to the pool for about a week but have been doing other things. Yesterday I walked down nine flights of stairs from my office to my car because the elevator had been acting up earlier and I didn't like it. I figure I can do that whenever I leave. I'm not up to walking UP nine flights yet, but maybe a few in the morning then taking the elevator the rest of the way up.

I did go to the pool this morning because I knew I had a meeting a 2pm and couldn't swim at lunch. Bad move! I couldn't even get a lane and then even had to wait for a shower LOL! So, 7:30 in the morning won't work and from now on if I go in the morning I'll get there around 6:30. I can always get to work early and futz around on the computer for a while. I'd love to leave early but I'm stuck on the switchboard from 4-5 so that's not going to happen.

I weighed myself this morning and it said 215, 1.5 pounds HIGHER than last week! GRRR! On the other hand, the pants I'm wearing are ridiculously baggy. So, I think I'm doing OK. I really need to stop weighing myself every week. I thought it would help, but I think I was wrong. Instead I will start measuring myself on a monthly basis. I think that will give a better indicator as how I'm doing. I knew this before but didn't admit it because while trying to do Weight Watchers so much depends on your actual weight. So, I'll continue to use the system on my own but not weigh myself. I think I'll feel better about things that way.

Yay! I actually won something!

My name was put in a hat along with a few others for moderating the new FAQ section of the Mirabilia board, and my name was actually drawn with another's! This never happens. I'm looking forward to that as I like finding stuff on the Internet and helping people. So, now I'm a moderator of various forums on four boards. I think that's enough for now. I'll get too ahead of myself and have no time for stitching, either. I can handle being the moderator in places where there's not a lot of crap going on most of the time. There are other boards I visit where there's NO WAY I'd want the moderator hat because no matter what you do you are wrong.

I stitched a little over the weekend, but not much. Got in 1.5 hours on Christmas Flourishes yesterday and that was about it. I went to my friend's son's 14th birthday party which consists of family and friends and stayed longer than I had planned. Usually too many people are invited and it's very crowded and I just can't take it. This time was nice and there were less people so I stayed much longer. At the end, there were three couples left, all of us in our 30s. We're sitting there at 10:30PM on a Saturday night and were exhausted, talking about how we can't hang anymore LOL!

Sunday I did a little cleaning up around the house and had an online stitching friend over. We had a good time chatting more than stitching and watched a movie and some Simpsons. The weather was beautiful, although Saturday night got chilly. Today it's supposed to get up to 79. That's nice, but I hope it doesn't get too hot, too fast. I want to enjoy some time in the 60s and low 70s first :)

The age-old question

Why do bad things happen to good people while the jerks getaway with everything and live high on the hog? Yes, people say that they'll get what's coming to them and they'll get their "eternal reward" etc. That just doesn't always wash with me. Currently my best friend's fibroid tumor is back and she's going to have to get it removed again. Another online friend from the area is dealing with breast cancer and she's young, and a lovely woman I work with has been having all sorts or problems since a kid was killed on her mom's porch down the street a few weeks ago. Her whole family is getting upheaved because they're trying to move everybody out of the town and there are all sorts of problems. These are all good people.

Then I hear about professional baseball teams who have motivational coaches on-hand so they can help the baseball players feel better about playing. Give me a break! These guys are doing what they love for a living and getting paid a huge amount of money. What, you don't feel like playing your game today? I'm so sowwy, let me give you a hug.

Probably bitchy, and I know not all of them make major bucks, but chances are every single one of them makes a huge amount more than the rest of us slobs out there trying to scratch out a living.

Then you have the liars and such who just seem to get everything handed to them on a silver platter, and the more they lie and treat people like crap, the more they get.

End of rant, just had to get it out. It seems lately that every time I turn around people I care about are having real problems, and then I hear somebody bitching to a 911 operator that she got the wrong damn cheeseburger at Burger King or she can't control her children and expects everybody else to. GRRRRR!

My polar bears

I go to a message board called The Farging Iceholes. We have a lot of fun there although sometimes people really get their noses out of joint. What else can you expect on the boards? Anyway, the main page has a picture of some polar bears hanging out and we started putting captions on them. I Photoshopped it and had some fun. It's not perfect and was a quickie job, but you get the picture :)

It's Friday!

I feel a lot better today than yesterday, thank goodness. I kept thinking yesterday that I would feel better, but I never really did so I didn't go to the aqua aerobics class. Instead I came home and went to bed and slept pretty well. Today I'm going to come home and walk a mile or two. I set an original goal of 5 miles a week using a combination of walking, swimming and 20 minutes of other exercising. After I do that for a few weeks I'm going to increase it.

I'm glad Dianne mentioned the Beluga whale in the Delaware River in her blog -- THAT was the other thing I was going to talk about yesterday. On the way home from work I've been hearing on the traffic report that the traffic is backed up in places because of "whale watching." I about died! I mean, that's not something you usually hear in Philadelphia. I hope he gets himself back to where he needs to be, as the news report I read said they didn't think they'd be able to do much to help him.

Fat people aren't supposed to be athletic, right?

It's definitely allergy season. I picked up some of that Alavert at the store and will see how it works. I wish I could tell if this was allergies or a cold, but I can never tell. My eyes are bothering me a bit so I'm going with allergies.

I swam yesterday for half a mile. I'm so glad I went, because the morning was pretty stressful. It really makes the rest of my day better as I can get out my stress in the pool. I also walked to the WaWa farther up the street from my normal one on Tuesday, so that was about half a mile. Nothing major, but there's 1.5 miles to add to my challenge. If I'm feeling better after work I'm going to an aqua aerobics class and will figure a mile for every 20 minutes of working out.

While at the pool yesterday I got the stink face. Men who are in shape really don't like it when obese short women are faster than them in the pool. This is no news, but it was reiterated to me yesterday. I got out of the pool and he saw my girth and I caught "the look" out of the corner of my eye. Part of me was irritated, but most of me thinks he's just pissed because I'm way overweight and still faster than him. Nanny-nanny-booby! Yes, I know what I look like in a bathing suit, I look in a mirror. I figure at least I'm doing something about it and it takes guts for me to go out there a few days a week with no real cover. I dress in ways that tends to hide my (mostly belly and back) fat from people, but there's no hiding in a swimsuit.

Speaking of weight, I bit the bullet yesterday and weighed myself at the pool. I'm up to 113.5 pounds, about 2 pounds higher than when I started WeightWatchers a while back. Oh well, that's why I'm going to the gym and eating better. Otherwise it will just keep creeping up. I need to redo my ticker at the bottom of the blog. I don't think anyone sees it anyway, but I know it's there. In truth, I'm hoping some of that is PMS weight, but I don't want to assume. We'll see what I weigh in a week or two, and I'll weigh myself at the pool every Wednesday.

I was going to ramble on about something else but have completely forgotten what it was. I usually remember eventually and come back :)

Finally some scans of recent finishes

I finally got these scanned in today. I love my big projects but it's also nice to finish a few small projects for a change :)

The first one is the 1990 L&L freebie angel. As I wrote earlier, she's cute but I probably won't stitch her again because it's an old handwritten chart and hard to read. Please excuse the thread going across her arms -- had to grab the scanner at work when I could and too lazy to go back and scan again!



This is a cute little freebie I received in an order from Stitching Bits and Bobs. This is from Trail Creek. I really like ordering from Stitching Bits and Bobs when they are having sales on items I don't need right away. I don't think they keep a lot of their stuff in stock, but I've always received fantastic customer service from Bobbie and their sales are great! This will probably end up in a little tuck pillow, and is done in various overdyeds I had on hand.



Not much else at the moment. My lunch break is almost over and I gotta get back to work :)

Just got back from a walk

As soon as I started posting I remembered I put clothes in the wash before my walk, so I can't post too long. If I don't get down there somebody's bound to be waiting for them to finish and take them out of the washer before they're even done spinning.

I took my 20-minute/1-mile walk. Nothing major, but it felt good to get out and do it and I can add another mile to my Eowyn Challenge. I get a little shield every 25 miles. That will take a while as I'm swimming a lot of them, but I'll get there.

Got totally discombobulated getting to the office in Somerdale, NJ. There's a big surprise. I hate the whole I76/I676 thing in the city. Exits creep up on you left and right and if you aren't familiar with them you're always on the wrong side of where the exit. Whoops -- there it goes! Then you try to get turned around and THAT never works. Got there eventually, anyway. I shouldn't be allowed to drive in the city. I know people who live here who used to live in NYC and say that NYC is easier to get around than Philly. That's pretty bad LOL!

Anyway, enough for now. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to scan in a few little finishes from the last few days.

Eowyn Challenge

I signed up for this a few months back and then never did anything with it. Well, today I went back and signed up again and put in the two miles I swam so far this month. I'm starting to walk, too. Granted, walking a mile is a lot easier than swimming a mile, but the total workout I get from swimming is great! I went all three days last week and Tim mentioned today he thought I'd lost weight. I don't think I've lost anything but that I'm firmer just from those three days. I only go for 20 minutes and swim about 800- 1000 yards (16 - 20 laps, 32 - 40 lengths) but I already notice that I'm not as winded and my knees don't feel as week when I go up stairs.

I really like the idea of the Eowyn Challenge. I love my Lord of the Rings and this revolves around the mileage it takes to get from one place to another in Middle Earth. Feels like I'm actually "going" somewhere. When I first signed up I was posting to a group on the WW board and I liked them very much, but after a few days I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up with the conversation. So now I'm doing this on my own for the most part and will make sure to update my results every week.

Had a nice birthday -- didn't do a darn thing!

Thanks for the birthday wishes! I ended up lazing about all day doing nothing but watching the DVDs Tim bought me, hanging out with the cat and talking to people on the computer. I didn't even do any stitching until evening and took a few catnaps during the day. It was a bit overcast so it was perfect for that kind of thing. Very rare for me to goof off all day like that, and I fully enjoyed it :)

Tim is a good listener when it comes to gifts. He actually spent more money than he should have, but he did good. I like simple pleasures, ya know. He bought me a season of The Simpsons on DVD and of King of the Hill on DVD. Also bought the LOTR: ROTK soundtrack which I've been talking about buying for some time now. Also got me a set of Moonlight Path products from Bath and Body Works, along with a few of their room sprays in Tangerine and Cinnamon Pumpkin. Great stuff!

I also finished that 1990 L&L freebie this morning. She's cute, but I won't stitch her again like I have with some others. I think I like her later freebies better, but no complaints -- it was free! The chart was hard to read so I probably wouldn't have stitched her again, anyway. I'll scan her next week when I'm at work.

Monday I'm at work for about an hour and then I head over to Somerdale, NJ to train some people there. I don't think it's going to be nearly as planned out as when I went to New Castle, DE a few weeks ago as the people at the NJ office aren't as tech-savvy as in the DE office. Plus, it was a last minute deal because it was hard for me to get a final answer from the manager there. We'll see how it goes. It's easier for me to drive to DE than NJ, but it shouldn't too bad.

Last day of work for the week!

I took tomorrow off because it's my birthday. After missing a few days last week due to migraines I wasn't going to still take it but my boss told me to LOL! She said being sick is one thing but that I still should take the day since I have it, so I am. I'm taking home the laptop and projector today because I'm going to the Somerdale office on Monday to go over some stuff with them. They aren't as high-tech as the other office I went to a few weeks ago, but I'm hoping they'll be OK.

I cooked a bunch of chicken this morning since I was up early enough. It just finished cooking and smells sooooo good. I'm taking some of it for lunch but I need to eat breakfast soon or I'm going to go nuts smelling it.

Today is the third day I'll be going to the pool this week, which is my goal. I gave a week pass to a friend at work and she's been going with me this week. I'm hopig she joins so that we can help motivate each other.

As far as stitching goes, I'm working on the 1990 L&L freebie angel. She's cute but hard to stitch because it's an older chart and hand-drawn. Some of the symbols are very hard to decipher. I only have about 3-4 hours left before she's done, but I have to do it in small increments because she's difficult. Worked on her for about 1.5 hours the other day and should finish her this weekend.

Got about 6 minutes to post

Then my lunch is over. Darn Blogger has been very slow today so it took forever for me to get in here.

Anyway, enough grousing. I updated my sidebar with my current WIP and latest finish. I have the feeling little kitty will be there for a little while as my latest finish :)

I put in 15 hours on Mirabilia's Christmas Flourishes last week. Here's the before and after:

Before


After


I think I made some great progress and can see the end approaching, but it won't be anytime real soon.

I also finally scanned EduCATed. As you can see he's a bit darker from the one in the chart. I have plenty of overdyeds but only had a few of those called for in the chart. I just couldn't justify spending money on a bunch for this one chart when I already had so many, so I made due with what I had. I think he's very cute and love him!

Sunday night, weekends are never long enough

April Stitching Goals (in hours)
Finish Christmas Jewel -5
Finish 1990 L&L freebie -5
Sant in Fur -5
Guardian Angel -5
Christmas Flourishes -10
Sleeping Beauty -5
Sweet Dreams Santa -5
L&L Angel for AQP -5
ornament -5

April Goals for home
Rearrange my card system
start doing daily and weekly routines
make appointment with a person to help with finances
swim three days a week for 20 minutes
walk two days a week for 20 minutes
Restart WW plan
Reorganize stitching stash
Send at least five resumes a week, assuming the jobs are what I want
--I'm not going to apply for just any job
Re-read David Allen's book "Getting Things Done"


I actually got a decent amount of stuff done this weekend, although you can't tell by just looking around. I used to use the SHE card system and it was working great for me until I went from working 4 days to full time. I completely lost interest and have been struggling ever since. So, yesterday I went through and reorganized it to fit my current schedule and will take it from there. I find that when I look around at all the things I need to do, I just get overwhelmed and decide to stitch instead LOL. That's a good thing sometimes but not as often as I do it. I often feel that if I can't do everything on my list that it's no use, but I need to get past that thinking. I don't think that way at work, so why do I think that way at home?

I also reorganized most of my stitching charts and magazines last night. I had a lot of magazines and charts that were just sitting in a pile and I put them in the appropriate folders. I still have some magazines to put away but they are in order and the folder is in a place hard for me to get to right now -- my hall closet which is scary to open!

In the last few days I put 15 hours of work into Christmas Flourishes. She's coming along nicely. I will scan her and my EduCATed at work, hopefully tomorrow, and insert the pictures into my blog. As usual, the picture on the Flourishes chart doesn't give justice to the actual design. The colors are absolutely gorgeous, and there are lots of them.

I also need to restart my Weight Watchers. I'm doing it alone for the moment because I just couldn't afford the meetings. I figure I have all the points information and can use some message boards online for support if I need to. I think my main points book is somewhere in the abyss of my car, so I need to find it and get all my WW stuff in one place. I know that's a "duh" thing but I've been putting off getting it all organized for some reason. I AM going swimming M, W and Th this week with a friend from work to whom I gave my week pass. I'm hoping she'll join and we can go three days a week together. I think that will be fun and motivating to both of us.