3 1/2 years

NOON, New Year’s Day:

CLOSED FOR THE DRAWING!

 

Yep, folks, it’s been 3 1/2 great years of blogging today. Talk about time flying!! Because I’m ever one to do things a little bit the wrong way – like giving out unbirthday gifts – I’m going to celebrate my anniversary today. It’ll keep both you and I on our toes, right? In honor of the wonderful people I’ve met, I’m going to draw one name from today’s comments (in your comment, please make it clear you want to be included in the drawing!) and will create a gift packet that includes something handmade by myself, a chart that seems to be to the winner’s taste, and some other little gifties that seem appropriate.

I’ll do the drawing on Thursday, January first. So … on your mark, get set, comment!

aaahhhh …

I am really enjoying these post-Christmas days, everyone. I don’t know why, but I just feel so much more relaxed than usual – probably because Niek’s taken quite a bit of time off, and it’s always a lot easier with the two of us. We took the boys back to the doctor today and got the rest of Nicky’s blood test results – he has cat scratch fever in addition to toxoplasmosis, but the worst seems to be over (nothing like timely test results, huh?) and he  is definitely on the mend. Arden’s skin issues turned out to be more serious than thought, and we have a prescription salve to treat that; hopefully he’ll start to look Gerber-baby-cute again in a few days. He says he feels fine now.

Rowen’s been enjoying her Wii supremacy after months of her brothers being better at the Xbox. Today she scored yet another medal and did a little victory dance.

I did a dance, too, when my small stash orders both arrived today. I ordered floss from Jenna’s ONS (some of which is for Max) and some charts from eBay.

I also finished the front side of Max’s birthday needle/scissor book. The black bunny is supposed to look like his own pet bunny, Nightengale.

And now I’m off to test out my Daylight lamp on a dark 40 count linen!

begin as you intend to continue

For me, 2008 stitching is over and 2009 has begun. And although I have no delusions about being as successful as Karen has been with WIP and stash busting (congratulations, Karen!), I am looking forward to moving along with a few big projects, UFO projects, and family projects. As well as some stuff I just plain ol’ want to do. And I’m trying to get started right by working on this Helga Mandl design (from an older seasonal SAL) that will become a scissor and needlebook gift for Max’s birthday. I had intended to stitch all four seasons, but this really isn’t my usual taste in designs and I figure if I get the spring design done (as his birthday is in spring) and then stitch the names of the season on the backside, he’ll be happy with it.

I’m also planning to make him a sewing roll, using this wonderful design from primitivebettys. I actually bought it about a year ago, intending to do it right away … well, better late than  never, and I will certainly enjoy stitching this.

Max is wild about rabbits, having a sweet little attack bunny of his own, so if time permits, I will also stitch a fob or pinkeep for him, and I have just the pattern for it from The Goode Huswife.

But other kids also have birthdays coming up, and sooner than Max’s! I’ll need to finish Rowen’s unicorn cushion and whip together the duvet cover that coordinates with it. Again, this is something I bought the supplies for an embarassingly long time ago but it kept getting shifted to the side as other, seemingly more important stitching issues arose.  And to my surprise, Nicky has become very interested and curious about the projects I’ve been working on so I’m thinking that maybe I should try to make something for his birthday, too. I have a very cool pattern of Snoopy decked out as The Flying Ace … somewhere. I could cobble together a sort of pillow for him, too. I could!

And stitching has become a whole lot easier for me all of a sudden, thanks to the gift from my better  half. Although I think he already seriously regrets this, as the light cast by the Daylight bulb at night interferes a lot with TV viewing. Hopefully when we rearrange the living room after the Christmas tree is removed, we’ll be able to work out a better arrangement. But last night, when I used it for the first time, I could not believe how easy it was to see everything. Not just the correct colors, but the holes in the fabric suddenly showed up as if they were under magnification. This is the best purchased gift of the year, IMHO.

There are a few homemade gifts still to share, though! Isabelle surprised me to no end by sending these adorable t-shirts for Arden’s birthday. She’d told me she was making a gift for him some months back, but with her dissertation, Seb’s job, and their upcoming move, I assumed she would not have time. Thank you, Isabelle! We love them!!

And Max made these ornaments for Niek and I for Christmas all by himself.

The kids are feeling steadily better. Nicky is laughing more than whining now, which is such a relief to me. I don’t handle whining children very well – is that surprising, coming from a mother of four? Arden’s also recovering, though the ugly spots across his face (not unlike chicken pox, but the doc says it’s a bacterial infection caused by the mucus) are slow in going away. He’s still a regular little snot factory, so I guess it’ll take awhile longer. Rowen’s doing well, knock on wood!  I’ve kept myself busy in the quieter hours by working on some more articles for TGOSM due to appear in the spring.

Wishing you days of peace and love as the New Year approaches!!

such a wonderful Christmas

Despite illness and other pressures, we enjoyed such a wonderful Christmas that I can barely believe it. Nicky was feeling well enough to enjoy himself and to play a good bit, Rowen was tired but cheerful, Max was full of clownish good humor, and dear little Arden reminded us that wrapping paper truly is the best gift of all. Niek managed to find a turkey, so we enjoyed a delicious traditional dinner that included homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce as well as a moist & delicious turkey. Max is now off enjoying the rest of the holidays with his biological father’s family and our middelest two are exploring the delights of our new Wii. (Rowen is a natural at the boxing and takes enormous delight in annihilating her brothers!)  Arden’s happily puttering around the floor with the toys his big brothers and sister forgot to put out of reach. I hope this finds you happy, healthy, and brimming over with holiday cheer.

the stockings were hung

It’s a madhouse here, but I did manage to finish up Niek’s ornament (the stitching only) and bake cookies for ourselves and the neighbors. Found out afterward the dishwasher is b-r-o-k-e-n, which sort of cut into my ho ho ho-liday joy a tad. And the boys are still very sick – though Arden is trying his best here to give a smile.

But the stockings are hung, and Santa’s cookies and milk are ready, and I’m about to go off and don my kerchief. Wishing you a wonderful, happy, and loving Christmas!

beautiful cards, runny noses, and a year-end wrap-up

I cannot let Christmas sneak up on me without showing you a few handmade cards I’ve received from Jenna, Mylene, and Margaret. Aren’t they beautiful?!

**A thousand pardons – I was too sleepy when I entered this post earlier and put in two pictures of Jenna’s and none of Margaret’s. Very sorry, Margaret!!**

On the homefront

The boys are all ill now – Max came down with it yesterday. Poor Arden and Nick are suffering terribly with very high temperatures, totally blocked-up noses, and a lot of discomfort. Knock wood, Max seems to be faring better; though he’s running a fever, it’s not too high, and he’s better able to handle the discomfort. Niek and I are staggering around like sailors on shore leave, but from lack of sleep rather than from any sort of overindulgence. Rowen has dodged the bullet so far, but it seems unlikely that will continue. I only hope her case will be as mild as Max’s seems to be.  I hate seeing my kids sick and suffering, and hope they will round the bend tomorrow and begin to improve. I managed to stitch for an hour or so on Niek’s ornament last night, but even if I get it stitched, I’m not too sure it will be finish-finished by Christmas. But there’s always next year … and speaking of that …

Stitching round-up for 2008 and hopes for 2009

For the past three years, I’ve kept a gallery over at Cyberstitchers of my cross stitching projects. It was my first online venture, and I met some amazing people there. Unfortunately, it’s become less & less fun to participate there for a variety of reasons. I see that I’ve displayed 64 projects plus the five family ornaments I haven’t posted yet … and of those, I kept seven. Next year will probably see a much lower tally, as I plan to work on larger pieces. I’m looking forward to a quiet year of stitching for my family, participating in a couple of well-chosen RRs with good friends, in a few exchanges, and in the MM&I NRR. I’ve had a lot of fun leafing through my charts, trying to decide which ones I must do in 2009. I would be so happy if I could devote a substantial chunk of my stitching time to some Carriage House Samplings BAPs – the stockings, the village series, the alphabet – and I would be overjoyed if I could also work my way through either The First Lady Series or the Jane Austen Series by The Sampler Girl. But you know, whenever I try to seriously plan my time out in advance, it seems inevitable that I do something totally different. So who knows what I’ll actually do – it’ll be a surprise to us all. I look forward to sharing the journey with you, and I thank you for spending time with me here – it means a lot!

angels walk among us

I’ve been fortunate in meeting some really incredible people through blogging – people who are talented, generous, funny, inspiring, and provocative. Some of my blogging friends, I may never meet; others, I have been very lucky (and happy!) to meet up with IRL. At this time of year, I find my thoughts drifting to the people that I care about, but who are not here with me. One very special such lady is Reneé (formerly of Bible en Broderie blog); although she lost her battle with long-term illness, she’ll always be a dear friend of my heart. She made me these PS ornaments last year, and every time I look at them, I have happy thoughts of her.

Another friend surprised me yesterday with this unexpected adorable pillow ornament – Anneke, of My Pretty Corner. Anneke left blogging for awhile, but I sure was glad when she returned! Now if I can just get her to give me her address again …

Here at Chateau Chaos, we continue to battle fevers, runny noses, and various flu-type aches and pains. I hope we’ll all be fit for Christmas!

Love to you all, dear friends. I hope your last days before Christmas are filled with love and graced by peace.

Click the pictures for a larger view in my Flickr album. Sorry – this blog layout doesn’t leave much room for photos.

fun was had by all

We enjoyed a small, cozy family gathering to celebrate Arden’s first birthday. Thank you for your good wishes, too – lots of people who were not here in body certainly were in spirit.

Adding to the festive air, Arden decided the other night to stand up for the first time. He’s later than that with the other kids (Max had been walking for awhile at this age) but each child is different, and he’s certainly been a “first” on many other points.

Take care, everyone, and thanks so much for visiting!

dear arden

It’s after midnight, which means it’s your birthday. One year old – impossible!! There’s too much to say, more than I can squeeze into words. So I will simply say that for the past 365 days, you have made my life a joyous place. Wishing you a lifetime full of the happiness that you spread to all those around you, my dear boy.

where do i keep going?

If you see me wandering around out there, would you send me back home? I just don’t know where I get off to … the time is flying by so fast that I surely must be living two lives at once and am just not aware of it.

My neighbor surprised me to no end when she showed up at my door with a big box from Su, my seasonal exchange partner (lucky me!). Now, I sent Su a wee, tiny ornament. Su, however, showered me with goodness. In addition to the absolutely-perfect-for-me CHS Berries and Pins ornament (just look at that finishing! and you can’t even see the backside, which is also gorgeous!), she sent two cute & funny Santa ornaments, a snowman magnet, two charts, Polstitches fabric, finishing fabric, and loads upon loads of chocolate for the kids. My heavens, woman, your generosity is overwhelming!! I’m humbled. No idea what I’ll do for the spring exchange – I’m just so glad that Su and I decided to continue the year, even though the group is being dissolved.

I must also shout out a heartfelt thanks to Monique who bravely and generously lent me her BOAF Patience chart because I shamelessly begged her for it. It has arrived and I will start it as soon as the holiday stitching is truly complete. Which may be around December 26th. LOL.

I’ve begun cleaning clearing out for Arden’s birthday party on Saturday. (Where does all this stuff come from, and why do I find it so difficult to put it away?) Though perhaps no one will come. I asked Niek 3 weeks ago to please contact his siblings to invite them … guess who shamefacedly admitted this morning that he had not yet done so? Doesn’t matter – I’m cooking up a storm for my last baby’s passage into toddlerhood, and if no one shows up, I will just eat it all myself. :0

Nicky’s begun coming down with something. His current viral infection is, of course, making him more susceptible to anything alse going around and last night he was running a fever and had some tummy/throat pain. We’re monitoring his temp and gave him some children’s pain reliever, and this morning he insisted on going to school. Sigh. I worry too much, I know, but I can’t help it. Fortunately, the doctor just had a look at him on Tuesday regarding the viral infection and said that is fine, so we don’t have to push the panic button (yet).

I’m still working on Little Acts of Kindness. I took it with me to the hospital yesterday, where I had my first MRI. I asked the technician what would happen if I fell asleep during the exam. He laughed and said no one could fall asleep during one of these, as the machine is incredibly loud and at times the whole thing shakes. Guess who fell asleep? I tried to explain that I have four kids and any time I stop moving for more than 10 minutes, it’s lights out but I just got a lot of weird looks on my way out. Anyway, here’s my current progress on that.

I’m also stitching a unicorn for Rowen because of course, I don’t have enough to do. If I don’t finish it for Christmas, it’ll be a lovely birthday gift. I bought the pillow form from Daisy Stitches, shortly before Despina and the shop dropped out of sight. I miss her – she was really nice. But another really nice ONS owner we all know and love is currently having a sale – rush over to see Jenna during her 20% off sale!!

Take care, friends, and make sure you take a bit of time to slow down and enjoy what the season really is all about.