Uh oh

I'm in one of those stitching slumps again. A big part of it is because I found a dude. It's a bit of a Long Distance thing. He's been to visit me and we hit it off, now I am off to visit him in September. We are both gamers so yes, a lot of my time is spent playing stuff with him and not stitching, and I am happy.

I managed to finally mail away the last 4 Pokemon and they have since been framed by Tim. He is very happy with them all, and that makes me happy too.

Anyway, heading over to Montreal and I've already scoped out a Cross Stitch store that I am interested in visiting while I am there. I want to pick up a pair of scissors or something to remind me of my first real vacation in 9 years. I am finally at a place in my life where I can do that. I earn enough and get paid vacations now and it's opened up a whole world for me. I'm even tossing around the idea that I want to go to Australia! Me, miss social anxiety and fears everything wanting to go to Australia.

I'm even going to my first concert in 24 years this November. I bought tickets to go see Matthew Good Band. My last, and only, concert was New Kids on the Block when I was 11. Remember them? I can't even remember if I had a favourite one of them, it's been so long ago. That concert was very traumatic for me. thousands of screaming girls and I just did not have a good time at all. I think it really turned me off of going to anything else after that.

On the gaming front, I think I am almost finished with World Of Warcraft. It's been over 8 years since I first started playing back in Norway and then here in Canada. I cancelled my account a few days ago, but it's paid up until September 22nd. We shall see what happens after that. I will be playing Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn when that is launched August 27th. Lets see if that can hold my interest. The dude is excited about playing it, and I have a few other friends showing a bit of interest so we'll see!

So here's to a fun year so far. So many new things happening and new experiences being made.. now if only I could get cracking on some stitching. :)

Oh be joyful, cause that shit spreads.

Sorry for the swearing in the title, I'm listening to Oh Be Joyful by Matthew Good. He's a local musician and one of my favourites. Lets all be joyful, shall we?

I haven't really been stitching since I finished the last Pokemon. I now have Leafeon finished, and that makes 8 done. Of course the makers of Pokemon have added yet another eeveelution, but so far there isn't a pattern for it.

Anyway here is Leafeon

I am going to try and stitch more, rather than play WoW all the days. I seem to be playing a lot of that lately.

I have a couple choices on my next project to work on. I started Duality by Fire Wing Designs, and then I have Follow Me by Bothy Threads also in the WIP pile. I recently got a Fallout VaultBoy pattern as well that someone posted on reddit I'm itching to start. Aaaand, I have some requests from friends for patterns, so I'm not really sure where to start.

At any rate it feels good to be stitching again. :) 

Yay something small

To hopefully get the ball rolling on stitching this year. I spent all day working on this! :D And watching The Tudors.

So anyway, here is my first small finish for 2013! Glaceon!

I am almost done all the Eeveelutions, with only Leafeon to go. :) I don't think I'll start it right away, rather I'll start on Follow Me 2 since I have all the threads for it now.

Anyway that is all.

Ahoy.. again

I can't believe it's February! Month and a half and I'll be 35, whoosh the time is flying by.

I am still not stitching very much. My friends have me gaming (I was just gifted with Guild Wars 2) and after work when I watch Tim play his games, I'm beat from work and just feel like laying in bed.

I did try stitching last night, and of course my arm still isn't better so it was being all achy and I still have no feeling in my index finger so the needle goes all over the place and is dropped more than I'm holding it! WOE IS ME, PEOPLE.

This hasn't stopped me from buying even more stash, mind you. My second order was all the DMC Thread needed for Follow Me 2, and then these things:

All Hallows Mini - Cross Stitch Pattern, Waxing Moon designs
Black Cats Halloween (One Color Wonders), Waxing Moon designs
Halloween Alphabet - Cross Stitch Pattern, Raise the Roof
Weeks Dye Works - Okefenokee
Weeks Dye Works - Pumpkin
Tiger Profile - Needlepoint Kit
Pilot - Cross Stitch Pattern, Fire Wing Designs

and my last order which has just been shipped

Duality - Cross Stitch Pattern, Fire Wing Designs
Threadworx Floss 5 Yard - Blue Swirl
Threadworx Floss 5 Yard - Blue Navy
28 Ct. Gray Jobelan 18x27
28 Ct. Light Blue Jobelan 18x27

I'm good for this year now, I think!

I've also found a new obsession, DAVIDsTEA. Aww yeah, This has made me a loose leaf tea fan. The free shipping in Canada if you spend 50 or more is not helping at all. I tried the Mama Mia tea at a client's house and it was so good. Her daughter let me smell the other flavours she had and I ended up ordering a bunch of them. Cocomint Cream, Mama Mia, and Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait were the first three. I'm awaiting Forever Nuts, Chocolate Chili Chai and more Strawberry Rhubard to get here lol. SO GOOD.

Speaking of shipping.. the good old US Postal service have almost DOUBLED their shipping rates to Canada. What gives? For me, they're actually going to lose business because I'll really be shopping from US stores more carefully. I used to be able to get things cheaper even with the shipping, now it's going to be the same or more than what I can pay for here. So yeah, good going, USPS!

So the TL:DR version, not stitching, still buying stash, obsessing about tea. :)

My next post might be to go through my stash and take pics of all the to do things for my own reference. :)

NEW STASH!?

Is on it's way! I ordereddddddddddd...

Qty: 1  28 Ct. Ivory Jobelan (18x27)
Qty: 1  28 Ct. Star Sapphire Jobelan (18x27)
Qty: 1  28 Ct. Sage/Summer Khaki Jobelan (18x27)
Qty: 1  28 Ct. Queen Anne's Lace Jobelan (18x27)

Qty: 1  Sulky Blendables 12 Wt 4117 Fall Holidays

Qty: 2  Piecemakers Tapestry Needles Size 26
Qty: 1  Piecemakers Beading Needles Size 10/13

Qty: 1  Midnight Manor (One Color Wonders) - Cross Stitch Pattern
Qty: 1  Cozy Cub (Tiger) - Cross Stitch Kit

Qty: 1  Elegant Geisha - Cross Stitch Kit
Qty: 1  Koi Pond - Needlepoint Kit

Awww yeah. Fabric is always nice to have on hand, and I need to order some more later for a couple of the Nora Corbett fairies I'd like to do. (Of course I also have to buy the patterns and all the materials for them as well haha!)

Some of the ladies on the 123Stitch message boards have been raving about Sulky Blendables, so I bought a halloween looking one and that Midnight Manor pattern to try it out. If it looks nice, I have a bunch more One Color Wonders patterns in my wishlist I'd like to get.

And who doesn't need more needles?! They happened to be on sale when I ordered them, and I should have stocked up more than what I bought, but I wanted to keep this stash buying to about 100 dollars lol.

As you can also see, I added a couple kits. I haven't done a kit in yeeeeeeeeears. They were all under 10 dollars each so I figured what the heck. Elegant Geisha I am hoping to have done before Christmas. Koi pond is because I love Koi fish and I wanted to try Needlepoint. (Ok so I know it's technically like cross stitching but without the extra step. hah) The tiger one was because tigers are cute. :D

Anyway, that's all for now! :D

Whatever doesn't kill me doesn't make me stronger.

I wasn't going to start posting until I had pictures to show, but I still haven't been able to stitch. I did want to post an update though.

My mom made it through the heart attack. It was scary as heck. I was the one who found her, identified what was going on, and got her to the hospital asap. I am really really glad I have so much healthcare experience, and just plain gut instincts.

My pinched nerve is still pinched. I have the pain managed pretty well, but I don't have much feeling in my right forearm and index finger of the hand (of course it's my dominant arm). I can technically stitch, but I have a hard time holding and even feeling the needle because it feels like the finger isn't even there.

I'm going to a massage/acupuncturist on Tuesday to try and get this sorted out. If she can't, it's off to a Chiropractor.

I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, and the pain is proof I'm holding too much right now.

On to stitchy things!

Because of the heart troubles with Mom, this year's Christmas was pretty much nonexistent. I am just happy she was home for it, and don't really give a crap about presents. Anyway, a few months ago I caught wind of the Joannes exclusive Ginghers "Jennifer" and since mom was heading into the states, I asked her to have a look for them. After she came home from the states, I may or may not have looked through the receipts to snoop to see if she found them, and she had a bill for Joannes, but they weren't on it. I figured they were sold out. Then everything happened and I forgot about it. Christmas day rolls around and I'm sitting with Mom in the livingroom and she asks my Dad to get the boxes off her dresser. He does and comes back with the Jennifers!

I'll tell you what, when it comes to finding hard to find cross stitch things, she's a master. She has no idea what to even look for as I only give her general descriptions, but she somehow does it. My new scissors have been renamed to Karen, after my mom. :)

I made a lot of progress this year with finishes. I think this was my most prolific year yet with 18 projects finished.

My bucket list made at the beginning of the year was this:

Messenger by Fire Wing Designs Finished and mailed to Adam, UK
Summer Splendor by LHN Started but not finished. Hate it!
2011 Santa by Prairie Schooler Not Started and I think I switched it to the 2012 Santa
Letter S by Letters by Nora Corbette Finished!
Follow Me by Primitive Needle  Finished and sent to Jackie, CAN
Christmas Kitty Moon by Stitchy Kitty Finished
Britty Kitty Christmas Stocking by Brittercup Designs Not Started
Britty Kitties I & II by Brittercup Designs Made one design, the one for Ham. He passed away not that long ago and his owner put the stitch where she can see it all the time. RIP Ham, you were a wonderful Cat who lived a very long 24 years!
Cat Lessons for People by Lizzie*Kate Not Started
Buzzzz by Bent Creek Done!

I strayed a lot from the list, making random patterns for friends throughout the year.

Pinkie Pie for Ryan, US
Umbreon, Jolteon, Espeon, Eevee, Flareon, Vaporeon For Tim, AUS
Rageface for Bennet, NZ
Portal Towel for Deb, US
Tribal Orca for Jer, CAN

and Aryll whom I don't have a home for yet.

Oh and I also finished Paladin this year which was a carryover from 2011, he was mailed to Greg, US.

I really want to make goals for next year, but this arm is such a pain in the ass that I don't want to make goals and not be able to do them, so I'm holding off on next year's bucket list until it's sorted out. I still need to finish the last two pokemon for Tim, so that's the best goal I've got right now. 

I would like to thank all you lovely followers to my blog. I'm a horrible commenter, forget to reply to emails, and just a plain scatterbrain, but I appreciate everyone who has stuck with me! You inspire, enable, and your good thoughts and prayers really mean a lot to me.

Now lets have a better next year. :) I think I smell a giveaway soon, don't you? :)

When it rains, it pours (and snows.)

I still haven't been stitching because of this arm. I did finally try Aleve and it's really taken the edge off.

My Mom had a pretty significant heart attack on Wednesday, so life is busy throwing me more crap. I've just been so busy with being at the hospital, taking care of things at home, and work pushing me into overtime every day I've worked so far this week that I am ~tired~. Too tired to stitch, too tired to think. Too tired for computer.

So this is my hiatus until things settle down. I'll hopefully be back with better news in the new year.