January Review

Thanks for your encouragement on the job front. It's always nice to have your support.

Indeed, we've had many setbacks this month:

• Begin Flea Market Souvenir SAL 1/6--I did. Linda has zoomed past me!
• Work on mermaid SAL--I did and then I had to undo it all :(
• One Saturday, work on French marquoir --I had to read for my book group
  
• Start one of the Sheepish Seasons Linda sent when I was injured--I didn't get to it, but I have some time now.
  
• 10 hours on something from the WIP--I worked on Monthly Manias, November (photo soon)
• Finish-finish one project from the to-be-finished pile--I did two. Since I was working on flatfolds, it was as easy to do two as one. Not totally crazy about the trim join. I used really fat trim and it was hard to overlap. Maybe I'll put a button or something on to distract from the join. See below.
• Make an anniversary giveaway --Done and the lucky winner is...Danielle!

Flatfold finishes
On left: Trilogy Happy Bunny Bunny Day
On right: EE&F Plum Pudding

I forgot to photograph the backing fabric. Bunny is backed in pink roses, picking up the color of the heart. And the Pudding is backed in black and white gingham that I tea dyed so that it matches the base of the cake stand.

Been There, Done That

I saw this a while back at inside number twenty. I'm going to be busy with some finishing tonight. Fingers crossed, pictures tomorrow.

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity; I believe in living within your means
7. been to Disneyworld
8. climbed a mountain (Don't worry; it was a small one)
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo --I played Margie in Bye Bye Birdie, it was only one line, but trust me that was all anyone wanted me to sing alone.
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning --Why would you italicize this?
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty --Trust me, it's the walking down that was hard.
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France --It's a lot smaller than you'd think.
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied --The trick is in being satisfied with what you have.
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. sung karaoke--Nobody wants that
42. seen Old Faithful (geyser) erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance --in a foreign country no less.
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business --How about watched both my parents do it and learned my lesson!
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold Girl Scout cookies
62. gone whale watching --Inadvertently on our honeymoon.
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter --It was quite a honeymoon!
69. saved a favorite childhood toy --I haven't shown you the dolls lately, have I?
70. visited the Lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the Everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in London--Windsor Castle counts even though it's not in London? Close enough, right. Plus one someplace in Canada--seen one, seen 'em all.
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible --surprised?
86. visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous had a nice chat with Robert Downey Jr once.
92. joined a book club --isn't grad school in English enough?
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. taken a road trip
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. met the love of your life

Good News /Bad News

So you know how my job wasn't really working out? Well it's over. The whole thing reminds me of when Janeane Garofalo and Jerry Seinfeld broke up. It's really the thing both of us wanted. Only I had to let them do the breaking up so that I didn't get the fuzzy end of the lollypop. The weird thing was how easy it was to take. I mean, I've been working since I was 14--28 years--and I've never lost a job. I thought it might be harder. This isn't the best time to be unemployed, but it's going to be a whole lot easier to look for a job when I am not being drained by the one I have. So YAY. But we're not going to be able to go to New York and see Speed the Plow like we talked about*. Boo!

More good news: Danielle is the winner of the pillow. (Please e-mail your snail mail address.) There is some bad news there. I had intended to make the piping and sew it together tonight, but the dude wants to take me out to "celebrate" or whatever. So I won't be able to send it until next week. The good news is that it's going to be easier to get to the post office. Lots of people who are owed things will rejoice! (I'm looking at you, Lee.)

Finally, one of my many talents is translating American to English, so I'm sorry to report all you Brits who thought you could resist Ina Garten's siren call with the fleur de sel caramels, golden syrup substitutes for corn syrup. You can't escape.

* Part of my 101 things. I've been posting there again if you've given up on me.

A Heartfelt Thanks

I knew you would feel my pain. Thanks for your support and encouragement.

I'm surprised, though, to be raised to heroic status! I can't count, people!

I See Dead People

I usually skate over the obituaries that Google alerts send me about dead women who enjoyed cross stitch. But this one has some interest.

She is reluctant to mention her interest in needlework, knitting, cross-stitch, crochet and sewing. Too many accounts of older women say simply, "She enjoyed crochet and Bingo" as if their lives were that narrowly defined. Let the record stand that she never liked to play Bingo or cards. The objection was not on moral grounds, but that there were so many other ways to be creatively occupied that she resented the time spent.

The very first thing I have to mention is the present tense in the opening sentence: She is reluctant to mention. Kind of jarring in an obituary. I had to look it over to make sure she was really dead.

You all know I appreciate her reluctance. I never talk about the women who "enjoyed cross-stitch and fill in the blank with another old lady pastime" for the very reason she mentions. It is a narrow definition of older women. The old lady count is really meant as a way for us to explore this and maintain our own distance, to say sure old ladies do it but there's so much more to it. I'm still young.

But then the next line, "let the record stand that she never liked to play Bingo or cards," is really very defensive. She wants to make sure you know she's not like those old ladies. "Creativity is better than cards, not a moral problem you understand, just my way is best." I'd like to live in a world where we all try to find a way to give credit to each pastime. Bingo and card playing are good for the reflexes, focus (and some of those old ladies, they need the focus), staving off dementia, not to mention the social aspects. My husband's grandmother has just gone into care and she's suddenly staying up later because she has people around with whom to interact. As much as I hate to admit this, we are social animals. And some pastimes are better for that than others. (Let's face it, cross-stitch is a pretty solitary pursuit.)

I don't think we have to engage in all hobbies to appreciate that each has value. This part seems to undercut what she's after. She doesn't want people to judge her for her "old lady habits" and yet she does it...and from beyond the grave.

The Unstitchening

About the mermaid? The one that looked like this the last time you saw her:

There was a little snafu.

I know you all feel my pain. I miscounted when I started the hair. It was one row off. I thought about adding a line of dress, but I don't want to screw this up since it's a pretty important birthday present. Or maybe Christmas present...

---

Twana asked if I didn't recently have a blogiversary drawing. The answer is yes! but of course! In honor of five years of blogging, I am having a drawing every month for a year. Aren't you lucky? Then I will go back to not stitching anything for you. All for me. ;)

Last night, my cousin made Ina Garten's fleur de sel caramels. Do not make these*. They are the crack cocaine of the candy world. I could have eaten the whole baking sheet on my own. She was begging us to take it out of her house. We took two pieces because a man has to know his limitations. I am eating the very last buttery bite. Oh mama... It almost makes up for the unstitchening.

* If you do make them, don't roll them up; it's too much of a mouthful.

Anniversary Giveaway!

Okay, blogger is doing that stupid thing where it turns the pictures and no amount of editing can change its mind.

I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted. Things aren't easy for me at work and it's affecting, well, everything... so let's pretend I don't work!

Hooray! My blog is 5 years and 5 months old. I've been stitching and unstitching and restitching this prize, a heart for Valentine's day. (I knew I should have stitched a bitchy valentine!) I still need to do some backstitching which will make this look quilted.

I am going to finish it as a pillow, and those fabrics are what I will use. Your prize is the pillow without the form. It's easier to mail that way, even internationally.

I'll draw the prize Friday night, and if I hear from you soon enough, I'll send it out on Saturday. Comment on this post only.

The only news I have about my mermaid is bad, so I'll save it for Monday.

Thanks for reading!

Sisterhood

For those of you who have been waiting for the Sisterhood pattern to be passed along, Claire is ready to send!

Stay At Home

How do people who stay at home get anything done? We had yesterday off, but I couldn't get to the last few things on my list. I guess I did do a few things that needed doing around here: exercised, four loads laundry (yet unfolded), Joann's, dinner, cleaned out the vegetable bin, finished my aunt's cowl.

At Joann's I got a lot of little sale items, but the big news was that I got a 24x36 frame for $7, the piece of foam core almost cost as much. I am making a fabric covered message board for my craft room. It's going to be awesome. And it's costing me about $20. Woot!

I did manage to start finishing two pieces from the pile. I still need to apply the cord, then they will be officially finished. So, stay tuned.

Since I'm guessing I have eight days of work left at this job (hope for the best, expect the worst), I'm going to have to learn to budget my time better. Or make a more sensible to do list. And not fall into a stupor in front of the computer playing spider solitaire (four suits).

In other news, Sissy is turning 40 soon, and I can't think of what to do. I was trying to think of something to buy for the person who can buy herself anything she wants. (She makes what the dude and I make put together, probably more; and it's just her and her mutt.) I was thinking of making her her pirate skull messenger bag. Maybe fill it with things to keep her young? But I don't know what. Or maybe that's all wrong, and I need something more dignified. Ideas?

I stitched a bit on the mermaid this weekend for my SAL with Michelle. Here's how the mermaid used to look. And now:

Interview II

Doaleigh says that my answers to the first two questions are cop outs. But really, I think it tells you a lot more about who I am that, given two options, I invent a third. I practically invented thinking outside the box. But I call it "chuzzwazza."

As for regrets, I think that all of the things I have done up until now, all of the people I have loved and lost and befriended, and the places I have been makes me who I am today. So why should I care that I once had a boyfriend who went to Europe and cheated on me with a German girl? I am so much better off without him. (The dude is taller, hotter, and nicer to me.) And I'm sure whathisface and that slut* are still very happy. (They got married.) Also, I am sure I learned a lesson from that relationship. What was it? Your mother is always right? Don't let other people make you feel bad about yourself? Don't shit where you eat? Yeah. I think it was that.

So I've sent out the questions. I was going to ask why the rhetoric of the last election focused so much on "small town America" when 0ver 80% of U.S. Americans live in cities or conurbations and nearly 90% of economic output comes from urban areas, but I thought that wasn't fair to my foreign friends who may have been unaware that Americans, generally, are idiots.


And I'm not sure it's fair to ask questions you don't answer yourself.

1. The local news media shows up on your doorstep. It turns out your neighbor is a serial killer. You cannot say, "He was so quiet. This is such a shock. This kind of thing doesn't happen here." What do you say? (You can choose the neighbor.)
Oooh. Who is it? Is it that guy who always comes running from his house to help when you have a flat tire or the car won't start? Is it the guy who is always telling us to get the township to plant a new tree in our yard? Or is it that woman who lives alone at #1? I'd want the dirt! Now you know why I wrote my dissertation about women who kill.

I'd probably say, "well, she didn't have fangs and 'monster' tattooed across her forehead if that's what you're asking." Because it does happen here. It happens everywhere. And often, they're just regular people.

2. What's the greatest invention created in your lifetime?
I think I have to say the magic google box. But is it the box? the internet? or Google? Yes.

3. What was your best job?
For 3 months, I inspected internal computer disks. I made a boatload of money for standing in front of a testing machine for 8-12 hours a day. But by the time school started back up, I was ready to be intellectually stimulated again. I think I like that schedule: several months of being intellectually stimulated mixed with weeks of low-stress, monotonous, high-paying work. Where do I sign up?

I'm not really sure in what way it is the best, but it's the first one that popped into my head.

4. Over the next 18 months, we're all likely going to have to cut back. Where will you make these cuts? What luxury will fight to save? Will you actually come to blows?
I think it's going to be eating out. We'll probably start bringing our lunch to work too. And more dried beans, especially if I am "at leisure." We may even have to (shock horror) budget. I may end up going to the mat over salted caramel hot chocolates if this cold weather holds though.

5. Are you a good speller?
I suck at spelling. Schwa sounds throw me for a loop. Is it an "a"? an "i"? an "e"? I drive the dude nuts asking him to spell simple words. But I know the words that give me trouble and I double check them. (That's where a lot of troubled spellers fall down.) I leave the autocorrect turned on the computer. And, perhaps ironically, I'm a good proof reader. Mostly because when I don't know--even if I'm just a bit unsure--I look it up.

*Only used for comic effect. I literally never thought of her, even during the breakup scenes. This was about him and me. Mostly him. No, just him.

The Interview

Doahleigh had this little interiew on her blog and I really meant to get to it sooner but I couldn't be torn away from stitching Flea Market Souvenir.

1. If you want to participate, leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” (And your e-mail address if I don't already have it, please.)
2. I will respond by e-mailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1. Would you rather be beautiful but always smell terrible or be ugly but smell lovely? Can I be plain and not smell at all? Really, given two options I always go for the third.

2. The old adage says to regret nothing, and that's probably true. But if you could change something you've done, what would it be and why? Grad school? Boyfriends? Missed opportunities? No. I regret nothing. I think. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong.

3. What are some of your nicknames? Tell us the stories behind them. My mother used to call my sister and me fernface and ferndock, but we can’t even remember who was who so I have no idea about the story behind that. But that’s not so much a nickname as it is a term of endearment. I’ve always been the shortened version of my real name, so I’ve never had any real nicknames. In kindergarten, I could write the shortened version but they wanted me to write the formal version. I didn’t know how to spell it--and neither did they! I really am that little name, always have been.

In high school I had a friend who called me Nick the Dick which was shortened to “Nick the” so the nuns wouldn’t hear us say a bad word, but I have no idea why she called me that and no one else really did. I was complaining about not having a nickname in college while I was jumping around (because it was cold outside and I need to be told to wear a jacket) and someone decided I should be called Tig, as in Tigger. But I am so not a Tig. It didn’t stick.

4. What is one of your own favorite physical features and why? Also, you should show us a picture (if appropriate). My eyes. Apparently they are not photogenic; I cannot find one picture where they are not crossed, baggy, tired-looking, or carrying dark circles. Or maybe I'm just under the delusion that my eyes are a good physical feature.

5. When was the last time you cried and why? Usually I cry at commercials while I watch tv at home. But last Wednesday, I cried at Qdoba at lunch time. It was about the job. But I must stress that I cried about my perceived failure more than the actuality that I probably will lose my job. The dude gave me his hanky.

Bonus question: Who is John Galt? Yeah, I could never finish Ayn Rand’s novels. Just don’t have any appeal for me.

That's it. I promise if you ask for questions they'll be hard. And kooky! Go for it!

Flea Market

Yesterday, Kristen asked about the Emerald Mermaid: Is this something you would stitch otherwise? It doesn't seem like it's your style.

And the answer is no, and no. And by that I mean, I'm not a huge fan of Mirabilia--though I do like some of her patterns (Christmas Fairy, Holly to name two). I admire her work but it's just not my taste. Also, I'm not really one to use the non-neutral hand-dyed fabric. Though I have branched out a bit more on that lately. (Two Liberty Street designs)

I've been working on my Flea Market SAL. I still don't quite understand how I am going to attach these three piece together, but I do know, now that I have reread the instructions for the millionth time, that I shouldn't have stitched the border until the end. So the next two parts will be unbordered.

I finished the first part:

Flea Market Souvenir
Blackbird Designs
called for floss
WDW beige linen

And started the second part:

Flea Market Souvenir
Blackbird Designs
called for floss
WDW angel hair linen

Dream Job

Remember when Donna said, "Your dream job involves living on an island where the masses can't bother you."

Eureka!

Envious Mermaid

My mermaid was jealous. She told me Michelle's mermaid had beautiful hair. What was up with hers, she wanted to know. Emerald mermaid has a lot of hair. Hairless mermaid before.

Here she is now.

---

A lot of times things get lost in the shuffle around here. If you're dying to know about something that seems to have been dropped, don't be afraid to ask. You can always e-mail me.

I think I didn't tell you that I ended up buying three different gifts for the Yankee Swap at work. First I bought a juggling kit at Barnes and Noble. Then someone told me last year's hit gift was a set of wine bottle stoppers, and the juggling kit seemed stupid. The dude took it to his swap*.

Then I bought these plastic party cups. They come with a pen and you fill in the blank to identify your drink. The blank is "_______ well with others." There's lots of room for fun and play in that. I also bought a little drink recipe calendar to go with. But then I thought it was a little cheesy--what if the Dean ended up with that?

So I bought a bottle of $15 wine. It was very popular. The Dean ended up with two movies--the Phillies' celebration video and the Sex and the City movie, and I'm happy that I didn't buy the dean the crap gift. I got the "oh my god, is that today?" present: a university mug, coffee, tea, and biscotti. I don't even drink hot caffiene. The dude, however, loves it.

Clearly I shouldn't have stressed at all. No one else did.

* The woman who got it seemed kind of peeved, so the dude offered to trade whatever crap he ended up with for the juggling kit. And now he can juggle. That thing really works!

Home is...

This morning the Philadelphia Inquirer's food section caught my eye: above the fold, a large cross stitch sampler, "Home is Where the Food Is.*" I thought it was an interesting use of our favorite hobby to convey feelings of quaintness and homeyness and old fashionedness. Even though I usually hate when people think those who stitch are quaint and homey** and old-fashioned.

Did I ever tell you I had the opportunity to stitch the cover for this book? I knew an editorial functionary at the publisher. The cross-stitch in this instance was meant to signify the old fashioned idea of "words of wisdom" and offer a contrast to the fact that it was "dirty." But I was being Serious about my dissertation at the time the call went out and the opportunity passed. So this blog is the only place where we can see my cross-stitch in public.

Back to "Home is Where the Food Is." The article tells us that the hot trends for 2009 are eating at home and potlucks. I don't think you need a lot of pseudo-scientific social research to tell you that people aren't going to be spending a lot of money over the next couple of years. Duh.

What is interesting is that sales of canning equipment and baking ingredients are way up locally and nationally. And the sale of flour went up even when the price was rising. I know a lot of us crafty types get busy in the kitchen every now and again. Do you think you'll buy into the craze? (I half plan on it. If I am out of this job soon--and all signs point to yes--then we're going to have to make some cuts somewhere. Since our mortgage is our only debt, it's going to be a colder house and more eating at home.)

I learned a few other interesting things from the article. We'll still eat chocolate. And apparently when people buy salty snacks it means they are entertaining at home more. People, when I buy salty snacks, I'm only having one visitor and she's making me cranky. I'm guessing that some of this increase in snack sales results from people eating salty snacks to comfort them when they think about their job prospects for 2009 or their retirement accounts.

Also, that whole "Peruvian food craze?" So five years ago; Peruvian was huge when we were living in L.A.

*The photo will probably be down tomorrow. That's the ephemeral nature of things in our society.

**Dear English readers, in American English "homely"--which you would use to mean homey or homelike--means ugly, as in "Poor thing, she's such a homely girl." Anglo-American translation: just another service we provide at Stitch Bitch.

Souvenirs and Remembories*

First, I begin with a photo of my SAL Flea Market Souvenir. I love this and do not want to put it down. I'm stitching with the called-for WDW and GAST, though I did change that little hill under the urn from blue to green. The pattern calls for R&R fabric but it's so hard to find that I am stitching on 30 ct WDW--beige, angel hair and one that is unlabeled.

Lelia went on a little internet scavenger hunt on the internet and found this:

This is the one I stitched in the 70s. You can tell it was the 70s--look at those colors. Now I am going to have to search my parents' house to see if we can find that. It would be so cute on my craft room door!

I took Michelle's advice and looked at Herrschner's to see if they had something my niece might like--because let's face it, at nine, she's too young to appreciate the retro. I found this hip and modern flower by Katherine Shaughnessy, the author of the cool New Crewel:

But I am still bringing over some Tula, because, well, you just have to.

Thanks for all the support as I help to create the next generation of stitchers!

* Remembories is what Lala used to call memories when she was small. And she had a freakishly good memory for a toddler.

Stitching Updates and Adventures

Michelle and I are continuing our Mirabilia mermaids SAL. This is a gift for my mom, at her request. I'm sure she's forgotten that she asked. Nevertheless. I put some time on her tail. (Last time.)

Emerald Mermaid
Mirabilia c. 2004
On Sugar Maple Fabrics Murkey [sic] Depths

I also promised you a snap of the New Year's start yesterday. By the time I rolled out of bed, exercised, took down the tree, did some laundry, I looked outside and it was too dark to get a good photo. Here's a shot in the Monday morning light.

Spots II
Lilybet Designs
Called for fabric and NPI silks.

On to stitching adventures...
As many of you know, the dude and I have dinner with my cousin's family and my sister every Sunday. Many Sundays, when I take out my stitching during the pre-dinner rituals, my younger niece--the one who is developmentally delayed--runs to get some off her mother's yarn and "knits." You might also say she ties together all of the chairs in the kitchen or family room. It's a bit of a mess. She's not really capable of many crafts because of her ADHD and underdeveloped hands. I figured, what the hell, let's see what she can do with some Tula, perle cotton and a plastic needle. So I grabbed some things from my stash, and picked up some plastic needles on the way over. While at the craft store, I also grabbed some needlepoint yarn for my elder niece who has a longstanding plastic canvas piece (I think her mom bought it for her when we were living there 3 years ago). Unsurprisingly she's lost the needle and the yarn, so I replaced that. Boy were they excited. Yayo (younger) sat right down and made all kinds of crazy sitches. (I tied the floss onto the needle and decided that knots were appropriate for the back of her project.) I worked with Lala on the kit, but she has the same trouble with needlepoint that I had at her age, I couldn't figure out which spot I was covering with my stitches. After we played Clue, Lala sat down with Yayo's supplies and stitched a little square onto the fabric. She asked if I could bring a piece of fabric for her next time. Of course I'll comply, but I'm also thinking that crewel might work for her--that's what I did when I was her age. But I couldn't find an appropriate kit at the big box craft store.

Back in 19-dickety-two, or maybe 1974, I had a small crewel kit that had "my room" written in bubble letters on a piece of open weave fabric with suggested stitches for each letter. Do you remember the kind of thing I'm talking about? That's what I'd like to find for her. I think she'd get into that.

Diving into the WIP Pile and Surfacing

Here's the official list. The titles may change (though perhaps not as much as we might like) but the number seems pretty constant: in 2004: 20; 2007: 24. Here's the thing. I don't mind having these projects unfinished. Would I prefer they were finished? Sure. Would I want it to be so if it meant that stitching was akin to taking medicine--forcing yourself to do it to "feel better"? No, absolutely not. This is supposed to be fun, dammit!

1. Mirabilia, Christmas Elf (Really? I haven't worked on this for a year?)
   
2. Shepherd's Bush, Brett's Stocking
3. Moss Creek, Elizabethan Rose
4. Fancy Work, Noel Ornament
5. Heart in Hand, Monthly Mania (March, September, November, December)
6. Heartland House, Tree of Life Window
7. Good Huswife, Anna's Bird
8. Linda Jary, Majestic Rooster
9. Nutmeg Needle, Treasured Tulips
10. Hillside Samplings, Folk Art Threadkeep
11. Curtis Boehringer, Apple Sampler
12. Liz Turner Diehl, 16th Century Knot Garden
13. Bent Creek, Snowman Stocking
14. Watercolor Geranium
15. Theresa Layman, mermaid
16. Mirabilia, Emerald Mermaid (SAL)
17. BOAF, Scared Silly
18. Shepherd's Bush, Anna's Stocking
19. Corinne and Gigi, French marquoir
20. Dimensions, Santa kit
21. Dimples Designs, St. Basil's Cathedral
22. Heart's Content, Merry and Bright
23. Hardanger Napkin Rings

So...what was my point?

Oh, right. I'll be stitching for 10 hours on something from this list. The list is vaguely in order of how much there is left to stitch. Except those napkin rings. If I hadn't started them with a broken finger, I'd chuck 'em. I'm trying to decide if I should spend time on the ones that are closest to being done so I can have the pleasure of a finish or if I should start something from the bottom of the list which would feel like a new start. (Well, sort of.) Maybe I'll alternate each month. That ought to get me nowhere...

I know I said I would start the Sheepish Seasons as my new year start, but I failed to plan...I had hardly any of the threads. (I rectified this oversight today.) So instead, I started Lilybet Designs' Spots II. I like stitching spot samplers, you get a sense of satisfaction every time you finish a motif! I'll show you that tomorrow.

January Goals

1. Begin Flea Market Souvenir SAL 1/6
2. work on mermaid SAL
3. one Saturday, work on French marquoir
4. Start one of the Sheepish Seasons Linda sent when I was injured
5. 10 hours on something from the WIP
6. Finish-finish one project from the to-be-finished pile
7. Make an anniversary giveaway
   

In 2009

Remember back in 1999 when people were stockpiling food for the end of the world? Oh what a difference a decade makes...or not. I mean stockpiling doesn't seem like such a crazy thing to do in these economically challenging times.

Time marches on... though I refuse to age. Let's check out the New Year goals, shall we?

In 2009, I will

1. Make sure that I am always happy stitching on a project. This means that if deadlines are stressing me out, I will change the goal. No more panicking
2. Finish-finish more projects for myself. Last year I did 13, including ones I sent for framing and things I finished for gifts. This year, less framing, more alternative finishing. I'm going to shoot for 12 pieces from the finishing pile finished by myself for myself. I think that's specific enough!
3. Mermaid SAL with Michelle. This is for my mom's 65th birthday, and if she's lucky it will be done in April. If it's not, it'll be a helluva Christmas gift.
   
4. Flea Market Souvenir SAL with Linda and Rosa. (Someday I am going to Iceland. Really.)
5. Put at least one Saturday a month into the French marquoir.
6. Make a dent in the WIP pile. (I know I say this every year.) We'll talk more about this one later.
   

Also...

1. Make tiny little changes to make myself healthier. Last November, I started taking my steroid inhaler twice a day like I am supposed to. It's made a real difference in my health. I know, those doctors spent all that time in medical school and learned something! Do you know how hard it is for me to comply with the doctor's orders? Not difficult at all. Other changes I can make: take all my meds as directed; eat more whole grain; drink more water; exercise 30 minutes every day. On that last one, Geggie's going to keep me honest.
   
2. Find a new job. I know, I gushed about this one. How could I need a new one already? I still love how friendly everyone is, and I like the people very much. It's just that my boss and I come to the story from different angles--he's a journalist and I come to this writing-thing via the academy. He thinks my writing requires too much editing. These things happen, I guess. I've never met anyone who didn't like my writing this much. I am working hard to make this work, but...
   

This post is ending on a downbeat note and the dude thinks I should try to be more positive in 2009. If he's willing to bring his shirts to the cleaners every week (instead of growing a pile of dirty shirts in the corner of the bedroom to harvest every 3 weeks), being positive--which seems very unnatural--is the least I can do.

To all of you and yours much good health and happiness in 2009.

PS: GO SC!