Rounding out February with a Giveaway!

Today is my 2nd blogoversary! This calls for a giveaway! Comment on this post to be entered to win a fun package from me in the next year. I will leave this open until at least a week from today: March 4th.

And I have one more finish for February, making my total stitching finishes for February a mere 2. Oh well. It was a very busy month! And let us not forget the quilt finish! This piece really should have been finished last weekend, but we got distracted with other things. That's pretty much how February went. Next month I will have more to show - including an exchange piece :)


Santa with Tree Crescent from Santa Moon by Prairie Schooler
DMC on 28 count black cashel linen
Stitched 2/18/10 - 2/24/10

Happy stitchy wishes to everyone!

I've Been Stitching!

In all the mayhem the past few weeks, I haven't had any time for my beloved cross stitch. But Tuesday afternoon I got started on a small project and last night I put the finishing stitches in it.

Wool Needlebook by LHN

DMC thread on 32 count coffee-dyed linen
Stitched 2/16/10 - 2/17/10

And I forgot to mention the sweet gift I got from a wonderful friend who is also a stitcher. My dear friend Renee - who is actually my twin sister's best friend - got me Lavender and Lace's "Angel of Light." While Renee and I were enjoying a girls day last November, I set eyes on this one as a model in our LNS Stitches Etc. I was instantly in love! This particular piece deviates from my usual, simpler projects as it has a lot of color changes. But I was so taken with her, I considered purchasing the pattern on the spot. My incredible self control won over and I left without her. Renee remembered and gave me the chart for my birthday. Don't you just love a thoughtful friend like that?

And Breathe.....

I know, I know, I disappeared for about 2 weeks... These past 14 days (give or take) were jam packed! Somewhere between 2 exams in Anatomy and Physiology class, nursing a migraine for 2 straight days, working on LadyBug's birthday quilt, making wedding invitations for my brother's wedding this summer, planning LadyBug's birthday party, dealing with Cuddle Bug's pink eye, and basic childcare, I managed to turn 27!

Exhale...

Oh and I managed to miss the drawing for own giveaway... Someone please pass the Hershey's Pot of Gold! Sigh

I am happy to announce that I finally did get around to drawing a name for the Abecedaire ornament chart! Karen is the lucky winner!

I woke up this morning dedicated to being stress free. Today is LadyBug's first birthday and we are celebrating! I still can't believe it's been a year already! Happy birthday to my sweet girl!! We're having her party on Saturday afternoon, so there's still work to be done (including the finishing touches on her quilt).

I do have a few pictures to share. First up is the little messenger bag I made for Cuddle Bug's friend for her birthday. I used this tutorial again, but this time I made a few changes. Most importantly, I added an extra inch to the length of the lining fabric to compensate for the trim. We put a little workbook inside for the birthday girl too.



And this is the darling little kit I won from Marjorie! This is at the top of my "to start" list :) Thank you Marjorie!



I hope you are all enjoying a care-free week! Thank you all for your sweet, sweet comments! I cherish them :)

One more January Stitchy Finish

I somehow managed a third finish for the month of January! I got this chart from sweet Becky a long while ago when she was de-stashing. I got started on it Monday afternoon and put the final stitches in it yesterday evening. This will be finished as the chart instructs so it can take its rightful place on my tree next Christmas. I haven't decided if I like the stark white yet, or if I will be coffee-dying it. Hmmmm....

Christmas Abecediaire Ornament from Historic Stitches
DMC floss on 32 count white Belfast linen
Stitched 1/25/10 - 1/27/10

The chart is up for grabs if anyone is interested. If more than one person wants it, I will draw a name on Monday night. Please leave your email address so I can contact you for an address if you win it.



I hope everyone's week is going well and that you're all getting plenty of time to put needle to fabric!

Finishing Details

I've been busy the past week. I started my Anatomy and Physiology I class on Tuesday and I've been failing miserably at keeping the house in a respectable state. However, I did manage to get some (crafty) work done despite it all!

I finished my first quilt topper on Monday afternoon when DH was home for MLK day. He was a huge help keeping the bugs out of my way so I could get this worked on. I'm almost finished with the back and then I hope to baste and quilt it this weekend. We'll see how that goes.


Cuddle Bug went to Ironton, MO with his great aunt to spend the night at a little get-away cabin they have, so I had one less bug to manage today. That meant two naptimes all to myself as LadyBug still takes a morning and an afternoon nap (it's a sad day when they start taking only one nap a day). So i got to work finishing my pieces for Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden from Just Nan. This is a very special piece indeed! I have fantasies of LadyBug wishing to take up stitching and sewing one day and passing this sweet piece off to her :)



And for the record, those are my prized Piecemakers in the needle book. Vonna has changed the way I look at needles forever!

Wonderful Catherine (who doesn't appear to have a blog of her own but is a follower of mine) asked me about my adventures in school and how that works out with the bugs. I just started back to school in the fall of 2009 so this is only my second semester back. I'm trying to get some prerequisites completed right now to hopefully get into the nursing program at my local University to get my BSN. Last semester I took two courses online and one at night that met twice a week. This semester I'm only taking one course - Anatomy and Physiology I - that meets twice a week at night. I enjoy the chance to get out of the house and have some adult conversations for a change. And DH is a true gem! He takes fantastic care of our bugs while I'm away. He's the reason it's even possible for me to go back to school! I think he treasures his alone time with the kids as much as I enjoy getting away for a while. I do most of my school work while the bugs are napping or after they've gone to bed. So far it hasn't been as big of a juggling act as I had expected it to be. But since I just started A&P, there's no telling what this semester holds for me! This class is looking intense so far! :)

Thank you all for your sweet comments and all your support and friendship! I hope you all have a blessed and beautiful weekend! Happy stitchy wishes :)

Happy Dance 2010!

My very first happy dance of 2010! I would have had Poinsettia House done a week ago but I got distracted working on the quilt. I ran out of thread for the quilt a few days ago, though, and was waiting for JoAnns to put their thread on sale today. So in the meantime, I got back to work on this one and put the final stitches in it Friday night. I love it! Every stitch was a joy! And I only had 2 - very minor - visits from the frog. This was a gift from sweet Vonna so all my thanks go out to her for making my first 2010 project so delightfully wonderful :)

Poinsettia House by Littlehouse Needleworks
28 count linen using recommended CC and DMC fibers
Stitched 12/31/09 - 1/15/09

After reading about Harmien's frustrations, I was especially conservative with the Clay Pot. And I am so glad I was! By the end of it, I had only two little threads remaining. So keep that in mind if you're planning to do this chart too.

To my shock, I have another finish to add to my 2010 list - Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden! I actually started this one over the summer when I was in Boston visiting my dad, but I only got as far as finishing the border. When I brought it home it just got set aside. I picked it up yesterday afternoon and got all the stitching finished by the time I went to bed last night. Today I picked up some beading needles while I was at JoAnns and got the beads added. This was my first time adding beads and I'm pleased with my results! This one is going straight to the top of the finishing pile!

Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden by Just Nan
28 count cream chashel using recommended DMC
Started 7/09; Finished 1/17/10

In other news, the weather was finally nice enough to try out the new running shoes DH gave me for Christmas (we exchanged running shoes this year). They are NICE! I hope to get a lot of good use out of them this year and finally get the last of the baby weight off.

I hope you are having a beautiful and productive long weekend too! Thank you again for all your sweet comments. I really do appreciate them so much! Happy stitchy wishes to you all!

Snow, Sewing, and a Finish

Thursday we got the first "significant' snow of the season here in St. Louis. I have to say, as a transplant from the desert, I absolutely love that we experience 4 seasons here in the midwest! But I perfer to admire the snow from inside where I can sip some (spiked) hot chocolate and wear my down booties that keep my toes so toasty.

So speaking of the snow, I must say that DH is such an amazing husband and father. I don't talk enough about him on my blog. He's doting and patient. He deals with my mood swings and my lame attempts to pick a fight from time to time. He rubs my feet, makes my coffee exactly right, runs out to the craft store for me when I run out of the thread I need to finish a project, prays with me, tells my I'm not chubby, and sits in the corner of my LNS playing with the kids all the while telling me to take my time and get whatever I want. And that's just the husband part of him. As a father he blows me away! He's on the floor putting together Lego train tracks into crazy loopy shapes with bridges and switching tracks. He plays peek-a-boo and asks what the specials are when Cuddle Bug plays restaurant in the playroom.

So what does that have to do with snow you ask? Well Thursday, that was my husband taking a vacation day to take Cuddle Bug sledding for the very first time! Those are the moments that will add up in the lives of my children. They will look back and think "my dad could have gone to work that day, but he took a day off and took me sledding instead!" And he showed my sweet boy how to make snow angels and build a snow fort too. I love him for the husband he is to me and for the father is to our children :)


So now that I've gotten past the sappy part of the past few days, I have a few things to show off.

First up, I finished LHN's "Peace" thread pack into a pillow on Friday. I finished the stitching on this one last year and I had the finishing kit from Mary Kathryn's ONS. It just needed to be completed. So I went ahead and did that on Friday.


Additionally, I've been sewing up a storm working on my first quilt! Knock on wood, but so far so good. I got all 42 blocks finished and sewn into 7 rows of 6 blocks each. Soon enough, barring any unforeseen hiccups, the top of this one will be finished. I am loving how this is turning out and really enjoying the process! If it turns out as I hope, this will be my birthday gift to LadyBug when she turns 1 exactly one month from today!


I haven't gotten to put too many more stitches in Poinsettia House. My fingers have been too cold to hold the needle and I kept dropping it. I finally set it down. I hope to get some more stitches in it tonight after I've warmed my fingers up with a cup of coffee. I hope everyone has been having a wonderful weekend and staying warm! Happy stitchy wishes to you all!

Chirp Chirp

It's 22 degrees F outside and I've got spring on my mind. This morning when we left the house to take Cuddle Bug to preschool it was 3 degrees! WOW! I couldn't believe it! I'm a desert dweller...this whole single digit thing is just not right! I can't even bring myself to check the temperature in Phoenix today. This is my third winter in St Louis and by far the coldest I've ever experienced! I miss you warm, sunny Arizona! I'll see you in July and you better have the Wigwam pool ready for me!

Anyway, back to spring. I'm not very good about making it a priority to finish-finish pieces I've stitched. 2010 is going to be different! I have a little drawer of projects that need "finishing" and I intend to finish each and every one by the end of the year! So here's the first:



Egg...cetera from The Cross Eyed Cricket finished as a small pillow

Tell me this doesn't make you feel a little springy too! I'm very pleased with how this turned out - especially considering that there was a bug crawling around by my feet for most of its construction - not the kind you squish of course, the kind you snuggle and love :)

I hope everyone is having a beautiful beginning of the week! Thanks for visiting and thank you for your wonderful comments and support.

I'm off to put some more stitches in Poinsettia House. I'm enjoying each stitch more than I can say! And those Piecemakers...oh my goodness I am in love with every pass through the fabric! It sounds like most of you know their magic already. Where have I been?? Vonna has opened my eyes!!!

Happy stitchy wishes to you all! And happy Tuesday!

2009 in Review

Well 2009 is coming to a close. I don't know about the rest of you, but for me the whole year went by really fast!

I'm joining in with the fun over at Su's and posting my 2009 Stitchy Review.



I completed 16 projects in 2009. Not terribly impressive on it's own, but throw in the fact that my biggest project this year was the LadyBug and I think I have a reasonable excuse for not being more productive.

My favorite finishes of all this year were my exchanges with dear sweet Ranae and Vonna. Thank you both for the wonderful exchanges. I enjoyed them more than I can say!

Christmas, a New Year, and a New Look

We had a wonderful Christmas this year despite LadyBug's fever late Christmas Eve night and on into Christmas day (it figures, right?). As you can clearly see, my bugs were spoiled (again) this year. I guess it pays to be the only grandkids on both sides...



Besides the festivities, I have a finish to show you (and just in the nick of time, too)! I put the year on this one months ago. But it got set down and, for some reason that has yet to be determined, it didn't get picked back up. Please tell me I'm not the only one to forget a WIP! It narrowly escaped needing a do-over on the year until I realized it was sitting there unattended and picked it up to finish it! Phew. So here it is in all it's finished BBD glory. The fabric color is off completely. It's actually a winter white in person.

Something Sweet by Blackbird Designs
Thread: recommended CC, WDW, and GAST
Fabric: 28 Count winter white linen
Started: 6/6/09
Finished: 12/30/09

And in case you haven't noticed yet, I went ahead and made myself a fresh new blog layout to ring in the new year! I'm loving the clean white background.

Wishing you all a blessed 2010!

Rudolph's Ornie Giveaway!

Well it just so happens that we have come upon my very favorite time of year! It is my favorite season, my favorite holiday, my favorite birthday...I love Christmas!!!!

The cards are written, stamped, and addressed. The hot chocolate is spiked (for Mommy, that is). The gifts for family are purchased. Santa has made his list, checked it twice..And tonight I have it on good authority that he is going out with Mrs. Claus for a final shopping spree while the bugs stay at home with Mommy's dear friend, Renee.

So what better way to celebrate with all of you than to have a GIVEAWAY?!

So here's how this one is going to work:

I have stitched and finished 3 small reindeer ornaments. Among the three is the most famous of all reindeer, Rudolph himself with his big, bright, red nose!



Each ornament has been wrapped and designated a number. Cuddle Bug specified which number Rudolph should be. On Monday, November 30th, Cuddle Bug will draw a name from all the entries received at that point. That person will be notified and will pick a number. The following day, another person will be drawn and they will pick a number from the remaining two. And on the third day, the final person will be drawn and will receive the final ornament.


But there's a twist. Rudolph, being Santa's most prized reindeer, will arrive to his new home with a special Christmas gift. He picked up a Just Nan Christmas Needle Slide at his LNS a few weeks ago and is excited to personally escort it to it's new home.


All three ornaments will be mailed at the same time and the winners will not know if they got Rudolph or not until their ornie arrives at its destination.

All you have to do to be included in the drawing is comment on this post and LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS if it is not on your blog profile. You are welcome to spread the news on your own blog, but it is not a requirement of entry. All readers, old and new, worldwide are welcome to enter. The drawing will start on November 30th. You may enter anytime up until the third and final name is drawn.

Hugs and happy stitchy wishes to everyone!

Tweet Tweet

It sounds like many of you had very nice Mother's Days. Mine was no exception!

DH and Cuddle Bug got up and made me a wonderful breakfast! We had french toast made from french loaf (not a stick in sight) that was divine! And it was accompanied by country potatoes, canadian bacon, and fruit salad! It was so yummy! We spent our afternoon at The Magic House where moms got in free. Then we joined DH's (surviving) brothers and mother at Baileys' Chocolate Bar for drinks, cheese, food, and dessert. Yummmm! If you're ever in St Louis, do be sure to give Baileys' Chocolate Bar a visit. It's a slice of heaven in my opinion. And I'm not just saying that because my BIL is the owner ;)

I also laid claim to my Mother's Day gift - Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden from Just Nan! Can you believe my LNS has had this all this time and no one took it home???? It was displayed on a low shelf, fairly out of sight and all wrapped tight in its packaging. I caught sight of her in a passing glance. I think it was fate :) DH saw my excitement and purchased her on the spot! He's so wonderful!


I've been running around for days trying to stay ahead of the game with house work. My family comes into town tomorrow and I have a list a mile long of things that need accomplished before they land. I am so excited as tomorrow I will be meeting my brother's fiance for the first time! Then Friday we head to a tiny little town in Illinois where my sister is graduating with her masters degree. This will also be the first time everyone in my family - except my sister - will meet the Lady Bug. So much to celebrate! Now if only my family could get together without the drama...

Somehow I did manage some stitching in all the housework though! I saw this little feathered friend on a few other blogs and had to have her for myself! I started this Tuesday afternoon when I found a free second and put the final stitch in her last night before bed. I can't help but notice that my bird is lighter than everyone else's (including the model). I checked the numbers a million times to be sure, and it seems my DMC 613 is lighter than everyone else's 613. I bought the skein brand new yesterday and checked the numbers and labeling repeatedly. I'm not sure what happened. But I like her just fine so she shall stay as she is. I'm thinking it's a genetic mutation or a recessive gene exhibited from one generation to the next.

Eggs...etera #109 from The Cross Eyed Cricket

Thread: recommended DMC
Fabric: 28 Count Mystery Linen (unlabeled scrap from LNS)
Stitched: 5/11/09 - 5/12/09

Still no finished finishing to show. I couldn't commit to finishing when the little birdie was calling to me :)

Off for more chores and a cup of coffee!

Thanks for your comments, help, and support! Sending you all wonderful stitchy wishes!

Little Happy Dance

Even a small scale project deserves a little jig!

I finished LHN's "Paper Whites" this afternoon while Cuddle Bug napped upstairs in bed and Ladybug napped in my lap. Even with dishes crowding the sink, toys littering the living room, and kleenex strewn about (these allergies are going to be the end of me), I still consider myself to have been incredibly productive during that rare moment when both kiddies were asleep at the same time this afternoon! I finished another small project! Now excuse me while I pat myself on the back!

Paper Whites by Littlehouse Needleworks

Stitched 1 over 1
Thread: recommended DMC
Fabric: 28 Count natural linen
Stitched: 5/1/09 - 5/8/09

So, what's next? Well I have plans to finish this finish as well as another unfinished finish I have in my to-be-finished pile. You know you're a stitcher when that sentence makes sense to you :) So I may do that this weekend. And I am going to get started on my little Cross Eyed Cricket Eggs...Cetera bird. I want him finished and on the mantle before spring ends!

A very happy Mother's Day to all you amazing mothers, moms, and mommies out there! I would give my right arm to be spending it with my mom this year (instead I will be with my MIL...). But I will get to see my mom next Thursday when she comes in for my sister's graduation. So I have that to look forward to! My mom has only seen pictures of Lady Bug and she hasn't seen Cuddle Bug in person in 2 years! So it will be a fun time for everyone. My how he's changed!

This will be Cuddle Bug's first Mother's Day in charge - to some degree at least. Last year DH got a sitter for the little guy and he took to me an amazing (and expensive) Mother's Day brunch. Ooooh what a treat! This year CB has decided he wants to make me breakfast. And after asking what exactly it was he wanted to prepare, he has boldly decided that Mommy will be having french toast sticks for breakfast! I try to explain to him that I eat my french toast with a fork, but we shall see if I end up with sticks with the crusts cut off. Who knows!

Cheryl asked me about the Cars cake I was poised to make for Cuddle Bug's birthday. Well...that didn't happen. And as the mother of an infant, I'm sure she can understand why :) Thank goodness the grocery store could manage a birthday cake on such short notice!

Hugs and wonderful stitchy wishes to you all! I appreciate all your sweet comments and support more than I can say!

Fabulous Fob

Thank you all for your sweet comments on Peach Tree Cottage! And for your wishes on Cuddle Bug's 3rd birthday and all the birthdays we had in April! I think the mayhem is finally over!

I did manage to get a project finished in all the hustle and bustle these past few weeks. I put the final stitches in this one and did the finishing last night. DH was such a sweetie and took care of the kiddies while I worked on this to get it finished!

I got this chart from sweet Jacque - who no longer has a blog of her own. But she's wonderful and this was in a big pile of charts she sent me last year.

A Sampler Scissors' Fob by Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches
Stitched 1 over 1

Thread: DMC of my choosing
Fabric: 32 Count Twilight Blue linen
Stitched: 4/19/09 - 4/28/09
Finished as scissor fob: 4/28/09

This chart is off to Mary Kathryn now. I came across it on her wishlist during an Google search of this designer. I hope she will enjoy it as much as I did. And thank you again Jacque for giving it to me!

Big hugs and lots of wonderful stitchy wishes to you all! I so appreciate your support and kind words!!

Peach Tree Cottage Finished!

It's finished...finally!!! I put the final stitch in Peach Tree Cottage from LHN this afternoon! Dare I mention I started this project on May 31, 2008? But this one turned into a UFO and then Lady Bug came out into the world and made finishing this a marathon! But it's finally finished!

Peach Tree Cottage by Littlehouse Needleworks
Thread: Recommended Crescent Colors and DMC
Fabric: 28 ct Country French in Cashmere
Started:5/31/08
Finished: 4/17/09

This one became a UFO during my pregnancy when I was just much too tired and much too distracted to work on anything bigger than a few square inches. Then I avoided it because the leaves were driving me crazy - they just seemed to go on forever! But I picked this up after I finished "Peace" and was determined to finish it! It wasn't without a few visits from the frog. And I actually put the final stitches in it (the first time) at 1am Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

And that's when I was finally convinced once and for all that there is an error in the chart. The window panes in the chart are a green-gray color and the shutters and trim around the door are a light mocha brown. But as I was stitching these parts, they seemed backwards to me. It seemed like the windows should have been the light brown and the shutters the green-gray. I decided to leave it and see how it looked at the end. But come Wednesday night/Thursday morning when I put in the final stitch, it still didn't seem right. So I inspected the picture of the sample again, and again I was thinking these were backward! I am fairly certain the picture on the chart has these colors flipped from how they are charted. I have toyed with the idea of emailing Diane about it. I googled it but couldn't find anything about anyone saying they had noticed the same thing. Maybe I'm completely wrong. Either way, I frogged the shutters and the window panes yesterday and spent last night and this morning (at any available opportunity) putting them back in with the colors reversed. And in my humble opinion, it looks right this way!

And I also got an email from Kendra that she received the little giveaway I made in honor of our sweet Lady Bug's birth! She said she loved it, so I am pleased! I was nervous to share my mediocre stitching with another stitcher, especially one as talented as Kendra! Thank you for being so kind Kendra! Here is the altoids tin I finished for her and the little extras I sent along - red and white print fabric , a ladybug button from JABCo, and "Ladybug" fibers from both WDW and CC.

And thank you everyone for your continued support and comments! I appreciate them all so much!!

Slow and Steady...

I had not forgotten just how demanding a new baby is. I had no delusions that my "me time" would even come close to comparing to what it had been as Cuddle Bug was getting older and a little more self-reliant. And I have not been surprised by just how little I accomplish most days outside of meeting the basic needs of my two bugs.

Stitching has been no exception. I get 5 minutes here, 15 minutes there, maybe an hour if I'm lucky. I think I spend more time getting things out and putting them away than I actually do putting needle to fabric. But that's okay. I know it won't always be like this and I keep reminding myself to enjoy it while it lasts. Both of my kiddies are so amazing!

I have been able to keep up with everyone else's blogs, though. The laptop is my companion during the many long nursing sessions day and night. And I can comment with one free hand. There are so many amazing projects going on out there in Stitching BlogLand and I am impressed with how fast so many of you are! I'm a slow stitcher when I have all the time in the world on my hands, so throw in a 1-month-old and I move at a pace of a few stitches a day ;)

It should come as no surprise to me or anyone else then that this little bitty project - LHN's Peace Thread Pack - took me an epic 8 days to complete!

Peace Thread Pack by Littlehouse Needleworks
Thread: Crescent Colors
Fabric: 32 ct Country French Latte
Stitched:3/12/09 - 3/20/09

I also went to my LNS Wednesday to look for a little something. I came home with LHN's "The Old West" chart. I'm going to start this soon and give it to my mom for her birthday in October (that's how slow I am...). My mom lives in Tucson - that's where Cuddle Bug was born, too - so this piece is perfect for her right down to the "Tucson" sign!


I hope you all are having beautiful spring weather!! We went to the park this weekend and Cuddle Bug went down the big slide all by himself! He's growing up too fast!

Happy Spring to everyone!

Headaches, LNS, and Santa Moon

This post has been in "draft" phase since last week. Motherhood, migraines, and life in general interfered with my actually finishing and posting it...

So better late than never right?

I went to my LNS on Saturday the 28th of February to pick up a few small odds and ends for the giveaway to celebrate our recent addition - Lady Bug. DH sat quietly and patiently in the framing corner with Cuddle Bug playing with toys while I mozied around the store for well over an hour - touching everything I could :) When all was said and done, I didn't leave with anything new for me, but I did enjoy oogling all the pretties. I just can't make sense of spending the money when I already have unfinished projects (even though DH said I could have whatever I wanted). I have too much self control for my own stashing good!

I did get the stitching on a little something finished that Saturday night. I finished the crescent Santa face from PS's Santa Moon chart. I actually hate to admit I started this little guy last year - probably in July or August. It was going to be a quick little one day project. But I got sidetracked that day halfway through, it got put away, and then it didn't come back out until this weekend! Someone smack me! When I saw him half-finished I decided nothing was getting done until my quick little 6 month project got his final stitch. So here it is. I must never let something this small and simple go by the wayside again. I will say that stitching on black linen is no easy feat!

Crescent Santa Face from Santa Moon by Prairie Schooler

Thread: DMC
Fabric: Black Cashel Linen
Stitched: Summer 2008 - 2/28/09

And I posted my little giveaway yesterday for anyone interested in winning something small from a novice stitcher :)

Hugs to all the wonderful stitchers out there! Your kindness and support mean the world to me!

Productivity

Yesterday I was considerably more productive than I could have expected considering I have a toddler and a 2 week old! I was pretty impressed with myself - especially since Cuddle Bug was testing my patience for most of the afternoon. He's at the I'm going to ignore my parents when they're talking to me stage. I was repeating myself all day yesterday:

"Do not walk around the living room with open markers."

"Don't use your markers on the living room rug."

"We don't draw on the furniture!"

"I love that you adore her so much, but please don't kiss your baby sister when she's nursing. It distracts her."

"We don't put our Lego trains on the stairs. Someone could get hurt."

"You don't get to tell Mommy no."

I hate days like that. I feel like a witch of a mother telling him "no" and "stop" and "don't" all day. But what alternative is there? Markers on the furniture and someone falling down the stairs... We can't have that! There's got to be a better way to get through to him, though. Any mommies with toddler experience who care to weigh in?

All the behavior correction aside, I actually had some time to finish AmeriKat into an ornie for my sister! Cuddle Bug amused himself with his art supplies and Lady Bug napped in the Moby Wrap while I sat at the table and finished this little pinkeep ornament (sans the pins).

Another overcast day means another bad picture. The fabric is the backing fabric. Believe me, it's a lot more blue IRL.

AmeriKat by Calico Crossroads

Stitched one over one
Thread: Crescent Colours and DMC
Fabric: 26 count white evenweave
Stitched: 2/22/09 - 2/23/09
Finished: 2/26/09

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend! I'm hoping to get my first giveaway ready this weekend. At this point that depends on whether or not we get the heat in the car working so we can go out tomorrow. This morning DH reported to me that the car's heater wasn't working on his way into work. We can't take the kiddies out in the freezing cold with no heat in the car :/

Thanks for all your wonderful comments and support. I so appreciate them :)

A Thank You and A Finish!

Thank you all to the ends of the earth for you kind messages and congratulations on our new bundle! You are all so sweet and wonderful! We are truly blessed!!!

I've got a few minutes while Cuddle Bug watches Word World on PBS and Lady Bug sleeps in her swing next to me. And that means I can update around here!

We are continuing our adjustment. DH returned to work on Tuesday so I'm getting used to being a stay-at-home-mom of 2. Lady Bug had her first well-baby visit with the pediatrician on Tuesday. It was my first outing with the two kiddos all by myself. Things were going fine until we entered the exam room. I had been telling Cuddle Bug for the past week that we were taking his sister to the doctor, but he didn't have to worry because he wasn't going to get checked out. He was just there to help his baby sister. It didn't matter. As soon as he walked into the exam room he had his usual meltdown. I was trying to answer questions for the nurse, fill out new patient paperwork, undress Lady Bug, and calm my poor terrified son who at one point opened the door and went screaming down the hall! By the end of it all, I was frazzled to say the least. But we survived, and I figure I'm stronger because of it.

I stitched up a little design on Sunday that my sister had asked me to make for her last April. I never got around to it even though it's a small piece. I did the main design Sunday. Then when I was up nursing Lady Bug early Monday morning I decided it needed more blue, so I added the blue border. I like the way it turned out, although if I could do it again I would have stitched the cat with 2 strands instead of 1 for better fill. I changed "July" to "USA" and I'm very pleased with it. This will be finished as a little ornament. I'd like to get around to the finishing in the next few days, but things are busy around here lately so I can't be certain when it will actually get accomplished.

You'll have to excuse the poor lighting in the photo. It's terribly overcast today.

AmeriKat by Calico Crossroads
Stitched one over one
Thread: Crescent Colours and DMC
Fabric: 26 count Evenweave
Stitched 2/22/09 - 2/23/09

In other news, I'm planning my very first giveaway to celebrate our many blessings and my return to blogging! More to come on that this weekend! I'm excited :)

Finally - An Accomplishment!

I have to apologize for my absence the past week. I've not been feeling well and I haven't had much stitching to show. I have done a tiny bit more stitching on "Peach Tree Cottage" but it is coming along very very slowly as a result of my exhaustion and other ailments.

Yesterday I finally felt like I needed to just finish something so I could have at least a tiny taste of success. So I stitched the PS "Peep" freebie. It is tiny and precious. I'm planning a miniature pinkeep or ornament for this one. I changed the colors around a bit as I wanted the background to be blue instead of the green it calls for. My stitches are kind of sloppy and uneven, but I really wasn't that invested in making it a show-stopper and was just glad I got it finished. I think of every piece as another learning experience :)

"Peep" by Prairie Schooler
Fabric: 32 count Natural Light Linen scrap
Thread: DMC
Stitched 6/11/08

Thanks for visiting and for all your wonderful wishes on my last post about being so tired. I know I don't "know" any of you, but I feel like I have some stitching friends out there in the world wide web!