We're Back!

It's great to be home again, even if it means being 1000 miles away from my sweetie. The trip went well and we had a wonderful Christmas with plenty of presents, good food, friends, and family. I can't wait for next year when we'll be celebrating in our new home!

And speaking of homes, here is my big surprise...

We closed on this little Fixer-Upper the day after Christmas. Don't be fooled by the outside... the inside is a complete disaster! But the foundation, roof, and other vitals are in good shape, plus it's in a decent neighborhood. Not to mention, being a foreclosure, it was dirt cheap! This will be our temporary residence while we're finishing the addition/remodeling on our "real house". If all goes smoothly (haha!) we'll have it livable by the time my house here in Texas sells.

Now I have got to get to the grocery store! We're out of everything!

Jolly Ole St. Not Done Yet

Well, I keep meaning to sit down and play catch up with posts but stuff keeps getting in the way! Isn't that how it always is this time of year? And tomorrow we leave for a week in Michigan so it's the eleventh hour here. I have all my shopping and baking done, and most of my packing. We have the house on the market so I'll have to leave it nice and tidy in case a realtor wants to show it while we're away. I think I'm fretting about that more than anything. I just know someone's going to neglect to flush a toilet or make a bed!

I wish I could say I've been busy stitching but I honestly found it hard to concentrate on my latest project. I made a tiny bit of progress on St. Nick but for some reason I had a tough time pulling it out to work on it. Maybe it was all the correcting I was having to do? Oh well, here's what I have done so far...

Even with just that little bit done, there are still two mistakes! I really don't understand how I made such a mess of this! But I think it's time to put it away until next year! What do you think?

The last load of laundry is done so it's time for me to head to bed! Hooray! Hopefully when I return I'll have some pictures to post of a big surprise!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with joy and peace!

Got canned heat in my heels!

"The Stars Are Brightly Shining"

by SamSarah Design Studios

from the 2005 JCS Ornament Issue

Stitched with Crescent Colours, GAST, & WDW

on 35-count Blue Moon Java linen from R&R Reproductions

I have the WDW wool to finish this off as shown in the magazine but I'll tackle that little project some other time. I pulled out my St. Nicholas needleroll last night and got started straightening out the complete mess I made of it a few years ago. I had confused some symbols and ended up with navy blue tree trunks. I still don't know why it didn't hit me that something wasn't quite right. Navy blue tree trunks?? Wake up!! I swear I heard the frogs giggling while I was ripping them out!

Fall Clean Up

We had a busy morning raking leaves in the front yard. Trying to keep the yard tidy while the leaves are still falling must be like shoveling snow while it's still snowing!

















While my two helpers were busy with the leaves, I was getting silly with my camera. What do we have here?

Why, it's the holly and the ivy, of course! Texas style!

I have stitching news I'll share later!

This Week's SBQ

This week’s SBQ was suggested by Nancy and is:

What tips would you give to a new stitcher to help her stitch faster and neater while still keeping it enjoyable?

I'm not sure faster and neater go together, heh! At least not for me! But I think the best advice I could give a new stitcher would be to make a working copy of the pattern they're stitching. That way they can mark off the areas they have finished, which for me has been a huge help in keeping my place and reducing mistakes and frustration. When you're not wasting time figuring out where you are on a pattern, and not ripping out and restitching, you'll end up completing a project faster.

For neater stitching I always railroad my top stitch. It takes a little longer but I think it's worth the extra time. I'd also tell a new stitcher to use shorter lengths of thread. The long ones just twist and knot and get frayed after being pulled through the fabric so many times. Even the most perfect stitch is going to look cruddy if the thread has been abused!

P.S. There's a For Sale sign in my front yard!

December Goals

I've never done goals before, but I thought I'd give it a try this month. Maybe start easy and see how it goes. To make it official, here they are...

1. Finish The Stars Are Brightly Shining ornament.
2. Finish St. Nicholas Needleroll.
3. Finish finish above needleroll.
4. Start and finish Woolly Tyme blanket for December.
5. Finish finish above blanket.
6. Work on Winter Sampler.

As an unofficial goal I'm also going to try stitching every day this month. I figured if I found the time to post on my blog every day in November, I could certainly do the same with my stitching. We'll see how it goes!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!