What to Do Week?

My DH left for the ESRI conference in San Diego yesterday morning. This time I declined to go with him. Not that I don't love San Diego. I do! But it's more about the fact that I'm spending money to go to National Seminar in Naples this year. 

So while he's enjoying the sunshine and moderate temperatures, I'm left with trying to decide what to do while he's away. 

Yesterday was easy. After dropping him at the airport at O dark thirty, I came home and made deviled eggs to take to the Loudoun Sampler Guild meeting. We've been moved back into the Fellowship Hall which is newly renovated and the lighting is wonderful! Bright, bright, bright! Our class was Part II of Betsy Morgan's "This One's for Betty." All about the finishing. We made the pincushion for this project last fall. And this is the one where I have misplaced the pincushion instructions along with the thread key. But oh well. I'm back on track. I had finished my outlining of the pieces on the linen and started stitching the lovely patterns. But just barely and it's not worth a photograph. This project has an etui, pincushion, waxer box, needlebook, scissor fob, sweet bag, and button pocket and features mostly Tudor and Elizabethan type motifs. All on 32 ct linen with lots and lots of over one stitching. My progress will be slow, but I will eventually finish. Some day. Kudos to all my friends who have made way more progress on this than I. 

I came home and did some of that over one stitching while starting to watch Eureka on Netflix. I've become a big fan of watching seasons worth of shows that I haven't watched at all yet. I love television without commercials!!!

And then last evening while toggling between the Red Sox game and the Tour de France I decided to revisit the President's Challenge issue. 

After giving myself permission not to do this Challenge, I have decided what I need to do is not give it up. But to give up my large project for now. And to make a smaller project. 

Our challenge was to design a piece around a needleminder. Use three threads you haven't used before. Or three new stitches. Or three new colors. 

Thus I have changed needleminders. And turned to Congress cloth instead of linen. And picked out blue threads instead of an autumn palette. And now I'm much happier with myself. I'm off to design a cute little thing that right now is all in my head. 

And tomorrow may be about painting. In my room? That one wall? or the living room? All the walls? Who knows?

And Tuesday is about adventure! Which you will all get to read about here later this week.