Wow! This poor blog has been languishing for almost four years!! Sad to say, but there hasn't been a lot of stitching going on for those four years either. There have been many life changes, including a divorce, and a new baby, for starters, that have kept me away from needle and thread.

I'd love to introduce the newest addition to the family, my lovely daughter Lilian. (Let's see if I can still remember how to insert a photo...)



She's one year old, as of last month, and she is adored by all in the family. Her big brothers dote on her, and she has daddy all wrapped around her little finger already, although he'll never cop to it! Lol







My two boys are enjoying the last week of their summer vacation, trying to pack in as much fun *read xbox playing* before next Wednesday. I can't believe Andrewt is now an 8th grader!



And Adam is going into the 5th grade, and thinks he's hot stuff. I love his sense of fun, and his love of adventure! Anyway, here's the whole gang, passed out in the car after a long morning of running errands.



I was also very blessed to have met a wonderful man two years ago, who has completely changed my life, sweeping me off my feet in the process. Brian has been great with the boys, confidently stepping into the role of step-father. (Well, step-father to be, as he asked me to marry him last Christmas.) He's truly the man of my dreams, and an answered prayer. Here he is with our daughter, showing her our backyard after her first snowfall.




I'm sure there'll be other pics and updates about the kids and family life as I get a few more blog posts under my belt, but I'll leave that there for now.

Like I said, there has been very little crafting going on around here, although that's not to say that I haven't done any stitching. A few of my WIPS have seen the light of day. Did I actually finish anything? HA! Of course not. I'm lucky if I can finish a shower, or dinner, at that, without interruption. But any progress is good progress, right?

I've been sucked into the Flosstube videos that are so popular on YouTube nowdays. They're so addictive!! I'm definitely feeling a return of my stitching mojo! Lol I've only been tempted to buy a few things, but have successfully resisted buying more stash...for now. My wallet thanks me.

There are definite plans for getting a case of stitch-ass once the boys are back in school, and we get back to a reasonable schedule. (If Miss Lily will be a good girl, and take her nap like she's supposed to.) I hope to be back soon with some stitchy pics!  Maybe I'll even try my hand at making a Flosstube video. Who knows?!?

If you're still with me at the end of this post, thank you for bearing with me. I hope everybody has a great week. Happy stitching!

Lollipop Flowers WIP

I simply adore this design! It was a late August start for me, and although progress is slow, I'm enjoying every stitch! I'm using good old DMC instead of NPI silks. The fabric is a 32 count Silkweaver Solo that I've had in my stash for a long time.

Usually, I jump around from WIP to WIP, but I've stayed faithful to Birds of a Feather. So far, anyway. *wink* Are you a one-at-a-timer, or do you stitch on whatever you feel like?

Yes, my bird seems to have only grown one leg so far, but birds are good at hopping, no?

There are some finishes to share, but I'll save those for another time.

My boys are now nine and six years old, with both adding yet another year in January. It's bittersweet to watch them grow up, and definitely happening too fast! Here's a snapshot of them this past spring with their friend, Penny.

I Have Been Stitching Againn

I thought I'd dust off this old blog, and show a little of the stitching progress I have made this year. Not much, granted, but any progress is forward progress, right?

FedEx brought me my new iPad yesterday, and I am experimenting how the iPad will work with Blogger. I have not used the camera yet, but I will post stitchy pics as soon as I've fiddled with it.

Recent Stash

I am posting pictures of some stash I bought when I jumped fell off the stash diet wagon recently. ;) I got some charts that have been lingering on my wish list for a long time, and I found an ONS that had a few Loose Feathers charts I was missing, so I snapped them up, too. 

BOAF-Love, CHS-Village of Hawk Run Hollow,
CHS-Mairmaid's Song, PS-Bear and the Bees

Blackbird Designs- Simple Things, Peacock Pinkeep (with 28ct. WDW fabric),
Beyond My Heart (with 30 ct. Iced Cappuccino), Winter Wonderland

I don't care for the charted floss colors for Beyond My Heart, so I will choose my own palette when it comes time to stitch. I also want to finish the Peacock Pinkeep as a round box. I don't need another pinkeep, but am always in need of a pretty sewing box to store various findings. 

BOAF-No Bees, No Honey

I have wanted No Bees, No Honey for ages! When the chart came in the mail, I had to kit it up pronto. I chose fabric and floss to my liking. I'm not sure these are the final choices, but I'm happy with them for right now. I hope to stitch this one soon. 


I'm looking forward to Nashville Market this weekend. I've already got my eye on Plum Street Sampler's Noah.  I have the companion piece, Paradise Lost, on my Q-snaps right now, so I can't wait to get my hands on Noah! Paulette is the absolute bomb! Great designer, and such a sweet lady, too. 

No stitching to show today, as I've been knitting almost exclusively since I had my "free" day last week. I hope everybody is having a good week. 


Rebekka

January Roundups

Here are my finishes for January.

First up, I started this one in 2009, stitched most of it, including the date, in 2010, and I actually finished stitching on January 5th, 2011.

Their Songs by Blackbird Designs

Started April 2009 - Completed Jan. 2011

Stitched on 32 ct. Apple Brown Bindy with WDW floss.

I stitched the initials using my maiden name. I love that big, fat blackbird. 

I think I'm going to finish this as the front of a project bag. A fellow blogger has made a couple of these bags, and I'd like to make one, too. They are so cute, and practical to boot!

Secondly, I stitched this as a (secret) Valentines gift for Scott. I'm not sure if I'll have it framed, or finish it as a hanging pillow. Hubs has his own bathroom, and I think it's going to go in there. I chose fabric and floss that were more subdued.

My Everything by The Sampler Girl
Started and finished January 2011
28ct. Taupe with CC Cherry Bark

I decided not to stitch the border. For me, it didn't add anything to the design.

Lastly, I have a mini finish by way of the Red Thread series by Bent Creek. There are twelve blocks, and a border, and verse. My goal is one block a month, with the advancing border. These work up very quickly, so I have no excuse not to get this finished this year. When I started January's Snowman, all that was stitched was the outline, so it barely qualified as a WIP. I have finished block one, and have a good start on block two.

Red Thread Snowman by Bent Creek
Started (and promptly laid aside) September 2009
36 ct. PTP Earthen with DMC

That's it for now. I'll be back with progress pics., and some new stash to show next week. I also won a giveaway, and hopefully that will come in the mail soon, too. 

The weekend is not far off, and Saturday I've got the day to myself. Scott is taking the kids to see his mother for the day, and I can play all day. Should I stay home and clean? Go shopping, and treat myself to Olive Garden for lunch? Stay home and stitch all day? Who knows...although I probably should stay home and clean. *sigh* It seems it's easier to give the house a good scrubbing when you don't have stop every five minutes to break up an argument, get a juice box, or find a lost toy, etc. What do you think I should with my free day?

Thank you for stopping by to visit, and for the kind comments that have been left for me. I hope everybody stays safe (and warm!) for the rest of the week.

Rebekka  

A, B, C's of Me Meme

I have seen this meme on a few blogs, and since I don't have any stitching to share today, I thought I'd play along.


Age- 34

Bed- Queen, but the next bed I buy will be a King sleigh bed.

Chore you hate- Dishes. If I didn't have a dishwasher, we'd be eating off paper plates with plastic utensils. Sad, I know, but true.

Dog's name- Zippy (7 yr. Basset/Lab mix), and Rudy (4 yr. Dachshund) We also have 3 guinea pigs, Rusty, Mr. Nibbler, and Bandit.

Essential start of the day item- not so much an item, but I need peace and quiet for the first 15 minutes after I wake up, or it'll be a long morning for everyone. After that, the mayhem can ensue.

Favorite color- Hmm. I am not really a color snob, but I don't really do pastels. Green and blue would probably top the list of favorites for me.

Gold or Silver- Silver, or white gold.

Height- 5' 6", or 1.6 meters

Instruments you play- I played the clarinet in school for 2 years, but haven't played since then. I do like to sing, if you can count your voice as an instrument, although very badly, while cooking, cleaning, or driving the car.

Job- I have been a homemaker for the last 8 years. The thought of going back out into the workplace is a little frightening for me. I don't adapt very well to change. I'm happy where I am at this point of my life.

Kids- Andrew (8), and Adam (5)

Living arrangements- Scott and I bought our current home 6 years ago.

Music you love- I like a little of everything, except rap and heavy metal. My music tastes are categorized more my the artist(s) than a particular genre.

Nicknames- None that I'd like to share here.

Overnight hospital stay- Two births.

Pet peeve- I have several peeves, but the mother of all is cruelty to animals. Nothing gets my blood boiling more that seeing someone mistreat or neglect their pets. I could easily go into a rant here, but this meme is supposed to be fun, right?

Quote from a movie- "No, you submit, do you hear? You be strong, you survive. You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you! (Last of the Mohicans) That scene always gives me chill bumps.


Right handed or left- Right handed, although I was left handed for a few weeks when I was little, and broke my right pinkie finger. My homework was not very neat, but I had to make due. I was in first grade, I think, so it wasn't that bit of a deal.

Siblings- One sister, Claudia, who is 12 years older than me, and still resides in Germany.

Time you wake up- Monday thru Friday, my alarm goes off at 6:30. On the weekend, my sweet husband lets me sleep in until I wake on my own. I usually wake to the smell of onions and bacon being fried up for breakfast potatoes. Mmm...with fried eggs, and a tall stack of pancakes. I love the weekend!

Underwear- Yes. ;)

Vegetable you dislike- There's really only one I can think of, and it's OKRA. Pfui!

Workout style- Treadmill, but only when the guilt sets in from my gluttonous diet. LOL I've never been an exercise lover, but I make an effort. Occasionally.

X-rays you've had- I'm a glow worm. I think I've had them all.

Yummy food you make- I think it's all good, but my family's favorite is my spaghetti and meatballs. (I just hollered into the living room for a vote, and this one came out the winner.)

Z (Best place to visit)- For me, Germany is my destination station, because all of my family lives there. My mother, step-father, and I are the only ones from my family to venture onto this continent. I didn't speak fluent English until I was a teenager. I had taken the required (Queen's) English in German school, but I was not prepared for the sing-song dialect of the American deep south. I swear, I didn't understand a word that came out of my Alabama history teacher's mouth for the first month I went to high school. Sorry, Mrs. Deerman. Now I can y'all and yes'um with the best of 'em. It really is a lovely part of the country, and you would be hard pressed to find nicer folks than these elsewhere. They don't call it "southern hospitality" for nothin', do they? That being said, Scott and I would love to take a vacation, or even relocate to Australia. It's not an option at this point, but I'd like to think we'll make it down there at some point. ;)

Now that I've finished my autobiography *wink*, I'll go and see about the kids. I didn't mean to be this long-winded with some of my answers, so if you're still with me, thank you for letting me share some things about myself with you.