Since last week...

Since last week...I have made 3 scarves, started a new blanket, a new scarf (really long) and still working on my big blanket.  I start back to work on Sunday and I have plenty of small stuff to work on.  I won't see my new hours until probably Saturday but I am hoping for early morning hours and evening hours, a split shift.  I have been on leave of absence since July 31st and am really looking forward to getting back to work.  And my printer is out of ink (just a random throw in there! HAHA)

stitching in the dark

Well not quite pitch black but I got up this morning and started crocheting on a scarf.  Love the colors (posted yesterday with the orange and brown) and I love how easy everything works out.  

The lights were off and the blinds were not up yet so it still had a really soft glow within the room and my hook was definitely on a caffeine kick (I wish!).

I got through the dvr version of Grey's Anatomy from last night.  It really didn't take long as I can fast forward through the commercials.  Plus, the show was a little boring in my opinion.  Ready for next week and feel the need for them to give us some meat before they go on winter break.  Will Arizona go back home? Or will the thrill of what she is doing keep her away?

Its a good thing I have good eyesight though...maybe next time I will turn on a light or open the blinds and watch the birds and squirrels.

Crochet Concupiscence

One stitch at a time...

I take things one stitch at a time or one row at a time lately. 

Most people say they take one day at a time but sometimes we have to live in the moments and take things even slower than the majority of people.

So stop and smell the roses, get your hook and yarn out and create something special. 

Remember...one.memory.at.time.

See here are a couple of colors from what I call my ugly blanket.  You see I only took a picture of two colors from the blanket but there is really several colors on here and they don't match at all.  But I didn't care.  I made this blanket while in residential treatment at Timberline Knolls and the way I looked at it I was putting the pieces of my life back together and crocheting the same way.  Well I can't get the picture to load on here...will try tomorrow.

Dawn of another DAY!

Today is World Diabetes Day.  But I don't think I have anything blue to work on.. :(  I have grey...would that count?  How many of you are affected by diabetes or do you not allow it to affect you at all?  We have a different circumstance, I am Type 1 and so are 3 of the 4 kids.  We all pump our insulin as well.  Remember everyone's diabetes is different and should be treated as so.  Ok that is my diabetes talk for the morning.

A bit of an older picture but still a good one!

This was taken on 12/12/12...cool, huh?

All of our pumps.  I have a new one now 

therefore we need a new picture.

I will post my stitching a bit later on...I will leave you with this:

Morning, Sunshine!

Good Morning! Shunshine!

I know its been awhile but I have been through several hospitalizations and a residential treatment center for my anorexia.  Things are progressing slowly with daily setbacks but each day is a  new one and I can only hope for another day to do better in my recovery.   When I struggle I am at least able to recognize it and try to redirect myself using coping skills or some talk therapy.  Grateful for a wonderful new therapist, great friends and a lovely, supportive family.

Here is my latest project...its crochet!  I am still stitching but right now I am using the hook and it is one of my coping skills.  A nice glow of morning sunrise on my single crochets!! Yay!

This cartoon ties in with my treatment center, recovery and crochet!  

Nobody wants to be CODA...it just happens!

 This is why I like to watch mindless tv. 

I can crochet or stitch and listen to the tv and not have to look up at it to know what's going on.  

A close up of the stitches.  The yarn is fabulous and from Hobby Lobby.  I love their Yarn Bee and Baby Bee yarn lines.  I have been to boutique yarn stores but really have a hard time paying boutique prices.

It was a good stitching day, in more ways than one!

It was a good stitching day, in more ways than one!

So for the past month I have wanted to work on my Country Bloomers project!  Can't find the chart ANYWHERE.  I got to thinking...I wonder if it was put in the sell box that I took to the Used Book Store??
After fretting about this for awhile I had the opportunity to get to Nashville and take a look.  Lo and Behold I heard the angels singing....Ahhhhhhhh! I found it.  I know it was mine because I know the markings I had in the chart!  So excited!!! Tomorrow afternoon after all of our Nashville appointments my hope is to be able to sit and stitch on this one!  Can't let others in our group get ahead of me...yes I am competitive too!

On other notes.

I had my first finish of 2013.  I am working on the 12 months of flowers by Maurer-Stroh...find the free patterns.  They are in there.  I am thinking of making them and finding someone to help me learn how to quilt and incorporate these pieces.  I think it will look beauti-mus!  I don't think it should be too hard.  And who knows I may not ask anyone to help me and just do it myself! :)

This is the January Carnations.
Februrary pattern is Violets...really excited about this one as I really like purple and could never tire of using this color.  The color is cornsilk and it is very lovely.  Here are some progessions of how it is working out:



This is as far as I have gotten so far.  Aren't the cornsilk "purples" beautiful.  They are so close in hue but there are actually 3 different colors.

Tomorrow I hope to get some work on the "Country Bloomers"  I am making some changes to the pattern however. The pattern has the Bloomers hanging out on a laundry line.  Instead of the day of the week stitched above each bloomer I am going to place a member of our household's name above each one.  And in the bench on the bottom right I am going to stitch "est. 1995"  Thought this would give it a  more personal touch.  Here is what the chart looks like:



Happy Stitching this week everyone!  Leave me a link to your blog in the comment section so I can peek in on what you are working on!

First Finish of 2013

So I haven't posted an update in a bit...

Daughter had back surgery this month and while I thought I would get more stitching time because of that...I was wrong! :)  As you can imagine with 4 of us having Type 1 Diabetes we have had our fair share of doctor appointments this month to get prepared for appointments at Vanderbilt in April.

Here is my first finish of 2013.  The pattern came from Ellen Maurer-Stroh's free patterns online.  It is 6 something in the morning, not a usual waking hour for me, so I will let you do the google search online for it.  It is part of her Flowers of the Month.

January Carnations

I had thought about handstitching the word January on here...but I really dislike backstitching.  I said...Nah!!! LOL   But this is the January one finished.  A huge amount of mistakes but with Carnations and the colors used sporadically...it is very forgiving to the eye and turned out GREAT!!  Oh and I don't do borders much either.  If I did every border on every thing I stitched I probably wouldn't be stitching anymore.  I find them quite boring. I will frame it well with a nice mat.

Next up is the February Flowers.  

Extra updates!!

Here is the update to the January flower "carnation" that I am doing from the designer Maurer-Stroh.  Its a pretty quick stitch.  I think this is my 2nd or 3rd day.  I would say 2nd because I had to get the right colors and didn't do that til last night.  Almost finished with the greens and then bring on the pinks!!!!

Still working on her dress....should take too much longer on this part.  My eyes just get so tired of looking at the same butter hue of yellow!!

Finally finished August!!! Tomorrow I will start on September and work on the carnations above too.  Two in one day...Oh my!!

Not a stitch...but it sure comes in handy when I go shopping.  Kind of.  I can see a "pattern" here though.  I had a list of the colors I needed and I had this check off list with me too.  So I got the color I needed and the ones around it too! HAHA! I need to take a new picture of this as I have more crossed off of my "needs"!

Not much has changed on this one as it was my first to work on this month.  Trying to do something new each day!


I think my 15 projects are going to evolve some.  I know I am going to finish the ones I have already started but I thinking of doing the teapot collection and wreath collection in the 365 Tiny Cross Stitch book.  If I add them all up I think it will be over 36 projects. because I would count each month's project as 1. LOL!  I'm a cheater I know it!


Go by Amazon and check out this book...you won't be disappointed I promise!

changing challenges

I keep changing my mind on what I want to do??  I have the same WIPs that have to be finished and I will continue to work on those.  But I really like another flower sampler that I found on the maurer-stroh site!  And then in my Tiny Cross Stitch designs I like the wreath and teapot samplers too!

Ugh...the tragedies in life's big decisions!!!

3 days of Challenges

Yes, its been 3 days of challenges and I am hoping the challenge doesn't challenge itself out too quickly!

I made my list of challenges for the year and yes, we are "supposed" to start a new one each day for the first 15 days but finances are tight and I am going to have to wait to purchase the cottages that I have on my list.  And I am ok with that!  I think I am set with all the floss I need to finish up the 3 WIPs I began working on again.  I have the supplies to work on the 2 tribal patterns.  And then the Seasonal one is the only one I have not really thought about yet.
This evening this kids were such big helpers in getting the study all ready for both homeschool lessons and for cross stitching.  Feels good to have order again!  Also feels good to have the Roku for nights when not much is on the tele.

Here are my 3 days worth of progress:

Day 3:  This has been an almost 3 year project as I have said before...I take long breaks at times!  This one will be one of the first ones finished I think!


Day 2: Country Bloomers.  I should have frogged a lot of spots on this one.  But you won't be able to tell unless I point it out to you.  I will adapt it!


Day 1:  Legend of the Dogwood.  I am glad I am switching up my projects daily because this one gets to be boring at times with the colors being so similar.  Its a beautiful piece and can't wait to see more details!

Heaven and Earth Designs

I never considered or even had the inkling to want to do one of these designs because it seems so far from my skill level.  But I was scrolling through some facebook group sites and found this pattern and I LOVE it!  I am not much of an owl lover like some but I do like them.  But look closely....one of the owls has a starbucks cup! HAHA!

Heaven and Earth Designs

A blog hop post...something new!

Trying out something new today.  I really enjoy reading other blogs.  Not just stitching blogs but other blogs that interest me.  Honestly, that is how I end my day is by reading blogs on my kindle.

Here is the prompt:

What was your biggest stitching accomplishment in 2012? 
What was your favorite stash acquisition in 2012 and will you be using it in 2013?

I think everyone has now seen my big project that I finished this year after 3 years of hard work (and lots of long breaks).
If you haven't...here it is.  This is Dog Bone Wisdom.  Many people would say to me, "You must really love your dog!"  Actually, I don't own a dog and never have.  We have had a few strays come through we feed them and off they go.  But my husband doesn't like inside animals so we try and keep them to pets in cages...hamsters, fish, guinea pigs and he brought home birds once too!


I had took part in a "Stashmas" on the crossstitchforum.com's site this past year and the object was to post what we would like and they did the same.  We were matched according to where we were willing to ship to I think...but it worked perfectly!  I had been eyeballing some tribal charts that I really wanted to get!  So I chose two charts from http://shoppe.whitewillowstitching.com/  I wanted to get the penguin and the Shamu whale!  Not only did she send those but she sent matching floss and some beautiful linen to complement the patterns!  Here are the pictures from the White Willow site:

Aren't they the cutest! I noticed there were new tribal patterns online...I think they could become addictive if I am not careful but I am loving the pink flamingo!!!


Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.