July - Summer Vacation in Full Swing

Since the last time I posted, I officially started summer vacation, went on a stitching retreat, celebrated 4th of July, co-hosted a family reunion, and finished 1 project.

First up, my sister Jennifer, friend Lisha, and I went to Katrina Boyd's retreat in Franklin, TN.  I meet some wonderful ladies, 1 from Mississippi, the 5 local ladies and the 5 from Memphis.  We actually had a local artist stitching with us, Ryanne (sorry if I miss-spelled it).  She was very helpful with my tablet.  I love her highland cow cross stitch pattern.  I also liked her new pattern she was working on. shhh... check out her site to see when she releases her new pattern.  Jennifer and I did our usual, stitch for an hour then switch.  I stitched on 9 things each day.  No finishes though.  I can't wait until August when we go to Georgia; I've never been.

Second, after we came home, my family celebrated the 4th at my Mom's house.  We didn't do the big fireworks show that Uncle Tim usually does because Tucker (his son) was at camp.  But we ate the usual, hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage, potato salad, baked beans, and salad.  My sister-in-law, Mari, made a spring roll desert filled with strawberries and blueberries with a cream sauce.  Yummy!

Third, my mom's side of the family usually gets together the first Sunday in July.  Well the last few years we either haven't had it or some people will not come because "its too far to drive".  So my cousin Liz and I decided to host it here in town.  We had about 100 people show up.  Most everyone brought food or drinks.  Everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the food and fellowship.  It seems Liz and I are expected to host it next year.

Now why you really came, my stitching. 

 This month I decided to stitch on one WIP each day.  I have about 30 WIPs left.  I have pretty much stuck to the schedule.  If I missed a day then I stitched on the missed project and the project due that day.  I finished Little House Needlework's Blessed are the Meek using DMC floss on Wandering Ivy by Silkweaver.  It turned out really cute.









 I have also finished Oh Say Can You Sea by Hands On Design.  My sisters (Jennifer & Bridget) and our friend Lisha are stitching on this project as a stitch-a-long.  I'm the 3rd one to finish it.  I used the DMC floss on 32-ct Vintage Stormy Nights Lugana fabric.  We all used the same fabric.

I've made some progress on each project so far.  I hope to knock out most of these WIPs by the end of the year.


Well, got to go.  I plan to post again next week.  I will let you know when I start my FlossTube vlog.

Sharon

What progress?

I am sorry that I haven't posted in a month.  I don't know why I haven't but here I am.  I have been working on the Ink Circle Celtic Mystery Stitch-a-long.  I have completed the two crosses and the celtic knots on the side.  Actually right now I have almost completed the border but I will post that on Friday.  You know if I still had every stitch that was put into this pattern, I would have two versions of it.  I am almost through.  I have 4 big blocks left and the two fish in the corner.  It is looking great.

 

Well, the reason that I am not as far along as I should be on the Ink Circle project is because my cousin/friend Liz's daughter, Michelle, asked me to crochet a red giraffe for her friend Jordi as a wedding gift.  He turned out really cute.  The pattern didn't call for a nose but Liz suggested I put one on anyway.  It looks really good and there is a natural line for the mouth.

Jordi's Giraffe from the back

Jordi's Giraffe from the front

Are you looking at me?

Then my cousin Kevin's daughter-in-law just had a baby girl.  Of  course I had to make a baby gift.  I crocheted this baby blanket in one day.  I t is really easy (double crochet, chain 2 double crochet).  The only problem was that I had two skeins of yarn.  I followed the pattern but only put on 3 of the 5 border rounds because I ran out of yarn.  I actually had to do the last round twice because I was 3 inches from finishing the pattern when I ran out of yarn.  I tightened up my stitches and made it work.  It is a really nice summer afghan for a baby.

Baby Blanket for Kevin's new Grand-baby

I have been working from 7 to 10 every evening on something crafty, then reading from 10 to 11 before bed.  I had to force myself to do this because I get focused on one thing and forget to do the other.  I want to finish all my started projects this year but I also want to empty out a couple of shelves of books.  So, what do I do?  Borrow a book series from Liz.  But, I have been moving through them at a comfortable pace.  Hopefully, this year I can get back to reading as much as I use to.

Well got to go.  I have to drive home now and work on my cross-stitch.  Soon I will be drawing from the box again.

Thanks for stopping by

Sharon

Sorry I Haven't Posted

As you know, the satellite modem was down at my house. Well my brother Pete got the part and put it in the machine. Then..... nothing happened. So now we are waiting on a technician to come out to the country and check out the satellite link and everything. Right now I am using a friends computer to post.

So what is new? I found a temporary job teaching math in a high school (the one I posted about in my last post but it is only 1 hour away). I'm teaching 9th and 10th graders Algebra I. At present we are preparing for the state test (which they need!) I now remember why I went to work at a community college. But, the students are cute, somewhat well behaved (they love to talk), and are generally easy to work with (when they aren't whining). I like working with them. I am continuing to teach one night class at the community college, and working for Sylvan. I am still looking for and praying for a permenant job at one of the local universities.

Oh, Oh, Oh! I almost forgot----my sister-in-law had her baby boy 8 days after my sister had her little boy. The new nephew was 8lbs 110z and 21 inches long. The babies are so cute. Leif is so laid back and calm while Tyler provides his opinion whenever he wants. That makes 6 nephews. Too many boys!!! Another set to play trains, swords, and video games with.

As for stitching, I have completed several things. I don't have any pictures right now but I will tell you what I have completed:
Knitted: dishtowel and two baby blankets
crocheted: an afghan (almost finished) and a dishcloth
cross stitched: finished my portion of a round robin (waiting on the next installment) and a biscornu
needlepoint: Finished a geometric square from the club I joined a couple of years ago.

I finished listening to the Left Behind Series on CD and am now listening to DaVinci Code on CD. I finished reading the Hobbit and am reading The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Well I got to go. Thanks for stopping by. I hope to have internet access soon and will post pictures of all the things on which I have been working.

Last night

So, last night I started on my stitching rotation. Monday and Tuesday I was working on my exchanges and round robins. I spent two hours on Miriabilia's Christmas Fairy. All I finished were her boots. I have her wings, face, hands, and the Christmas Tree to go. Oh, and a little on her skirt. I really should be ashamed of myself that this is still a WIP. I started it March 30, 2007. It has been almost two years, but I have trouble seeing 32-count. And am refusing to by the magnifier (as of right now). I hope to finish this one soon.

I knitted on the baby blanket for Bridget, also. I completed one set of blocks and have 11 more sets to go. That is 110 stitches by 10 for each set of blocks. I hope to have it done by her C-section date of the 4th of February. I will be cutting it close. Then I have to work on the one for Mari, whose due date is the 21st of February, along with a round robin, my rotation schedule, and an exchange. When it comes to stitching, I will be busy for the next month.

As for my reading, I have read 3 of the 19 chapters of the Hobbit. I have been very bad and not reading. My sister Jen decide to read along with me. She started on January 1st or 2nd like we were suppose to be and is almost through with the book. I need to hurry up because we are reading The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings.

Well got to go. My nephew needs help with Mario Party for the DS.

Thanks for stopping by

Sharon

Knit or crochet?

As you know, I am knitting on two different baby blankets. Well, I decided to work on a quick lap afghan in the middle. I found a free pattern from Red Heart at Micheal's or Hobby Lobby. It called for 16 oz. of Claret. The funny thing was that I pulled my yarn from my shelf before I read the direction. The yarn that I pulled was the yarn recommended. Actually, you are suppose to use a jumbo pack of 16 oz. so that you only tie off at the end. I used 2 8-oz skeins instead. (That shows you how old the yarn is, they now come in 7-oz skeins). Well it took me two evening to finish it but it is beautiful.

Now I have two exchanges, a round robin, and two afghans left to do by February. Actually the two exchanges are due next week. I'm going to work on them this weekend.

Also, I finished reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It was an easy read with an interesting topic. Now I want to go see the movie (if it is still at the theater). Next, The Hobbitt by J.R. Tolken. I have started it, but have only read the first chapter.

Well, thanks for dropping by. I hope to post more often.

Sharon

2009 Goals

Okay, so my family loves to pick on me about being a data collector (well I am a mathematician). I wrote down my 10 Goals for 2009. I also decided that I was going to read a book a month from the list of "100 books you must read before you die". So here are my goals for 2009

1. Defend dissertation proposal.
2. Defend dissertation.
3. Drop 2 dress sizes.
4. Get a full time job.
5. Be more sociable/ Go out more.
6. Bring lunch to work and eat healthy.
7. Start & stick to an exercise routine.
8. Clean and organize my house.
9. Stick to a budget & pay off debt.
10. Complete all started stitching projects.

As for the books I plan to read The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Ring Series during January through April.

I counted the number of patterns that I stitched last year (38). So my goal this year will be 40.

Well thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your interest.

Sharon

Recent Finishes

First up, I am a member of a Round Robin that started out with 6 people and ended up with 4. My sister Jennifer is a member of this RR. She chose to do the LK Flip It Blocks on 32 ct Linen. Well, one of the remaining members of the group could not see to stitch the project. So only one person had stitched on it before me. Well, being the nice sister that I am, I stitched 3 blocks instead of 2. I stitched the January, May, and September blocks. I stitched the January because it was already started. I stitched the May block because that is the month I was born. And finally, I stitched the September block because I am a teacher. I think I did a good job.



Next, On July 10th, Jennifer and I finished the above two projects. I had finished Cherry Hill by Country Cottage earlier this year. I went out and bought the stuff to finish it the weekend after I finished stitching it. I finally made the box and put it on the shelf in my living room. The patriotic one is a pattern that I picked up at Stitch N Frame out of Lafayette, LA. I used to live in Lafayette before Katrina and shopped at Stitch N Frame often. I saw the pattern and bought it to stitch immediately. I've had it finished for years, but finally "finished" it this year. I think it turned out beautifully. Jennifer is the one who decided to group the pins they way they are.

Right now, I am working on my WIPs trying to get them finished. I want to start on two or three projects (Mirabilia's Rose of Sharon, Raise the Roof's Turkey Dressing, and Barbara Ana Design's My Wool). I also have a few other projects that are going but I'm not in a hurry to finish. They are Ink Circle's Celtic Mystery Sampler, EGA's Tiramisu, and Lizzie Kate's Flip It Block Series.

Also, I decided that each night I will read a chapter out of a book. I have not been reading for pleasure in a long time. Mainly, I feel guilty about reading for pleasure when I should be researching for my dissertation. But, I need to read for fun.

Well got to go. Thanks you for stopping by

Sharon

Long time, no see

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've been working on my dissertation proposal and my general exam portfolio. I meet with my major professor a couple of weeks back. He asked me to update my general exam portfolio for final approval. Well, I came home and pulled it up on the computer. To my shock and surprise, I could not find the latest version. I found the original version which had been almost completely rewritten. Thank goodness I had a hard copy of the latest version. So I have spent the better part of two weeks retyping and updating the document. I sent it to my major professor on Friday. So, now I wait for his thoughts and comments. But, on to stitching.

I completed my LHN exchange for HoE. I will post a picture of it when my exchange partner receives it. I also decided to work on another "quickie" project before the 4th. It is "Liberty!" by Nessy Lynn's. I used plain aida in a platinum color, DMC floss, and a gold Kreinik. It was pretty quick. The designer did a great job at using floss to show shading. My sister, Jen, and I are going to make it into a cube.

I also made a decision this weekend while talking to my friend, Sharon. I have basically been punishing myself these last couple of years. I'm working on my dissertation and feel guilty about reading books for pleasure. You must realize that I used to read two or three books a week. Some were just trashy romances but I also read some larger books. But recently I have only read the Harry Potter Books or the Stephanie Plum Books but nothing else. So, my decision is to read like when I was a kid. Every night I will read one to two chapters in a book. I have a shelf full of books I want to read. I don't want the books to get out of hand like the stitching projects. So every night, I will read for pleasure. I'll let you know how that goes. I will list the books I read along the side of my blog.

Well, got to go shell peas. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Sharon