So how did I do with my 08 Goals

And the answer is............ not that well

1, End the year with less than 30 WIPs (I'm starting with 41! Let me know if you want a list) I knew when I did a 6 month review that this wasn't going to happen and I have in fact increased them :(
2, Reduce my stash in some way (kits, charts or fabric, most likely to be fabric) even though I'm getting off the Wagon I would say that I broke even with fabric and increased the other by a small amount
3, Finish a large TW No, life got in the way of this one
4, Start and hopefully finish Tessellations Well I started it but then hit a brick wall when I made a major ooppps and haven't gone back to it yet
5, Get some ornaments done I did but they were all done in the last couple of months rather than spread out over the year like I hoped
6, At least match the number of SOLAK squares I did in 07 (which was 16) I failed this one completely and only did 5
7, Finish more than I start or at least have them even by the end of the year Again a complete failure
8, Not get sucked into any more challenges (SAL are OK) Yay I did one
9, Get off the wagon and stay off This one was a bit of a cheat really because I knew I'd keep it and would be able to say I at least reached one goal for the year


I've not done the adding up and double checking yet so I have no idea about my total hours for the year yet, that's a job for the morning when my brain is awake and more with it (and I don't have a rare glass of booze handy) but I will be putting the first few stitches in on my Jan 1st start at 12.01 while we watch the fireworks

I had a pair of socks to deliver

And here's the new owner modelling them :)

Seconds after this one Caleb decided that it would be a good idea to pull Auntie Mel's hair

And I know it's cheesy but when I saw this outfit I had to get it for him after all they are only babies for so long before they flatly refuse to wear anything remotely silly

What you can't see is the right under Rudolf it says Santas little helper

Yes we braved fog and freezing cold to go and visit Heather today (-7 last night, still at -3 @ 9.30 this morning) but with the forecast for tonight (-13!!!) we left alot earlier than normal

A few stitching thoughts

The last few days I've been pondering my Jan 1st start and had a couple of things in mind, this morning when I went to pull them out of the drawer it suddenly struck me that although I want a Jan 1st start and will be doing Guilt Free January I don't really want any more huge WIP's right now. I think I must be ill!!! What I really think it is that I'm fed up with the number of WIPs I've got (46 unless I manage another finish) and quite alot of them are big projects so the thought of adding another one has no appeal right now.
So instead I've gone through my binders and pulled out several smaller designs that I would like to start in Jan, some are fully kitted up and others I have no clue what I'll use for them but it will come mostly from stash and I'll get Mel's opinion when she get's home later but I have a sneeky feeling I already know what the answer will be.

I do know that on Friday I will be starting Midnight Stitching's A Quaker Row as a SAL with Pat (no blog, posts as Lancashire Lassie on the BB's) and that will be my Let's Stitch SAT project until finished

I sat down this morning to get the card put together, got it all cut out and folded in the right places and then hit a brick wall. I need a glue stick and despite being a crafter and having loads of ways of sticking things together that is the one thing I don't have, how daft is that?
I'm pretty sure Mel has one so I'll ask her when she get's in and if she hasn't then it'll have to wait until Friday when I go to town and can buy one.

For the last 5 years or so I've stuck to a rotation and on occassion this has had me a little frustrated that I don't have room to just pick something up and start it if I felt like it and having to a slot marked for things like exchanges or ornaments go unused for months at a time. So while it has worked really well for me I've decided that 2009 will be the year of sod it, stitch what I want , when I want while still keeping a few of my WIP's listed to be worked on at some point during a month and keeping track of my stitching time. With any luck this will let me get alot of the small kits I have in my stash done (reaching one goal over the year) while still reducing the number of WIP's I have (reaching my main goal)

Now would someone go poke the person at the back that nodded off halfway through reading this please :)

I'm glad it's finished

On and off for the last month I've been working on this birth sampler for a customer of my craft shop and I put the final stitch in just after lunch today.

I feel so sorry for the little girl saddled with that name, she's in for a rough ride at school (whatever happenned to giving you child a fairly normal name?).

And I also vow that I will never again stitch an Anchor kit! Stitching the x's was a doddle but the backstitch was a nightmare and frequently had me going crossed eyed which is why something so small took me a month to do. I tell you I am going to through my stash and get rid of any of their kits I have and I'm considering writing to them and asking them if the person that designs for them has ever tried to stitch one of them on aida with the stupid BS they have.

This evening I finished the card for my parents as well so 2 HD's in one day but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for a pic of it once I've finished finished it.

BTW sorry for the bad pic, that was the best of the dozen or so I took. The aida is actually cream and the colours are quite bright.

Friday Night SAT

So last night was SAT night over on Let's Stitch and I worked on the card for my parents Ruby Wedding anniversary which I'm a little late with (it was in August!) but anyway here's how I did

From this

To this

Not bad progress really for an evening's stitching but I'm sure watching The Colour of Magic helped as I really don't like working on this, it's perforated paper and the oval's are done in that awful DMC metallic thread. My parents are in Wales until Jan 4th and although my Mum does read my blog she doesn't do it often so I'm feeling pretty safe to post pics of it (you watch now I've said that she'll have her laptop and dongle at my Dad's insistance and will check while they are there!)

Chrsitmas Stash and HD

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Christmas

I thought I'd share a pic of the stash I received from Secret Santa, I don't yet know who it was but it will be revealed some time over the next few days. The fabric is SMF Moondust and I have a project in mind for it(must of been fate when I ordered the chart at Nimble Thimble a few days ago!) and the pink skien is NN #5 perle

Not long before Midnight Chrismas Day I finished Bigger Stash, my Birthday start this year, and fingers crossed I'll get a couple more things done by the end of the year.

My Stash is Bigger Than your Stash

Forever in my Heart

Started May 16

Finished December 25

Merry Christmas

Have a wonderful Christmas and may Santa bring you all you wished for

Thank You

I just want to say Thank You for the well wishes after my post yesterday both here and by email.

My back is feeling much better today and although it's still a little sore today I can move about and do most things, fingers crossed that after a second good night's sleep it'll back to normal tomorrow

Want to know where Santa is?

You can track him here as he heads out with his goodies

Ouch

Those of you that know me well know I have some health issues but that I very rarely say anything about them on here or anywhere else. Today is one of those rare events and it's more of a grumble about the pain I'm suffering now and the fact I had a bad time of it than anything else.

Back in Oct I went to see my Neurologist for a routine check up and he decided that I needed a Lumber Punture to check the fluid pressure in my head. Today was that day (second time lucky, first one was cancelled because the lady who does them had the flu).

I arrived in plenty of time and didn't have to wait for ever more and a day like you normally do in the hospital and once the paperwork was done I get taken off the side room and that's where the 'fun' started.

If you've had one you'll know that you need to lie on your side with your chin on your chest and your knees drawn up as much as poss to open the spaces in the spine, the last time I had one done I was 2 stone heavier than I am now so it should in theory be easier
The first lot of local didn't work well enough and I could feel everything still so another dose went in and I could still feel things but not so much, queue shot #3.
After the first few tries I'm sat up on the bed with my feet on a stool, still no joy so a bed table is brought in for me to lean on and after a couple of attempts there's success. So I now have to lie down on my side with the needle in my back (not the easiest of things) so she can do what she needs to do.
My notes said that if my pressure was below 20 I didn't have to restart taking my meds again and believe it or not it was dead on 20 (trust me to be the akward one) so a quick call to my Neurologist later I've got to go back again 3 months and drop to 2 tablets a day.
For once after having a LP my head isn't throbing but my back is agony and I can't move without letting out a gasp at the pain of it :(
It had to happen at some point that I had a bad time of it having one of these done, the other one's have been a breeze and I'll give the woman her due she was fantastic with me and keep apologising for hitting the nerves when trying to get the needle in in the first place.

Back to your not so regular rabbitting on about stitching :)

Yet more ornament pics

Recently I won the ornament giveaway Jo held, this morning it arrived. It's wonderful and has taken up it's new home on my tree quite happily.

JBW Designs Christmas Keepsakes 2

I've also made up Jingle Sparkle Joy and as ever the fabric is the backing. I've been down and dropped it off and was set to get another strip of tickets but she has sold out

It's wet and miserable out this morning so the light isn't very good for taking pics :)

Finishes I can share :)

I finished this about 1/2 hour ago, yay. Tomorrow morning I'll get it made up then I can drop it off with my Hairdresser. Every year she does a raffle for something/someone local and all the prizes are donated by her customers, this year I decieded that I would do an ornament for her.

Jingle Sparkle Joy

Freebie from Midsummer Night Designs

Last night was WI craft night and we made a Magic Wallet, this is one of the rare times I've actually finished the project! It's really quiet simple to make, the hardest part is getting the tension on the ribbon inside

My effort for the exchange

I now know that the ornament I sent to Karoline arrived safely this morning so I an now able to share

Glad Tidings

Blue Ribbon Designs

2008 JCS Ornament issue

I'm really pleased with the way it turned out but have to say that adding the beads round the edge was a PITA (note to self, next time use Delica's) but they really do finish it off wonderfully. I had planned on putting something on the back but left it blank in the end or it would of been even later than it already was!

The ornament

This is the stunner I received this morning from Kate I was totally speechless once I'd opened the box!


Each side has a different snowflake on it, it's all stitched over 1 on purple fabric (Kate knows me well :) ) and came wrapped up in a piece of fabric to boot (I'm assuming it's a Sparklies piece)
I have no idea what I did to deserve being spoilt so much but I can say that it will have pride of place every Christmas

I showed it to Mel when she got home from college this evening and her reaction was WOW followed by that's way to nice to hang on the tree

Apologises for the bad pic at the end but I wanted to show it all off but couldn't get a decent one probably because my arms aren't long enough to hold it far enough away :)

The last 3 days

I've had so much fun with htis exchange and will be signing up for it again next year

Day 10

Day 11, in use already as a home for a beading WIP

And lastly today's reveal package was this gorgeous wallhanging

I've been spoilt so much by Kristin and it's been alot of fun .

Just in case you want to know what I sent out go visit Kell's blog to see the pics she posted.

This morning also brought me an ornament from an exchange I put together, pics of it will follow later tonight but right now I'm off to find something for dinner

12 Day's Catch up

I'm way behind with these and I did take pics a few days ago but never got change to post them and for the last couple of days I've been fighting a migraine and haven't felt human enough to do anything let alone post here.

Day 6

It was a dull day when I took these so had to use the flash the colours are the same as my new hat IRL

Day 7

Already up on the tree

Day 8

I'm going to have a stash dive to find something to go in this


Day 9
I love these Magnetic note pads they make doing the weekly list so much more interesting

Tomorrow is the last day and I'll do pics of the last 3 days then as well as trying to remember to update the Advent calendar from ExH.

I have been stitching but I can't share just yet, most of my time has gone on yet another ornament for an exchange that just needs putting together which head allowing will get done tomorrow

Gifts Galore

First up is yesterday's 12 Days gift, a gorgeous hand knit hat! I needed a new hat anyway and one made just for me can't be beaten

Today's package had these two little bowls in. I've got no idea what I'll use them for yet but they are fantastic

And lastly some flowers. On Sunday there was an accident right outside my house and after dialling 999 I went out to see if I could do anything to help and there was a woman holding a baby that had come out of one of the cars. It was early evening and going cold so I asked her if she wanted to come in and wait for the Police & Ambulance to arrive which she did and she stayed in here while she was checked over as well as the baby. They went off to hospital to get a complete check up (she was complaining of neck pain) the mess was cleaned up and life went back to normal for us.
Fast forward to this evening and I'm sat stitching (no surprise there) heard the shop next door pulling the shutters down and the next thing I know there's a knock on the door. At some point today a lady has been with flowers for me to say Thank You for what I did on Sunday and because I wasn't in she left them next door.
To say I'm touched is an understatement, no thanks was needed for what I did (and it wasn't much!) my only thought was that it was cold and there was a baby that would be better off in the warm than the cold.

No-one was seriously injured as far as I know and the Ambulance was routine because of the baby

Award and tagging catch up

Way, way back at the start of September Ann awarded me this and I have been extremely lax in posting it and thanking her for it for which I'm truely sorry

The rules

1. The winner can display this award on their blog.

2. Display a link to the person you have got the award from

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs that you like.

4. Set the links to the blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a comment on the blogs you have chosen.

I've done 1 & 2 above but given that this award is now 3 months old and those that I would of given it have already been awarded it I won't be doing 3, 4 & 5

And I got tagged by Claire a couple of weeks ago

Here are the tag rules:
Rule #1 ~ Link to the person that tagged you.
Rule #2 ~ Post the rules on your Blog.
Rule #3 ~ Write 6 random things about yourself.
Rule #4 ~ Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
Rule #5 ~ Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their Blog.
Rule #6 ~ Let the tagger know your entry is up.

So my random facts are

1, I'm terriffied of lightning.
2, I can wiggle my ears
3, I've never flown
4, I've never had a broken bone
5, I have a brother but we aren't close and I've not seen or spoken to him since my Gran's funeral in Oct 07
6, I had Heather at the age of 16

I'll come back later and add the one's I've picked to tag

Advent catch up

I apologise for the first couple of pics being dark, they looked fine on the camera!

Day 2 and 3

Day 4 and 5, the bottom one is a 15th Anniversary medallion for Pocket Dragons

Day 6, a Dragon fabric covered photo album


Day 7

On the first 3 days of Christmas...

My Secret Santa gave to me

A pile of DMC

3 pieces of yummy fabric

And a how to for Gingerbread men

I had fun opening days 2 & 3 this afternoon when I got home from the GTG at Joy's I laughed so much yesterday my sides hurt!

Ornaments and Babies

I spent a little while yesterday afternoon putting Heather's ornament together after I made a stupid mistak eon Monday and put the hanger in the wrong way round and had to unpick I had to leave it a day or so before I tackled it again.


After breakfast yesterday morning Caleb was given the treat of a Bourbon Cream biscuit, I'm not sure he got much of it he actully ate!


And yesterday evening he spent a very happy 10 minutes drowning my kitchen as he had a bath in the sink

Visitors

Heather came up with Caleb yesterday for a few days, I've not said anything about it as she wanted to keep it a secret from my Mum and Mum sometime's reads my blog.
Be prepared for more pics over the next couple of days
Back end of last week I finished Mum & Dad's ornament for this year, as ever the fabric behind is the backing

And lastly ExH has once again done the advent calendar for Mel and I, my first pouch had a card to open #1 and it turned out to be this little guy called I think I forgot

#2 will be opened later when Mel gets home from college at the same time she opens her's.

Speaking of Mel, she's in the war's again :( Last night she managed to trap her finger in the front door and has taken all 7 layers of skin off the top of her finger but refused to let me take her to A&E so I'm keeping a close eye on it and if it shows any sigh of anything wrong she get's no choice and we're going.

November Progress & December Goals

For November I said

Make good progress on Fantasy Sampler (need to really if I'm going to finish by the end of the year) I barely touched it
Stitch at least one ornament I did 3
UFO RR No
Finish something No unless I count the 3 ornaments

For December I'd like to

Finish Fantasy Sampler
Finish Bigger Stash
Finish My Needleswork
Finish the payed Birth Sampler
Finish something else
Stitch at least 2 ornaments
Stitch an ornament for Mel
UFO RR
Finish beaded Angel Box (WIP pic to follow later)

I stitched for a total of 75 hours 22 minutes last month, November is always a bad month stitching wise for me with the Celtic Fair taking up a week of the month although I did think I'd done more with not having a puter for a week at the start of the month.
I had 4 new starts and 3 finishes all of which were new starts.