I hope you're all enjoying your leap day. I was hoping to show you a picture of my daffodils in bloom as evidence of what a crazy non-winter we've had in DC, but they've not quite bloomed yet. The buds are on the brink of opening though. The ones by the school across the street are in full bloom. My north-facing yard is always among the last to bloom, but it does mean that I have color in the yard lasting a little later than everyone else. Plus, it's been raining cats and dogs all day, too. I'm very, very grateful that it's rain and not snow, although one work-closing blizzard this winter would have been nice. DDA is sorely disappointed that she wasn't able to create snow angels at all this winter.
There are days when I think I should rename this blog "Stitching 18 inches at a time". That's about all the stitching I did this month - one pull of 18 inches of DMC floss. It's sad.
For your amusement, here are some of the blog posts I starred this month.
Inspirational:
From my friend Michael: No Adventures without Grief
The Happiness Project talked a lot about bed times this month. That's something I need to work on. I have a sticky note at my desk that reads "Eat Well. Sleep Enough. Exercise. Be Creative." These are things that I'm working on, as I know that they will help me feel better and more relaxed and less stressed out about life in general.
Syd talks about some of the things she's doing too.
Coni's 15 minute rule could be applied in many situations, but I love that she's applied it to stitching. Check out her amazing craft room, too.
Recipes:
Homemade Egg Rolls
Easy Meatballs
Power Smoothie (no bananas!)
Curried Butternut Squash Pasta (for DH; I'm no fan of either curry or butternut squash)
This Noodles and Cabbage dish is more my style.
I think these Veggie Nachos or Cauliflower Cheese Fritters would be a hit with the girls.
Crafting:
I love the soft aqua colors in this card.
I seem to like somewhat retro color schemes: here, here, here, and here.
Lisa's use of tone on tone is great. I also like her use of die cuts: flowers and letters.
Especially for Lee, Carrickmacross lace goes runway.
For Valentine's Day:
Stitching Sweethearts
Homemade heart-shaped crayons
Archival valentines
And finally, any suggestions for my friend Christine on a homemade, natural facial scrub?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
WIPocalypse
While I'm not joining any of the formal SALs, I was inspired to take stock of where I am with my projects. Here are the projects I have in progress that I hope to finish stitching (and maybe even finish-finish) this year. There are many, many more lurking in the closets still.
- Spring Hare by Erica Michaels (75% stitched) PDF
- Snowdon (sea otter) by Jemini Designs (75%) JCSO '08 - in the top left of the 2nd picture
- Buttercup Alphabet by Cathy Jean (50%)
- Lavender Alphabet by Cathy Jean (90%)
- Peace 2001 by Hillside Samplings (5%) - fingers crossed that the 3rd time's the charm on this one. This is the piece I'm working on for Lee's Older But Better Challenge from last March!
- Sparkling Bluebells by The Sweetheart Tree (0% - This one *was* 30% done, and then I discovered that I cut the fabric wrong, and it's about 6 inches too short. Argh!!!!!)
And I have 3 projects waiting in the wings, all kitted up.
- Dolphin by Alita Designs (a companion for Snowden in my house)
- French Country Bunny by JBW Designs
- French Country Cat by JBW Designs
Except for Bluebells (which is a birth sampler I need to do to complete the set for my niephlets), I'm still excited about all of these projects. The Buttercup and Lavender alphabets are birth samplers for my girls, and I need to rechart the alphabets into birth details.
Hmmm. 10 projects. I'll be pleased if I finish 5 and delighted if I reach 8. Plus, I'll probably start another project or two at some point. I'm bad that way.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Favorite Christmas Album
What are your favorite Christmas albums (not songs) by one artist/group? As much as it's not Christmas without hearing Bing croon, I don't actually own an album by him. He's on a number of the compilations I own, though. My top 5 are:
5. Loreena McKennitt, A Winter Garden
4.Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas
3. James Taylor, A Christmas Album
2. Johnny Mathis, Merry Christmas
1. The Beach Boys, The Christmas Album
Friday, December 2, 2011
A Shameful Finish (AMOT)
Dear Loyal Readers,
There I was, doing so well with A Month of Thanks, and then I crashed and burned. Still, I had more posts in November than I've had in quite awhile.
To finish up the series, I give you a week of thanks:
24: Thanksgiving Day: I am thankful that I live in a land of bounty and that we could share some of our bounty with others.
25: Black Friday: Ever so grateful that I didn't need to be anywhere near a store. We had an uneventful flight home. Thankful also for the chauffeur we hired (he drove our car to and from the airport for us), which made the ride home with tired, hungry children more manageable.
26-27: Thankful for days of rest and recuperation. Saturday, we took care of a bunch of errands (groceries, laundry). On Sunday, the weather was nice, so we went outside to do some long overdue yardwork. We accomplished a lot, but we didn't feel rushed, and it was nice to be home for the weekend after travelling.
28: Thankful for our cats. They're little dogs in cat bodies. They were delighted we were home and cuddly for days after our return. They remind me to slow down and enjoy some affection.
29: Thankful for family, immediate and extended. Mine's a real mixed bag of personalities and disfunctions, but they're mine, and they love me. And I love them.
30: Thankful for my spouse. We met 20 years ago, and it always surprises me that we're not completely sick of each other by now. There were times when I wasn't sure we were going to make it, but we found out how to be a team and have made it work. For this, I am truly and completely grateful.
There I was, doing so well with A Month of Thanks, and then I crashed and burned. Still, I had more posts in November than I've had in quite awhile.
To finish up the series, I give you a week of thanks:
24: Thanksgiving Day: I am thankful that I live in a land of bounty and that we could share some of our bounty with others.
25: Black Friday: Ever so grateful that I didn't need to be anywhere near a store. We had an uneventful flight home. Thankful also for the chauffeur we hired (he drove our car to and from the airport for us), which made the ride home with tired, hungry children more manageable.
26-27: Thankful for days of rest and recuperation. Saturday, we took care of a bunch of errands (groceries, laundry). On Sunday, the weather was nice, so we went outside to do some long overdue yardwork. We accomplished a lot, but we didn't feel rushed, and it was nice to be home for the weekend after travelling.
28: Thankful for our cats. They're little dogs in cat bodies. They were delighted we were home and cuddly for days after our return. They remind me to slow down and enjoy some affection.
29: Thankful for family, immediate and extended. Mine's a real mixed bag of personalities and disfunctions, but they're mine, and they love me. And I love them.
30: Thankful for my spouse. We met 20 years ago, and it always surprises me that we're not completely sick of each other by now. There were times when I wasn't sure we were going to make it, but we found out how to be a team and have made it work. For this, I am truly and completely grateful.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Crafting Together
Today is my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom!
It is from my mom and my grandmothers that I learned to craft. I remember making stuff for as long as I can remember. Grandma S. used to knit and crochet. I still have 2 pairs of mittens she knit for me back in the 1980s. She taught me to crochet granny squares. Grandma A. was more into glitter and glue. Over the years, we made a lot of different Christmas ornaments out of all sorts of styrofoam and beads. Mom would sew and crochet mostly. She also did some embroidery.
While none of them were particularly into cross stitching or rubber stamping, it is from them that I learned my love of crafting. I've started doing easy projects with the girls, to get them interested too. To that end, the three of us made these cards. The girls helped stamp the leaves and acorns. L. at first didn't want to share her paper. She wanted to stamp only red leaves on her paper. We finally convinced here to pass the paper around, and so produced the following background paper.
Today, I am thankful for being able to craft, especially with my family.
It is from my mom and my grandmothers that I learned to craft. I remember making stuff for as long as I can remember. Grandma S. used to knit and crochet. I still have 2 pairs of mittens she knit for me back in the 1980s. She taught me to crochet granny squares. Grandma A. was more into glitter and glue. Over the years, we made a lot of different Christmas ornaments out of all sorts of styrofoam and beads. Mom would sew and crochet mostly. She also did some embroidery.
While none of them were particularly into cross stitching or rubber stamping, it is from them that I learned my love of crafting. I've started doing easy projects with the girls, to get them interested too. To that end, the three of us made these cards. The girls helped stamp the leaves and acorns. L. at first didn't want to share her paper. She wanted to stamp only red leaves on her paper. We finally convinced here to pass the paper around, and so produced the following background paper.
Today, I am thankful for being able to craft, especially with my family.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Campfires (AMOT 22)
Today, I am thankful for campfires (or "fire camps" as the girls call them).
My MIL held a meet-and-greet for us today. Some of the extended family came as well as some of the neighbors. Also included were her beau's kids and grandkids. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but we all got along and found common ground. It was fun, and the little ones had a grand time meeting all their new "cousins".
In the evening, DH built a campfire (in one of those free-standing fire pit contraptions). I *love* campfires. We even had s'mores. The smell of campfires always brings back memories of my grandparents, Girl Scout camping, and summers with my family. They make me happy, and it was a great way to end the day.
AMOT 21
The girls are having a grand time in SATX visiting my MIL. They're having fun exploring a new house and running around a huge backyard. (We have a narrow yard in DC.) They're also having fun helping with household chores, like sweeping the deck.
Today, we spent most of the afternoon and evening at SeaWorld. This was their first real amusement park. Fortunately, the National Aquarium in Baltimore had given them a glimpse of what this would be like, so it wasn't overwhelming. Plus, there weren't many people at the park today.
Today, I'm thankful that my girls are adaptable. They like exploring. They're open to new things: new places, new foods, new people. They are very much go-with-the-flow kids, except, perhaps, when Mom says "no" to bringing home the Shamu stuffed animal when they're extremely tired at the end of a really long day. I am grateful that they adjust to things very quickly and enjoy new experiences.
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