Saturday, December 31, 2011

2012 WIPocalypse

I finally decided to join the WIPocalypse challenge! Most of it has been carried over from last year's Crazy Janurary Challenge....I'm gonna finish this thing if it's the last thing I do! Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic.

Here are my WIPs!

#1- The Bookshelf- LHN


#2- Catch the Wind- Butternut Road



#3- Peggy's Cove- Stoney Creek Collection



#4- Pincushion- XCalibre Counted Blackwork



#5- Once Upon a Tree Sampler- Jeanette Douglas Designs



#6- A Frosty Feast- Crossed Wing Collection



#7- Plants of the Southwest



#8- Flower Vignette


#9- Ink Circles (I don't have one picked out yet....but I've really been itching to try one)

So, that's that! Let the stitching begin!

Friday, December 30, 2011

Turkey, Deconstructed

Step 1: 2 blondes and a brunette try to figure out how to cook a turkey for the very first time (my 2 cousins, and myself LOL)


Step 2: One very cold blonde (me) wants to heat the house up because she's freezing, and decides to make soup from the leftover turkey. She proceeds to pick the carcass apart.



Step 3: She gets hungry during the stock-making process and finds a giant box of Smarties from Christmas. She eats them, is too full for soup, and passes out into a Smartie Coma.



Step 4: She comes inside from shovelling the driveway the next day and heats up the soup.



So there you have....turkey, deconstructed.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

2011 In Review

As 2011 is coming to a close in just a few short days, I've started thinking about the past year and what I've accomplished. I've also started thinking about what challenges in stitching and in life I'd like to work on in the coming year.

So I dragged myself a whole year back in blogging to check out my 2011 resolutions. They included:

1. Complete the Crazy January Challenge
2. Wash my car more often
3. Run a half marathon
4. Be more organized
5. Be more grateful

I'm happy to be able to say that I did run a half marathon (YEAHHHH), I washed my care once or twice, which was more than it had been washed the year before, I moved into a house which forced me to become a little bit more organized (although this one could still use work), and being more grateful is an ongoing practice that I've been working at all year.

I'm glad that I decided to use this blog as a way of tracking the books I read as well (see "Books Read in 2011" page) and am happy with the outcome- 18 books. That's more than one a month, plus work, school and running....so, that's an accomplishment for 2011!

As for the Crazy January Challenge....well....let's just say that because of it, I'm not joining the WIPocalypse hahaha! I did finish a few pieces that I was very happy with, including "Zippity-do-da" and the German Shepherd. I also made significant progress on "Catch the Wind" and "The Bookshelf" which I hope to finish in the coming year.

I'll be back on New Year's Day with my new list of resolutions to work on in 2012!

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVERYONE!!!!!!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas Eve!

It's Christmas Eve!!! Woohoo!!! Well, I've been abandoned. My Dad and I have a standing tradition to go out for breakfast on Christmas Eve, but I got up at 6:30 this morning to discover that he had left an hour earlier to go to the city to shop. Crazy, he is. Hopefully he makes it back in one piece so that I can proceed to kill him for ditching breakfast LOL!

I'm taking this free time to catch up on blogs instead, which is just as good. I also thought I'd share a couple Christmas pictures!

I forgot my laptop at my house, so all I have are pics of my parents' house. I'll have to share my tree with you all after Christmas :-)



What's on for me today? Not much. I'm going to clean up a bit for my Mom, hit the couch and read. Oh, and watch The Help! Holly got it for me for Christmas, and I was supposed to watch it last night but I fell asleep while my Mom was watching Coronation Street LOL....then church tonight!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Ta-Daaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

For those of you who have been following the bookshelf saga, they're totally finished, and loaded with books! Thank goodness!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

My December Goal....

Is not very ambitious, BUT I think it's definately do-able! I'm notorious for setting goals and challenges up for myself and not finishing them. I've been like that ever since I was a little kid...my parents still make fun of me for being that way. I have a need to "go big or go home" because let me tell ya, the times that I actually DO finish one of these big goals, it feels awesome.

I'm sitting here at the museum with not much work to do today. It's very quiet....George and I are on our side-by-side computers. I can see that he's making notes from a WWII book...he's a retired university professor. I, for once, don't have any school work to do and I'm in between books (I just finished The Help, by the way- READ IT...I can't stress that enough, it's amazing).....so I've been catching up on all of your blogs for the past 2 hours.

It's been fantastic to see what you've all been up to! Sooo much good Christmasey stitching is happening out there! I recently finished Lizzie Kate's "Feelin' Festive" and made it into an ornament. This was my first ever attempt at "finishing" and it turned out really well. I was in such a rush to send it off to my friend Lizy in Texas as a Christmas present that I totally forgot to take a picture of it. But it did inspire me to stitch smaller projects but to actually put an effort into finishing them with backings, fabrics, ribbons and buttons.

So, my December stitching goal isn't huge, and hopefully I can actually motivate myself to get it done in time for Christmas. Here it is.....

I'm going to finish stitching "Once Upon a Tree" from last year, and actually finish it with fabric and ribbon (no picture, sorry....I'm not on my computer)

AND I'm going to start and finish this piece, from Chez Elisa:


Cute, right?! I'll keep you all updated on my progress of this classy piece!

On Second Thought.......

No need for a husband! Thanks Robin LOL!!! After 5 greulling hours and an entire container of fudge eaten....here's the result!

Monday, December 5, 2011

I Need a Husband

Can you guess what's wrong with this picture?



I'll give you a couple of hints. First, the free weight you see is being used as a hammer.

The little plastic bag is filled with pieces that I have no clue what to do with.

The directions are WRONG (I swear!!!)

Oh yeah, and the 2 pieces are actually supposed to be one tall bookshelf. Hmmmmm.......


Thursday, December 1, 2011

Ornament Exchange!

My friend Lizy over at http://lizymorales.blogspot.com sent me this beautiful Christmas present! An adorable snowman ornament, a cute change purse, and a card! Thanks Lizy, I LOVE it!!