hijacked by virus

I was so far ahead of the game until I got hit with this nasty awful cold on Saturday. I've been muddling through, trying not to make bad choices. Funny how when you don't feel well, your brain doesn't work properly. Kids have pitched in some, and will help again today when they get home from school. I am finally feeling a tiny bit better and did get some sleep last night.

But that means no possibility of stitching. Rats.

Library Find

I got lucky at the library. Found four needlepoints they were giving away. They are in awesome condition. Three vintage 1960's and one from 1972.

At least the wind never blew us away last week. But it did take the majority of leaves in my yard further down the hill so now I've got nothing to rake. Living here is making up for 2 years spent living with 30 or so oak trees in Virginia. But my poor chrysanthemums which are in pots have take a few journeys around the porch which have left them looking like they lost the fight.

I've been busy planning and plotting for a visit from Sis and family. House isn't in bad shape, but there are still things I can do. I've rearranged furniture this week. Hung valances in the living room. I've got two light fixtures I want to replace. And maybe do a quick curtain for DS's room. I ordered my fresh turkey (no additives, no growth hormones, etc.) Fortunately for me, cooking is a pleasure not a chore. I'm looking forward to this visit.

Which of course means that there won't be much time for stitching. The best I'll probably accomplish is crocheting on scarf and lap rug. Better than nothing.

Got my Wish

I did get to drive to my not LNS on Saturday to pick up my framing. Also got some Kreinik braid and silks. My piece looks lovely except there is one teeny tiny little white thread ort smack dab in the middle. You can't see till you get within 12 inches of it. I didn't even notice it till later in the day. DH got his wish, too, which was a trip to Circuit City. He's building a new 'puter and has been furiously ordering pieces online. But there was a great deal on a video card at CC.

We also got the treat of dinner out without the teenagers. Much cheaper that way. And a nice long lingering visit to a bookstore, where the only money we spent was on Chai. Gosh, I'm a cheap date.

Finished my Star of Wonder ornament by With my Needle out of the JCS 2002 ornament issue. That is, I finished the stitching. The true finishing part of the piece will have to wait till after Thanksgiving.

Wind still a-blowing

Third day of nature attempting to blow us off the top of our hill. DH and I are supposed to clean out the garage today so he can park his car in there. (It's not too disorganized. Just leftovers from the yard sale, and his model painting that need to be cleaned up.) He does enjoy just driving away after a snowstorm without having to do major snow/ice removal. But I can hear him downstairs coughing. Maybe I'll get to drive to my not-LNS to pick up an original piece I left for framing. I left a space on the wall for it after painting the wall this summer. I'm looking forward to sitting and admiring it.

What We Do While We Stitch

I'm huge fan of having the television on while stitching. Yesterday while working on my With My Needle ornament, I watched "The Shipping News." They did a credible job with this movie, but no way near as powerful as the book by E. Annie Proulx. Kevin Spacey was fine, but Dame Judi Dench is amazing. I can see why it wasn't a huge commercial success, but I don't feel like I wasted my time.

I didn't sleep at all last night. The wind was making the house creak like an old wooden ship at sleep. I haven't gone out to do a visual inspection to see if all our siding and shingles are still attached. We were fortunate that we never lost power. But now my brain is a bit addled and don't think I'll be great at concentrating today. No counting threads for me, only crocheting.

Two, Two! Two Posts in One Day!

Had a fun time at EGA meeting last night. It seems lots of us have tried stitching our scissor cases in different colors and stitches. Such talent. We also had our annual auction. I won a cross-stitched card case. Absolutely beautiful and a bargain at only $25! My only goof was forgetting to take pictures of the two projects I donated - an Old Colonial Designs, and Twisted Threads "Home of the Free."

It seems everyone was enamored of my crackle painted frame that framed my Twisted Threads piece. I found a nice wide square unpainted frame with a 3" x 3" opening at large unnamed craft store. Underpainted it with a grayish ivory, overpainted it with a blue (was trying to match the colors of the gingham linen), then crackled it. $1.99 for the frame, pennies for the paint. What a deal.

A friend and I just mutually agreed to cancel an appointment for this morning. Neither one of us feels much like going out in 50 m.p.h. winds. So far I've had two grill covers and picnic table land in my yard. Who knows what else I'll see? This means found time for stitching today. I've been working on my ornament from With my Needle. Maybe it's time for another round with Agnes Scott.

cross stitch bloggers challenge

I see Meri has a limerick on her blog. Now I've fiddled around trying to write serious poetry about needle, thread, and fabric before, but the serious ones never work out for me. Can only do non-serious. So here's my answering limerick. Anyone else? Hasn't it been a few years since we did a round of limericks on RCTN?

There once was a woman who stitched
Who wondered if she was bewitched
When she tried to stop sewing
She kept right on going
And couldn't even scratch when she itched

for those with rough skin problems

As soon as the weather started to turn colder here in October, the skin on my fingers became a problem when stitching. Rough, dry, hangnails. Just plain ugly. Working with silk thread became impossible.

But I'm here to say I found a solution. Bought one of those parafin hand spas on sale. It's amazing how good it feels to coat your hands with warm wax. I don't use it everyday (usually because I forget to plug it in.) I'm using it 2-3 times a week. Between that, and using Jergens Ultra Healing every night, I've solved my problem.

I took my veteran to the mall yesterday so he and kids could see "the Matrix Revolution" in IMAX. They enjoyed it. And I went lingerie shopping. All in all, a good day.

Started a new scarf to match DS's cross country jacket. Crochet in school colors. But will have to do another one to match his new winter coat.

election day

Today's election day, so my kids have a conference day off from school. One is still sleeping, quel surprise! The other is already glued to the History Channel.

All plans for travelling/shopping have been put on hold. DS's cross country team has made it to the state finals coming up this weekend. What an experience for a freshman!

Alas, there is no sunshine today. Maybe I'll just work on my afghan - a simple crochet lap rug.