off our game

Cameron and I are completely off our game. We’re both sick as dogs. Cameron’s fever is proving difficult to control and it’s nearly impossible for him to keep anything down. He isn’t eating much so basically fluids are all we’re attempting at this point. I took Cameron to the doctor yesterday. He has a viral infection. He’s tired. I’m tired.

I’m sick too but with something much different. I have no fever. Saw the doctor this morning. I have a sinus infection and a cough - the pain is terrible. I have a swollen throat and glands. Dh came home while I went to the doctor bc Cameron is too busy up-chucking (pardon me). I was thankful for that. (Not the up-chucking. Dh coming home and sitting with Cameron.)

Because of being off our game and having my hands incredibly full with illness the only thing I’ve managed to stitch on and get right is Rudolph by The Stitcherhood. It was a freebie last year. It took all but one evening to stitch and one evening to put together. My Aunt Pam and I stitched while on the phone together last night and this is what I finished. She finished her project too.

I’m sad. Well, sad news for me rather. Due to difficult circumstances here on the homestead we have to shut off our cable, Internet, and telephone. Sad?? Entirely. What does this mean? It means I can’t blog. Can’t blog regularly or visit all of you on a regular basis. According to dh this takes effect Wednesday. The phone I’m not too worried about bc I have my cell, however, when Jose gets home and I’m not there he usually calls me to say he made it home safe and sound. He won’t be able to do that now. The TV isn’t a huge deal bc I’m more a movie person and I have tons of them. However, I do watch certain shows through the week so maybe mom will T-Vo those for me.

I’ll stitch and work my projects as I always do. I can update my blog and visit others when I visit my mom. I usually go to her house one day a week so not all is lost completely. I can still receive email but will only get to check it when I’m at mom’s house. The only real critical problem here is that this puts a HUGE wedge in my efforts to find work. Ninety-nine percent of my search is done via the Internet and job search engines so I’m extremely concerned about this. I can’t look for a job one afternoon a week and the paper is of no source these days. One strategy I do have left is to contact a recruiter and have them on the search for me. But then, who these days doesn’t have email??? I feel like a cave woman (anyone want to pull me by my hair?).

Anyhoo, moonlight stitching is Saturday at the LNS so at least I have something to look forward to. I have many, many friends there especially my dear heart Sally. She always lifts my spirits. Unfortunately, mom won’t be there. No, she’ll be returning from Key West, Florida that evening – lucky tanned-girl.

I’m getting off-line now. Cameron needs his nap and I might even take one. I feel like crap-ola. I need to rest. We had a dreadful time last night and today isn’t fairing much better. I’m exhausted and overwhelmed. Seriously, all, I need a vacation. Talk soon!

the stitcherhood

There is something about these designs I adore. There are half a dozen new releases and free downloads on the website. Maybe it's the folksy-whimsy-primitive look these pieces posses. It appears that most are stitched on a low count fabric such as Aida, which I gave up stitching on years ago, but I would still stitch these designs and use linen instead ~ yeah, mottled linen! Perhaps vintage with some.

Anyway, go check out The Stitcherhood. Let me know what you think. I like Midnight Dip as well as many, many others.

Talk soon!

two heads are better than one

Saturday night I went to my LNS for a moonlight stitching gathering. About 14 women showed up including Melissa, which my mother has known for many years and who I just met for the first time. Melissa was so relaxing to be around. I truly enjoyed her company and she’s funny too. The make-it and take-it was a cute little heart made into a floss tag ~ appropriate for around-the-bend Valentine’s Day. Speaking of…

I finished my Lovebirds (sorry photo is so dark). It wasn’t anything major, but I enjoyed this Quaker-type piece. It was a pattern I got out of a library book I checked out called "Big Book of Cross-Stitch Designs" by The Reader’s Digest. I personalized it with my first name initial and my DH’s too, along with ’05; the year we married. I plan on finishing it into a pinkeep pillow. I spoke to my Aunt Pam Sunday and she’s going to look into her 1800’s reproduction fabrics to see if she might have a piece that will coordinate well with the color of DMC I used (#3685) – a kind of cranberry red. She has a huge abundance of fabrics, especially repros – you would love her stash! Speaking of Aunt Pam, I have a story…

My Aunt Pam told me a stitching story and she has given me permission to share (hi Aunt Pam!). The other day my aunt was cleaning the baseboards around one of her closets. She was on the floor cleaning a bottom shelf and noticed a clear storage bin that she has always thought contained quilting materials. Even so, and out of curiosity, she opened it to see its contents. Inside was cross stitching supplies and materials and a missing JCS Ornament issue (year 2000) that she recently borrowed from me, which originally belongs to my mother. Let’s just say that my aunt was completely and pleasantly surprised. She called to tell me her news and I was surprised for her. Finding something like this when you’re not looking for it is like finding money. In fact, better than finding money, because if it were money a person would just spend it on cross stitch, right? Yeah, that’s what I thought and that’s what my aunt thought! Anyhoo, it was a cool story I thought and I’m glad I heard it first, or maybe I was second. LOL

I want to share the goodies I bought while after-hours shopping at moonlight stitching Saturday.

Lizzie*Kate Double Flip-its ~ Create and Live. I love the teeny-tiny scissor and heart charms that come with the pattern.

Faithwurks ~ Cat. I had to have this little wooden cat. Isn't this too cute!

Hands to Work ~ My Beloved Tennessee. I instantly fell for this design. I live in Tennessee and don’t have anything stitched with Tennessee in mind, so now I will.

Blackbird Designs ~ Thank You, Sarah Tobias. This is a popular design or book rather. I love all the pincushions within this booklet. The first to stitch is Sarah’s ABC Pincushion. It calls for The Thread Gatherer’s Autumn Twilight which is gorgeous, but my LNS doesn’t carry that and I had to have something to go home with so I could start this sooner rather than later. I picked out Waterlilies by Caron Collection, color Kelp. It has lovely deep colors that I think will look just as good. Here’s a snip-it of the color below (mine has a little less orange though):

There’s a new designer out that I saw mentioned on Petra’s blog called The Stitcherhood. If you’re at all into antique, folk art, or primitive designs check this website out. They have some really nice patterns. There is also a section to download freebies, so go and check them out. Which brings me to…

one of my next quick stitches will be The Stitcherhood’s Valentine Love freebie. I’ve got just the fabric for this little pre-V Day project in mind. I love squeezing in quick stitches (QS) between WIPs and CRs. It gives my eyes something new to look at for a few days and it motivates me to keep stitching on those WIPs and CRs. I enjoy it. You should try it if you don't. Once you finish a little thing you just have to get something else done. All of sudden that needle finds its fire and goes! Whew!!! Tsssssssss

While I was surfing my favorite blogs, my sons were playing around and being such goof-balls. My seat kept shaking and moving about and when I looked down to see what all the fuss was about I had a funny little head staring up at me. The other little head was pulling the little head's hair.

Perfectly happy!

Perfectly unhappy!

Perfectly loved! (I'm sorry big brother.)

Sunday's Stitching: finished Lovebirds by RDBBoCSD
Watched Sunday: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls; Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone