Okay, Allen says I have to make a real post, so here it goes.

It has been a quick and busy October so far. It is hard to believe that the first quarter of school is almost over and my little (or not so little)Nathaniel is six weeks away from turning two. I say not so little as when he is fussing in Joanns while you wait for one really chatty sales person to cut fabric, he turns into a ten ton giant with fists of iron and stabby feet! Well, I got what I wanted and I am not sure what I expected considering today is a sleep catch up day for him.

Yesterday the fam headed out to the MD Ren Fest. In the morning we took Nathaniel for a couple of pony rides, fun on the pirate play ship, lunch and a joust. Unfortunately he was tired by the time we hit the joust so he wasn’t as into it as he normally would have been. We then headed to my sister’s for a nap that was just not to be. Although he was dead tired, he simply would not go down. After a while, we gave up and headed back to the Fest. We weren’t committed to heading back in especially as Nathaniel finally started to nod as we were pulling in. Too bad the line to get out looked miserable…might as well go in and have a bit of fun.

Nathaniel perked up again and had fun dancing to baudy music, more horsie rides, two trips down the giant slide (which he thought was the most awesome thing in the world. I am pretty sure he pulled some facial muscles smiling) and then rode an elephant! Last but not least he ate macaroni on a stick. I then proceeded to chauffeur the two boys home while they got to watch Shrek in the back seat. It was quite amusing to hear the running commentary on that movie between a thirty something and a two year old.

On the stitching front, I finished one of the Shepherds Bush 2000 years ornaments. I am also almost done with my nephew’s christmas stocking. i hope to have it done this week to ship off to Vonna. After that is done, I must get cracking on finishing my Bordeaux Wine sampler. There is not much left, but as I already put this year’s date on it, I feel obligated to finish it before the end of the year. The biggest hurdle is going to be keeping myself from going nuts with all the over one grapes!

Now I am off to continue IMing my hubby and watch some Legend of the Seeker. I watched some of it when it was on tv last fall, but I kind of assumed it was cancelled. Apparently, it ran a full 22 episodes and was renewed for this fall. who would of thunk it. I don’t recall if it was good or not…not a good sign!

This is a post for Allen so that he will send me a link to his go blog:)

That would be me. Maybe if I was able to make a profession out of it I would be better, but life just gets in the way. This post is in honor of Allen since he complained I haven’t been blogging:)

It has been a busy few months since my last post. We took a big trip in July and hit all of Nathaniel’s grandparents. In total we drove almost 1000 miles in ten days. I guess the daily average is no more than when I used to commute to Maryland, but it is a bit different when you have a screaming 20 month old in the back seat. In reality, though, Nathaniel did quite well on the trip. Allen and I invested in a portable dvd player and I rented a ton of videos from the library. Boy did that save us.

At the start of September, Nathaniel had his first ear infection since he had tubes put in last October. The pediatrician thinks that the tubes got clogged either with wax or some other goo from a sinus infection or allergies. A few days of antibiotic drops didn’t do much good and so we had our first course of antibiotics in almost over eight months. One ear cleared up quickly. The ENT couldn’t tell if the other ear was still infected or not. In all the struggles trying to look in his ear canal got scraped with an otoscope. The scrap swelled which made it hard to see the tube. Hopefully when we go on Tuesday everything will look 100%.

I have also been stitching and reading a lot. Since getting back from vacation I have hit all of my WIPs at least once. I started and finished a shepherds bush stocking for Nathaniel which Vonna has since finished for me

It looks fantastic!! Thanks Vonna I will take some progress pics of my pieces over the weekend to share.

With reading this year, I decided to re-read Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series. I just finished book 14, leaving just six left to finish by the end of the year. I will be cutting it close. I have also read the first 15 books in Anne Perry’s Inspector Pitt series. The fact that some of these were on audio book helped a lot. Well since it has taken me two nights to write this post I guess I should sign off

Well, I have been doing a good amount of stitching lately. I am going regularly to my Tuesday nigh stitching group which allows for at least three hours of stitching. Unfortunately the shop that originally hosted the stitching group went out of business yesterday. The stitching group will continue at local libraries and people’s homes, but it means no more stash shopping on Tuesdays and no more opportunity to use the shops stock to do a floss toss on cool fabrics or with alternate colorways of a pattern:( The only positive is that my pocketbook will not be opened for stash as often now.

Since the last time I posted I have finished Mirabilia’s Holly Pixie, made good progress on Bordeaux Wine Sampler and Alchemical Romance and even pulled out My Chatelaine mystery that I started in 2006. I also started a Shepherd’s Bush Christmas Stocking for Nathaniel. I am hoping that by the end of October I will be able to finish Nathaniel’s and stitch one for my nephew Ethan so that I can get them finished and hug for the boys for Christmas this year. I am about halfway through Nathaniel’s so I have high hopes of meeting that goal. Ohh, and I started Shepherd’s Bush’s St. Peter’s Fair.

Since it is July 1 today, I thought I would post some goals for the month of July. Here we go:
1. Stitch half of Santa on Nathaniel’s Stocking
2. Finish a dividing band on Bordeaux Sampler
3. Finish a corner of urns on Chatelaine Mystery
4. Finish 3-6 symbols on Alchemical Romance
5. Stitch 2 bands on St. Peter’s Fair
6. Start Mermaid’s Folly while on vacation
7. Stitch on Christmas ornament on vacation

It is amazing how as you get older the years go by faster and faster. I remember when I was in elementary school thinking that the year was sooooo long. Now there are times when it is not long enough. I guess that is what happens when you are busy every moment of the day. The end of February was also a blur as we were all very very sick. Nathaniel brought us home a great virus that has had us all down for the count.

Here is what I have been stitching on the last few weeks…Mirabilia’s Halloween fairy. I needed something to take with me on our trip to Allen’s family over presidents day and I kind of stuck with it. Here she is so far…she does have legs, but I didn’t feel like un rolling her.

She is so much fun. I am running out of the Black Coffee that came with the kit. I also heard that many stitchers ran out of the Dandilion Stem as well so I will have to pick that up when I go to my stitching group tomorrow night. Maybe my embellishment for the Nora Corbett “Holly” pattern will be in as well.

I also got my Neighborhood RR back recently. It is fabulous and I look forward to getting it framed. Thanks to Carol, Glenna, Karen, Deb, Marie, Carissa, Nicole, Sabine and Wendy for stitching on it. I thank 9 stitchers instead of the usual 8 as Carissa was unable to finish her block and Marie was kind enough to take what she had started and put the finishing touches on it. Thank you so much ladies for such a lovely memory of you all.

One more picture for you today. We got a ton of snow this morning so we took Nathaniel outside to play. He had a fabulous time. He even helped us shovel. One of our kind neighbors brought him a tiny little shovel. It was so cute.

I also have some goals to work on for March. I hope to:
1. Finish Haloween Fairy
2. Finish half of Part 5 of Bordeaux Mystery
3. Stitch on Mystery 9

Good luck to me.:)

I really feel like I have gotten my stitching mojo back a bit. I worked a lot over the last ten days on My Stitching Treasures. I made my goal to finish the border of the piece and then I plan on stitching on it whenever I go to my Tuesday stitching night. Hopefully the weather will hold out and I will be able to go again tomorrow. Here is the border…

After finishing the border, I moved on to the next piece in my rotation…Butterfly Rest. I was reminded how much I really love stitching on this piece. There are tons of color changes, but I really enjoy watching the colors blend together to create this beautiful piece. As of the last time I stitched on this piece (probably a year ago) I had finished the bottom two half pages. I started working on the right side. I wish I had had a little more time to work on her this weekend, but we had guests and both of my boys caught a tummy bug. It totally sucked:( But here is where I am so far.

Here is Nathaniel before he began to spew…I bought him a box of used books and he pulled them all out. I bet this would remind my mom of me when I was his age. I used to drive her nuts by pulling all the books off her bookshelf:)

Okay…I was a bad stitcher and started a new project despite having numerous unfinished projects sitting in my stitching drawer. And whose fault is it….I blame it on Nathaniel:) If he had not had croup (btw, croup sucks and I am glad that my munchkin man is now feeling better) and required a prescription, I would not be in this situation. As he and I were wandering around the grocery store waiting for his prescription to be filled we checked out the magazine section. They NEVER have any stitching magazines, but on this particular morning they did. It was the most recent edition of Just Cross Stitch and it had a new seasonal sampler from Jeannette Douglas Designs. I purchased the magazine and as I sat looking at it later, I remembered that I had her My Stitching Treasures tucked away in my stash along with all the beautiful threads and charms and the recommended Silkweaver Days Gone By fabric. So instead of doing housework while my sickie slept I started My Stitching Treasures. I am now almost half way done with the border. The threads are so pretty and I know I am going to have a hard time putting this one down. I am thinking that I will alternate between this piece and Alchemical Romance at my Tuesday night stitching group. I have them both on small q-snaps and I can get a motif or two done each week.

Here is my progress so far.

Fortunately, Nathaniel is now much better although he still sounds a bit like he swallowed a duck call. It is quite amusing to hear him babble. Today he had a very busy day. He went to a birthday party for the son of one of Allen’s co-workers and then spent most of the evening retrieving nerf darts for Allen. Allen would shoot the darts at the inside of our front door and when he was finished and they were all suctioned to the door, Nathaniel would “run” screaming at the top of his lungs and waving his arms. He would then pull all the darts off the door and help Allen reload the dart gun. It was quite funny. I began to have visions of the future when I will in all likelihood be regularly ambushed by barrages of foam darts. I am already tickle tortured and raspberried on a regular basis…foam darts can’t be that much worse:) At least they don’t involve spit!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

So here is my progress on Bordeaux Wine Sampler. I am a little past the half way point now. I plan to finish up the saying and a little of the backstitching before moving on to the next piece in my rotation. I am sorely tempted to start something new, but I know I shouldn’t. If I find my Garden Stars by Ink Circles and have a good fabric for it, I might just have to.

In other fun stitching news, there is now a weekly stitching group that is a reasonable distance from my house. It is at a shop that recently moved. I had been to their previous location several times on my way to see my parents or I have had Allen pick stuff up there on his way home from work. Unfortunately they were about 40 minutes from my house, so there Tuesday night stitch group. Around the beginning of the year, the store moved to about halfway between my house and their old location. I was so excited when I found out. Last week I went to the stitch group and it was a lot of fun. I am hoping to go tomorrow night, but with Inauguration and Allen possibly having to go out for a work dinner, I may have to skip this week. I will definitely be going again!

A Life Lived Fully?
So I found this meme on Michelle’s blog. I thought I’d share mine with you.

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to – leave in plain font

1. started your own blog-Yup
2. slept under the stars-For an entire summer after college when I was a camp counselor.
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii-Honeymoon on Maui
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to Disneyworld-On at least three occasions, possibly four. My grandmother lived an hour or two from Orlando, so we would stop along the way to see her.
8. climbed a mountainNot a big one, but I climbed it.
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch-Cross stitching counts, right!
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning-Wouldn’t recommend it.
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetablesWe grew tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and herbs at our 3rd floor condo. Go figure we bought a house with too much shade to grow veggies:(
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train-On a trip from Maryland to Florida to visit family.
21. had a pillow fight-Got to love sleepovers
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill-No comment:)
24. built a snow fort-Summer 1996. I almost got lost in the snow…no school for 2 weeks:)
25. held a lambI worked as a camp counselor one summer and we all did.
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset-Many times
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person-With my family when I was little.
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community-Visited Lancaster, PA in second grade
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight-Love Duck, NC
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling-Theoretically I am scuba certified to 120ft. Haven’t been in years.
52. kissed in the rain-Don’t tell Allen;)
53. played in the mud-My sister loved mud.
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookiesDuring my short stint as a girlscout
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason-Allen is just like that.
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy-Sebastian the puppy lives in Nathaniel’s closet…someday he will come out to play
70. visited the Lincoln memorial-several times
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square-Band trip!
74. toured the Everglades-On a trip to see my grandmom
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in London
77. broken a bone-Left wrist in first grade…the cast stunk!
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car1996 Plymouth Neon named Esmerelda
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible-Over two semesters in college
86. visited the White House-Twice…it is awesome at Christmas…I wish they would do that again.
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox-When I was 12…it sucked!
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a babyNathaniel Mark
95. seen the Alamo in person.
96. taken a road trip-Isn’t that what college is for:)
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee-The staff at Woodley Gardens pool knew me as the bee kid one summer
100. met the love of your life-That would be Allen

Not too shabby. Interesting that most of my want to do items are overseas travel. I was born in Germany and my parents did a lot of traveling while mom was pregnant with me and while I was an infant/toddler. I have not had a chance to go back since my dad was transferred back to the US. Every time I say I would like to go to Europe, my dad reminds me that I have already been:) Not quite the same.

Hey everyone…I have been doing a bit of winter cleaning around the house and took the time to purge my craft closet of patterns that I am very sure I will never stitch. I have added a For Sale or Trade page and a Wish List page to the top of my blog. Feel free to check it out. Check back shortly for my progress on Bordeaux Wine Sampler.