UFO Night

Tuesday evening was UFO night on Stitch and Stash as usual so out came Heaven and Earth Designs Winter ( artwork by Sara Butcher) and I finished the 10 rows I was working on last Tuesday and started the next 10. I truly cannot believe the progress I have made just on a Tuesday evening for these past few weeks so I may well be carrying on taking part in 2008 BUT I will have to cheat as I have something else on on a Tuesday starting 1st January ( waving at ya Karen!) so it may be UFO Wednesday for me instead! Lol! I decided to take a photo of the whole piece so far this week. Image should be clickable but I know sometimes in Blogger it doesn't work.

I have spent two afternoons secret stitching and it is done! I just need to make it up but, of course, it has to remain a secret for a bit longer yet! Last night I made a start on the snowflake side of the Just Nan Christmas Biscornu and managed to get lots done, so much so that I may get all the stitching finished tonight then I'll add the beads tomorrow in what day light we have here!

I have a real urge to do some snowman stitching! It's all June's fault ( hi June!!!) as she's been doing a lot recently so I've kitted up The Trilogy's Sloane the Snowman to start next. I was RAK'd this chart with the buttons a few years ago by Missy from the SMO board and had not got around to stitching it so decided the time was right. He might get finished for Christmas but he might not but either way I'm going to enjoy stitching him!

I have been doing a wee bit of stashing recently before my self imposed trip on the chart stash wagon. I used my birthday discount to buy two Bent Creek charts, Christmas Eve and Christmas Carols, with the idea of stitching them up for myself and my DH for next Christmas ( they're stockings). I saw them om somebody's blog and loved the idea ( guess which one mine will be!). I also placed a small order with Down Sunshine Lane and bought Homespun Elegance All is Calm along with the latest issue of Sampler and Antique Needlework for the last part of the keepsake book. I did a small order with Thread Bear ( which has just arrived) as I needed some sewing maching oil. I did not realise that I needed to oil my new sewing machine before I used it so am still waiting to try it out! I thought I had seen it on Thread Bear and sure enough it was there so I also ordered Brightneedle Pretty in Pink which I have been wanting a while:) Yes naughty I know but it is Christmas and I need lots to keep me going next year! Oh and I also bought a Prairie Schooler leaflet as I've seen so many lovely PS ornament finishes so I got A Christmas Visit and will stitch these ornaments up over the course of next year ( I hope). Wow now I've written it all down I feel quite ashamed of myself!

Anyway I am seriously thinking of joining Teejay in her 20 project challenge. That should get my stash down quite a bit but not sure how long it'll take me to do. I know it depends on how big each project is but I usually do smaller stuff in between my HAEDs. If I do it I'm not going to list what I'm going stitch as I could change my mind but I will have a 2008 goals list:) Just need the enthusiasm to look and see what I fancy stitching next year.

Jess came home on Wednesday and announced that they were finishing at lunchtime on Friday as opposed to 3.30. Nothing like leaving it until nearly the last minute to decide is there? I thought it must just be 6th Form but then Abi came in and said they were finishing at 1pm! I bet there'll be a few working mums who won't be too pleased about it being so last minute.

Thank you for all your hugs and messages after my last post. I'm feeling a little brighter but that's about it. I am struggling with my back and just know it's going to go before long so I'm trying to be very careful how I move etc and I've even bought some heat pads in anticipation! There are other things getting me down too which I won't mention here. I try so hard to let things go over my head but sometimes it's just not that easy.

Anyway, before I forget I have a couple of Winnie the Pooh charts here that Sew and So included in my last order. They are both exactly the same and look as though they have come off a calender. If you like stitching Pooh and friend It's Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Pigelt with butterflies) just email me ( email is in my profile) and I'll send to the first two people, but it will after Christmas now:)

I am going to leave you with this email I received. I don't think it happens too much here in the UK but one day it will.

MERRY CHRISTMAS....On the way home last night, I was listening to the radio when a newscaster called his little 91 year old granny to talk to her about the 'Holidays'. He mentioned that he had noticed that Christmas has become so 'politicallycorrect' that no mention of Christmas is made by most retailers, we now wish people 'Happy Holidays.'His granny said she missed the Old Fashioned Christmas when everyone wished each other 'Merry Christmas'. I thought about it and agree...so this year I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone Merry Christmas...my way of saying that I am celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.