Sunday Updates & So Long Cowboys

This past week has been an interesting one. I've managed to come down with either a cold or a sinus infection that's really worn me out. I've been trying some herbal remedies, which are helping, but I have an appointment scheduled for Tuesday with my doctor for the high powered drug if I'm not feeling 100% better. My boss is leaving on Tuesday for a 2 week vacation with his family at Disney, so I can't afford to be sick and miss work.

This past week, I've been spending my limited stitching time on my January 1st piece, Have a Heart by Val's Stuff. I'm really loving the way this is coming together. I won't finish him this month most likely, but I will finish him next month.


Last night during my SNS time, I tried to work on LHN's Seasonal Saltbox series piece. I just could NOT keep my eyes open, so I ended up throwing in the towel after 35 minutes and heading to bed. Here's my itty bit of progress.



Football season is officially over for me. Don't get me wrong, I'll be watching the Super Bowl, but my Boys fell out of the running today in a shameful loss to the Minnesota Vikings. I will be rooting for the Saints next weekend against the Vikings. It was a great season for the Cowboys, though. Winning in December, winning their division, and winning a post-season playoff game is nothing to be ashamed of. They are a great group of young players, so be looking for us to tear up the league next year!

How 'bout them Cowboys?!? (& some Progress Pics)

Woohoo!! I am one happy Cowboys fan today! In a game full of penalties, The Boys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 34-14 last night (for the 3rd time this season) to win the NFC East wild card playoff game!! It's been 13 long, dry years since we've had a playoff win. This Dallas team is a special group of men and are playing excellent ball. If they can keep it together, stay healthy, stay mentally focused, and stay a cohesive unit, then I can see them going all the way to the Super Bowl.

On one of the message boards to which I belong, every Saturday we have Saturday Stitch Night (SNS). We post our before and after pics, so everyone who participates can see our progress. Last night while watching the Cowboys whoop the snot out of the Eagles, I stitched on the LHN Seasonal Saltbox design, "Blessed are the Pure in Heart". It's kinda hard to watch the game, cheer for your team and stitch at the same time, but I managed a great amount of progress.

Here's where I started:


And here's where I stopped after 3 hours and 5 mins of stitching (& cheering) time:


This past Friday, I got about an hour in on my Jan. 1st piece, "Have a Heart" by Val's Stitching. Of course, I started by frogging, but I didn't have as much to frog as I had anticipated. I've decided this is going to be my project for this coming week.


Today, I'll be stitching on my incentive piece, "Give" by Plum Street Samplers, so be looking for an update in the coming days. Until then, stay warm!

:o)

Last Stitches of 2009, First Stitches of 2010

I hope everyone's had a wonderful Christmas and New Year season. It's amazing how busy we allow ourselves to get and the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves, not to mention the expectations put on us by others. I pray this new year is a very blessed and peaceful year for you all.

As I rang out 2009, I stitched on Plum Street Sampler's "Give". The birds now have wings, but still no eyes. I'm planning on working on this again today while watching the Cowboys try to clinch their division against the Philadelphia Eagles. I'm contemplating what part to stitch on today. Should I work on the outside border on the right? Do I work on the twining vines on both sides? Do I continue in the middle and stitch the other motifs and stuff under the bird? Decisions, decisions, decisions!



My non-blogging friend, Robin, always encourages me to start a small project on January 1st. She's so organized, she knows well in advance what she's going to stitch. Of course, she's got her whole stitching year mapped out! She's got lists of all the projects she wants to stitch, which ones are gifts, which are just for fun. She's got an itemized list of ornies to choose from for the year! (Love you, Robin!!) Me? I decide a couple of days before January 1st what I'm going to stitch and then spend an hour and a half the morning of January 1st gathering supplies! LOL Have I gotten together a list of ornaments to stitch for the year?? No! (Will I stitch from the list anyway?? Probably not. LOL) Do I have a clue what projects I want to stitch this year?? No! I'm not spontaneous in any other area of my life, except stitching! I don't know if that's a good thing or not.

Moving on.

I chose Val's Stitching Stuff's "Have a Heart" for my January 1st project. It's been sitting in my "to do" box for a couple of years. I saw it. I grabbed it. I spent the first hour of the Rose Bowl parade pulling fibers and finding fabric. Impulsive, I know, but sometimes that's just the way I roll.


I knew I wanted to stitch this on something other than the neutral color of fabric the design calls for, so I went digging through my vast stash of fabrics. (I've battling a devastating addiction to fabric, especially the hand dyed variety. Having an unemployed husband helps curb that addiction.) I have TONS of colors to choose from in both 28 ct. and 32 ct. I decided to go with an old Silkweaver fabric called "Rainkissed" in 32 ct. It's a wonderful color fabric, but I don't think they produce it anymore. :(

Now I must return to my list making. I need to write my stitching resolutions, my ornie list, and I need to dig in my WIPs basket and see what's in there that I need to finish this year. I've only been working on that basket for 2 years now! LOL I also need to weed out stash and put it up for sale. Stay tuned for that!

:o)