Framed

I got a call yesterday from the Strawberry Sampler! When I walked in they greeted me by name. I have apparently crossed a threshold, which is nice but a touch embarrassing. Without further ado, I give you My Needle and Floss. I went with the same frame I used on Tall Flowers.

Pop over to Sue's blog because the traveling pattern is getting ready to go again!

Next is La D Da's A to Z and in Between. I thought this deserved a plain dark wood frame to go with the letters. I made changes in the floss, you can find those recorded here.

Finally, Moon Garden by Birds of a Feather. I love how this came out!!!

And a close-up of the frame because I.Am.In.Love!

The dude was pleased with my cooking yesterday as well. We started out with eggs in a basket for breakfast. He had a midmorning cold brewed coffee. For lunch I was making zucchini/summer squash fritters, when the dude suggested tomato and cheese sandwiches. Since I had the cast iron skillet out, I grilled green and red tomato and cheese sandwiches to go with the fritters. For dinner, I popped a pork loin into the slow cooker with 2/3 of a bottle of LC's barbecue sauce (our favorite from the KCMO trip), roasted some CSA green beans and made sweet and sour red cabbage from the head that has been languishing in the vegetable bin. He told me I could have charged $20 per plate. I love that he loves my cooking so much. Not that it shows. Skinny fucker.

She's Packing Her Bags

I've been stitching!

And I have finished Flossie, as I've been calling this sister. I know you are looking at her and thinking, "What is with the clown clothes? Is she the new female Ronald McDonald?"

But I stitched her to have pride of place in the new craft room. Not so silly now, hey gringo?


So she's ready to move on. Please comment on this post, and I will use a random number generator on June 4th to see where she's off to on her crazy world tour!

Needle and Floss

It occured to me that I hadn't shown the progress I was able to make on Needle & Floss before the accident. I did pick it up for a minute on Saturday, and now her shirt is done. It took me forever and my hand started cramping. So on Sunday, we went to the library to get some books so I will have something to do in the evenings.

Yesterday, we hosted brunch for my aunt, grandmother, and cousin. Sissy brought bagels and the dude whipped up a beautiful chicken salad and a quiche. It was a fun day, and it all broke up around 2:30 so that Lala could get to her soccer game. Around 4:00 I started getting a headache; it was excruciating. I threw up a couple of times and ended up asleep in bed by 6:30. I slept almost straight through to 6:45 this morning.

I woke up when the dude came to bed. He had to tell me about his idea for his 40th birthday trip to Thailand. It involved backpacks and overnighting on a train, which doesn't sound nearly as exciting to me as it might have 20 years ago. (And it sounded even less exciting as I lay in bed with my bandaged finger raised, having just had a sick headache.) We're having trouble planning this trip. It's kind of like our honeymoon to Alaska. I wanted comfort and luxury, preferably with a guide of some sort (to avoid an Into the Wild scenario), and he wanted to do it on our own with a little more adventure. For the Alaska trip, the compromise was that we hired a guide and had big adventures. Anyway, if you have experience traveling to Thailand in your 40s, I'd love to hear about it. We're thinking about doing a tour because it's just so foreign, but we don't want to be on a seniors' tour with a bunch of old farts; otoh, we don't want to be the old farts on the 20-something tour of Thailand. He's also beginning to consider Eastern Europe (non-Euro countries) and central America, which is a long way from Thailand.

More Friday Photos

Here are two more photos from Friday. I didn't download the "after" shot until Sunday. I'm a lot futher along on it now--she has a head and a boot and more clothes. But I did need to put it aside for the birthday stitching.

Friday morning/Friday evening

I've finished two of the three things I needed to finish for the birthday present. I temporarily lost the piece I was stitching for this exchange. D'oh! I knew it was with the Curly Q Ewe; fortunately I did have a photo of that from Friday (see below). If not for that photo, I would have been convinced I left it at the library. I should finish the stitching on the gift tonight and with any luck it will be in the mail by Wednesday. And then it will probably take six months to arrive. That's about my average. Too bad my MIL is coming after the birthday. She could take it home and it would be there in a minute. Okay, that's too much information, isn't it? Here's the thing. I HATE SURPRISES. Once I buy (or make!) your present, I want you to know! I want to tell you and show you photos... I am seriously eight years old. Between the surprise problem and the addiction to cherry sour balls (and other plastic candy), I seriously cannot be in my forties. Cannot.

Provenance

I have too many friends who are archivists not to make sure we have an accurate provenance for this travelling pattern. In addition to recording who stitched it, I've added a link to the photo so you can see how this little needleworker has been changed from the original pattern.

Harmien in the Netherlands (November 3, 2007, scroll down)
Sent it to Lili in France (June 15, 2007),
Who sent it to Barbara in Malaysia (June 25, 2007)
Who sent it to Tessa in Australia (July 16, 2007)
Who sent it to Lizzie in North Carolina, U.S. (February 26, 2008)
Who sent it to Barbara in the Netherlands (March 11, 2008)
Who sent it to Sarah (no blog) in Ohio, U.S. (April 11, 2008)
Who is sending it to me in Pennsylvania!

Do you think it feels like it got gypped? Such a short hop from Ohio to Penna. But maybe someone in some far away place will be next...

As you know I am trying to finish up the birthday gifts. Although I am supposed to stitch the travelling pattern as soon as, and as quickly as, I can, I feel an obligation to put the birthday gifts in the mail asap. Thanks to all for their suggestions regarding what to do about the fob. I measured it so you can better understand my idea of "huge." The original piece is 1.5 x 2.5" The new one is 2.25 x 3.25". I think I will finish it as a fob and if the recipient wants to put it on big scissors or even little scissors she has a choice. I think I've narrowed it down to two more things to make for the package, and maybe a quick trip to Joanns, and maybe Reading Terminal Market, for some extra goodies (NOT a cheesesteak from Rick's, but don't mind if I do).