Slowly Getting Back to Speed

Not a lot of stitching has been happening over the past month thanks to both the PC crash and some massive knots in my upper back and neck. Give ya' three guesses where I store my stress!

BUT...I got the camera software loaded and pictures taken!

First up is "Book of Ink Circles" (BoINK):

I am loving this one! I put in about 30 hours on it before I got 'sick' of it. Then after 2 hours into the next project, I wanted to pick it back up again!

I'm up to 200 hours on the "Winter White Tree Skirt":


And "Winter's Grazing" is still almost done:

I'm thinking about 20 - 30 more hours to complete it.

I've also restarted the Project Challenge. My goal is 15 or more project finishes before I splurge buy again. I had to take advantage of Cross My Heart Inc, going out of business sale. I have the "Earth Dragon" and wanted the other three elemental dragons before they became impossible to find. The good news, however, is I used the money I made off of the stash I have been selling to buy them. Bonus is that it makes hubby happy too. (He like when I buy for myself on occasion, but knows how our finances have been lately.)
On that note, hubby has picked up a full time job to supplement our income. For those who did not know, he is a real estate investor, and his income was affected by the housing crash. He had to change strategies (yeah, commercial property), however commercial property has a longer turn over rate (at least in regards to money coming in to feed and cloth the kids). So now my poor man is working 120 hours a week.

Now about this year's swimsuits. After two stores and 20+ different suits, I've found that manufacturers think everyone is an 'A' cup (including plus size women) and we want to cover the nipple only. Seriously, I get better support and coverage by going topless! On the up side, I got a new pair of shorts and they are a 10! (Yes folks, that's down from an 18 at the beginning of last year.)

Anyone know of any stores that sell swimsuits that have coverage and support? I'm talking 'XL' top (think D-cup)and 'L' bottom. I don't mind showing off cleavage. Just not down to my navel. Oh, and no bikinis, please. Trust me, no one wants to see these stretch marks.

The Good News!

In some freak coincidence, it turns out I have not lost several things that were going to take a long time in recreating. I had saved a coupe of things on a memory stick so I could work on them, on a laptop, while I watched TV. So the list of what I have:

• My stitching To-Do list - this will make it a little easier tracking down the freebie patterns I really want.
• A pattern catalog of all the cross stitch magazines I have (this was the big one I was dreading recreating), now I just have to add the magazine itself into the stash software.
• List of everything on my Stash to Go Blog (along with the list of everyone who has bought from me).
• My resume - I even have the latest copy of it, so I won't have to track down my old, not updated for 5 years, hard copy, which is somewhere in the house...I think?
• Some web links - unfortunately no cross stitch links, but I think i have most of those memorized anyway (GRIN)

As for The Gift of Stitching, it turns out I had not moved this year's issues from my work computer to my home yet, so yeah! Also Kristen has contacted me about replacing the ones I have lost (2006 and 2007) at a discount. Kristen, consider yourself hugged...like a bear.

All the critical software is loaded, bills have been payed, and I will load miscellaneous software as I need it, so I am up and running 75%.

Thank you everyone for you well wishes!!

I've lost everything, almost.

My home computer has been giving me problems for the past month or so to where it reached the point I decided it was time to reload the OS. This is not a problem for me. Reloading the OS is a yearly (practically) event, and I keep all my data on a secondary hard drive, as well as backup my settings, so recovery is never an issue.
Until now...
I followed the directions reloading the OS, select the hard drive to be formatted, load OS, etc., but every time I'd boot up after the reload it would come up with the original load. How is this possible when I'm completely erasing it?!? I was getting frustrated until I looked at my drive in Windows; I had been reformatting my spare data drive. Yep! I deleted all of my data, files, pictures, and most importantly, the backup to everything!!!
Can you now imagine how pissed off with myself I was? The one thing I always remember, I forgot. The spare data drive is the larger hard drive, so (hardware wise) it is set as the primary drive. When running the OS install, it see the primary drive as the drive to load the OS and automatically 'names' it C:\. So whenever I reload the OS, I disconnect the primary drive (inside the PC) and force the secondary drive to become the primary, load the OS, then reconnect the primary again.
Never an issue.
No Important Data Ever Lost! Until now...

Stupid techie move on my part. This all occurred on Friday (hence the no pictures of cross stitch updates), and I have been rebuilding the PC since then. I've resigned myself to starting over from scratch on everything...stash database, finding my links, searching down those free patterns I had downloaded, my stitching to-do list, household books (OMG, if you order a download from Quicken, they keep it in your user profile and you can reload the software with out issue....YEAH!), getting all my passwords reset for those I don't remember, pictures...the list is long, but it was not going to cost me money, just time. This morning I remembered something else, as I was continuing with the OS updates and loading the essential softwares, I just lost two years of an online magazine, The Gift of Stitching. Something I'd go ahead and write off if it wasn't for the fact there are projects in them that I want to do. Projects that are spread out over several issues, and getting back order copies aren't free. So much for it not costing me monetarily.

I wonder if the Physical Therapist is going to notice an increase in muscle tension?

Damn I want to whine...

What do you do when your husband laughs evilly...

You get banished from the house so he can set up a surprise party for you.

I knew he was up to something, but it really was a surprise as to who all showed up. But boy are we all tired today. Although it was great seeing the teen girls grouping together and giggling over the band-boys they have crushes on. They can certainly clear a room of all other adult males!

Stitching Rotation Updates and More

Camera has reappeared! So are you prepared for the pictures?

The flowers I got for Mother's Day were starting to look bad (the real ones anyway), so I don't have a picture of those. Instead you can all the petals I've harvested from them.


I'm going to dry them out and use them for air freshener, incense, etc. And these are the flowers The Boy made.


He loves his arts and crafts! This week he had a project on lobsters. He had to draw or make a model and write at least 4 sentences about the lobster (facts of). He did the bare minimum on the sentences because he wanted to work on this more:


And hubby only helped a little. He was so excited about taking it to school today, that he woke up early. Which was not a problem with me, since it seems I have steroid insomnia now (see previous post as to why). The boy has got some talent in the arts (in this mother's opinion). He has decided he wants to learn how to draw properly this summer. We are NOT going to refuse him that. In fact he has been behaving exceptionally well in school, so that he can get his own special pencils, paper, and how-to book when school ends. Which is only in 2 weeks.
He has also decided that he is going to jump off the diving board this summer. I guess we had better get our pool tags. I guess I had better around to getting a swimsuit this year...eek.


On to the pretty-pretties...

I've gotten some 10 hour blocks on a few more projects. Here is the wXSw SAL:


The "October Box":

I'm thinking the light blue is washed out in the fabric. I may go back later and backstitch the words there with a darker blue. We'll see.

And the new start, "Renaissance Bookmark" by Teresa Wentzler (a TW Designworks freebie). I'm using the recommended threads on 28ct Country French Chantilly.


The Boy's blanket square was supposed to come before the bookmark in the rotation, but when I started to work on a square, i found the blanket needed to be washed first. It seems he had wrapped himself up in it to eat breakfast and had spilt some. So I switched the two in rotation for this round.

I've also added BoINK. I'll be stitching it on 30ct Antique Ivory Evenweave and using Vikki Clayton Silks. I wanted my colors to be close to the Book of Kells (as close as a computer monitor will let me get), so I went with: yellow/gold - Lemon Drops 4201, black - Basic Black 5300 (not shown in the photo), red - OMG Red 1141, violet - Ultra Violet 2121, green - Isle Green 3213, orange - Terra Potta 4321, light blue - Mermaid Blue 2315, and dark blue - Yonder Blue 2221.

I'm really looking forward to this one so much that I broke my own "no more than 5 or 6 projects in the rotation" rule because I want this for myself. I don't even feel bad about it! Who knows, I may even end up changing more of the colors as I go. I am going to do the Project Challenge again, but buying fibers for this may end up on the exception list.

And last, but not least, I received an envelope from England for the ILCS Embellishment Exchange (we send our partner $5 worth of embellishments).

I got lots of flower buttons in wood, clear red, various shades of pink (my favorite!), some plum colored Mill Hill beads, red/white checked ribbon, and some more tiny buttons in various shapes and primary colors. Thank you Lou! Hopefully mine will arrive at your house in the next couple of days.

Ok, I dreamt I had already posted this...

News from the doctor yesterday...
This headache is tension. Apparently my neck, sholders, and back are one big knot. Funny, I never noticed until she poked me there.
The perscription: muscle relaxers, heavy pain killers, steroids, and physical therapy.
I'd say I'm happy, but it took two doses of the muscle relaxers and pain meds before I felt any kind of relief last night, and my first therapy session today was painful.

Now...does anyone know why I'm so tense?

A Wonderful Mother's Day!

Mother's Day started Saturday night, for me, when hubby asked when I wanted my Mother's Day dinner. As we spend Sunday evening getting the kids ready for school on Monday, Saturday seemed best. And boy was it!
I was warned on Friday to not look to closely in the freezer and that I also needed to become deaf, dumb, and blind for the rest of the month (my birthday is later this month).
Saturday began with flowers from my Mom arriving that afternoon; a combined Mother's Day and Birthday present. A dozen of mixed colored roses. Beautiful! (I'd love to show you pictures, but someone has walked off with the camera and can not remember where he put it. They came with plant food, so hopefully they will last long enough for me to share with everyone.) Then supper was buffalo wings and french fries. Not healthy, I know, but delicious. And when I sent the kids to bed, both reminded me that I needed to sleep in.

Sunday...I didn't sleep in. I still have that headache from last week and it woke me up (no worries about getting it looked at, friends, the appointment is this week). But I took some more Tylenol and laid back down to "sleep". After an hour of smelling bacon, I couldn't take it anymore, so i got up. As soon as I walked into the living room, i was accosted by The Boy, who it seems was on guard duty, 'boy-handled' to the couch, where he sat on me and showered me with kisses, until I convinced him to sneak into the kitchen and steal bacon for me. For breakfast (we seriously need 2 ovens!), we had ham and cheese omelets that turned into scrambled eggs (T-Girls first attempt at omelets), bacon, butter biscuits, and blueberry muffins. Then hubby and the kids left me alone for the day. I tried cleaning, but it was taken over from, and I was told to go do something for myself. I didn't even cook supper that night! Hubby took it over again, and we had BBQ pork chops, corn, and mashed potatoes. And I watched chick-flicks all day without anyone complaining about the sappiness! (Loved! "The Holiday") My son also gave me several things he has been making for me over the past weeks, and my daughter gave me 'coupons'. I have to say, I like the paper flowers he gave me better than the roses, and an hour of my daughter being quiet or doing the dishes without whining or complaining--priceless!

Hubby is periodically laughing evilly under his breath as he goes walking through a room...I wonder what he'd got up his sleeve now?

A Cause Close To My Heart

Being a woman, Breast Cancer Awareness is very near and dear to me. Not just because I'd still like to use mine to feeding purposes again (Yes Mom, we are trying again) or garner appreciative looks from members of the opposite sex, but because many women in my own family have had, and beaten breast cancer. And each one in their own flamboyant way (more on that in future posts).

There are a couple websites and blogs out there I visit on a regular basis (and not so regular), as well as donate to. The one that brought on this post is Stitch Pink. Kim started this blog to bring awareness of the importance of breast screening, and early detection of breast cancer to the stitching world. She is currently running a contest for this:

5 winners will receive 10 pink fibers (thanks to Laurel at Laurel's Stitchery). All you need to do is leave a comment there!

Another site I visit on a daily basis is The Breast Cancer Site. You click a button daily, ad the sponsors will donate money for Free Mammograms!
As someone who had to start getting mammograms long before insurance will pay for them. Thanks to family history, I started at 29. Most insurances won't pay until your 35 (30 if your lucky), and mammograms are not cheap things.
But today I found a shirt in their store that I've decided I've got to have. It's a tank top with a pink "vertical swirl". I could SOOOOO see myself wearing this at a concert! Nevermind the fact that many of us shop there for family Christmas presents. that is just too long to wait.

Thank you Jennifer Aniston...

Last week The Boy asked me how bread was made. This was part of his random question he asks everyday. (Boy do we get some doozies.) Unlike half the time, where my husband has to answer it, or we all have to go look up the answer, I K-N-O-W this one.

See back when hubby and I were registering for our wedding (it'll be 10 years, later this year), he found a breadmaker and pointed it out to me. After ducking my swing at him, I informed him that I was the breadmaker and just where he could put the automatic one. Over the years, bread making has dwindled off a little, as the amount of hand kneading puts a lot of strain on my injured wrists, and have hinted loudly that a certain mixer would ensure more bread being made (i.e. posted large signs all over the house stating, "You can get me a KitchenAid mixer for my birthday and nothing else. Just make sure it has all the attachment, like the dough hook"). This has not happened yet, but my mom bought one for herself as a Thanksgiving present, and borrow it all the time.

So I told The Boy we would make bread this weekend, and Saturday we picked up the mixer from my mom and baked away on Sunday. The Boy did all the work, all I did was help him measure and put in/take out of the oven. By Sunday night we had 1 loaf of bread, a dozen-ish clover rolls, a dozen cinnamon rolls, and a 5 year old all sort of proud of himself. Now I'd like to share a picture of the result with you, but their gone. All we have left, as of last night, was half a loaf of bread. But he wants to make more cinnamon rolls this weekend and we did promise grandma some baked good for letting us borrow the mixer, so I'll get pictures of those.

And none of that has anything to do with Jennifer Aniston does it...
Mid-day on Tuesday I had realized that I had had a headache for 3 days. As it wasn't the usual migraine pain, that was ruled out. It took me rubbing my scalp and realizing, it was my hair! You know how when you pull your hair into a ponytail, how you scalp hurts when you take it out at the end of the day? Now imagine having that ponytail but you can't take it out...everyday.
I had it cut a year ago to my shoulder and it has grown this much in the past year.

So, I decided it was time to get the hair cut. Besides we're starting to get into summertime here, and we'll be hitting the 90s by this weekend. So after dropping The Boy off at home (and weighing myself), I headed to the hair salon and told them to chop it off.


So thank you, Jennifer, for you "Friends" haircut, 'cause it looks good on me (not that you can tell by the picture). I know it's a little shorter than the original, but, again, it's summer. And it will grow fast.

By the way....that is 3 pounds of hair gone!
Headache...well not completely gone. But at least I know it's not from the weight of my hair.

Stitching Rotation Updates

I've worked on two projects in the past couple of weeks...

"Winter White Tree Skirt"


and "Winter's Grazing"

I'm 3/4 done with this one. I expect to have it completed within the next 2 rotation rounds.

I've definitely decided to add book marks to the rotation. They are small and I know I won't feel overwhelmed by adding them. The first one I'm making is for hubby, who is no help picking out a pattern (whatever, honey). I've decided to go with "Renaissance Bookmark", a freebie by Teresa Wentzler (TW Designworks).

I've also found another SAL I want to work on; Ink Circles' Celtic Mystery SAL (affectionately being called BoINK), which is based on designs from the Book of Kells. I'm considering kitting this up and then, because I'm going to buy silks for this instead of using from my stash, restart the Project Challenge. Well, maybe I'll restart after I renew my magazine subscriptions.
{GRIN}