Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish everyone who reads my blog

A Very Happy New Year!

I hope 2007 is happy, prosperous, healthy and peaceful for all of you.

Christmas Mystery WIP.

Dede was asking me when she was going to see WIP pics of Chatelaine Christmas Mystery IV so I decided to take a piccie this morning. It's not a good one at all as you can't really see the different shades of green or the red but it gives you an idea of what it looks like so far! I still have a lot to do on this first part so think I shall work on it tonight and maybe tomorrow night then give it a rest. I'll share another piccie then and maybe a scan of one bit so that you can have a closer look.

I have just received the last part of the SMO SAL Let It Snow so might do a bit of that later on this afternoon. I had planned on using Light Effects for the snowman but not so sure now! It will probably be a pig to stitch with but I thought the effect might be nice.

I also want to start Country Cottage Needleworks Forest Snowfall as part of theWinter Solstice SAL on the LHN/CCN Yahoo group. I have everything ready to go and just need to make a working copy of my chart. I might make a start on it New Years Day so that it's my first new start of the New Year.

I am still feeling pretty low. Yesterday was the worst; I just felt like crying and running away from everything. Only thing is it'll all be here when I came back so I just might as well stick it all out and hope things improve. My sister and her partner came yesterday and she didn't help things along by the way she spoke to me on the phone from my Dad's. I should make a New Year's resolution to be kinder to myself ( I just don't feel good about myself) and let others take the heat a bit but it won't happen so what's the point of building my hopes up only to be let down.

Post Christmas Blues

Yes I'm afraid I have a touch of the post Christmas blues. It's the same every year when Christmas Day and Boxing Day are over I just feel so empty and fed-up. DH doesn't go back to work until Tuesday and the girls aren't back at school until 8th Jan but I'm already feeling the loneliness of them being gone all day again. I'm never really sure of why it feels so bad after Christmas. Probably because there's all the excitement and the wonder of the season and then, bang, it's all finished.

Anyway we had a lovely Christmas. It was quiet with just my Dad here but we enjoyed it. We talked, watched TV, laughed at the girls with their Nintendo DS Lites and Nintendogs games and just generally relaxed and had fun. All four of us received some lovely gifts and the only disappointment I had was my Valentino Rossi top is too big! If it fits DH he's having it and if not I'll have to send it back to Grand Prix Legends and get another one. I received some very nice stash. As I already said in a previous post my Dad gave us money to get what we wanted and I got the Chatelaine Spring Morning chart and kit, from DH's auntie I got Summer Tresswell's Big Book of Finishing and from DH I got Country Cottage Needleworks Forest Snowfall, Little House Needleworks Winter Wonderland and a Jayne's Attic Christmas Lights stash pack which contained two pieces of gorgeous fabric and several lovely threads. I also received clothes, perfume, candles, books, CDs and chocolates.

On the stitching front I started Chatelaine Christmas Mystery IV on Boxing Day. The first part is the border and so far I've got all the way round with two shades of green and am making a start on the next shade! It looks like it's going to be a lovely Christmas piece but rather a huge undertaking which I'm hoping to be able to keep up with! LOL!

Lisa and I have been talking about the stash wagon again ( yes you can mock and laugh all you want) and have decided we are going on it for the first three months of 2007 at least and this time we are both very determined to see it through. We both have lots of charts in our stash and have plenty to keep us going so it's not as though we need anything. We have agreed that if we see a chart we like it will go on our wish lists and the only things we will buy are threads and fabric if we need them for a chart we are going to stitch. So wish us luck! LOL!

Last night I did a couple of hours on HAED QS Dragonette but not enough to warrant a WIP picture. Come 1st January I seriously need to get back to a rotation so I can make some headaway on my HAEDs whilst keeping up with other, smaller projects too. I will having a think about how to do it this time but think it will be similar to the one I had before I went hell for leather to finish Blossom ( which DH's auntie loved and said she thought it was Jess!). I think Sara Butcher's Winter could well be my focus piece seen as it's a big piece then I should be able to make good progress on it, or I may not have a focus piece and just work on three main pieces ( two HAED and one non HAED), a QS for QS Wednesdays ( Dragonette) and then smaller pieces another week with the Christmas mystery maybe on weekends. Not sure yet!

Stitching Updates

Here I am with some stitching updates! I actually finished page 2 of Heaven and Earth Designs Summer ACEO ( artwork by Sara Butcher). I am amazed at how brilliant she looks. When I started on her face I was a bit worried as the colours didn't look right, but when you get them together and hold it at a distance it looks fantastic! I have started to grid page 3 but won't be going back to her for a while yet.

Once I'd finished this last night I moved onto part 6 of the San Man Originals Let It Snow SAL. I'm looking forward to seeing part 7 but won't be getting that for a few days as I don't come on the PC on Christmas Day or Boxing Day usually, although I will be on to download the first part of Chatelaine Christmas IV. I was hoping Martina might put it up today with the password! Anyway I love part 6 of the SAL. We were right about it being Let It Snow again! LOL! I am so pleased with the fabric and threads I chose for this. I think they are perfect but that is just my opinion! LOL!

Not sure whether I'm stitching or not tonight. I think I will finish gridding page 3 of Summer then I might read move onto Winter. I bought myself The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett on Friday so I might start reading that!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! See you in a few days!

Merry Christmas

I don't think I will get time tomorrow to blog so would just like to wish everyone who reads my blog

A Very Happy Christmas. Hope your day is full of happiness, love, health and peace.

I am still slogging away on HAED Summer ACEO and hoping to actually finish page two tonight. I'm hoping to get it finished early enough to stitch the 6th part of the San Man Originals SAL Let It Snow but I have a tension headache so I'll see how I feel after I've had something to eat and taken some painkillers.

Not Too Happy

Well the start to the day was not very good. I won't go into huge detail but my Dad is driving me to distraction. He decided that he was giving up and not bothering getting pills for his arthritic knee and I think it's all because he asked me to ring the doctors to get him an appointment and I asked why he couldn't do it! Then I told him that I had no idea what time DH would be home and he'd need to make arrangements just incase he wasn't and I couldn't take him. Well he went off on one. It didn't help matters that he couldn't get an appointment with his doctor for this afternoon because he wasn't in! The trouble with my Dad is he won't do for himself when it comes to ringing people up and he's already had to ring the surgery to see if his consultant had sent a letter because I couldn't because of patient confidentiality. Also he expects me to run him to the doctors everytime he has to go and I just don't have the car to do it all the time. I was so livid and so upset. He knows DH doesn't have a normal 9 til 5 job and I never know what time he's getting in. I've just about had enough of his attitude and also that of my sister. When we visited her on Sunday she was so busy with her partner's sister and husband that we might as well not have been there plus my Dad put on an act that he could walk OK and was as fit as a fiddle in front of my sister. I was just about fit to burst this morning. It's a good job I've calmed down now that's all I can say!

Last week the hair straighteners I got last year threw one! Everytime I clamped my hair in them they switched off. I thought it was me catching the button but when I was doing Jessica's hair they did the same thing. Anyway where I bought them from wouldn't take them back because they were out of the year guarantee ( by 3 days!) but as they've got a 3 year guarantee I could send them to the service centre to have them repaired or replaced free of charge. Well i sent them first class recorded last Thursday and they still haven't arrived. I just hope they haven't got lost in the Christmas mail.

I decided to print out one of the advent calender charts from the Chatelaine Yahoo group today. Decided while I was on to save two more I'd downloaded in previous days. When I saved them all the others disppeared! No idea where the hell they have gone but I am so mad because it was one of those that I really wanted to print out and stitch. I checked every single CD of charts I have to make sure they weren't on another and they were nowhere to be seen. Also the broadband modem appears to be playing up. Both the USB and ADSL lights go out completely and we have to shut the PC done and restart it to get it going again. Got in touch with Virgin, who is our ISP, and they totally misintreted what I'd reported was happening and gave a load of totally useless info! Anyway I have ordered a new modem just in case it goes altogether.

Finger's crossed the Kaolin seems to helping Abi. I have upped her dose to the full one and it does seem to be working. She is still "going" but it's getting better.

I have a sudden thing about Death! Yes I did type Death! Not Death as in Earth Death but as in Terry Pratchett's Discworld Death! We watched Sky One's adaptation of The Hogfather on Sunday and Monday and we loved it! So I now want the book to read and may end up collecting a few of the others too. David Jason was brilliant as Albert, Death's assistant and Marc Warren was at his usual best as a psycho in Mr Teatime. We're hoping it'll be released on DVD in the near future so we can watch it again.

Stitching wise I've been doing my usual HAED Summer. Still determined to get page 2 finished tonight but it's doubtful!

Anothr SMO Finish!

Well I did say I might start something small yesterday and I did!! LOL! It's pretty pointless getting a HAED out during the day as there are always distractions of some kind to deal with so small things are ideal. So I made a start on San Man Originals Silent Night from the Secret Shop. I decided to stitch that and Holy Night on one piece of fabric and I'd like to try and get it made up into a wall hanging or something to go up in time for Christmas. Not sure I have any suitable material though. So this afternoon I finished off Silent Night and started and finished Holy Night. I stitched it using Seaside Treasures Night Sky ( I think!) and Kreinik silver braid. The charms came with the charts. Why is it pics uploaded from Photobucket look awful!! So I think this will be my last finish of 2006! I'm planning on concentrating on my HAEDs from now until Christmas. I am quite close to finishing page 2 of Summer so rather than go onto Dragonette tomorrow evening I'm carrying on with Summer! My rotation has gone completely to pot at the moment!

Blogrolling still hasn't fixed updates yet. I have posted a message on their forum twice now but they don't seem to take any notice and I'm not the only one complaining!

No Finishes Today! LOL!

No stitching finishes to report today as I've been stitching merrily on HAED Summer ACEO the past few evenings. I'd quite like to have page two finished by Wednesday but I don't see that happening. I have managed to stitch quite a lot of it as I've been settling down earlier in an evening. Stitched last night whilst watching The Hogfather, which was fantastic! Looking forward to the second part tonight! The girls wanted to stay up and watch it so I said they could seen as they finish school midweek. I might sit in a while and start something small, maybe one of the San Mans I received on Friday.

I received my birthday order today from Drema and I love both the charts I ordered. The new Little House Needleworks Dear Diary Julia Flynn is gorgeous and the Brittercup Designs Antarctic Penguins is really cute! I won't be starting those for a while though!

I was hoping to get Abigail back to school for the last three days on term but it just isn't going to happen I don't think. I am just about at the end of my tether as I don't know what to do to try and help her. We've tried starving her for 24 hours, just eating crackers and toast and it's done no good whatsoever. Anyway I left her with her grandad this morning as I needed to go to the bank as well as pick up some bits of shopping. I went to the chemist and was chatting to one of the girls in there about Abi and she said she'd had exactly the same thing and the doctor wouldn't give her anything. In the end she'd taken Kaolin and it had worked for her. She was telling me their was a paediactric one so we are giving it a go. I've actually given Abi a smaller dose than it says to begin with and see how she goes with it. Keep your finger's crossed for her please because it's really getting her down.

Let It Snow WIP.

Just here to show my WIP on San Man Originals Let It Snow SAL. This is week 5 and I am loving this the more I stitch it! We are all guessing over on the board what the next part will be and as the song goes "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" we are thinking that week six will be another Let It Snow then week 7 the snowman! LOL! I am so pleased with the threads I chose for this and the fabric. Can't wait to get it finished now!

I have resisted the temptation to start HAED Guardian as yet! As much as I would like to I really need to get a bit done on the HAEDS I have on the go and that's what I'm going to do up until Christmas when the Chatelaine Christmas Mystery IV starts. I am hoping we get some answers about the fabric size and which way round it is. So last night I did a couple of hours on HAED Winter but tonight I might pick HAED Summer up and stitch on that until Wednesday when it's the Quick Stitch SAL on the HAED board, then I'll get QS Dragonette out. After that who knows!! Maybe back to Winter and work on that until Christmas!

I have just received my San Man Originals newsletter/ secret shop order today. I only ordered four $1 charts:

• Holy Night
• Silent Night
• Dreams
• Snowman Frosty

And received Magic free. I also received a thank you for your order chart and embellishments as well as an adorable pencil with penguins on it! Better not let Jessica see that! LOL!
Only three more school days and the girls will have finished for the holidays. I'm hoping Abi will back for those three days. Jessica is having coursework days and if she gets caught up she can finish Tuesday and have Wednesday off so she's aiming to get everything done. She wasn't looking forward to today's coursework as it's English and three hours with her English teacher isn't something she was looking forward to! Mind you having met her English teacher at parents evenings I can't say I blame her! LOL!
Looks like blogrolling has a fault again! I will catch up with everybody's blogs another day as I really need to get off this PC and do something!

Another Finish!

Well I am definitely on a roll this week with my stitching! LOL! Having said that when you consider the three pieces I've finished have been on the go for a while it's not that good really! In my pre-HAED days I'd have finished them a lot faster! Still, I love my HAEDs so I really can't complain. And speaking of HAEDs I've got Guardian printed out and it has huge blocks of colour so looks relatively easy compared with some! LOL! Even more to reason to start it BUT I'm planning on concentrating on getting this week's part of the SMO SAL stitched up then getting more done on Winter before I decide what to do!

So here's my latest finish and probably the final one of 2006. This is San Man Originals Dream a Little Dream stitched on San Man Starry Skies using San Man Strands. The variegated one was a gift on the San Man mb for becoming a maniac ( for having posted 1000 times). The chart and thread was a gift for becoming a double maniac. It's a sweet, little design and it was lovely to stitch. Not sure how I'll be finishing it off as yet. I will probably wait until Christmas now and get some idea from The Big Book of Finishing!

My birthday is lasting many days this year and I have a few more thank you's to say. Firstly thank you to Karen and Lamby ( Cindy) for the lovely birthday cards. Karen I nearly lost Winnie the Pooh to Abi but I told her she couldn't have him! LOL! Thank you also to Heather for the flossogram. The threads are gorgeous and I shall be finding something special to stitch with them. I got Olde Willow Plum Madelyn and Weeks Dye Works Navy. Last but by no means least thank you to Rita in WI who very kindly sent me a $10 gift certificate for EHandcrafts so I decided to pre-order LHN The Chocolate Shoppe. Mary Kathryn emailed me to say I had about $3.50 left as the shipping was on her for my birthday which I thought was really sweet. So I ordered Country Cottage Needleworks A Place We Call Home and will pay the difference when Mary Kathryn lets me know how much it is. I "met" Rita on the LHN Yahoo group when I joined a while ago and she is one of many ladies who make me feel very welcome there. So thank you all for making my birthday extra special. {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

Time to go I think and get the SMO SAL out for the afternoon. Abi is still home and now has some work from school! I'm hoping she may manage to go back tomorrow though.

Wednesday

Just a quick blog entry today! I've been to the doctor's this morning for the results of my 24 hour EGC and my blood test. My own doctor is off this week so had to see somebody else as I didn't want to leave it until Monday. Anyway my ECG was fine and so was my blood and as long as I feel OK she's happy to leave things as they are for now. I told her that I still get the odd palpatation and sometimes my chest feels tight and when it does I feel like I'm going down with cold but we've come the conclusion that this is all stress related due to things that have gone on over the last few months. I was telling her about my Dad and she understood completely. Doesn't help the fact that I am scared I'm going to have a heart attack because of the stress etc. It can't be doing me any good.

I took Abi with me as I'd got an appointment for her. Doctor won't give her anything and says it has to run it's course so we called in at school and asked if they could arrange for some work to be sent home for her. She's missed 10 days already and it's just ridiculous.

Three more thank you's today to Claire for the gorgeous birthday card and for granting my wish on the SMO board for the Rainbow Gallery Petite Braid, and to Linda and Ryan for the lovely birthday card. So pleased to hear that you are OK Linda. I was worried about when you hadn't updated your blog for so long. Also thank you to Fudgey for the lovely ecard. The picture on it is Nadia Tate's Pinecone Fae and she is gorgeous. Makes me want to start collecting ACEOs!

No stitching finishes today. I did a little bit on SMO Dream a Little Dream but then started to feel ill so packed in and laid on the settee. So I think I might try and do some this afternoon as long as I feel OK but I'm tired as I was ages getting to sleep last night then was awake when DH got up at 5am and didn't go back to sleep again:(

Looks like Blogrolling has finally fixed the updating thing! Not before time really!

Lovely Surprise!

I have had more lovely birthday surprises this afternoon :) First of all my dear friend Lisa sent me the gorgeous Selina Fenech's Guardian chart via HAED. This is the most beautiful piece of artwork and I think my " no new HAED starts until I finish another" may just go right out of the window! LOL! The good thing is, when I do start it, it only needs about 8 colours so I won't have to think about getting another thread box! LOL! Lisa, sweetie, you have really spoiled me with this gorgeous chart. {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

Then DH came home with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. He spoils me with flowers every year on my birthday. I'd like to share a piccie of them with you.

I also received a couple of Lesa Steele charts from my dear friend Judy in the USA. She has seen them in Hobby Lobby and thought of me and the girls. They are Sapphire Treasure and Emerald Treasure and they are gorgeous dragons! Abi has decided that she wants me stitch the sapphire one so I'll stitch the emerald one for Jess as they both love dragons. {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} Judy.
No new finishes to report as I ended up not stitching this afternoon! Instead I sorted some threads and had a bit of a tidy up of them while I was at it! So plenty of stitching for me tonight!

Happy Birthday to Me and Another Finish!

Happy Birthday to Me!!! LOL! Today I am( shush) 43 years old! I was born to Mary and Harry on Thursday 12th December, 3 weeks early. My Mum always said that they were going to induce her on Friday 13th and it scared her into labour so I appeared on the 12th! I spent my first Christmas in hospital and was allowed home on Boxing Day.

I've had a good day so far. I haven't done much, other than vaccuum and dust and laze about! I plan on doing a bit of stitching this afternoon, get a takeaway for tea, then more stitching! LOL! I have received some lovely cards and presents. DH bought me a t-shirt and sweatshirt cardigan ( does that make sense!), Jess bought me a lovely clock with the words:

Oh Mum you are so special in everything you do,

You've always taken care of me And shared a love so true

It is lovely and I am so touched by it. Abi bought me a cute. cuddly brown sheep ( I have a small collection of cuddly sheep!) and as soon as I opened it I cuddled it ( yep I did say I was 43!). I also received a trinket box from my cousin ( Happy Birthday Annette!), an Apple, Cinnamon Spice sachet from my friend, Liz, in Canada and money from my Dad, my FIL, my sister and her partner, my brother-in-law and his wife and DH's auntie. Oh and some lovely fluffy bedsocks from DH's auntie too! Thank you to my dear friends Julie, Paula, Fi, Jan, Judy, Liz and Angi for the gorgeous cards. {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

I am looking forward to trying the lovely cake Abi made for me. She melted chocolate yesterday and put it on the top then put candles on it!


I also received a flossogram for Christmas from Claire. The colours are just perfect; Ozark Sampler Spring Flowers and Carrie's Creations Gold Twist; and I can't wait to find something special to stitch with them. {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} Claire.



Right time for my second finish of the week! I am on a roll! LOL! Here is Just Nan Barnabee's Quest. It seems so long since I started this but I have loved every stitch. It is stitched on 28 count cream fabric using DMC and Kreinik Braid. The picture really doesn't do it justice but I hope to get a better one once it's made up into a bellpull. It wouldn't fit into the scanner so I had to take a picture with the digital camera and I just don't seem to be able to get good pics with it. Julie as soon as I can get out to the PO the charts will be on the way to you! Enjoy!

Well think I'll go and do some stitching. If I get on well with San Man Originals Dream a Little Dream I may have another finish tomorrow! LOL!

Doesn't it look yummy!

Look what I received from Julie!

OK I know it was wrapped in Christmas paper but Julie did give me permission to open it when it arrived and I don't really need telling twice. LOL! Isn't it gorgeous. Julie made it herself; a new hobby I believe and she has more patience than I do! {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

Nearly There!

I am so close to finishing Barnabee's Quest now! Yay! I just have a little bit of cross stitch to do, a tiny bit of backstitch, then the beads and charms to add and I'm done! I might have got a bit more done last night had I not had to frog one of the roses so that'll teach me not to concentrate properly! LOL!


I decided to order some wire hangers today ready to make up Barnabee's Quest and the SMO Let It Snow SAL when it's finished but went to the website of the company I normally order them from and they'd gone! So guess they must have closed the business so I was really disappointed as they did a good selection. Any way I had a search and found some at Debbie Cripps and ordered a couple from there.


Update on Abi: She went back to school today but I ended up having to bring her home just before lunch. So she is now starving for 24 hours and if that doesn't cure it I'll have to take her back to the doctors.

The Counting House

Yay another finish for me and one of my goals for finishing before Christmas too! LOL! I put the last stitches into Little House Needleworks The Counting House last night after having to unpick the bottom border as I'd made a boo boo! I did make one on the top border too but decided to make the bottom border the same. Guess it makes it unique! I stitched this on 32 count Polstitches Dragon Shades Blue Moon using DMC, GAST and Crescent Colours. I really love this design. Not sure how I'm going to finish it as yet. I think I might have it framed and hang it with Lavender Hill. Now I just have two more things to finish before I can start something else. Once I'd done on The Counting House I picked up Just Nan Barnabee's Quest and stitched a bit on that. I'll be picking it up again later in the hope of getting that finished over the next few days!

After stitching San Man Originals The Perfect Tree months ago I decided it was itme I sewed it up so that I could get it on display for Christmas. I've just finished it as a simple pillow for quickness but I like it and it is now hanging from a picture in my dining room. Sandy of San Man Originals kindly sent me the button pack for this. {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} Sandy. The picture isn't perfect I'm afraid. One day I will master this digital camera! LOL! This was stitched using three strands of DMC over two on 18 count fabric.

I finally heard from Drema yesterday and my birthday order will be on it's way this next week so I will have some nice stash mail! LOL! Next year things are definitely going to have to be different with not so much stash shopping unless it's fabric and threads I need to stitch something. I have more than enough charts to keep me going over the next year ( and many more!) so it won't hurt not to buy so many. HAED are having a sale at the moment and I haven't even ordered from them although the temptation is there to get the one and only one I have on my wish list, but I figure there'll be other sales for me to buy it!

DH is stranded at work at the moment! Looks like plans to go to the market later are thwarted! So typical that he rarely works weekends then when he does he ends up stuck there!

Decisions and Such!

I have been thinking about the things I am currently stitching and things I want to stitch today. I have now decided not to start anything else until I have finished the following items:

• Little House Needleworks The Counting House
• Just Nan Barnabee's Quest
• San Man Originals Dream a Little Dream

As I am intent on starting the Chatelaine Christmas Mystery IV as soon as I get the first part I will have to finish all of these by Christmas Day! Luckily I do not have too much to do on any of these so I might just make it! I think the one that will take the most time is Barnabee's Quest as once I've finished the stitching I have to sew all the beads on around the border. This is the worst of having several pieces on the go and having a rotation- I just don't finish as much as I usually do! LOL!
I had a little bit of stitching post this morning. I received the Rainbow Gallery Petite Braids I ordered from Shirley at Country Cottage for the Christmas Mystery. I am hoping for more stitchy post next week with the two charts I ordered from Needlecraft Corner although I have not had a reply from Drema about it as yet.
I had a lovely surprise today. My late mother-in-law's best friend came with an early birthday card and present for me, this gorgeous pot Mum plant .
I wrapped up most of the Christmas presents I had left to wrap this morning. I still have one to get yet to add to something else as well as a couple of birthday presents to buy! My cousin, Annette, was born on my 7th birthday and I always like to get her a small gift. I will have to have a walk to Freeport tomorrow or maybe have a look at the shops in town and see what I can find!

Ornaments Revisited!

My sewing machine and I have been working in perfect harmony today sewing up the two ornaments I showed yesterday and ( at long last!) San Man Originals The Perfect Tree! I haven't done anything fancy with them but I'm really pleased with how they look. No piccie of The Perfect Tree at the moment though as I haven't sewn the hole up where I stuffed it with filling! The piccie of the ornaments isn't very good as I took it with my digital camera- one with the flash and one without and this one was the best. I must say that I love my sewing machine. It's rather old as it belonged to my grandma and my Dad thinks her Mum before that. It's a Singer one and my Mum had it serviced many years ago and it goes like a dream. OK so there's no fancy stitches but that doesn't bother me!

Last night I decided to stitch on HAED QS Dragonette seen as it was QS Wednesday on the HAED ezboard. I got quite a bit done but not enough to warrant a scan really. I'm not quite sure whether to do a bit more on it tonight or get more stitched on Little House Needleworks The Counting House. I'd like to finish this and Just Nan Barnabee's Quest before Christmas if I can then have a clear run on a couple of new starts.

I took Abigail to the doctor's this morning. She's had an upset tummy since Sunday afternoon and for all she's not having to "go" as often the poor child is still going and is looking really washed out. Anyway the doctor said it was probably working it's way out but she wants a sample ( yuck) to send away and test just incase. Finally got one so will get DH to take it up to the surgery when he comes in! LOL! Tomorrow can only be better can't it?! Please!

Some Finishes

Wahoo! The ornaments I was stitching are done! I finished Val's Stuff Be Merry this afternoon and I really love this cute little fella! I think I may have to stitch him again for our tree! I'm going to get the sewing machine out tomorrow and make him up ready for Jessica to wrap for her group tutor. I finished Monsterbubbles Feliz Navidad but not before making a change and swapping the cactus for a tree! I have to add a star to the top yet but will do that before I make it up. Both 0f these are stitched on Sassy's Fabby 28 count Gaucamole evenweave which I love! This is my first time using Sassy's Fabbys and it certainly won't be the last!

I'm now up to date again with the SAL piece Let It Snow. I'm having great fun stitching this and look forward to getting the next week. Those of you who know me will know I LOVE wintery pieces and snowmen so this SAL is ideal for me!

I received my birthday discount letter from Needlecraft Corner last week but wasn't going to indugle. Today I thought what the hell and emailed Drema and ordered the new Little House Needleworks Dear Diary chart, Julia Flynn 1898. Who can resist snow and sheep! I also ordered Brittercup Design Antartic Penguin as I thought they'd be really cute stitched up for Jessica and Abigail , especially Jessica who is penguin crazy!! LOL!

Well I went and had my ECG box taken off this morning and the nurse uploaded everything onto to her PC and then transferred it onto a floppy disc for the doctor to look at. I'll make an appointment for next week but I'm sure he'll be in touch if there's anything desperate. I was quite relieved to get it off as didn't sleep much last night. Everytime I tried to get comfortable the box swung round my waist so I ended up on my back and I hate sleeping on my back. Finger's crossed I get a good night's sleep tonight or I am going to be one moody girl tomorrow!

I am In!!

Wahoo!!! I received my acceptance from Martina to the Chateaine Christmas Mystery IV yesterday evening! I am really looking forward to this mystery as I love Christmassy designs and it's in traditional colours too. It starts on 24th December so I think Christmas evening will be spent stitching on it, providing I have everything I need by then to start it. I'm using DMC so have all those, the Rainbow Gallery Petite Braid are on order barring two that Shirley from Country Cottage didn't have, but my friend, Claire, has granted my wish for one of the others on the San Man Originals message board. I have ordered the bead pack from European Cross Stitch so just need to sort out some fabric. I'll do a floss toss with the DMC and see what looks best. The suggested fabric is cream linen but I am honestly not keen on linen and much prefer evenweave so I'll have to see whether antique white will work or ivory as it appears that you can't buy cream evenweave.

I am intent on stitching all afternoon today! I want to try and get the ornament finished that Jessica has chosen for her group tutor. I started it last night after finishing the Monsterbubbles one. I thought if I got the other one finished today I can sew it up tomorrow and maybe sew up San Man Originals The Perfect Tree too so that I can get it on display for Christmas!

I'm all wired up today! Those of you who read my MSN Space will know that I am having a 24 hour ECG and I've been to the surgery this morning to get all wired up until 8.30 am tomorrow! The little box is quite bulky really but, thankfully, if I'm going out my coat covers it quite well. Just looks as though I've got something in my pocket! There was so much spare wire dangling from the little pads the nurse stuffed it up through my bra so I'll have to sleep in it or I might end up strangling myself in my sleep! LOL!

Christmas Decorations and Blossom Framed.

Today we have putting our Christmas decorations up so thought I'd share a few photos with you. They were taken with our digital camera so aren't too brilliant! First off here's the fibre optic tree in our dining room with the L*K Christmas Blessings hung on it.

Next is the fireplace in the living room.

Finally the tree in our living room.
Lastly here's Heaven and Earth Designs Quick Stitch Blossom framed. I am so pleased with the frame and mounts the framer chose. I had no idea how it was going to look as I left it up to him and I think he has made the perfect choice.

Frustrated, Angry, Hurt

I'm not entirely sure that I should blog today as I am not in the best of moods! Those of you who read my MSN Space will know that my Dad has severe arthritis in his right knee. You will also know that it took many months of nagging to get him to go to the doctors in the first place. It got to the stage about 6 months ago where he couldn't even walk to the shop across the road from his house let alone walk to my house, do his shopping etc. He kept telling me that he couldn't do something because he was too busy and I was very hurt that he thought I was stupid enough to believe all the rubbish that was coming out of his mouth. Anyway the day finally came today for his appointment at the hospital to see a consultant surgeon. Well I am so livid! He lied about how much it bothered him, lied about how many cigarettes he smoked when he was asked, said he had an allotment and a garden at home and led the surgeon to believe he was still able to do it so I had to open my mouth and say that he had a hell of a smoker's cough and it was ages since he'd been able to do his allotment. He said it wasn't it was only a few weeks so I told the truth and said it was 6 months. Rather than have surgery he asked if there was any pills he could take so he said he could take pills for it but he may find that they don't work that well and he's also sending him for physiotherapy to see if that helps. So now instead of maybe waiting 3 to 6 months for an operation had he gone on the waiting list today he's going to be waiting a damned site longer. I just can't understand him as he's so used to being active and independant. I am sorry if you think I'm being hard on him but it is left down to me to do his shopping and everything else he can't do( even down to buying a Christmas card for my DH and I). If I were an only child I think I would probably just accept it ( I would still be angry at him for not taking the opportunity for a new lease of life) but I am not yet it's all left down to me. I'm afraid if my sister says anything to me about my Dad probably being scared or anything like that I will simply blow and she will see a side of me she never has before. There will be years of my pent up emotions from when it was down to me to look after my Mum. What with Christmas shopping and food shopping for him I don't know if I'm coming or going and today was just the final straw. I can't make up my mind whether I want to cry, punch a pillow or have a damned good scream!

Let It Snow!

I thought I would show my Let It Snow SAL WIP. I am loving stitching this and can't wait each week to see what the next part will be like!

This is stitched on Dragon Shades Friendship 28 count Jobelan using San Man Strands, Dragon Floss and DMC with Mill Hill Beads. The fabric is absolutely gorgeous and so nice to stitch on.

Once I'd finished part 3 of this I moved onto Monsterbubbles Feliz Navidad, which I can't wait to see the back of! I don't know what it is about it as I like the design itself but I'm just not enjoying stitching it! I think it may be because I want to stitch on other things, like Just Nan's Barnabee's Quest, and get things finished so I can start something new! LOL!

Our town's Christmas lights are being switched on tonight so we'll go and have a look at them. It's never really very exciting as there isn't much else going on but we like to show willing as the chamber of trade put a lot of work into the lights each year. Most of the shops stay open late and serve wine and mince pies but we don't often go in any of them on lights night. I remember our first lights night when I worked in a china, glass and hardware shop. I was voted to dress up as Miss Christmas in a rather short outfit and serve punch and mince pies. We had great fun mixing up this punch and we kept having secret sips of it! In fact,as I was in a different area to them I think I had more secret drinks than they did! LOL! It was great fun though!