Fat Rant

I think this video has been around for a while, but I just discovered it this week and I'm now watching it every morning before I go to work, lol. She's right. I keep waiting to do things until I lose weight, holding on to some clothes that don't fit, etc. I know I can be in better shape and haven't been exercising much because of the weather, other than the 1-2 miles of walking I get in walking downtown. I get less this time of year, for sure. It's very difficult when you're overweight (heck, I'm not overweight, I'm fat), to accept your body as it is while you're trying to make it healthier, but I'm working on it.

Finally finished it!

I think it turned out pretty good for my first try at this kind of embroidery. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to do, but pretty much made it up as I went along. I love, love, love those JCS Ornament Issues with their lovely stitch illustrations in the back! I intend on buying one of those embroidery bible type books, but those magazines come in very handy in the interim. There are some chain stitches I've seen but couldn't figure out how to do, even with instructions, so I didn't include those or buttonhole wheels like I wanted to. I'll have to figure out how to stitch those and use them next time. However, I think I've mastered the bullion knot and French knot. My French knots should now look a lot better after practicing on this piece. I also added generic beads I bought at Michael's.

My two main goals were to contrast texture with simple stitching and go from dark colors down to light colors. I may end up stitching some more on the "M" outline, as I'm not sure if it stands out enough right now. I'll have to let it sit for a while and come back to it.

Got some beads, new dress

I'm mostly done with that free-style stitching project I mentioned yesterday. So, I went to Michael's today to get some beads. I spent about $25 on a bunch of large bead packages containing all sorts of beads. I didn't want to waste my Mill Hill beads on something that didn't need specific colors and these will do fine. Some of them will be stitched into in a way where you can't even see the bead, so it doesn't matter. I hope to finish it this weekend.

In my previous post, I mentioned that we're going to have some Philadelphia VIPs at our luncheon Friday. So, I stopped by Catherine's on my way home from Michael's. I wasn't going to just get anything, but I wanted something dressier than just a nice skirt and blouse without wearing dressier but warmer clothes. I tried on quite a few nice outfits that fit, but there were sheath dresses with jackets on top. They looked nice, but I didn't want that many layers if I could help it. I also tried on a pretty periwinkle and white pantsuit but someone pulled the switcharoo and the pants were a different size than the top and waaaaaay too big, and I don't have time to get them altered. So, I tried on this pretty dress for the heck of it, and I loved it! Sure, it's not on sale, but I ended up getting 20% off after buying their $4 magazine, so the total was still $13 less than if I hadn't bought the magazine. Weird, huh? So, here it is:



It's not a very big picture, but it's a black floral design, and the flowers are cream and dark pink/fuschia with green leaves. The dress has a mock wrap in the front. I find that these types of dresses look the best on me. The empire waist dresses look good on many people and they always say it's good for camouflaging a big tummy, but they just make me look pregnant and I don't need questions. :)

Yay, it's Friday!

First off, I want to say that I MUST see The Simpsons Movie this weekend, if only to find out what's going on in this picture I found on Rotten Tomatoes:




Now, onto other things, the good and bad of the week. I'll start with bad so that I can end with good.


Bad

Had a horrible migraine that started Tuesday night and went into Wednesday. I just slept all day. I know the humidity blast that came in had a lot to do with it. I've read that ginger can help with that, among other things. I do notice that when I eating ginger I feel better, so I'm going to get me some more of that good stuff that I haven't had in a while.

Originally, Tim had Fri, Sat and Sun off. At the last minute, they decided to force him to work Sat overnight, then he has to work very early Mon morning. I say "force" because that's what he says. There's some sort of union thing, apparently. I've never worked for a union so don't get half the stuff, but as far as I can see, the only thing that union does is screw him and people who have been there 2 years or less while letting the ones with seniority do whatever the hell they want. He's making decent money, but I don't know that it's worth the crap they put him through.



Good

Found out that we'll have program funders at our end-of-internships luncheon for one of my programs. They are philanthropists who are well-known in the Philly area, so I'm hoping this will help me get some press for the programs. The kids were great this year. One program is for Jewish college kids who intern at local Jewish organizations while learning about their culture and mentoring the other intern group. That other group is for at-risk Jewish high school juniors who also intern at local Jewish organizations and receive free SAT tutoring and other college prep help. They are fantastic internships and have really grown in the last few years.

Went to a great show last night at World Cafe on 30th and Walnut in Philly. It was Lez Zeppelin, an all-girl band playing Led Zeppelin tunes. Wow! They were awesome. The opening group was good, too -- April Smith and her band (can't remember the name of the band right now.) Her voice reminded us of Gwen Stefani -- not too breathy or girly, if that makes sense. Tickets were only $16 -- for a fantastic night of music. I spent that much on beer while I was there, lol. I love the fact that as long as I drink at least as much water as beer, I don't end up with a hangover. It also helps me not guzzle the beer so that I get really stupid. I've discovered I have quite a hankering for Yuengling, after not being a beer drinker most of my life.

I'm almost done with my crazy stitching project. After discovering In a Minute Ago a few weeks ago that showed some awesome crazy quilts and free-style embroidery (don't know what else to call it), I was inspired to create my own free-style embroidery. I'm almost done with it and will post a picture when I'm finished. It's very different from anything I've done before.



Well, that's enough for now. I wanted to be sure I listed more "goods" than "bads" as I was a bit ranty for a while and am trying to get past it. :)

Sneezing Panda video

I normally don't post videos directly in my blog, but this completely cracked me up. :)
If there's no picture with a big play button in the center, click on the little play arrow down in the left corner, then push the big play button in the center when the picture comes up.


sneezing panda

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I'm so... freaking... tired

I really have no reason, but it seems like for the last week I've wandered around in a daze or slept. I haven't done much stitching at all, and I haven't been sleeping well at night. I don't sleep during the day but even when I try to go to bed at a normal hour I don't sleep well, so it doesn't seem to matter if I take a cat nap when I get home or not. I can think of two reasons this is happening, and it's probably a combination of both:

1. The heat and humidity. Blech. We don't have a/c because of the drama to get it in this apartment (long story). It's actually not too bad in there for normal sitting around and stitching in front of fans, but it's a little warmer than I like for sleeping and I end up waking up or simply not sleeping as well as I'd like.

2. My mom was sick and told me last weekend that she had to get a CAT scan. Luckily, I found out this weekend that the tests came back negative and she's seeing an ENT this week for her problem, but that was in the back of my mind all last week and I guess it still is. Cancer runs in both sides of my family, and my father's mother died from it this past January. My mother's mother died from ovarian cancer and her aunt recently died from breast cancer, so I always think of that horrible disease when something goes wrong healthwise in our family. My dad has also fought skin cancer and prostate cancer. Luckily, they caught the prostate cancer very early in a blood test so they were able to take care of it before it did any damage. So yes, that possibility is always on my mind when a family member is sick and they can't immediately figure out what is wrong.

3. If I'm honest with myself, I know there's a third reason -- I've been eating like crap. I'm eating yogurt, cereal, berries and carrots during the day, but I think I'm not eating enough. Then I go home and don't cook because it's hot, so I tend to get a turkey or ham hoagie at WaWa, along with a small bag of popcorn. I guess I'm not eating completely horribly, but I'm normally a grazer and lately haven't been doing so well.

Blech. My health just tends to go downhill in the summer for reasons #1 and #3, plus my eyes water and get icky a lot more than they used to.

OK, that's enough whining for the day, just had to get it out. I'm sure I'll be myself again soon. I have to be careful, as I find myself more irritated than usual with some of the message board posts I see, and I don't want to get myself into trouble. If I hear one more time about how I'm going to Hell because I read/see movies about Harry Potter...! People who say this, of course, know absolutely nothing about the subject matter. If they did, they'd know that the magic is secondary, and the main plot is about choosing right from wrong even when doing the wrong thing is easier, loyalty, love, friendship, fighting for what you believe, etc. I'm not saying people have to read it because I like it, but quit shoving your holier-than-thou attitudes in my face! I'll never understand why LOTR is OK (I love it, too) and HP is not. Is it because Tolkien was a Christian and Rowling is not? Well, they also talk about how The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is great because of the Christian symbolism, but it was written by an atheist. So, since it was written by an atheist doesn't it mean you shouldn't read it? I'll never understand the so-called reasoning behind all of this.

Ahem, well, NOW I'm done whining. :)

Saw HP: OOTP this morning

I thought it was great! No, they weren't able to fit everything into the movie, but I wasn't expecting that. It would have been cool, but impossible for a general movie that is meant for the general public and not all of us weirdos who love the extended versions of LOTR -- and also watch the hours of documentary behind it. :)

It's like the Rush concert I went to last Friday: The have over 30 years' worth of music and only 2.5-3 hours to play. They can't play everything and there were a few songs they'd played that I personally would have replaced with different songs. However, I had a great time, love seeing them in concert and would go again. It's the same with HP -- there are some things I missed but the movie was still great. I think the end scene in the Ministry was particularly well done, and I loved Luna.

Now, to get my hands on the 7th book and read it as soon as I get it.

Bonhead move of the day

Nothing major, just a sign that I'm tired. I ripped my used page off my new pad of paper, then promptly threw the good paper into the trash and kept the used-up piece on my desk.



Luckily, there were only papers in my garbage so it wasn't a big deal to get it back out of the trashcan.

Edited to add: Normally I'd fix the title, but it's too funny that I'm talking about my bonehead moment and I didn't spell "bonehead" correctly. I guess I had more than one of those moments yesterday, and feel I should leave it as it is. :)

Christmas Elf Fairy Progress

I made a deal with myself that I'd start Mirabilia's Christmas Elf Fairy for the Mirabilia BB Holiday in July SAL. So, since I was good and finished the sampler, I started the fairy on Friday. I didn't get a lot done because it was a busier weekend that I had planned, but I'm not complaining -- Rush concert, two movies and going to the Verizon store to get new wireless plans.

Anyway, here's my start. I'm stitching her on Cupid linen from Picture This Plus. I love the different red flosses from Crescent Colors for this one. :)

Stitching Goals Update, StRIP update

Here's my update on my Ten Project Challenge. To be honest, I've started a few before finishing these. However, making this challenge has helped me to, for the most part, stay on task and get some finished. I now only have two to finish -- Angel of the New Dawn and Why Hoard Gold. I believe I can finish both of them by the end of the summer (after all, technically summer doesn't end until nearly the end of September).

WIPS (when I started the challenge)
1. Lady of the Flag (finished in September06)
2. Angel of Love - L&L (finished 11/12/06)
3. Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle (finished 7/5/07)
4. I Shall Wear Purple - Leisure Arts (finished 2/20/07)
5. Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia (finished 5/16/07
6. Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia

New
1. Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams (started 11/24/06)
2. Crescent Moon - Mirabilia - chart colors (Samara)(finished 12/1/06)
3. 2006 Christmas Tree - Mirabilia (finished 1/8/07)
4. Easter Fairy - Mirabilia (started 1/07, finished 5/24/07)



Now, onto my other goals and StRIP list to see how I'm doing.

2007 Finishes - Goal

At least 10 ornaments
Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle (DONE)
I Shall Wear Purple - Lanarte with color changes (DONE)
Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia (DONE)
Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams
Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia
Drawn Thread mini bellpull
Ouroborus - Dracolair
1998 L&L Angel
Skeleton Crew - Cross-Eyed Cricket
2006 Mirabilia Tree (DONE)
at least half of Sleeping Beauty (no way I'll finish her, but at least this will be progress) - Mirabilia


2007 Starts - Started first four

Easter Fairy - Mirabilia (DONE)
Alpine Garden - Drawn Thread
Autumn Angel - Joan Elliott
Oh Christmas Tree - L&L

Celtic Noel - L&L
mini bellpull - Drawn Thread
Cinnamon Bear - JCS Christmas Issue
Couer de Saint Valentine - don't know name of designer off-hand, French
Christmas Cat - from Holiday Cats leaflet


StRIP List Changed it around a bit to take into consideration finished projects and one I'm going to give away as a WIP (no longer listed)

Mermaid of the Pearls (DONE) + Why Hoard Gold? > Coeur de Saint Valentin
Angel of the New Dawn + Ouroborus > Christmas Cat
Skeleton Crew + Christmas Elf Fairy > Celtic Noel
DT mini bellpull + 1998 L&L angel > Cinnamon Bear
Easter Fairy (DONE) + Alpine Garden > L&L County Fair
Autumn Angel + Oh Christmas Tree > Halloween Fairy
Garden Verses + Rose Celebration > Valentine Fairy
Fairie Treasure + Angel of the Sea > Moon Fairy Spirit
Earth Dragon + TW English Garden Welcome > Titanic
Spring Queen + Sweet Dreams Santa > Blossom Harvest
Misty Morning Vineyard > Egyptian Garden

Finished Liberty Sampler!

Yay! I had a stitchathon on July 4. I spent the entire day stitching on this (thought it was appropriate) while watching "The Revolution" on The History Channel. What a lovely day! I almost finished it on the 4th but my eyes were crossing so I stitched the rest of it yesterday. I promised myself that if I finished it on Friday that I'd allow myself to start the Mirabilia Christmas Elf Fairy for the Holiday in July Mirabilia SAL this weekend. I figure it's a pretty good trade, considering the fairy is about 1/3 (or less) the size of the sampler I just finished.

The bargello band almost had my eyes permanently crossed, but I love the look of it. I'm thinking about giving this to my parents, as I think my dad would particularly like it.

I'M FREE!!!

Was that loud enough? Did you hear that in Australia? :)

It's only temporary freedom, of course, but I'm home and don't have to go back to work until Monday! I'm planning on taking part in a virtual SAL tonight on the 123 board, so maybe I'll take a nap in order to prepare. I have no idea yet what I'm going to stitch. Perhaps I can finish (or come close) Liberty Sampler if I do some marathon stitching tonight and later this weekend. It would be great to have that big project under my belt.

Another cool development -- I talked to my sister earlier in the week and I may be visiting her in Seattle in August! I've never been there. We were trying to get together in Gettysburg in September, and one of her work friends has a sister in Baltimore (my sis is in San Francisco) and they were also trying to get together. So, we're going to see if all four of us can do a sister's vacation in Seattle. I met her work friend, as she picked me up at the train station in Baltimore a year or so ago. I think this could be fun. We'll see. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much as their schedules can be crazy. I probably have the easiest schedule to work around, at least this time of year.

Random vent

If I like something, it's because I like it not because everybody else likes it and I want to fit in. I know, it's not "cool" to like anything that is generic, easy to find, or popular. I'm convinced that there are many out there who instantly dislike certain things in life simply because the majority of people like them. I know this is no big news to anyone, but it's irritating yet comical at the same time. So, for the record:

1. I like Starbucks
2. I liked "Friends" for most of the years it was on TV
3. I like football
4. I like Harry Potter
5. I like Lord of the Rings, both the book and the movies
6. I'm a girl and sometimes like to wear pink, sometimes like to wear a skirt
7. I like Stephen King
8. I like "The Simpsons"
9. I like the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies
10. I like for my hair to look attractive if possible (possible is debatable, but I like to try without wearing caked-on makeup or overdone hair)
11. I like "CSI"
12. I like studying the American Civil War
13. I like Metallica, pre- and post-Black Album
14. I like buying baby stuff, as long as it's not for my baby, which doesn't exist
15. I like living in America, even with all our problems and faults

There, that feels better.

Stitching update

Here are my promised pictures. I got quite a bit of stitching done on Garden Verses over the weekend, and she's coming along nicely. I've finished about 1/3 of Skeleton Crew.





Also, I've decided what I'll be watching while stitching on the 4th. I'm pretty sure Tim has to work that day so will be home by myself. I haven't checked with him, but they are open 24/7/365 and he's worked Christmas and Thanksgiving in the past. Anyway, I see the History Channel is playing the entire "The Revolution" series starting at 10AM that morning. It's a good series that I'd like to get on DVD at some point, and I love watching documentaries while stitching.