A Positive Week

I really had a very positive week this week. First, I got a lot of stitching in on my BAP, Lobo. For the last two weeks I was able to get almost 1000 stitches in each week. My goal is 50 stitches per day (350/week), and the last two weeks I was able to get 950 stitches in each week! Very happy!

I've also gotten a good amount of work in on what I call my travel piece, Marriage Recipe. In fact, I have completed all the cross stitch and almost all the backstitch on the top half of the project. I probably need one more day of backstitching and then it's just the french knots, which I have decided to hold off on until the very end. Before I do them, I am going to spend a day practicing them. I think if I get good at them... and they come out the same from one to the next... I will hate them less. Who knows, maybe I will even like them!

Other positivity happened at work. I was able to get a good deal of work done, and my boss, who is usually very difficult to deal with, actually gave me a lot of credit and a lot of recognition for my abilities. We had a very frank conversation last week about perceptions of favoritism in our section. I think I was able to help her see how some of us were perceiving her relationship with one of our coworkers. I told her that while she may not be favoring her, since they are so close, no one feels comfortable telling her when this coworker is not pulling her weight, or is not following strict instructions the way the rest of us are expected to. So is she aware that this person is not working on the same level as the rest of us? Maybe not. Perhaps this person knows no one is going to say anything, so she isn't even trying as hard? And maybe none of that is happening, but because of their relationship, that is the perception and it leads to negativity.

It was not a comfortable position, but I took a leap of faith, and decided that if I spoke calmly, and rationally with factual references, and not with emotion, she would recognize what I was trying to say. And she did. She asked if there was something specific that has happened that lead me to believe she has treated this person differently. So I told her a very specific item. She was not happy, but I could tell it was not with me. She said, you need to trust me and tell me immediately when things like this happen.

Then the other people I work with told me that she gave them similar instructions. So, I honestly feel that whatever was going on in the past, may change going forward. And then, when she gave me recognition and compliments at our staff meeting, I really felt positive about the future. Hey, work is never going to be easy... and that is okay... as long as it is closer to being fair. So we will see how things turn out going forward.

Thanks for visiting!!

Some Finishes?

Unlike last week, this was a successful stitching week. I was able to achieve a page finish on Lobo and I was able to finish the cross stitching part of the top half of Marriage Recipe. I know neither is really a finish, but for me... I'm happy!

I've got a lot of back stitching to do on Marriage Recipe... and french knots... I hate french knots! But I have faith that I can get it all done by the end of this week.

Thanks for visiting!

A Little Lost Mojo

I really don't know what happened this week. On Sunday, I was all set for the week. I had checked all the dates for the SALs I've joined this week and was actually planning on posting for each on the right day. I know... unheard of for me! And then... nothing! I think it was my boss' return from vacation. It seemed like as soon as she got back, we were all miserable! I lost my mojo, and didn't even have the energy to post the progress I had made during the rest of the month.

Oh well. Here I am now, and I might as well post what I have done and then just try to reinvigorate myself and do better next month. So here goes...


First up is the TUSAL hosted by Daffycat. The post was due on the New Moon which was the 25th. If you want to learn more about this fun and easy SAL you can visit here.














Next was the Smalls SAL hosted by Heather at Stitching Lotus. You can learn more about this SAL here. This post is due on the last Friday of the month, which was the 26th this month. Yes, you saw this piece earlier in the month when I finished it.













Finally, actually due today is the WIPocalypse SAL hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings. You can learn more about this SAL here. This is the SAL I am most disappointed about this month. I was really getting a lot done on this, and I was sure I was going to hit 3000 stitches in for the month. My goal at the start of the year was to get a minimum of 50 stitches into this piece every day, but I was stitching at a rate of 100+ per day... up until this last week... when I got 200 stitches in :-(. Still hit a new record for stitches in a month... Ok, let's just get over it and try again in June.


What about my newest start? Well, that progressed a little slower than I would have liked, but it did progress and I am still really loving it.

Well, thank you all for visiting. Please leave a comment, I love hearing from you.

Two New Friends

After the unfortunate start I had on my new project, Marriage Recipe, last week, I am happy to report it has been progressing nicely since. I've maintained my 'morning interlude' (as Annie called it) and I have definitely found that it kept me a little calmer during a very difficult week. Additionally, on the really bad days I added in a 'lunch interlude'. When things get stressed I tend to work while I'm eating, so this made me actually completely stop work, look away from the computer, and relax for about 15 minutes.

I've also been stitching this piece differently. I usually start a color and finish all the stitching in that color within my frame and only then move on to the next color. For this piece, I've been stitching one thread of color at a time. I think I like this method a little better, definitely for this project with the very small count.

My husband is feeling better. I'm happy that he decided to go to a back specialist' to get a better idea of what is wrong and how to prevent it in the future. They have prescribed physical therapy. This is what I was hoping for, but I didn't want to say anything, because if it was my idea it would not have been a good one. Since the doctor suggested it... Well, you know how some men are.

Lobo is also coming along well. I'll post my monthly picture with my WIPocalypse post later this week. I was really excited about getting a lot of stitching in this weekend, but then we decided to go to a cat shelter and find a new furbaby. Ended up with two... Betty... 

and Teddy... 

Poor things are a little scared right now, so rather than stitching up in the bedroom, I decided to sit in the living room and watch TV and hopefully make them feel more secure, and let them get to know my scent. Betty has come out and has even come up on the couch to sit with us, but any noise or movement that is too fast, and she's gone. Teddy has not been seen since coming out of the box. We can just make out a bit of his fur under the couch. These things take time.

Well, that's all for now. Thank you for visiting!

A New Start

We had a pretty crazy week at work and at home. Michael, my dear hubby, threw his back out on Sunday. We were digging up a neighbor's hostas and then planting them along our fence where we have not been able to grow anything else up until now.

Everything went really well  and we had finished the first round of transplantation. Michael went back to finish up the removal and I went into the house to relax.  A little while later another neighbor knocked on the door and practically carried Michael in. He was digging out the last hosta when...

Well, I found the painkillers and muscle relaxers from the last time he threw out his back, and tried to help him as much as I could. He's been home all week, back and forth to different doctors. I'm glad he is finally going to a spine specialist and getting an MRI. Hopefully, they will be able to give him a little more of a plan and program to strengthen his back and improve things for the future.

At work, we rolled out a new learning management system, but there have been some bugs... I don't really know much about the system, and my boss, who is in charge of it, is on vacation. But the users know me. So everyday I get an e-mail from someone telling be about a problem they are having and I can't really do anything to help them. A bit of a mess. Most of our users are being pretty good natured about it, but if this does not get fixed soon, they are going to lose their patience.

To try to relax a little bit I've decided not to start work as soon as I get in (way before my 8am start time), but instead I sit in the lobby for about 15 minutes and do some stitching. As a result I was able to finish my May small this week even though the trains have been terrible going home, which is when I usually get my stitching in.

I have to say I really love this series of motifs and look forward to making them into cards. Hopefully the recipients will enjoy them as well. 

Once I finished, I was very excited, because it was time to start a brand new project. I wonder if artists feel as excited when they look at their blank canvas as I felt yesterday looking at my blank fabric...

When I bought this fabric last year I accidentally got 36-count. Definitely smaller than I am used to. I thought I was working really carefully, but I made a mistake. I got a little upset and almost put the whole project on hold until I could get a new piece of fabric with a larger count, but then I said no. I can do this, I just need to be even more careful. So I flipped the fabric, and restarted...

Not too bad for one day's work. I'm going to have to work slowly and carefully on this one, but I really like the way it is coming out so far. I will also have to use a smaller needle for the backstitching, it's already a little tight. But hey... you know what... I can do this! Hopefully this will continue to progress without further disaster and I will have some good progress to show you all next week.

Thank you for visiting!

TUSAL, Smalls SAL, and WIPocalypse - All a Little Late

Never had a chance last week to post and check in to the SAL's I've joined for this year. I thought about just blowing it off for this month, but then decided -- Better late than never! So here goes...

The most overdue is my TUSAL post which is due on the New Moon. The TUSAL is hosted by Daffycat and you can get more information on this fun little SAL here. Definitely seeing some increase, so some stitching must be getting done.

The next was the Smalls SAL hosted by Heather at Stitching Lotus which you can get more information about here. I was able to finish my April small on the last day of the month! Happy that I have finished a small every month so far this year, and still loving this little set of mouse themed greeting card designs.

Finally, the WIPocalypse was due on the last day of the month. WIPocalypse is hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings. You can get more information about this SAL here. Well this is a perfect SAL for me. Since I am such a slow stitcher, this project is seriously in danger of not being finished before the end of the world. But I keep plodding along, and I can see the progress from month to month. Hopefully you can see it too - haha! This is where I was at the end of March...

 And here is where I am today...

This year there is also a Question of the Month, and I actually have an answer for this month's question, What projects are in your UFO pile? When I thought about this question I realized that the very first cross-stitch project I ever started is my most significant UFO. This is where I had gotten after working on it for about a year, and then I just stopped...

The only other UFO I have is a project I started for my cousin. I really did well on it, and I can even say I enjoyed it. Then we had a little disagreement, and at the same time, I reached the point where I needed to add in the backstitching, the metallic threads, and the beading. Working with metallic threads and beading are two things I have not done before. After a little work with the metallic thread... well, I guess you know what happened. And here's where it stands.

The good news is that I haven't totally rolled it up and put it away. It's still out and ready to be worked on if I get the motivation. Hoping to get the motivation and maybe finish by November. It would be nice to give it to her as a birthday present.

So why didn't I have time to post last week? Well, I spent the day on Saturday celebrating my little cousin's 3rd birthday!

Then in the evening we went to my other cousin's home and booked an August vacation to Disney World. I am so excited to go back, see the parks we didn't get to see when we went down in February, and share the experience with my cousin!

Sunday was spent preparing for a business trip to Cincinnati. Since I don't like flying I try to prepare in advance as much as possible to reduce the stress on the day of the flight. I am happy to report that the trip went really well. I learned a lot of things that will help me in my job, and my talk went really well.

But now I am back and ready to stitch! Thanks so much for visiting!

Still a Little Neglected

Unfortunately, I did not have the time available to work on Lobo that I was hoping for this week. Well, let me be honest... I had more time available than the time I actually worked on him. But it was one of those weeks that I had a hard time working on him. I started thinking a lot about my mom on Easter. And then my cousin mentioned that he had been thinking about her and was really missing her. We all feel bad that his little one will never get to know her. So, we all had a really nice afternoon, and a lot of fun watching Isabella and her Easter Egg Hunt.

She started with a little help from her mom. But then she got into it on her own.. 

But she needed a little help from Grandma and Daddy to get all the eggs open and find the goodies inside.

At the end of the day, there was just a little bit of a cloud over the day. I guess it just takes time. I try to focus on all the happy times we had together, but I miss talking to my mom so much!

I did finally get back into Lobo on Friday, and between Friday and Saturday night I got a few good hours of work into him. Mostly though, I worked on this month's small project.

And started planning my next big project. I've decided it will be a wedding announcement, but a different one than originally planned and for a different couple. More on that in a week or two.

Thanks for visiting!