mainely stitching

We remembered to tell family that we weren’t “doing” Christmas this year (as in, no gifts). The kids are bummed, but with the move taking place right around the holidays, whatever they recieved would just have to be packed up anyway. And I certainly have no time to buy or make gifts this year. I’m not sure I’ll even have a chance to stitch ornaments for Niek and kids, although this has become something of a tradition the last few years. I’m curious to hear how (or if) you celebrate the holiday season, whether it’s Christmas or another seasonal celebration.

Yesterday necessitated some re-cleaning to prepare things for the rescheduled showing taking place early this morning (I’m not really here, actually, this is a scheduled post … just love that feature!). Arden’s feeling ever so much better and just couldn’t wait to get started on the day’s activities.

Hmmm. What sort of mischief can I get away with and still have her think I’m adorable?

Oh, I just love cleaning rags! They’re so versatile!

Now, where did Mommy put that bucket of soapy water?

Yesterday I finally addressed what’s probably the unhappiest aspect of our upcoming move – putting Gilbert and Nachtegaal up as being available for re-homing. Naturally, nut jobs started coming out of the woodwork.
“If they’re free, I’ll take them both” and that sort of thing, despite my carefully worded ad that these are very special creatures in search of very special people. It’s next to impossible to imagine not having Gilbert commenting on everything around him, trying to groom Spin, and generally contributing to every moment of our family life. The few times I’ve had to do this in the past, the right person has finally appeared on the scene. I’ll just have to be patient and hopeful till she or he shows up.

Arden and I ventured over to the acupuncturist yesterday, trusting that the rain would let up just when we needed it to – and it did! My brother and I both have Raynaud’s – a pesky disorder that causes you to lose blood flow to your fingers and toes, brought on by exposure to cold, stress, and other possible factors – and with our upcoming move to Maine, it was time to deal with it again. A few years ago, I went through a lot of acupuncture for various issues, including this one, and it worked amazingly well. The acupuncture is supported by the use of Chinese herbs, so get a load of my cup of tea. LOL. It does warm a body up, although the smell is something I could gladly live without.

Warming up also applies to my stitching. Since I can’t seem to get into the one & only obligation I still have left for 2009’s stitching, I decided to print off a bunch of designs I liked from TGOSM (and a few other sources) and just stitch what appealed to me and not worry about its ultimate destination. I have nearly a whole month before the exchange is due, so it’s stupid to get all bent up about it now.

Arden continues to improve, though he’s got the awful cough now that Rowen had about a month ago. Poor thing. He’s a jolly character, though, so I guess he’s feeling better.

Argh. I started a new Christmas exchange piece because I was unhappy with the 2-over-2 coverage I was getting with the first project.  Cute design, great fabric, awful result. The replacement project looked fun when I started it, but I’ve sort of run out of steam. Lately, I’m just too tired to stitch at night. And my hands are a wreck, making the silk that I didn’t pack nearly impossible to work with.  Before this house-cleaning craze began, I did my stitching in the evening to unwind. Now, I stare at the TV blankly for an hour or so and then clamber up to the attic and gratefully pass in unconsciousness. LOL. Maybe the block-buster Christmas ornament issue by The Gift of Stitching will inspire me with a project I can stick to?

and the cooking that did happen

Yesterday’s showing went well, the realtor reported. These people seemed more interested in a practical way – the first couple were interested in how they could transform our 40 year old home into a modern showcase, whereas this couple were interested in the location, the electrical wiring, the age of the exterior paint, etc. The things that are really important to know if you’re serious. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, following a day of intense cleaning, I indulged myself in several enjoyable hours in the kitchen after the showing was over. Outside, the wild November winds blew and the rain pelted down while the last leaves swirled past the windows. Inside, pots bubbled, children chattered, and I felt that life was once again in the correct balance. I would never aspire to be a Domestic Goddess, but I am very happy when puttering in a kitchen to feed the people I love best.

My labors of love led to lots of peanut butter cookies (topped with homemade vanilla sugar!)

and a big, bubbling pot of pumpkin & paprika stew. (Hmm. The pan really was clean before I started cooking in it!)

the smiling snot monkey

Arden isn’t fully recovered, but he’s a cheerier fellow than he was even a day ago. I’m looking forward to being able to sleep through the night in another day or two.

(Even though he got up too close to the camera and isn’t centered, I just love this picture!)

Wishing you a wonderful week full of tasty goodness and the warmth of loved ones.

As I’m away from the ‘puter today due to the scheduled showing of the house, I’ve arranged for what will hopefully be a fun tour around town with Arden while we were doing errands the day before he came down ill.  (He is improving, though slowly. Poor little snot monkey.) I snapped a bunch of pictures on our route, thinking it would be fun to see the ‘real’ Gouda, rather than just the pretty postcard views, once we’re settled in Maine. (Don’t worry, my driver really is safer than he might look!)

After my garden chores yesterday, and catching up on some writing deadlines the day before, and catching up on stitching deadlines a couple of days before that, etcetera, I felt like I deserved a day off.  It’s probably just me looking for an excuse to goof off, but hey, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Naturally on a day off, one wants to craft, right? Well, that’s what I wanted to do. Specifically, I wanted to make a kitty. Last Easter, I made the kids Easter bunnies. Nothing new there, as I make them something for their Easter baskets every year – but last year’s project turned out especially good (even if the photos definitely did not, LOL) and that was really thanks to some excellent instruction and a fool-proof free pattern.

So when I decided that I simply had to make a kitty doll for a friend, and didn’t have time to make one of my own embroidered ones, I turned to the same source hoping for another fool-proof finish: *Wee Wonderfuls.  Tada: Meet Angel Pointy Kitty! She’s guaranteed to help you fly over your problems, rather than getting mired down in them. She has a ready smile for even the dreariest day. She’s such a winsome, sweet little creature that my kids are more than a little upset that she’s destined for a home elsewhere. (To the friend who’s receiving this, I apologize for the sneak preview, but I just had to share!)

While I had fun crafting, Arden got in some quality TV time. I just had to laugh at the poses he struck – the kid cracks me up.

I hope your day included at least a snippet of something that made you happy – or even made you laugh right out loud!

*Wee Wonderfuls offers patterns for sale and also has a blog that has many free download patterns. She has embroidery, paper dolls, and stuffies. Go on, now, get over there and have some fun!

Not only do a have the winners from my blog giveaway to announce, but I also have the details for another fabulous giveaway at Prim Originals to share.

First off, Prim Originals is having a giveaway and I really hope I win! So I probably shouldn’t tell you about it, right? Fewer names = greater chance of me winning? Nah, that wouldn’t be playing fair. Liz is a talented artist and to prove it, I have two of her prints hanging in our living room on my “art wall”. Okay, it’s really only a half wall, but it will grow…. My embarrassing admission is that one of these prints was purchased as a gift, but I liked it so much that I kept it. (Don’t worry, the intended recipient never knew what happened and got a different gift that made her just as happy!)

On to my giveaway, I was surprised at how fast the comments poured in – and very touched by all the nice things you said! Thank you! I printed out the first 40-odd names at  midnight when I was getting ready to go to bed, and printed the rest out today. Snip, snip, and into the hat so everyone had a chance to pull a name. Without further ado, here are the five winners:

Congratulations, and once again, thank you so much for your friendship and encouragement!

Today’s adventure was heading over to the doggie hotel where Rigby and Lola will be staying during our time in Maine. I wanted to see it for myself and also to give Lola a chance to experience it before getting “dumped” there for three weeks. Lola’s a bit of a scaredy-cat and I thought it would be less frightening for her if she could see it beforehand. Ideally, I’d prefer to bring both dogs but I can’t handle both of them and all four kids in a new setting on my own. Visits to the kennel are only permitted during certain hours to reduce stress for the dogs who are already staying there; Niek would’ve been glad to help, but of course visiting hours occur during the workday. But we managed fine and I’m feeling better about the necessity of leaving our dogs behind.

Other recent adventures have involved ice cream. It’s been hot-hot-hot, and that means cool treats. Arden is a huge fan of popsicles and since we are all huge fans of Arden, I thought these pictures would bring a few smiles.

And there have been some cooking adventures as I experiment with some gluten-free products – I want to show my mom how easy it is to live gluten-free (so she’ll stick to her doctor-recommended diet), and that means experimenting on my family beforehand. Ha ha. I’ve learned that soy flour cannot replace regular flour, but only enhance it (to add extra protein/moisture/etc.). I should’ve read about soy flour before attempting this soy-flour foccaccia bread. As you can see, it was a resounding failure. Fortunately, I baked a “normal” one at the same time so we did not go hungry. LOL!

Tomorrow’s adventure will be having Annemarie over for a visit. Actually, she’ll be the one having an adventure, as both dogs are shedding like mad at the moment and even twice-daily vaccuuming doesn’t keep up with the furballs and dirt that’s constantly getting tracked in. Chateau Chaos looks much more chaotic than usual these days, but Annemarie’s a brave woman. I can hardly wait to see her!

Wishing you well! Thank you once again for visiting with me here – I certainly enjoy the company!

Stitching merrily away here at Chateau Chaos – making good use of all these rainy days! I caught a quick picture of Arden playing at the dining table yesterday and it made me wonder if my little lady from Mary Garry had hair as wild and cute as his. What do you think? LOL. This was a fun design to stitch, but alas, it’s another exchange so you’ll have to wait patiently for pictures.

Everyone assures me that the weather for the upcoming long weekend (Monday is a holiday here) will be gorgeous, so I’m not going to let our current wind and rain get me down. I hope all’s going well in your corner of the world!

Yesterday, poor Arden came down with one of those sudden fevers that happen with young children. He’d been up all night and despite lots of cuddling, couldn’t settle down through the day to get any much-needed rest. Even after four kids, these sudden flare-ups always unsettle me and leave me feeling quietly panicked.

But around 8 pm last night, he began to settle down and was soon snoring away while laying on his Daddy’s chest. We woke him at midnight for another bottle and another baby aspirin and he slept the night through. Today he’s a much cheerier chappy. (Not the greatest snapshot, but he didn’t want to hold still!)

Somewhere, some stitching has been done. I finally completed the stitching for Max’s birthday gift (now to assemble and finish-finish it!). These are taken from Helga Mandl’s Seasonal SAL designs, but I’ve changed things around. It’s stitched on 28 ct Jobelan from Silkweaver (Buttercream, I think).

And last night I started Mary Garry’s Spring Cookies, but you’ll have to wait for a picture of that.

Wishing you a wonderful, sunny weekend!!

… it’s also in my chest. LOL. My way of making a joke – today I dragged myself off to the doctor’s, certain I’d hear the usual “wait a few days and if you don’t feel any better, come again” spiel; instead I got in a bit of trouble for not coming earlier as not only are my sinuses badly infected, but I have a severe case of bronchitis, too. That would explain why I feel like a train hit me, I guess. Anyway, I came home from the pharmacy with a big bag of get-well goodies and should be improving very soon. Fingers crossed.

I do have some pictures to share (finally). First off, here’s a snippet of my FS Easter bunny. Can you tell me honestly if the the color is too weird? I like it, but I know my tastes are sometimes a bit “off”. This is DMC 3781 and 680 blended.

And I received my HDF linen of the month. This is cream, and for anyone looking for an antique appearance that doesn’t leap out & grab you (like the distressing used in primitive pieces), this is really it. I held it up against the darning sampler currently in my possession that was stitched in 1860, and it’s a great match. I also splurged on the variegated silks of the month, plus ‘begrimed’ (a mottled light black) and as always, they’re gorgeous. The temptation is great to start something immediately, but I must be disciplined and first finish my commitments!

Thanks for your kind words about re-starting SOHRH. I hope to get myself back on some sort of rotation next week, health permitting. I also think I will start with a less imposing square than that monster in the middle. LOL!

Take care, all – stay healthy, and keep smiling whenever the chance presents itself.

Phew, I can finally post some pictures of something that’s actually finished! I see that Lynn received the Prairie Schooler exchange I sent her, and she says she likes it …. It was a little bit of a challenge, as she seemed to like very soft colors and projects (or so I felt, after browsing her blog) and  most PS designs call for an earthier palette. But I adapted Sow Dry and stitched it with DMC linen threads on a low-count burlap-style linen to create a slightly primitive door hanger, and then ‘girlied it up’ with a strap of vintage lace and some heart-shaped shell buttons. I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

And if Lynn received this, than I can only assume Roberta received the gift I made her for my 3 1/2 years of blogging un- birthday giveaway. (Or it’s taking the long way around the globe!) I didn’t photograph the extras – I always forget to do that. I believe Nic received her gift packet some time ago, and I hope Deb received hers as well. They certainly were mailed long enough ago. I never did hear back from the 4th winner regarding her contact information, so only three packets were sent and only Roberta’s had a hand-made gift. This is Here Birdy by The Sampler Girl stitched in my choice of OWS threads and finished as a door hanger with a piece of floral ric rack and gorgeous glass buttons made by Karin.

 
On the subject of giveaways, I’ve held a monthly giveaway for the better part of the year (and before that, I frequently had impromptu ones) but … I’m going to stop doing that. I have to go all the way back to September to find any winners who even acknowledged receiving anything. It’s been fun to do, but I’ll stick to special occassions for future giveaways.

Yesterday I really did get back on some sort of rotation, though I tinkered around with my Prim New England Village till 10 pm. I worked on Rowen’s Moira Blackburn birth sampler for a little over an hour. Not an exciting picture, but borders don’t look like much till they’re done (and this design has two!). As this one is now on the 11 inch Q-Snaps, it’ll probably get attention for the rest of the week. Perhaps a week-long rotation would work better for me?

We’ve had a day of white weather – not snow, but something like frost suspended in the air. It looks pretty, and brings visions of the film Anna Karenina to mind. (The BW version with Garbo, I mean.)

Today will also see us all visiting the dentist. I don’t think he likes it when it’s our turn to come – we fill up the waiting room and spill out into the hallway. LOL. Arden thinks its funny because he’ll probably be able to skip this visit, with only 3 teeth.

Wishing one and all a wonderful day!