Small Joys

For almost a decade now, I've been proud to call myself a Washingtonian. And, yes, I do live in DC proper. In fact, I live on Capitol Hill. DC has changed a lot in the past 20 years, and it's not the scary place it once was.

For me, one of the great joys of living on Capitol Hill is that I get to see the Capitol building on a daily basis. Nearly every day, particularly on my way home from work, as I approach the hill, I have a great view. It gives me a small thrill every time, even on days when I'm not thrilled with what our politicians are doing. To me, it's a symbol of a government that's managed to hold itself together and accomplish important things for over 200 years.

Growing up, I never thought about where I would live as an adult. I grew up in a rural area where the only large landmarks were the water and TV towers. It's surprises me still that this is where I ended up, but I'm very happy that this is where I am now.

What are the small, unexpected joys in your life?

Chart Title Quiz

In her current meme, Anna challenged those of us who hadn't to go back and take this quiz. Since I don't have a blog archives to use to play in the current meme, I thought I'd try the second one.

Using your cross stitch pattern names, you answer these questions. The only rule is you have to use patterns that you like enough that you might stitch them one day.

• Are you male or female? Girls Night Out by Just Nan
• Describe yourself: L is for Librarian by The Victoria Sampler
• How do some people feel about you? Good Friends Sampler by The Victoria Sampler
• How do you feel about yourself? Busy Bee Sampler by The Sweetheart Tree
• Describe your girlfriend/boyfriend/interest: Give Pranks by MonsterBubbles
• Where would you rather be? Woodland Garden by The Victoria Sampler
• Describe what you want to be: Trust and Contentment by Cathy Jean
• Describe how you live: I wonder as I wander by MonsterBubbles
• Describe how you love: The Red Thread by Bent Creek (you'll have to look at the sentiment on this one and the next)
• Share a few words of wisdom: Confidence by MonsterBubbles

Play along if you'd like. For those of you that don't stitch, the original quiz asked for song titles.

Pay it Forward

Geggie is offering a contest for 3 lucky folks to win a Burt's Bees giftpack. The only catch is that if you win, you need to do a similiar "pay it forward" kind of gift. I've already entered, because hubby is all about the Burt's Bees.

Even if you're not into that kind of thing, her's is a fun blog.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, all. I wish you a peaceful and healthful new year.

My stitching goals for this year are pretty mild. I'm not what you would call a focused stitcher.

1. Participate in the Bride's Tree SAL.
2. Finish the birth sampler for my niece.
3. Stitch a birth sampler for one of the three nephews for whom I haven't stitched one.
4. Stitch a big project for me.

I'll probably also stitch some additional small projects, because as I've been looking for patterns for the SAL, I've found some other ornaments that I really like. I also tend to get excited about small new projects when I'm in a stitching slump.

We'll see how I do.

Comments

If you left me a comment and it's not appearing, please repost it. I was experiencing "technical difficulties" with blogger, and the comments seem to have been lost in the ether. Thanks.

Holiday gifts

This year, I made these calendars as gifts for some of my close friends. To make them, you slide the card stock into a 4x6 picture frame and place the calendar on the outside. Aren't they cute?

In other news, I've joined my first stitch-a-long over at Bride's Tree SAL. I'm planning to stitch from my stash as much as possible. This will give me the opportunity to work on projects I've bought for myself over the years that I haven't really touched since. I do way too much obligation stitching.

I also like the idea of stitching from my stash because then my ornaments won't necessarily look like a matched set. Since we have a very eclectic tree, with ornaments from around the world, I like the idea of keeping the hodge-podge character going. I'll let you know which patterns I choose as I go along.

Merry Christmas!

Several of my friends have been after me to "start" a blog. Since I set this up a while ago, I finally decided I should start posting. For my first real post, I thought I'd show you two Christmas-related items.

The first is the holiday card I made this year.

The second is a set of biscornus I made. One was for my hubby, P in DC. The other was for Brave Astronaut. This is based on the Philly one that Stitch Bitch made.