Stitching Obsessions

Siberian Forest Start & Goblin Tree Update

2012-01-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick pic of Siberian Forest (I took it with my phone).

Started on 1/17/12.

Zweigart Linda 27 ct. white (pre-packaged)

DMC 1 X 1

There's a lot of confetti stitching on this first page, but it's not as bad as I had thought. I'm kind of in a groove with it. I'm keeping it going this week.

My update on Goblin Tree below. (this is from 1/6/12) I'm going to try to complete it this year!

Looks like a little more the halfway through page 14. There are 20 total pages of chart in this one. I'm going to try to concentrate on these 2 wips this year until at least one of them is completed. It's so hard with new releases coming out all the time grabbing my attention.

Here are a few that are nagging at my brain. I figured I would share them with you so I won't be the only one suffering!
Christensen's Purple Dragon, I don't have this one in stash yet, I am trying to resist! You should stop by the WIPs forum on the board and see a few of the fantastic starts on this puppy!
Others not in stash but I'm drooling over:
Meilissa Dawn's Snowflake Daydreams
Marta Dahlig's Judith
Irina Garmashova's My Darling
Then there's the ones that are in stash that are screaming!

Sue Clyne's Dear Prudence a cat, with the name of a Beatles' song!
Da Vinci's Sistine Chapel OMG! That's all I have to say!
And Patty RAKed me with Ravenscroft's QS Bubbles and QS Sea Unicorns!
So what's a stitcher to do? I have to plug my ears to silence the noise so I can finish something!

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T11:31:00.000-05:00

Welcome 2012. I hope you and yours had a wonderful Holiday Season. It was fairly quiet here and that's the way we like it. I managed to finish one more goal before 2011 fell into the history books. Here he is, Phuan page 1 completed:

So I only made one of my half yearly goals for 2011. But one is better that none!

Here's the wrap up:

2011 Full Year GOALS

1. Finish Fragile Heart SAL COMPLETE!
2. Finish TT SunWorshipper Cat 3 COMPLETE!
3. Finish Chesterton SK SAL COMPLETE!
4. Complete one more page (at least) on Goblin Tree: Pages 1 thru 12 finished. COMPLETE!

2011 ½ Year GOALS
1. Finish 1 page Bewitched (page 1 started).
2. Finish 1 page Phuan (page 1 started). COMPLETE!
3. Start Catfish and finish (at least) half of the page.

I'm currently stitching on Goblin Tree for the Retired Artists SAL on the HAED Board. She's so much fun to work on, and I'm glad to have her back on the scroll rods again. I think I will try to finish her this year! I have the first page of the 2012 Freebie QS SAL in my hot little hands, but I haven't even kitted it up yet. I chose Siberian Forest by Kayomi Harai.

Big surprise, right? I picked a cat! I will have to dedicate some time to pulling floss and picking a fabbie. It would be nice to actually keep up with the pages as they come out, for a change. I haven't figured out my 2012 goals yet, but you can bet that Siberian Forest will be amongst them.

So here's to a happy and productive new stitchy year!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T07:45:00.000-05:00

(repost)
For some this time of year may have little meaning or may be a sad time.

For myself, this is a time to rejoice for all I have received, reverence for those I have lost, and to give in the spirit of Christmas.

If you find stress in this season, take a moment in silence and listen for the true spirit. Lend yourself to those whom are in need. Then without a doubt, the true spirit and peace of Christmas will fill your heart.

Thank you for a wonderful year.
May You all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.

Phuan SK Update

2011-12-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

Progress so far. I don't have page 1 done yet, but I really want to complete it before the end of the year.

Stats:

Phuan Lesley Anne Ivory © HAED

Freebie SK Jun. – Dec. 2011

28 ct. English Rose DMC floss 1 X 1, full cross

Started June 17,2011 Kreinik Blending Fil. 002HL

Stitched by Louanne S. Dec. 11, 2011

Fragile Heart Completed!

2011-11-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

Here she is! All washed, pressed and ready for her close up! I finished her Sunday night. I've now completed all my yearly goals. My half-yearly goals look pretty shabby, I'm not even close on those. So here's the goal wrap up so far.

Yearly Goals

Finish Fragile Heart SAL - Complete

Finish TT Sun Worshipper Cat 3 - Complete

Finish Chesterton SK SAL - Complete
Complete one more page (at least) on Goblin Tree, Pages 1 - 12 complete. Completed page 13 and 1/3 of page 14

1/2 Yearly Goals
Finish 1 page Bewitched (page 1 started).
Finish 1 page Phuan Freebie SK (page 1 started).
Start Catfish and finish (at least) half of the page (page 1 started).

Hope you're all doing well with any goals you've set for yourselves this year. Can you believe this year is almost over?
Joyous Stitching to you all!
Hugs!

Fragile Heart Page 4 Complete

2011-10-25T13:53:00.001-04:00

Here she is!

Page 4 down. I've been working on her since last time I posted. Since it's a yearly goal to complete her, I figured I'd better get my butt in gear. I'll continue with her this week, till Thursday night.

Friday morning the rare 5th weekend Retired Artist SAL starts up on the board. It only comes around about 4 times a year. Goblin Tree is a retired chart so she will come out for a while.

Things around here have been so busy lately. I've been dieting and I'm down 26 lbs. I have about 8 lbs. to go, yet, but I had to get myself some new clothes. I'm only 5" tall, so for every 5 lbs. I lose, I go down a size. I started at a size 12 (well, almost bursting out of 12s), I've worked down to a 6. Now the 6's are hanging a bit. I have to wash and machine dry everything. Gone are the days of hanging jeans out to dry for fear that they would shrink. Now I'm trying to shrink them! Who woulda thought? So anyway, I've been out and about, shopping most days after work. I haven't gotten a lot, but what I have purchased has been hard to find. I'm not a teeny bopper, but I'm not an old lady either. Who are these designers making clothes for? They all look like they're for my 18 yr old niece or my 84 yr old MIL! What to do if you're somewhere in the middle? (SIGH)

Well, that's enough for now, possums. Have a Stitchy Week!

Goblin Tree - Linda Ravenscroft - 30 Sept. 2011 Update

2011-10-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

I didn't get much time to work on her, but here's the before and after for last week.
Before:

After:

After all these years I still love working on her. I wish I could just continue and finish this page. But, this week's SAL is Freebies & Smalls, so Fragile Heart is about to come out and play. I have one yearly goal yet to complete and that's to finish FH. I'm not anywhere near that goal, so I have to get stitching on it.

That's all, for now possums. Have a delightful stitchy week!

Better Late Then Never

2011-09-28T08:31:00.000-04:00

I've been busy. Had my SIL and niece over the weekend. We went into NYC for a show and dinner. Saw Prisilla Queen of the Desert, and had dinner at Chez Josephine's. It was a great day. I recommend both the play and the restaurant, so if you haven't been, go! You won't be sorry.

DH bought a car on Wed. He hasn't had a car in his name since we've been married, 15 years. I've been telling him to buy a car for a few years now, but he didn't want a car payment. He finally found one, not on purpose. He went to a dealership trying to get a part for his work van and saw one on the lot that he really liked. He got a Hyundai Genesis. He really wanted something comfortable, and this car fits the bill. I can't believe how nice it is. It's not anything that I would ever have even looked at, but it fits him to a T. He's happy with it so far. I hope he stays happy with it at least till he's finished with the payments :-)

Last week was the SK SAL, so Phuan came out for a while. As stated, I was pretty busy last week so my progress was meager. Here's the before & after pics:

I was so excited to get to the start of his ear! Then I went to post my update over on the board in the Phuan thread, and saw what all the other stitcher's pieces look like. I feel like I got nowhere. Oh well, I didn't have a lot of time to stitch, but I'm a slow stitcher anyway. It's not the end point, it's the journey that's important.

This week is the Themed SAL, the Theme is Halloween or anything Autum-ish (not a word, I know). So you probably already guessed it. Goblin Tree is on the scroll rods. I have another busy week this week. Something every day after work. But my old friend is there and I have managed a few stitches so far, and hope to squeeze a few more in before Friday morning. Stay tuned!

QS Artur

2011-09-17T08:47:00.000-04:00

Last week was the SWIP SAL on the board so I broke out QS Arthur, I hadn't touched him since March 2010! Here he is before:

And after:

Doesn't look like much but confetti rules this piece. I don't mind though, the detail is amazing, IMHO. He will take forever to finish, at the rate I stitch, but he's worth it.

This week is the SK Freebie SAL so Phuan is on the rods....

Some news this past week: Fudgey (Jeannie-Maree) has retired from her duties as Administrator. I, along with Rachel and Nance are now helping Michele out with the duties there more than we were before.

As a farewell gift Michele and Bob have charted a QS Freebie of the piece that brought Fudgey to HAED in the first place. You can find the chart, Sea of Roses, HERE.

Unfortunately, I got only one comment on my last post (thank you Ali) . I was hoping for a bit of a better turnout. Please look into your heart and re-read my previous post, I really would love to have your help.

It's a chilly 52 this morning, here. I turned on the heat in the house, first time this season. I'm still hoping for Indian Summer tho! It would be nice to curl up in a blanket and stitch, but I have errands to run today. Then we're taking some friends out for dinner tonight, in honor of her Birthday. Maybe tomorrow I can stitch all day.

Have a great stitchy week!

Question for ya...

2011-09-13T12:02:00.002-04:00

I have been thinking about this since last weekend, so I thought I'd just ask you what you think (hope you don't mind). You may not know that I am a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. I've really just purchased for myself these past few years. I got a letter from my Director saying that her husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Devastating news. He was always a big part of the Unit, and threw all his abilities behind his wife, we all love him very much. He's lost his income, so that leaves her to shoulder their total responsibilities on her own. She has asked us to help her grow the business by doing anything that we possibly can. I would like to help her, so my question to you all is this: (I can buy a Mary Kay web site), if I did so, would anyone be interested? I would post the addy and you could go to the site and browse and purchase right from the site. No in home parties, or visits, no fuss. If so, would you be willing to email your friends with the addy and ask them to browse as well? I'm just trying to think of ways to contribute to the cause. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Thank you, very sincerely.

Fragile Heart Page 3

2011-09-10T08:59:00.000-04:00

Here she is, page 3 complete! I now that I'm not as far along as most of the other people stitching her, but I'm happy with her anyway. We all do what we can, right? I have so many WIPs going I'm happy to get something accomplished with any of them.
This week is the UFO/SWIP SAL, already? Checks calendar... yep, it's the 2nd weekend of Sept. already! I haven't looked though my wip pile yet to see what jumps out at me.
Thinking that the year is flying by makes me want to have a look at me Goals for the year. So here's where I am as of now.

2011 GOALS

1. FinishFragile Heart SAL
2. Finish TT SunWorshipper Cat 3 COMPLETE!
3. Finish Chesterton SK SAL COMPLETE!
4. Complete one more page (at least) on Goblin Tree: Pages 1 thru 12 finished.COMPLETE!

Pipsqueak!

2011-09-02T08:43:00.000-04:00

We made it through the storm. Never lost power, but we did lose cable for 4 days, so no TV or Internet for me. Just as well, I stitched! I brought out Draconis Lepus Leo AKA Pipsqueak for the Themed SAL, and I managed to complete the page I was on and start the next! Here is the little darling before:

And after:

I started him in the center so the finished page is 15, and I backed up to start page 14.

This week it's Freebie SAL time, so Fragile Heart is out to play.

My heart goes out to all those that suffered through the storm. Many people still without power, flooded, etc. I keep you in my heart and send out healing/helping cyber vibes.

Phuan Update

2011-08-27T11:16:00.000-04:00

Worked on Phuan for the SK Freebie SAL this past week. Here he is before:

And after:

That wallpaper is murder! But I enjoyed stitching on him and I am making some progress. This week is Themed SAL, and the theme is is feathers/fur/scales, so any chart with a bird reptile/fish or animal works. Almost all of my WIPs qualify, so it will be a surprise.

Since I'm on the East Coast, Irene may mess up my plans. I am figuring that I may be without power for a while at the very least. We have everything battened down, and we are hunkering down for the big blow. I just hope we don't get flooded. That would be baaaad. Hope everyone on the coast is secure, good luck to us all.

Another Page Finish!

2011-08-19T08:53:00.001-04:00

This past week was the UFO/SWIP SAL. I have so many that fall into this category (it's a shame). So this time I selected and oldie but a goodie, Dark Cherry. She was my selection for the 2009 Freebie SAL. I haven't stitched on her since Jan. 2011. Here she is before the SAL:

Here she is after. I finished page 2 and started page 3.

Progress on her is pitiful. The end of page 2 was confetti laden, it took most of a day to finish it. The bauble at the bottom (on page 3) gave me a particularly hard time. I did something wrong in there, but I think I fixed it. It still looks wrong when I look at it now... Have to put her away for a while, till I feel better about it.

This week is the SK Freebie SAL so Phuan is out to play! They are saying rain for most of the weekend, so I hope to stitch through most of it and make some good progress.

Fragile Heart

2011-08-12T14:29:00.000-04:00

I worked on Fragile Heart for the Freebie SAL this past week. I finished page 2 and started page 3 YAY! Here she is:

The UFO/SWIP SAL is up next. I have a lot of those! Not sure what to pick. It will be a surprise!

Not a lot of Progress

2011-08-06T09:10:00.000-04:00

Goblin Tree came out for the Retired Artists SAL (LR is no longer retired from HAED, but this chart is). I didn't get a lot of stitching done with my SIL here, but here's the before and after:

This week is Freebie/Smalls SAL, I think Fragile Heart will come out to play.

New Start!!!!

2011-07-29T10:06:00.001-04:00

Okay! So this past week was New Start SAL, and you know I was waiting for this one! I finally got to start Catfish, and it was a joy to stitch. I got about 16 10X10 boxes done in one week. Really speedy for me. Here he is:

The red box shows exactly where I am stitching on the chart, I started in the middle.

Stats:

Catfish Sheila Rayyan © HAED

Opalescent White 28 ct. HDF Silk 1 X 1, full cross

Started 7/22/2011

This weekend starts the Retired Artists SAL, so you know who will be coming out to play! (Can you guess?) I most likely won't be able to stitch a lot. My SIL is coming down to stay for the week. I'm off all week, and we plan to spend the week lounging at the pool, girl time. We are calling it "girls behaving badly week". We are going to drink too much wine, play cards, not cook, etc. A real vacation! I told DH he has to fend for himself for the week.

Have a great stitchy week!

Catching Up

2011-07-25T08:25:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to update weekly, but I fell off the wagon. I went for a 'girls weekend' in NYC July 15th. Three of us left on Friday and got back Sunday night. We had a great time! We stayed at the Plaza Athéné é. Friday night we saw Pricilla Queen of the Desert, then we dined at the Blue Fin, the food there was fine, but the service was terrible! Saturday we saw Memphis, then we dined at Chez Josephine what a great place! It was owned by Josephine Baker and her sons still run it. The food was delish! The service was wonderful, I need to go back and bring DH. The shows were fantastic! If you are in the area and can get to one of these shows, it's well worth it. I would see either of them again. During the day Saturday we went to MoMA to see the Alexander McQueen Exhibit, Savage Beauty. All I can say is WOW! We had a wonderful afternoon, and enjoyed brunch in the Members Dining Room. Sunday we shopped Madison Ave., all the way down to Rockefeller Center, then we had lunch at Bice, wonderful place, best Cosmos EVA! We did a lot of walking, but it's good exercise and we had a wonderful time, I didn't want it to end.....
So on to the stitching! The week ending the 15th was the UFO/SWIP SAL on the HAED Board, I worked on Bewitched.

Before:

After:

The following week was Detail/Confetti SAL, I worked on Phuan.

Before:

After:

This week is Themed SAL's ( at the whim of the admin ), and the Admin picked New Start SAL YAY!!!! I started Catfish!!!!! I'll have the update at the end of the week.

Fragile Heart

2011-07-10T09:51:00.000-04:00

Here she is after last week's stitching. I'm so close to finishing the page, but I've put her away because the UFO/SWIP SAL is this week, and I have to work on Bewitched for a bit.

FH is a joy to stitch, I'm enjoying her very much, and she is moving along fairly quickly for me. I'm a slow stitcher so getting close to 2 pages completed in 7 months (along with other stitching) is an accomplishment.

The weather here looks like it might finally be Summer. It stopped raining for a full day yesterday! Spent the day in the pool vacuuming it up from the effects of all the rain and storms we've had this past week. It was totally trashed. The sun is out and they are saying 90 for today, so I am looking forward to relaxing outside. Got my floating lounge out and I am going to soak in some rays.

Happy Stitching!

Goblin Tree June Update

2011-07-02T09:33:00.001-04:00

I am proud to announce that I have met another yearly goal.
My goals for this year are:
2011 GOALS
1. Finish Fragile Heart SAL

2. Finish TT SunWorshipper Cat 3 COMPLETE!
3. Finish Chesterton SK SAL COMPLETE!
4. Complete one more page (at least) on Goblin Tree (Pages 1 thru 12 finished). COMPLETE!

I've completed page 13 on Goblin Tree. That's 3 yearly goals down 1 to go! Pages 1 thru 13 complete, and one third of page 14 complete (out of 20 total).
Without further ado, taaaaaa daaaaaaa!

I now have 3 full and 4 partial pages to go to completion. This is the only HAED BAP that's ever come this close to a finish! I am soooo tempted to just keep stitching to the end. But The Freebie QS SAL is this week, so I must work on Fragile Heart. GT is already off the rods and back in the storage box, and FH has come out to play.

I hope all my stitching buddies here in the USA have a wonderful July 4th. I am off work till the 6th, looking forward to a nice weekend with beautiful weather (I hope), and stitching poolside for the duration!

Phuan SK Start

2011-06-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

I started him last week and this is my progress. I am pleased with it. I used some Kreinik Blending Filament (002HL) in with one of the golds and I am liking the way it's working out. You can't really see it in the scan, but IRL I think it's lovely. He's fun to stitch too! (See post from June 10th for pic of original artwork.)

Next up, in honor of Fairy Day, is Goblin Tree. I brought her out yesterday and will work on her for this week.

Speaking of which... Hope you all had a lovely Fairy Day yesterday.

Bewitched

2011-06-17T14:58:00.006-04:00

I worked on her this week for the UFO/SWIP SAL. Here she is before and after

The Freebie SK SAL and the 2 week Fairy Day SAL both start this weekend. I will start off with the new Freebie SK. I selected Phuan (see post below). I have big plans for this guy, but I'm not going to say anything in case they don't turn out. Anyway, I plan to start, and work on him for a while. Then Next Frdiay is Fairy Day, so Goblin Tree will come out to play.

Have a wonderful stitchy week!

June Week 2 - Progress, New Starts

2011-06-10T08:21:00.027-04:00

Yay, it's Friday! Time to post my update for the week. I've been pretty good about it lately, haven't I? First up is Fragile Heart, from the SAL this past week.

I'm happy with my progress so far. I should have spent more time with her this week, but other duties called. Still have house work, yard work, etc. Aaaaahhhh, if only the world would stop so I could just sit and stitch!

Next, I've kitted up 2 (yes 2!) new starts. I seem to have the new start bug lately. It's weird cause I usually hate the kitting phase, I'd rather be stitching. But I'm excited about Catfish - Rayyan. Let me tell you the story of this. Sheila Rayyan is a new artist that HAED just started charting. Catfish is on the intro page of her website. One of her first pieces to be charted was Cheshire Cat. There were people on the board wanting Catfish, including me, but I didn't think it would be charted quickly (for some reason, I don't know...). So I purchased Cheshire figuring it would keep my mind occupied. I also ordered silk from HDF to stitch him, he's only 11 colors so not too bad. Then, guess what? Catfish was charted. I had to have him immediately! He is only 9 colors, and most are the same as Cheshire, so I ordered the 2 colors of silk I was missing for him. When it all arrived I was just too excited! So without further ado, here's Catfish all kitted up! I chose Opalescent White 28 ct. (I don't know what) fabric and HDF silk. The only silk not pictured here is the off white.

I am all ready for a New Start SAL in July, if I can wait that long.

The 2nd new start I kitted up is for the Freebie SK SAL on the Board, runs Jun. - Dec. I chose Phuan - Lesley Anne Ivory. Here's what he should look like when finished, and my ready to go kitted up piece.

I think the contrast of the soft pink with the blue and golds will be very nice, plus the cats body won't get washed away as it would on white or off whtie fabric. The SK Freebie SAL will start sometime this month.

This week is the UFO/SWIP SAL on the borad. I think that the perfect fit for this SAL is Bewitched. I started her back in Jan. 09 and I haven't touched her since May 09. (See this post from Jan. 09.) I'm stitching her with HDF silks as well, so she will also comfort me in my yearning to start Catfish.

Now for your wonderful comments on my last post. I know what you are talking about saying that Wall charts are scary. I felt the same way. I am always amazed by the beautiful work the Wall Stitchers (that's what I call them in my head) do on the board. Floors me everytime. I too, would never have started a Wall if it weren't for Dragon Charmer. I just couldn't resist her. What's not to love? A beautiful girl, an adorable dragon, and all those wonderful blues! Blue is my favorite color. So I gritted my teeth and jumped in. And you know what? It isn't that bad. Really, it's no different from any other HAED chart. After all cross stitching is just making one little X after another. The thing is... you have to LOVE the artwork. If you love it, it's a tresure to stitch.

Boy! I'm chatty today!

Once again, Happy Stitching, may every X you make bring you closer to Heaven!

June Week 1 Update

2011-06-06T10:18:00.005-04:00

Last week was Themed SAL on the HAED board, the Theme was "Sky", I sould have stitched my cat (one's name is Sky). The only thing I had on the go that had sky to be stitched was Dragon Charmer - Wall. I started it back in Oct. 09 and haven't touched it since. (I know, baaad) So here's the before (from 09) and the after:

As you can see I am in the upper left corner where the castle is, in the distance. It was fun to stitch on it again, but it's detail intensive so I didn't get far.

This week it's the Freebie SAL so I'm back with Fragile Heart. It is less intense so I hope to get alot more done. We shall see...

Thank you for your comments. In answer to a few:

anojaa , it may be a while before I start Catfish. There is usually a New Start SAL on the board at least once a year, so I am going to try to wait for that. But Catfish is screaming at me, and the silks are gorgeous, so I might not be able to!

Crafty Princess , I'm not really that close to a finish on Goblin Tree, I really am only a little more than halfway. :-) I think I have at least 10 more pages to go. It doesn't feel slower to me because of how close I am to the finish. I have been stitching on Goblin for a long time (many years) so it actually feels faster. I have the color symbols down fairly straight in my head now, after working on it for so long, so the color changes kinda flow for me now. Also, it feels like an old friend that I love to spend time with. When I get back to working on GT it's like putting on an old, comfortable pair of leather gloves (you know what I mean).

Have a wonderful stitchy week!

End of the Month Update

2011-05-31T08:45:00.009-04:00

First, Mrs Dibble you are too funny. Yep, no such thing as "too much wine"! ;-)

Next up, Goblin Tree, last time I touched it was Feb. I worked on it for last week's SAL on the HAED Board.
Here she is before the SAL:
And after the SAL:

I'm really close to finishing the page, but I put her away to work on Dragon Charmer. I haven't touched DC since Oct. 09. The SAL on the board this week is the Themed SAL, and Sky was chosen. The only thing I have going where I'm working on sky is DC, so out she comes. I am enjoying it. I had made only a small start on it way back when, just a small part of page 1. So it's good to work on it for a while.

Michele & Bob (owners of HAED) offered a wonderful coupon code last week. You ended up getting 50% off. How could I resist? I got Sheila Rayyan's Catfish, and Randal Spangler's Reading By Firefly Light and Cruising the Information Highway. I ordered HDF silk for Catfish (it's only 9 colors), and I can't wait to start it!!! I have most definitely reached SABLE! Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy.

Hope you all had a wonderful long Holiday Weekend!

Happy Stitching!

It's Been a While

2011-05-23T14:35:00.005-04:00

DH & I went to wine country CA the last weekend of April and into the 1st week of May. Had a wonderful time and bought way too much wine. It's Passport Weekend and we go every year. But now the cellar is up to over 800 bottles I don't think we need to go next year. We always say we're going just for the party, but it never ends up like that. We always end up purchasing, and we really don't need to!

Since we've been back I've been catching up with work, working on the yard and garden, etc. Went to NYC to see Wonderland 2 weekends ago. It was a Birthday present for my neice back in March. My SIL & I took her into the city, it was her first Broadway show. She had a great time and the show was fantastic. A good time was had by all.

Now for my stitchy update. I've been working on Fragile Heart all this time (on and off) so here she is: This shows my progress up to May 20th. I've since put her away (for a while) and brought out Goblin Tree. Haven't touched GT since Feb. I think. So get ready for an update on it soon. I feel like I'm not making any progress on it, but still plugging along. I guess after the big blocks of color on FH the detail stitches in GT are making me a bit nuts. I just have to get used to it again. I'm sure once I have some real time to spend with her, I'll fall in love with her all over again.

The rain in these parts has been relentless lately. It's all I can do to keep up with the yard. We opened the pool last weekend, we had about 8 straight hours iwth no rain. It's so much work, I got up this morning feeling like a house fell on me! We're trying to get ready for a party/BBQ this Saturday. The family and a few friends, nothing big deal, just a get together. But the weather is looking like it won't cooperate. They are saying isolated thunder showers through next week! I swear with all this rain I'm feeling mouldy! Pray for some sun soon!!!!

A FINISH!!!!

2011-04-21T09:31:00.003-04:00

Finally! The stitching is complete. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to bookmarkinize him! ;-)

Chesterton Still Not Complete

2011-04-15T17:02:00.002-04:00

It's a good thing I'm not stitching the full size chart, I'd never finish! Here's my handsom boy after the SWIP/UFO SAL for this month. I didn't take him off the rods for the pic. I plan on keeping him out to play this week for the Detail/Confetti SAL. He most certainly fits the bill!

Fragile Heart

2011-04-10T08:26:00.004-04:00

Here's my update for the week. I finally got to that mesmerizing eye! I was hoping to have more done, but the week just didn't work out for me that way.

This week's SAL is SWIP/UFO so Chesterton is coming out to play again. I really want to finish him. I'm not holding my breath though. The bottom part of the chart is just so fussy. I stitched on him for a few hours yesterday and I can barely notice the progress....

Happy Stitching!

Not finished yet!

2011-03-31T12:39:00.004-04:00

As you can see, no finish this week. The confetti at the bottom of this piece is just crazy.

It's a good thing the SAL on the Board this coming week is the Freebie SAL. I'm a bit fried on this handsome boy right now. So away he goes into storage for a bit. I'll be picking up Fragile Heart. She's got big blocks of color so it will be a nice break for me.

It's funny, when I stitch a lot of confetti, I get burnt. But, then I get bored when I stitch a lot of big blocks of one color. Go figure.

Chesterton SK Again

2011-03-26T08:58:00.002-04:00

As I said in my last post, I did continue with my handsome young man. Here's the result of the detail stitch SAL from last week. I know it doesn't look like much, but remember, it's the detail/confetti stitch SAL ;-) I'm really in the thick of it now so the going's very slow.
This week is Themed SAL, and the theme is seasons. So, you guessed it! I'm staying with Chesterton. I really only have about half a page left. You'd think I could knock that out and hardly even think about it, but noooooo.... Really, just about every other stitch is a different color, and I'm not a parker, I go cross country. The thing is, the next stitch of the same color feels like it's half an acre away! I'm starting and ending threads all over the place. The back is a mess. Good thing I plan to cover it with fabric!

Chesterton SK Update

2011-03-21T08:03:00.004-04:00

I participated in the SWIP/UFO SAL on the board last week with Chesterton.

This week it's the detail stitch SAL, so I will continue with him. It's good for me that these 2 SALs happen to be back to back. I've been using them this year to try and finish Chesterton. I'm close to being halfway finished with the final page. This part is particularly 'fussy' so it fits perfectly in the detal stitch SAL.

Have a good, stitchy week!

Progress on Fragile Heart SAL

2011-03-14T08:01:00.002-04:00

Here's Fragile Heart after the SAL from last week. Sitll haven't finished page 1, and page 2 came out already!

The SAL on the board this week in SWIP/UFO so I brought Chesterton SK out of hiding again. I've been using this SAL to get him completed this year, I hope.

Draconis Lepus Leo (Pipsqueak)

2011-03-04T11:26:00.008-05:00

This little guys is a joy to stitch! Love, love, love him!!!!! This is my progress Feb. 23 - March 3, 2011.
Of course all my pics are clickable to get the larger view.
Here's where I am on the original, see the white box.

Edited to Add: Thaks laura118, I wanted to explain that and I forgot. I stagger the end of each row when I work on HAEDs because I don't want to get a 'page line' on my work. Sometimes you can get what looks like an indent in your stitching where 2 pages meet along their sides. I've never seen it at the bottom of pages, only at the sides. So that's why it looks choppy at the ends.

Chesterton SK and a New Start

2011-02-24T12:33:00.006-05:00

Here's my progress with my handsome young man:

I completed page 2, and started page 3, YAY!

So.... the new start? Well, of course it's Pipsqueak!
I know I said no more new starts till I finish more wips, I know, I know... BUT I was so captivated with him, and I guess I talked about it so much that no one could stand me anymore. The HAED RAK Fairy dropped him in my inbox! Wowzers! Thank you a million times you naughty, wonderful Fairy! You already know all about him from my previous post so all that's left is to show you my progress. Here's where I am on the chart

I started in the center. You probably can't tell, but there are 5 different shades of blue in that little bit of stitching!

His stats:
Draconis Lepus Leo (Pipsqueak) © HAED
Artwork: Michele Lee Phelan
Started Feb. 23, 2011 30 ct. Evenweave Cream
1 x 1 Full Cross, DMC Stitched by Louanne S.
Feb. 23, 2011

I suppose you can figure out what I'll be working on for the rest of this week?

Hugs and Happy Stitching to you all!

Chesterton SK

2011-02-20T08:58:00.006-05:00

Here he is prior to the SAL last week

And here he is after
Isn't he a handsome young man? I was wrong in last week's post, I have finished page 1, this is page 2 I'm working on now. I didn't ever realize it. I'm near the bottom of page 2 and the current week's SAL is "detail stitch", since I am in the really fussy area of the chart, I will continue with him.

On another note HAED is having a sale and there's also a coupon code so in the end you get about 40% off. That is huge! There was a new release on Friday and I have been captivated. Check this out (his name is Pipsqueak, artist Michele Lee Phelan)
(from the artist) Pipsqueak is a rare 'Draconus Lepus Leo'; a dragon chimera. He is a creature born of the artist's imagination - a blending of dragon, dragonfly, lion and rabbit. He stands no more than six inches in height, and is both loyal and loving. He has manifested in the 'Wisdoms of Gaia' Oracle as the 'Imagination' card.

I am crazy about this guy! Problem is, if I did purchase him, I would have to drop everything and start work on him. I really want to finish a few of my 10 HAED wips sometime this year. He's a big chart too, 400 X 565! and 90 colors.... I am torn.
What do you think? Should I just go for it?

Fargile Heart

2011-02-13T09:56:00.008-05:00

The Freebie SAL was last week on the BB. Here's where I started with FH:

And here is the result after the week

As I said before I really want to keep up with the SAL this time around, would be nice to finish the first page before the second one comes out. I have yet to do that once in any Freebie SAL to date. We'll see what happens...

The SAL this week in SWIP/UFO, so I've gotten Chesterton SK out for the week. I still don't have the first page done on him yet, but I'm working on it!

Wishing you a great stitchy week!

Goblin Tree - Linda Ravenscroft - 5 Feb. 2011 Update

2011-02-05T09:38:00.004-05:00

Here's the close up of my progress on Goblin. I'm working on finishing up page 13 and I've spilled over a bit into page 14.

This is the full picture of all my work so far. She doesn't fit into the scanner anymore, so I have to lie her out on a flat surface and take a picture with my camera, always hoping that the light will be right.
I still love working on her, just as much as the day I started. Even the background. There's always some little detail poping up, a tree branch, the turn of the streamer, etc.

This week's SAL on the HAED BB is the Freebie SAL. I've pulled out Fragile Heart. I hope to actually keep up with the SAL this time!

That's all for now. Keep warm!

Dark Cherry Update

2011-01-28T17:10:00.008-05:00

Here's the result of my work this week for the "faces" SAL:
She now has both eyes and a complete face. She will go away for a while, and I'll move on to the retired artists SAL for this coming week. We all know what that means... Goblin Tree! YAY!! Linda Ravenscroft is no longer a retired artist from HAED (thank God!) But, the chart is a retired one, so it counts for this SAL. Here's where it is now, prior to the SAL:
Speaking of LR, have you seen the new releases of 4 new LR cats? So adorable! Presenting....
Gabriel
Lucifer
Smitten Kittens
Moonlight and Moonbeam Needless to say, I can't resist them!!!

TT Sun Worshipper Cat 3 - Complete!

2011-01-23T10:45:00.003-05:00

Yay!!! Now I move on to Dark Cherry. The SAL on the board this week is faces. Here's where I left off with her last June.

On another note, my DH's neice had her baby yesterday. It's a boy they named Cadin Liam... I don't have all the particulars yet as my DH spoke to his sister on the phone and men never remember details. I just know that Mom and Baby are doing well.

TT Sun Worshipper Cat 3

2011-01-16T11:08:00.004-05:00

Thanks to the HAED BB UFO/SWIP SAL last week, I brought this little guy out of hiding. He is a Tiny Treasure (because he is only 1, plus a little, pages long) artist Katherine Barber (retired from HAED), 28 ct Opalescent Lugana, color Cashmere Glitz from Silkweaver, DMC 1 X 1. Started in March of 2008.
Yeah, tiny treasure... 3 years later, I might be close to a finish!!!!

The SAL this week on the BB is the Detail/Confetti stitch SAL, so I will continue work on him. As I was working on him last night I noticed that I had gone wrong somewhere, long ago... If you look closely in this picture just where the stitched background ends on the right you will see the back of the cat is 2 stitches off. How did I do that? So some of the evening was spent figuring out what was wrong with that and fixing it. I am glad to say that now he looks much better, and I feel much better.

I recently replied to a post on the BB about the wips we all have on the go. It was in writing my reply there that I realized that I have 11 HAEDs going. ELEVEN! That's just HAEDs, not counting any other little wips I have started over the years in my madness. Granted, 5 of those 11 are SALs that I signed up for on the BB, Lord knows I can't miss out on any of those. But it brought me to the realization that I must finish some of these. The most logical thing to do is finish off the ones that are BB SALs, since they are smaller in size, therefore they should be the easiest and closest to their finishes. Also, I didn't finish a single thing in 2010! Not one! So I am in desperate need of getting something, anything finished, and soon, my wip bins are taking over my house! ;-)

So... I will be focusing on the projects that look like they are closest to the finish line for the foreseeable future. You will see a lot of small pieces coming out of the woodwork, and hopefully some finishes soon!!!!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T11:04:00.007-05:00

Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted. Sorry, the winter gets to me, I have no excuses. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and a very Happy ringing in of the New Year!
Let me update 2 projects as a way to make up my absence to you. First my progress on Chesterton Stoiry Keep. Here he is as of 12/31/2010:

I have had to set him aside to start the new year SAL. I've chosen QS Fragile Heart, and the original looks like this:

I started on the 1st, and here is my progress as of last night:

28 ct. Even weave, color is a 'sculped' sort of pink and white.
DMC floss, full cross. This one feels like it's moving along quickly, I might even have a finish this year! ;-)

Goblin Tree - Linda Ravenscroft - Update

2010-10-18T15:00:00.002-04:00

Again? Yep. I got the bug and wanted to get more done on her. Here you see a lot of page 13 and a litle of page 14. I didn't take her off the scroll rods and stand, hope you don't mind. Enjoy!

Page 12 is Done

2010-09-30T08:16:00.003-04:00

TA-DA!

It took me TWO Thursdays, but it's done. I am continuing with her this week.

Goblin Tree - Linda Ravenscroft - 16 Sept. 2010 Update

2010-09-18T15:10:00.002-04:00

I haven't worked on her at all this year! I picked her up for the SWIP/UFO SAL on the HAED Board last week, and I'm continuing with her for the Confetti/Detail Stitch SAL this week.
I'm working on page 12 (of 20), hoping I can finish the page by this Thurs. We'll see.....

Chesterton SK Update

2010-09-07T10:03:00.005-04:00

Here is Chester from 8/10

And here he is now:

I am dreading the oncoming Winter, hate to say goodbye to Summer...
Hope you all had a lovely and safe Holiday weekend!

ETA: No, I haven't finished page 1 yet. I am a sloooowwww stitcher. Even when I think I've done a lot! :-0

Tiny Treasures

2010-08-06T08:34:00.004-04:00

I've continued work on my Sun Worshipper Cat 3, and he is a treasure! I love working on him!
I will put him down for a while now. The SK Freebie SAL is on till Thursday of next week. I will be working on my choice, Chesterton. He needs the attention anyway. So that's now 2 cats in a row. Big Surprise... ;-)

Have a Stitchy Weekend!

2010 SK SAL (HAED)

2010-07-19T11:08:00.009-04:00

I've joined yet another HAED SAL. This is the 2010 July - Dec. StoryKeep SAL. There was a choice of charts, I chose Chesterton by Lesley Anne Ivory. The finished product should look like this:

I have about 1200 stitches in so far. Stitching on 28ct white evenweave, 1X1 full cross. I started in the top left corner. Here's what it looks like now:

Not sure if I posted an update on the Enchanted SK (that's from the 2010 Jan. - Jun. SAL). So this is where I am with her:

I also picked up an old wip I had going. TT Sun Worshipper Cat 3, the artwork is by Katherine Barber, and the chart is retired from HAED. Here's what the original looks like:

And here is what he looks like now:

I'm really enjoying this hot, hot Summer we've been having in NJ. Spending a lot of time floating around the pool. Hope you are enjoying your Summer wherever you may be! Happy Stitching!

Back from Vegas and an Update

2010-06-28T11:28:00.003-04:00

I went to Vegas last week for a friend's wedding. I will have pictures soon. She was a beautiful bride and we had an awesome time!
I worked on Dark Cherry a bit before I left. Here's the update on DC:

FROG Bookmark

2010-06-21T07:48:00.003-04:00

Here is my very wrinkled bookmark. Isn't he cute?
There's still finishing work to be done, but I hope to stitch a few more of these for my MIL's charity. I'll do the finishing at the very end. I can't believe I've only had one other stitcher offer to stitch with me for this very worthy cause, Candy (who is living in Guatemala). Disappointing to say the very least.

Busy, busy

2010-05-20T11:57:00.004-04:00

I have much to share with you, but no time right now! This is just a quick post to tell you about a charitable stitching spree I am trying to get off the ground. If you think you might be able to help, please read on!

My 84 year old MIL's Church class sponsors a local (to them) charity by the name of PATH. Pocono Area Transition Housing. They support abused women and children. MIL's class brings them all the essentials every month. (tissues, toilet paper, diapers, etc.), so they are always looking for ways to raise $$$. She told me about FROG, which stands for Forever Rely On God. Then my wheels started spinning. I know that a lot of stitchers love frogs.

I would love to have stitchers stitch up a quick bookmark that her church group could sell for around $5 or $6.
I found a free chart that can be used here but the word "Fully" needs to be changed to "Forever" on the chart. Maybe any volunteers could change that on the fly(?).
I also think it would be a nice touch if each stitcher would include were they are from stitched down at the bottom, maybe the right bottom corner. Maybe your initials and the state or country of your residence.

If you are interested in helping me with this cause, please let me know by leaving a comment here. You can start stitching from the link, but please change the wording as stated above. I will get out the mailing information soon.

Thank you to all you wonderful stitchers!!!!!

Back from Vacation

2010-04-28T13:00:00.020-04:00

Just back from Passport to Dry Creek Valley 2010 And we had a great time! The weather was perfect for the entire weekend. We tasted some amazing wines. All I can say is, the '07 vintages kick butt!

We went out on Thursday before it started. On Friday we went up to Lake Sonoma

What a beautiful day! This little guy came out to visit us.

We got a helicopter ride out to the vineyards at Passalacqua Here's some shots of it and the vineyards from above.

You can see all of the pictures at my webshots account, here, click on Passport 2010.

That's it for now. No stitching to show. I hope to get back to my stitching this week!
Thanks for reading!

Lots of Updates

2010-04-19T09:26:00.016-04:00

Things around here have been busy lately. My apologies for not posting for so long. I figured I would appease the blogger Gods with lots of pictures. First up is Dark Cherry.

Then there's QS Arthur.

Next up Enchanted Garden. These 3 were , last stitched on during March.

And Tiny Treasure Sun Worshiper Cat 3, he was last stitched on in Feb.

And how about some kitty pictures?

Simba has grown so much! He is 15 lbs. now!

Simon just gets more and more handsome every day!

Storm poses for a pic.
Sky helps me with the laundry.

Happy Stitching!

Been a While!

2010-02-25T13:33:00.006-05:00

Yes, I am a bad blogger. I don't know what it is, maybe the terrible weather we have been having all winter. I have just been 'in a mood' for quite a while now. Nothing big, just not in a great frame of mind. I apologize for not being around since last year. I have been stitching and cooking and keeping to my exercise plans.

On the cooking front: I've gotten interested in "Sam the Cooking Guy", he has a show "Just Cook This!" on FitTV. I love his recipes! They're easy and healthy and tasty! One that I really like is Warm Cabbage Salad here's a pic of the first time I made it.

Remember I told you I lost 22 lbs.? Well, I don't really like pictures, but here's an idea of what that looks like. This is me from behind. See how baggy the sweats are? Now, mind you, they were never thight, but look at them now! LOL!

Okay so that's the cooking and exercise/diet front. On to the stitching.

This is the latest on TT Sun Worshiper Cat 3:

I have a new start of Enchanted Story Keep for the HAED Freebie SAL 2010:

I also restarted QS Arthur, but I don't have a scan yet. I've been keeping him under wraps.

So that's all for now. I hope the new year started off well for you all!
Keep Stitching!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T11:59:00.003-05:00

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!

A Bouquet for Cheryl Finished

2009-12-23T07:34:00.004-05:00

This brings my total finishes for 2009 up to two! Yep, I think there were only 2 this year. Still have to wash this and pick out a frame for it.

Thanks to all of you that commented on my last post. I hope I can be an inspiration to those of you that want to move to a more healthy lifestyle. As I said, I am continuing my journey. I went back to the doctor Monday and he released me. So I can start back to my Spin classes. I am putting in for my regular classes starting in Jan.

A wonderful little RAK Fairy sent me 4 awesome charts. I can't share what they are yet cause it's a secret. I was so surprised! 4 HAED charts! OMG! The ladies over at HAED are just so wonderful! I'll update on this when I get the okay.

I have taken on the responsibility of Moderator of the Our Friends' HAED SAL Blog. The girls that had it were bogged down with other things and they needed someone to take over, or it would have been disbanded. I said I would do it. I don't know how well I will do it, but I'll try. I've never been a Moderator for a blog before, there are 100 members and a waiting list a mile long. I just hope I can keep up with it.

Till next time...
Happy Stitching!

Final Numbers

2009-12-18T06:12:00.003-05:00

Okay here's the final tally!

weight down 18 lbs.
% body fat down 5.1%
waist down 7.5 inches
hips down 5.5 inches
chest down 4.5 inches
biceps down 1.25 inches

Over all inches lost 18.75

I am so happy with the results! Proved to me that when I finally stick to something it works. I just have to put in the effort.

Parfaits

2009-12-15T07:05:00.002-05:00

Here's what the Parfaits looked like.
I think they were a hit! Most of the ladies asked me to email out the recipe.

I had a nice time. We all got our Dimplomas for graduating the class. I was voted 'Best Transformation' and got a certificate for that. I was very surprised. It was fun. One lady made a pasta salad with fresh red & green peppers and Dream Fields Farms Pasta. Very low GI and only 5g of digestable carbs per serving. It's very good and you can't even tell it's not 'regular' pasta! I have to get the recipe for the dressing she used in it. Lots of fruit and veggies.

Now on to the results! I don't have my mesurements yet. They will email them along with our before and after pictures, soon. Most of my measurements didn't move that much, some not at all. But I know it tapers off, plus I have to get back to spin classes, I'll get come back to that. So DRUMROLL.....
My total weight loss after 11 weeks was 18 pounds!!!! WOO HOO!!!!! That's the most I've lost in years!!!

I have my next appointment for my back on the 21st. I have already decided that even if he tells me again that I can't go back to class, I'm still going back starting in Jan. I will just not do any bending or anything that will cause my back harm. If I can't do 3rd position on the bike then I can do 2nd position. I'll do the weight training parts, and all that. I just won't do anything that calls for bending. So when the Jan. schedule comes out, I'll be on it! There you have it.

Thank you for following me and commenting! Anna asked about Rosy in silks. I did the conversion myself. Vikki has a good conversion tool on her site Floss Converter. I just typed in the DMC number and it tells you the corresponding silk number. It took a long time to do it for Rosy since there are so many colors, but I was determined to stitch her in silk, so I did it. Another thing about Rosy, I am stitching her along with her 3 counterparts all on one piece of fabric. I blogged about it way back when, when I first started her. See this post New Start SAL - HAED and this post Silks! if you're interested.

Tonight is the Last Meeting

2009-12-14T08:15:00.005-05:00

For my 12 week Transitions weight loss classThey will take our final weight and measurements. Also an “after” picture. We are each supposed to bring something good to eat. I am bringing my new favorite breakfast (in mini versions). I call it a “Dr. Oz Parfait”, cause I got the idea for it from his show. Side note: I am a Dr. Oz fanatic. I record his show everyday then when I have time I watch a bunch of them back to back. Okay, back to my favorite breakfast. I layer Greek yogurt (plain, 0% fat), fresh strawberries and blackberries, no fat added granola (I like to use Bob’s Red Mill Original Whole Grain Natural Granola) about a tablespoon, and top it with about a tablespoon of agave natural sweetener (low GI). YUM! I went to a party store and got some 5 oz. clear plastic cups and I’m going to make tiny individual parfaits. They should look delicious. I hope that I can actually make them look as pretty as the picture I have in my mind. If they come out nice I’ll snap a pic before I take them to the meeting. Depending on how awful the pictures of me (before and after) are, I might post them as well, maybe. So wish me luck tonight! I think I did pretty well in these past 12 weeks. I know I’m down to a size 8 jeans. I even have 2 pairs of 6’s that fit well! WOO HOO! I am only 5 feet tall… 5 feet ZERO inches, LOL! So I need to be a good size 6 or so, or else I’m a square! (As tall as I am wide!) The main thing though, is I FEEL better. I will post my results when I get them. I plan to stay on track. I’m not down to my goal yet, I don’t think. Doesn’t matter anyway, I need to eat healthy all the time, it needs to be a natural part of my life, period.

On to stitchy stuff! I worked on Curly Tailed Rosy this past week. I hadn’t touched her since Feb. She is being worked in HDF silks on 28 ct. Jobelan (white), 1 X 1. Here’s the before and after. The after pic doesn’t show the very top, it’s rolled up on the frame, I was too lazy to use the scanner and just snapped a pic while she’s on the rods.

I'm working on Moon Fantasy StoryKeep now. I'll have a pic of her soon.
Thank you for reading and keeping up with me!

It's been a while

2009-12-06T09:33:00.011-05:00

Since I've posted. What can I say? Nov. & Dec. are busy months around here. I worked on my Freebie SK, Moon Fantasy a bit. Here are the before & after:

Stitched some on Bouquet for Cheryl (before & after):

And Dark Cherry:

I may pick up Curly Tailed Rosy next, haven't given her any attention in a very loooog time!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We went to my SIL's. My MIL had her other knee replaced on Nov. 13th and she was in rehab for Thanksgiving (she did the first knee last year, at Christmas). They only let her out for 3 hours that day so dinner, which should have been at my house (it was my turn), ended up at my SIL's. They are in the Poconos (PA), we are in Central NJ so MIL wouldn't be able to make the trip. It was also my MIL's birthday she turned 83. God bless her, she's a trooper. She is now out of rehab and back home (lives with my SIL). They said she is doing really well. Walking better every day.

I'm supposed to be putting up the tree today, and I have to hit the grocery store... Don't know if I'll get any stitching in for a while! Hope to be back with new pics soon!

Happy Holidays!!!

Transitions Lifestyle Update

2009-11-18T09:49:00.002-05:00

We had a weigh in Monday night, here are my results (total for the 7 weeks):
Weight - down 13.4 lbs.
Measurements:
Hips - down 4 inches
Waist - down 4.25 inches
Chest - down 4.5 inches
Bicep - down .5 inches
Body Fat down 3.4%

Interesting, I lost a total (so far) of 13.4 lbs, and the total inches lost are 13 and a quarter.

Side by Side

2009-11-10T11:28:00.014-05:00

First I want to thank my readers. Thanks for visiting and leaving comments. It's so nice to hear from you!

Here's the before and after fromt he SWIP/UFO SAL last weekend. The after pic isn't that great but I am just to lazy today too take it off the rods and get it to the scanner.

Just got some more of that tree on the right stitched.

Now here's Simba (on the left) & Lancelot (his littermate):

That's Simba in his Halloween neckerchief. What a cutie pie! Here's a few more recent photos, he's getting so big!
Simba, Sky & Simon and Simba & Simon.
Check out Simba's face in the last one! Also, Sky modeling the neckerchief.

On the lifestyle side. It must've been the cut of my old jeans (the smaller ones). I went out on Friday night and tried on a few different ones in the smaller size and they all fit! So I got 3 pairs of jeans and one pair of cords in one size smaller. Hurrraaahhhhh! They were on sale so it wasn't too bad.

Simba's Brother

2009-11-05T07:06:00.007-05:00

I finally heard from Arielle! She's the girl that has Simba's litter mate. She named him Lancelot, and he is doing great! Here's some pictures she sent me.

Almost Simba's twin! Simba has a bit more black in his fur. You can tell he is well loved! I'll have to try and get a picture of Simba in about the same position and post them for comparison. Thanks to those that asked, my boys are doing well. Simba and Simon are like 'peas and carrots' (Forrest Gump). They really are best buds, and play together all the time. I could watch them romp and play-box for hours.
Thanks also for your comments on Goblin. This weekend is the Swip/UFO SAL so she is staying on the scroll rods at least until next week. I'd really like to finish page 12 but don't now if that's possible. Have a wedding to go to on Saturday, so no stitching that day.
I did try to get into my smaller sized jeans yesterday, that was a no go. But I think it's more the cut than the size. The smaller ones are more highwaisted than the ones I've been wearing. I wasn't able to zip them, missed it by about a quarter of an inch. So I have to wear the larger sized ones, but they are baggy all over. I keep hitching them up because they keep sliding down. Very annoying. But it's better than the alternative, needing to go buy a bigger size to fit!!!!

Thanks to all of you that comment and follow, it means alot to me!

Goblin Tree - Linda Ravenscroft - Update

2009-11-03T10:24:00.002-05:00

This is a retired chart from Linda. I started it in Nov. 2006! I'm on the 12th page.
Here it is before the SAL this weekend: And this is it after:
I love stitching this chart! You can see a bit more of the tree on the right side. It's too big to fit in the scanner so the left side (the moon) is cut off. I will stay with this one through the SAL next weekend. I think it's the Swip/UFO SAL, and GT qualifies! She's the first full sized HAED I ever started, and she's a little more than half way done.
STATS:
Fabric: Sugaqr Maple Fabrics - French Vineyard, 28 ct. Lugana
Stitch: 1 X 1 Full cross
Floss: DMC
Start Date: Nov. 2006

Health News: I'm going to Physical Therapy (3 X's a week) and it is helping. I always feel better when I leave there. I am doing the exercises they gave me to ease the back pain, and it's working.
Still sticking to my Transitions Lifestyle plan, and eating right. I think I'm down a total of 12 pounds right now, but I have to hold on to see the real number when they weigh us next time (I think that's in 2 weeks). I am noticing that my jeans are falling off me. I even put them in the dryer! (Normally and un-heard-of occurance!) I am going to pull out a few pairs I saved that are one size smaller and try them on today. Wish me luck!

A Bouquet for Cheryl

2009-10-28T07:09:00.008-04:00

Before and after the SAL this weekend.
Stats:
Started Feb. 27, 2008
28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Blue Lugana
Carrie's Creation hand-dyed floss in Lumiere de Cheryl
1 X 1 full cross

Now on to my health news....
I saw an Orthopaedic doctor first thing Monday morning. He said I "sprained my sacroiliac ligament". Gave me a back brace to wear all day, anti-inflammatory meds, and I have to go to physical therapy 3 X's a week for 4 weeks. Told me no Spin classes for 3 weeks (till he sees me again and lets me know).
I'll be out of class, till at least till the middle of Nov. My next appointment with him isn't until Nov. 20th.
I had my first PT session yesterday afternoon. It went well, and I felt better after. This morning is another story, I'm sore in that spot, but at least is isn't a stabbing pain. My next session is Thrusday. I hope to get better faster than 4 weeks.
I'm still doing the transitions lifestyle plan faithfully.

Dragon Charmer (New Start)

2009-10-23T12:10:00.004-04:00

The Special New Start SAL ended last night. Presenting my first 1400 stitches of my first Jo Wall chart ever, Drum Roll.....

Dragon Charmer!

Now don't throw stuff at me, but I am going to admit that I am not a big fan of Ms. Wall's charts. Her art is lovely, but not usually anything I would want to stitch, with this ONE exception, a dragon, and beautiful blues (my favorite color)! Plus, to tell the truth, they scared me! They looked like so much detail and I figured every other stitch would be a different color, and it would drive me mad. I am happy to report that is not the case. I am really enjoying this one.
Stats: 28 ct. Joblean - light blue, DMC Floss, 1 X 1 Full Cross.
Once again, here is the original:

The HAEDless SAL is this weekend so I will be working on A Bouquet of Cheryl. Expect an update on that after the weekend.

On the exercise/lifestyle change front I have some not so great news. I hurt my lower back (in class, I think) a week ago Monday (the 12th). I've continued going to classes and hoping that it would work itself out, but I just cannot ignore it anymore. My lower back is screaming at me on full volume. I called an orthopaedist on Tuesday and I can't get in till this coming Monday. I've made the decision to discontinue my classes until I get to the doctor and find out what it going on with my aching back. Sometimes it's a stabbing pain, all other times it's just a nagging like a tooth ache. I am continuing my healthy eating habits, I'm not giving up! I'm 'sticking to the plan'!

Transitions Update

2009-10-21T08:09:00.002-04:00

I promised an update after the weigh in Monday night, so here goes....
Weight - down 5 lbs.
Measurements:
Hips - down 2 inches
Waist - down 3.5 inches
Chest - down 3.25 inches
BMI - down 1 point

I lost 8.75 inches over all, not bad. It's so much better to see these numbers going down instead of up!

Monday's exercise classes: Core Sculpt 30 minutes, and RIDE & CURL, 30 min spin & 30 upper body.

I got a few more stitches into Dragon Charmer, look for a pic by Friday!

Exercise Update

2009-10-19T09:58:00.004-04:00

I went to class 8AM Saturday. TOTAL WEEKEND RIDE~45min spin & 25 min total body. I was a killer! Went 16 miles in that 45 minutes on the bike. I am keeping on plan. Except for Saturday night, I had a glass of wine, but only ONE glass, which I nursed for 3 hours! We get weighed tonight after class. They will also take our measurements again. It will be interesting to see any changes. I'll keep you posted on that.
Claire asked about motivation. The only advice I can give is:

Find the activity/exercise that you like (I mean REALLY like).
Find a place where you feel comfortable. (class size, location, etc.)
Make friends there.

During this 12 week Transitions Lifestyle weight loss class, the thing that is keeping me on track is that I know the other 12 ladies doing it with me (it's in conjuction with Studio Spin+). We have our weekly meetings there, every Monday after classes. We all ask each other how we're doing on the plan when we see each other at classes. We share tips (low GI sweeteners, recipes, etc.), we also share any challenges we may have had, and how we handled them, or didn't handle them! I'm very lucky, nobody judges. We're all "in it" together. We even email back and forth and just ask "how's it going?" These ladies are truly nice people. No back biting, jealousy, or any of that stuff. And that's important.

On the stitchy front, I stated Dragon Charmer, and I'm loving it! It's my very first Jo Wall piece. I always thought JW charts would be hard, but I am happily surprised that they really aren't any different than my other HAED's. The SAL runs till Thursday, so I won't post a pic till after. I have about 900 stitches in so far. I'm hoping that I can get some time this week to get a little more work done on it. Till then, Happy Stitching!

New Lifestyle Update

2009-10-15T08:05:00.003-04:00

Did my classes lat night.
BURN BODY BURN, 55 min non-stop body sculpting and JUST RIDE, 45 min spin in various energy zones. Except the 2nd one was even longer, about 55 min. I went 19 miles in those 55 min. WHOA! I weighed myself this morning and it looks like I am now down 8 lbs. But I did it first thing, before any coffee or anything. It's going to be interesting this coming Monday. They will weigh us and take our measurements again. I noticed yesterday while typing on the PC that my rings are flopping around, so that's good news! I hope those 8 lbs. didn't just melt off my hands LOL! I'm really working hard on this and it's nice to finally see some improvement. I also feel better. My DH said that I have a glow in my eyes, and I look better than I have in ages. I do notice more energy, I'm not half asleep by dinner time.

Thank you for your comments/questions. It's nice to see comments, it lets me know that somebody is reading, and keeping track. It also helps me stay 'on plan'.

I don't have any stitching to show today, I haven't had any time this week to stitch! (Hate when that happens!) I think my best choice for the Special New Start SAL that starts today is Dragon Charmer. I have all the floss bobinated, the Needle organizer already all set up, and the fabric chosen, so that makes the most sense. Iron Dragon and Dragon Keeper aren't that far along yet. I have the floss for each, but the rest... It takes some time to bobinate and set up. I've been wanting to start them, but time is an issue. Someday soon!

Moon Fantasy

2009-10-13T11:30:00.012-04:00

I don't remember when this started, and I can't find a picture of what it will look like completed. Here's what I do know: This is part of an HAED Freebie SAL. Same rules apply as the HAED 2009 SAL Challenge! It's a Storykeep (Bookmark), named Moon Fantasy, artwork Ching-Chou Kuik. I started work on it last month, but didn't get enough done to post a pic. This past weekend was the HAED Freebie SAL, so instead of working on Dark Cherry, I pulled this out. It is sorely in need of attention (as you can see). I'm sorry I can't show you what it will look like finished, can't locate an original.

I did finally finish frogging all of Arthur, luckly it doesn't look like the fabric was harmed at all in the process. I haven't re-restarted it yet though.
Next up a Special New Start SAL, in honor of HAED's 8th Birthday this Friday. (There is also a 30% off Sale going on there now!) It will run from thursday this week until thursday next week. I have floss gathered for 3 charts, but I am not sure right now which I will pick. It will mosy likely be one of the following: Iron Dragon, Dragons Keeper, or Dragon Charmer. (Do you see any common thread? ;-0) They have all been screaming loudly at me from the stash closet, but I think Iron Dragon and Dragon Charmer are hollering the loudest. I haven't decided on which one, yet.....

I haven't shared pics of Simba in a while, he's over 5 lbs. now! Here he is with his favorite toy. He walks around the house with it in his mouth. I find it in the oddest places... He looks evil in these, but it's just the lighting, he is really a little sweetie pie!

Here is a rare moment... Simba and Storm (this never happens!)

And finally even MORE rare photos, THREE cats together! My hubby was sick with a cold and lounging late in bed. I guess they all knew that he needed comforting, and they were up for the job. (Look for Simba's little head popped up in the first pic, and Simon's tongue in the second.)

Week 2 on Transitions

2009-10-12T08:30:00.002-04:00

I weighed myself this morning and finally show a loss. 7 lbs.! But probably more like 5, since I weighed myself before eating or drinking anything at all....
So nice to finally see some results, it's keeps me moving in the right direction.
I did my exercise classes this week. Not last Monday, as we were still in detox week. I was allowed to start back on Wed.

Wednesday - BURN BODY BURN, 55 min non-stop body sculpting
and JUST RIDE, 45 min spin in various energy zones.

Saturday - TOTAL WEEKEND RIDE, 45min spin & 25 min total body.

I will have a stitchy update later on.

Stitching Update Tiny Treasures

2009-10-07T08:37:00.011-04:00

I have a little update. I worked on this over the weekend. He is truly a UFO. If it weren't for the HAED SWIP/UFO SALs he would never be worked on! This is Sun Worshiper Cat 3, atrist Katherine Barber. (retired from HAED) On the left the original artwork, on the right my WIP. So happy to see this little guy's face! Interestingly enough, I noticed that he bears a striking resemblance to Simba! Weird, since he was started a very long time ago...

Stats: Started March 2008
Silkweaver 28 ct. Opalescent Lugana, color Chashmere Glitz
Stitched 1 X 1 DMC

Other stitchy news: I am experiencening the Frog Plague with QS Arthur. First I didn't like the fabric, so I re-started it on different fabric. Now I'm having an issue with one of the colors in the background. It doesn't look like the picture and I'm not exactly sure what's wrong with it. The color is DMC #3856 (see the bright orange color below). I checked with Michele at HAED and my chart is correct, but she agrees that is doesn't look right. Could be a dye lot issue, it's just too dark. However, all the 3856 I have looks the same. What to do???? My only option now is to frog it all, and re-restart (yes, re-restart) in the middle of the chart, then maybe not stitch the background at all. I should have done that in the first place. I've been drooling over everyone's wips of their moggies on the HAED BB for weeks, and complaining that I wouldn't get to see any detail on mine for a while since I had started in the upper left corner. Can you imagine frogging 900 stitches, 1 X 1, from my gorgeous Passione Ricamo 30 ct. evenweave linen? It's a nightmare. I started last night and frogged for about 3 hours, and it's not all out yet, of course I am trying be be so very careful, so as to not damage the fabric.

I need to Vent

2009-10-05T09:41:00.004-04:00

Okay. I joined a 12 week weight loss class at Spin last week. It's a low GI diet, called Transitions Lifestyle. http://www.transitionslifestyle.com You know me, I'll try anything, ONCE. ;-)

Anyways, they started us off with 7 days of 'detox'. That meant eating only veggies and 3 servings of fruit a day (and water). No caffeine, no sugar substitutes, no crap. So I did it. Today is the last day. I admit that I did have one cup of coffee each day because I don't need the headache. The idea is to 'clean out your system'. They went through all the reasons to do it and what it means to your body. OK fine, I get it. Monday night after class they weighed us and took our measurements. That was a rude awakening for me. I know
I'm fat, but Holy Cow! My measurements are just about straight up and down! I'm a box! Anyways....

So, as I said they did this after Spin, and the discussion, so that was around 9 PM. AFTER I ate dinner, AFTER I drank 2 24oz. Bottles of water during 2 Spin classes. So the weight that they recorded was a bit more than I normally see when I weigh myself in the morning, about 2.5 lbs. more. I expected that....

So here I am into the 7th day of detox. I weighed myself this morning, just because I was curious. I've been working so hard at this and really staying with it. And guess what? I weight about 2.5 lbs. less than I did last Monday night. So that means I weigh EXACTLY THE SAME!
I've eaten nothing but friggin' veggies for a friggin' week and nothing has changed!!!!!
How can this be? My metabolism must be dead, I mean really dead!

I am really depressed over this. I know they said it's inches, not the number on the scale, but I don't feel any different! I've been emailing back and forth with one of the other ladies that's doing this, and she said she feels 'less bloated'. I didn't feel bloated to begin with, I just feel fat. And I STILL feel fat. My clothes don't fit any different, my rings are still tight on my fingers, NOTHING has changed. I'm ready to jump out a window....

Thanks for listening, and letting me vent.

Edited to Add: I joined an exercise place back in 07 (see this post). I do 5 classes a week, faithfully except for when I had surgery last October. Classes I take:
Mondays - Core Sculpt 30 minutes, and RIDE & CURL, 30 min spin & 30 upper body.

Wednesdays - BURN BODY BURN, 55 min non-stop body sculpting
and JUST RIDE, 45 min spin in various energy zones.

Saturdays TOTAL WEEKEND RIDE, 45min spin & 25 min total body (longer class).

This month I added every other Tuesday - CYCLEBOX~Crunch 15 min spin / 35 min kickboxing & 10 min abs

During detox week though, they told us NOT to exercise. So I haven't been since last Monday night.

Arthur Re-Start!

2009-09-29T10:39:00.004-04:00

Presenting, as promised, my new Arthur on 30 ct. Passione Ricamo 30 ct. evenweave linen. Started Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, DMC 1 X 1, Ivory fabric. About 900 stitches in this weekend. I am much, much happier with this fabric. I am once again overjoyed to be stitching him!

Bouquet for Cheryl Update

2009-09-28T10:27:00.003-04:00

Progress as of Sept. 21, 2009

I worked on this the weekend of the 19th for the HAEDless SAL. I have to say that I really enjoyed working on it this time. More so than usual. I don't know why, I just got into the 'flow'.

This past weekend was the HAED Themed SAL. This month's theme was background. I pulled out QS Arthur since I started at the top left and that's all background. I stitched on it for a while and finally decided that I didn't like the way it looked on the 32 ct. fabric. So I scrapped it. If you follow me, I posted about it in the past. I was going to try to stick with it and see if it all evened out with more stitches in, but it was bugging me. So I re-started it on some lovely 30ct. evenweave linen (yes, evenweave linen) from Passione Ricamo. A dear friend Jeannie-Maree recomended it and she is my stitchy hero, so I had to get some! Of course she was right, it is wonderful for stitching HAEDs. Stay tuned for an update with a pic.

Simba Update: I had a feeling that Simba had someting going on. His eating habits had changed, so I got a stool sample to the vet. Turned out he has hook worms (YUCK!). Got him over there and got medication for him, as well as my other 3 boys (just in case). The vet said that it shouldn't have affected his eating, he is probably just 'leveling out' in his growth spurts. He's up to 6 lbs. 2 and a half oz. So all the boys are medicated (it's a topical that works for a month) like Frontline. I trashed all the litter and got new boxes. I'll take another sample back to the vet in 1 month's time to make sure they are all rid of the worms and healthy!

2 Stitchy Updates

2009-09-08T10:35:00.006-04:00

First up, my progress on Goblin Tree, from Aug. 31st, after the retired artists SAL. Linda Ravenscroft is no longer retired from HAED (YAY!), but this chart is.

Next, some small progress on Tiny Treasures Sun Worshiper Cat 3 - Katherine Barber. This weekend was SWIP/UFO (slow work in progress or unfinished objects). This one is a UFO. The last time I stitched on this was March 2008! YIKES! I was digging through my WIPs and realized I had forgotten all about this little one. I started in the middle this time.
Stats: Silkweaver 28 ct. Opalescent Lugana, color Chashmere Glitz, stitched 1 X 1 DMC.

This is the original.

Happy Birthday to the Boys!

2009-08-28T10:56:00.004-04:00

Today is Sky, Storm, and Simon's Birthday! Sky & Storm are 5 years old and Simon is 1 year today. It's unusual that Simon's estimated birth date is the exact same day as Sky & Storm's, but that's the way it worked out. Happy Birthday my little loves!

New Start

2009-08-28T10:09:00.009-04:00

I was so excited to see Linda Ravenscroft's Mystic Mogs charted by HAED. There are four of them, and I got them all. I have no self control. I started Arthur over the weekend. It's not that exciting looking, as I started in the upper left corner. It's all background so far.

First the Original beauty:

Here's my start:

Stats: 32 ct. Zweigart Belfast Linen, Olive Green. Full cross 1 X 1.

Belfast isn't my favorite, but it was the perfect size and I liked the contrast from the backround of the chart to the fabric. The background is a lot of creamy, peachy, yellowy floss, and I thought it would be too hard to see where I stitched and where I didn't if I went with a more netural color. I can always run the matt right up to the edge of the stitching later on if I don't like the look of the fabby. It isn't a dark color, it's soft and light, not like you would think of an Olive Green. This is the first HAED I am attempting on 32 ct. Everything else is on 28 ct. What do you think? Does it look okay?

It's soothing, just stitching a lot of one color for a while. It's a contrast to other projects with a lot of detail stitching. I'm going to try to work my way (cross country) down to his ears. Get some of the detail stitches going, then I'll have a reference point to work over to where there is less detal stitching on the other side. That way I can work on either a lot of detail, or not, depending on my mood. Plus getting used to the 32 ct. doing a lot of one color is helpful.

Stitching Pics?

2009-08-18T07:21:00.006-04:00

;-) Sandra suggested I change the name of this blog to Simba Obsessions! I was thinking the same thing yesterday when I posted! I do have some stitching updates, but I wanted to wait a day to post them. So here they are.
My last update on Dark Cherry was (I believe) from July 13th:

Here she is from Aug. 11th:

Here is Always Remember from July 20th:

Here it is as of today:

I haven't gotten a lot of stitching in since Simba came to live here. The weather last weekend was beautiful and we spent a lot of time in the pool with friends and neighbors, grilling outside and drinking wine. But a little progress is better than none!

Simba 14 AUG 2009

2009-08-17T15:09:00.003-04:00

I took these pics on Friday.

He's just so comfy with a bunch of his toys, and of course Simon had to get in on the photo op.
I did hear about his sibling. He is doing well. The girl brought in a bunch of pictures of him to the nail salon, but I wasn't there that day! I left my email addy with the lady at the salon and asked her to give it to the girl (I don't even know her name!) and ask her to send me the link to any pics she might have online. I will post them as soon as I get them.

2 Boys Lounging

2009-08-10T11:22:00.018-04:00

Thanks for your comments and well wishes for the littlest baby in the family.
Today begins Simba's 9th week. We estimated that he was born the day before I found him, so that would make his birthdate June 15th. He's growing like a weed. I swear, every day he looks a full inch larger than he did the day before.
I wanted to share some more pics. I caught him sleeping on the sofa with Simon yesterday and they were so cute I couldn't resist. It's hard to tell but his head is above Simon's. You get a really good view of Simon's gotee as well. Aren't they just adorable!?!

It seems that all of Simba's wiskers are broken off. This concerns me because I know how important a cat's wiskers are. The only thing I can think is that they were broken off playing with Simon. He isn't injured in any other way. Has anybody seen anything like this before? I keep a close eye on them when they are playing but I just can't figure it....

I don't know if I posted about this before, but the vet said he looks like a Bengal. I googled for pics and I think she's right! Check out these pics I found of Bengal Cats. Of course Simba is much, much cuter than any of these. Check out the stripe down the back. The last pic looks just like him!

Simba 5 AUG 09

2009-08-05T11:01:00.003-04:00

He's sunning himself by the door to the deck.

Attacking his toy.

Simba is getting big!

2009-07-31T11:30:00.011-04:00

I took these pics this morning. Simon is being a good big brother. He grooms Simba and they play together. Simba is now weaned! YAY! He's been eating food and drinking water on his own since Monday!

Great News!

2009-07-21T08:06:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to let you know that Simba tested negative for feline leukemia, and feline AIDS! YAY! He can play with my other boys and I don't have to worry! His stool sample also came back negative! No worms, or any other nasties! It's a very happy day!

I haven't heard about his sibling. When I go over to the nail salon (where he was found in the parking lot) adjacent to the New York Sports Club, the girl that took him (from the NYSC) isn't there at work. I haven't been able to talk to her. I pray for the best....

A Name? And Lots More Pics

2009-07-19T12:50:00.019-04:00

It's been a few days since I updated pics of the baby, so here's a boat load!

He's getting so big! (Well that's relative, of course.) The first pics are of Simon and his new baby brother. Simon really likes him and I think they are going to be an awesome pair. Simon wants to groom him, but I can't let him do it yet. I haven't had the baby tested yet for feline luk, so I can't chance it. He goes tomorrow for his blood test. Keep your fingers crossed that this little boy is disease free. I think his name will be Simba. I personally like Spike better, but DH and just about anyone else that's heard the name Spike doesn't like it. I guess I'm voted down. Doesn't seem fair since I'm the one with less than 10 hours sleep in the last month! He is more alert now. He wants to play whenever he's awake. He attacks his little stuffed doggie every chance he gets. He's Mommy's little cutie pie.

Dark Cherry After the Weekend SAL

2009-07-14T08:28:00.005-04:00

Before:
After:

A small amount of progress on DC.

Goblin Tree Page Finish! (And Baby Pics)

2009-07-13T09:21:00.007-04:00

First up some stitching for a change. I finally finished page 11 on Goblin Tree - Happy Dances all around! I finished it Saturday night. Didn't have a lot of stitching time this weekend, DH took Thurs. and Fri. off from work and he kept me busy, then his sister, her family, and his Mother came for a visit yesterday. It was a beautiful day here in the north east for a change, so much time was spent in the pool and grilling.

Here's some pics of the baby from this morning.

He is doing well. We are up to 4 hours between feedings now.

First Trip to the Vet

2009-07-07T09:05:00.006-04:00

We went to the vet for the very first time yesterday. She said he's doing great! I must be doing something right. He's now exactly 1 pound. He's still too small to do bloodwork, we'll have to wait another 2 weeks for that. He's started his fourth week of life yesterday. I beleive he's 'out of the woods' now, and it will be smooth sailing from now on.

Doing Well

2009-07-03T08:35:00.006-04:00

Sorry to keep you in suspense over the last couple of days. Here's some new pictures of baby boy from yesterday, July 2, 2009.
He's growing so much every day. I don't know if you can tell from the pics but he's twice the size he was 2 weeks ago. He's eating about half a bottle of formula every 3 hours now.
I've gotten quite a few great name suggestions, thank you to those of you that commented. Still haven't decided on one yet. Here's the suggestions so far:
Sweeney, Spike, Sebastian, Stewart, Syd, Sam, Stan, Sal, Sam, Stanley, Sunny, Sammy, Smidge, Salvador, Selik, Superman, and Sadi.
I like Sadi, it means fortunate/lucky in arabic, but I think it might be to hard to pronounce. And Selik which means Blessed, but same problem with that one. I have to think on it some more. I'm just calling him 'Mommy's little baby' for now.

New Baby Pic for Today

2009-06-29T15:13:00.002-04:00

It's hard to get a really good picture of him. But this one isn't bad. He's growing every day. I'm now looking for names for this little cutie pie. My other boys are Sky, Storm, and Simon. I'd like to stay in the "S" family, but I can't come up with any names that feel right. If you have any suggestions feel free to leave me a comment. I'm open to all, not just "S" names.
Thank you dear readers, for following this little guy's saga. He's doing well thanks to your prayers and good wishes, keep them coming! We appreciate them all!

More Baby Pics

2009-06-27T11:33:00.006-04:00

Getting big!

Look at my tummy!

I can even stand up a bit!

He's definitely a baby boy, I see 'giblets' starting to drop. He is eating well, up to about every 3 hours. He's rambunctious now. He wants to get down from my arms and push himself along the carpet. I let him do it for exercise, and I keep a close eye on him. Look at the litte tail! Isn't he just the cutest thing?!

Baby Pictures

2009-06-24T10:11:00.006-04:00

He's growing by leaps and bounds! What joy! He purrs, and mewls, so cute!

Comparing Butts

2009-06-22T11:05:00.005-04:00

Or see how much I've grown already!
June 18th
June 22nd

I still believe it's a baby boy, from what I can tell. No name yet, I want to wait till I see the personality. He's eating well, eliminating regularly, and purring for me every time I pick him up! What a cutie! If you look closely at the 2 pics, you will see the change in size, especially in his butt. LOL!!!!

Thanks for your well wishes on my last post. I appreciate the moral support!

Lots of goings on....

2009-06-20T13:09:00.009-04:00

Sometimes life hands you almost too much to deal with. I'll do this in chronological order.

On Tuesday, the 16th I came into possession/responsibility for a little kitten. I couldn't even tell if it's a boy or a girl. 2 of them were found in the parking lot at my nail salon. Animal control was absolutely no help at all. They wouldn't take them, said they are too small, need to be bottle fed every 2 hours and no one there could do it. Well, you know me. I couldn't just leave them there to die. A girl from the adjacent sports club/gym took the other one.

I have it closed up in my spare room (away from my other 3 cats) with a heating pad and blanket. I sleep in there with it. Well, 'sleep' isn't really it. I have to feed it every 2 hours, and stimulate it so it will pee and poop. It has been eating, after some coaxing, and it has been eliminating.

The animal control lady said that the chances that it will survive without it's Mom are slim. I am doing my best and hoping for the best. So far it's eating has improved, and it appears to be gaining weight. I think it's a boy now from what I can tell. He's so small. But things are looking up for him, I think.
Here are some pics of the tiny bundle. First one from June 18th

Then these are from today:

Isn't he a cutie pie? More pics of this baby in my webshots album here I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying.

Next up...
4:07 AM June 18th. I was up at 4 AM for the regular feeding, I think I hear the phone ringing. By the time I get to it the machine picked up, someone said something that sounded like "I'm calling his cell they didn't pick up". DH's cell starts to ring, he is stumbling out of the bedroom. He gets the cell and yells, "WHAT? WHAT? OH NO!" He runs back to the bedroom to get clothes on, I'm like "What? What happened?" It was my neighbor from across the street, saying there is a fire. I run out to the garage and it's filled with smoke. There are flashing lights outside. I run around to the back door and around to the driveway to find my neighbor and several police, one with an empty fire extinguisher. Both the 55 gal. garbage can and the same size recycling bin are reduced to ashes, still smoldering. They sit beside my garage door, the siding on my house is melted and the tree that the cans sat behind is singed badly. The fire dept. shows, 4 fire trucks, including the ladder truck, they douse everything with water and start removing the siding. The fire inspector shows up and starts taking notes. Turns out that the contractor that re-stained our deck On Wed. didn't properly dispose of the rags and whatever. It all combusted and *POOF*. It's bad, but it could have been WAY worse. Thank God it's rained here as much as it did, or that tree would have been engulfed, that would have set the garage on fire, 2 cars in there with full gas tanks, and Lord only knows what else is in there that is flammable. Plus 2 vans in the driveway parked right in front of the second garage door, with full gas tanks. Oh yeah, it could have been much, much worse. Thank God my neighbor, Joan, got up to use the bathroom when she did. Her master bedroom bath faces our driveway, that's how she saw it. She called 911 right away. Thank God is all I can say. No one was hurt. Thank God is really all I can say.

Couple exhaustion with anxiety and everything else..., I feel like death, but Thank God we are all still alive.

Pictures of the fire damage can be seen here

So no stitching has been done, as you can imagine. I am going to try to get some in this weekend between feedings. I'm so tired and my concentration isn't the best, so I guess it's a good thing this is the HAEDless Sampler weekend. I'm not going to touch my HAEDs till I get some rest.

Till I can post again,
Happy Stitching

UFO/SWIP SAL Weekend

2009-06-09T08:48:00.004-04:00

I got a bit more done this weekend. I've missed stitching her, forgot how much fun she is.

Last Weekend's SAL

2009-06-05T09:18:00.007-04:00

Last weekend was the HAED Retired Artists SAL. So Goblin Tree came out to play. Linda Ravenscroft is no longer 'retired' from HAED, but this chart is no longer being offered, so it counted for the SAL. I didn't get much done as you can see. On the left is a pic from last December (the last time I stitched on her) and on the right is the update. I didn't bother taking her off the scroll rods, a bit of laziness. But this weekend is the SWIP/UFO SAL, so GT counts again! I will continue stitching on her and see if I can get a bit more done this time around.

Dark Cherry After the Weekend SAL

2009-05-26T15:28:00.003-04:00

Woo Hoo! I finally finished page 1. Excuse the pic, it's a grey day here and the scanner just doesn't seem to do this peice justice. But you get the idea....

Thanks for looking!

A Bouquet for Cheryl Update

2009-05-22T07:32:00.005-04:00

Two posts in one day? Unbelievable! I just reailzed I forgot to post this update from last week, so here it is.
Before:

And After (last weekend was the HAEDless SAL):
Stats:
Started Feb. 27, 2008
28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Blue Lugana
Carrie's Creation hand-dyed floss in Lumiere de Cheryl
1 X 1 full cross

You'll notice that I have to frog the right border, it's one stitch over too far. URRGGHH! I hate frogging! That will be another day....

Dark Cherry Before the weekend SAL

2009-05-22T07:14:00.005-04:00

I know I'm slow...
Before:
Here she is today, before the start of this weekend's SAL:

I want to wish everyone in the States a lovely Memorial Day!

WOO HOO! A Finish!

2009-05-11T07:23:00.003-04:00

Presenting Lil'Blue! All 16,050 Stitches!