On my previous post, WENDY asked me what the red lines are on my fabric. I dont like gridding much as i am slow and always have to double and triple check the lines so i thought i would give Magic Guide by DMC a go. Now its no where near as nice to stitch on as Jazlyn but it saves me time but i had not seen any that some one had used it and washed the red lines out, so i cut some off my fabric and  followed the instructions on DMC's web site, which to be honest were not very good, wash at 40. That was it.

So i did that i put it into a bowl  at 40 and what happened.... nothing, i left it for a bit longer, still nothing. Panic was now starting to rise and hubby tried to rub it together. By this time i was on the edge of hysterical, all that work for nothing. I then put some washing powder in and it started to disappear. Hysteria abated i left if for another few minutes and this is the end, but very tatty product( lesson learnt not to let hubby had hold of my fabric again.)

you can faintly see the lines when you hold the fabric up to the light, maybe more soaking would eradicate it completely and i wouldnt use it if you could see the fabric but for HAED its perfect.
Now onto a mid week update on Corsair Daemira. I started stitching her on Saturday morning while having a marathon DVD session and by Sunday night I had got this far...

and that was stitching most of Saturday and Sunday, I wish I could stitch faster. I finally finished all the blue and by Monday night i had got this far...

I may even get half a page finished before the end of this week as niext week is the HAED SAL so i will be working on Fragile Heart, and i am not enjoying stitching on 18ct no more it feels too big, if that makes sense.
Hope everyone is having a productive week
.

Finally Finished ( page one that is)

Yes i did it, not like there were many stitches to put in, but there were a few colour changes, in there.

Dont know wether to continue with this page or make a start on Corsair Daemira, ( which will have to be renamed as i always have to look up the correct spelling- suggestions welcome, as i cant think  of any)

Quick Update

Did very Little stitching this week, on DOTF life seems to get in the way. But i AM going to finish this bleeding page this week, i am!!

Now must get back to planning this menu out for school, hubby back soon and i said i wouldnt touch the computer  and my stitching, will be glad when its next week and i get 5 days off work!

Yummy Johnny

WOO HOOO!! Got tickets to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides, tomorrow, yummy Johnny Depp, looks disher as a pirate than in real life, so to celebrate i bought...... another head yes i know i said i wanted a quick stitch, but i got a soft spot for pirates and mermaids, and i couldn't resist.
CORSAIR DAEMIRA, by Nene Thomas

I have also been looking for something quick to stitch so i could stitch when i am out, so looking for a mermaid or pirate theme to stitch.

Now just to tell the kids, as i have only got two tickets, that wont go down well!

Restless

No picture Im afraid as HAED's are so slow to stitch up, what i need is a really fun stitch thats not too...trying to find the right words but all i can come up with is concentrating to stitch?, A Quick Stitch?,  does that sound right? hmm well i know what i mean but hubby has banned me from buying any more, pah bloody men!
I  could stitch my LK Christmas Rules, but its summer and well i don't do christmas charts till at least September/October, so no idea maybe i should start my mirabilia.. does anyone else ever get like this?
Think i will look for some freebies, i may find something there.

I may be just on one of them moods lol

So how many would you say is too much to have on the go at once, how many do you have?  and how many charts/kits do you have in your collection? I think sometimes i should stop wanting to start and actually finish what i have!

Fragile Heart

Crap photo I know!

Page 3 was emailed to us this week so i really need to pull my socks out as i really want to finish a HAED this year. It is the SAL tomorrow so this I took a photo to show where I am at the moment, I should at least finish this page this week.  Looking forward to seeing her eye come alive.

May TUSAL

Bugger, i knew i would forget to post my TUSAL, well better late than never. I even got rid of the jam jar too!!

On the stitching front i havent done any as i have been preparing for my new job, pah work who needs it!

Black, Black and more Black

MY STITCHY BUG IS BACK!!!, Sorry i had to shout about it as i thought it had buggered off never to be seen again, i have got back into my mermaid again, and took it with me camping, I only took two colours with me 3371 and 301 ( dark brown and black), i did all of these two colours on page 5 and i have started page 6 which most of it is just black.

I really wanted to put it down and finish page one of DOTF but i am going to try and get all the black done before i swap, well as much as i can before Friday as its the Freebie SAL on the HAED BB this week.

The trouble with HAEDS are it doesn't look much but it takes me ages to stitch, so I'm happy with the progress, i am hoping you can see a difference at the end of the week

REALLY NEED TO GET STITCHING

I took the baby sampler to my sisters yesterday after i went and bought a frame for it from IKEA, and it looked really good, although i nearly killed my husband when all i asked him to do was to put the wire on the back of the frame, and what did he do, he only went and bloody broke the glass!

I wasn’t best pleased and threw a massive strop at him, I mean it was Good Friday at 5.30pm, where would be open at that time? Well it happened there was a place local to us and in the end i was really pleased i went as i have seen the most gorgeous frame that was just what i was looking for!

My Mermaid that is screaming so loud at me now ( busy working and loads of paper work to get sorted before i move kitchens at work) would look perfect in the frame, all really old fashioned and heavy like the ones that were used in the days when Tall Ships roamed the seas, so yes i was annoyed at hubby but i wouldn’t have seen the frame, so i am now all packed for 4 days camping with no kids and my stitching is in the car ready for tomorrow, so hopefully we will get plenty of sun, stitching and relaxation in, and i will have an update to show when i get back.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and don’t eat all your kids Easter Eggs!

Happy Dance Time - Finally

Yes, i have been stitching, but not much as it seems since i have moved all i do is work get home tidy house go to bed early and i am up at 4 for work again, stitching seemed to have stopped.

But one reason is this little thing, I have finally finished it, well all I am doing anyway.

I didn't enjoy stitching this, and i was determined not to stitch anything else till i did, yes i know its stupid, but if i had put it aside I would have never finished it, so I am going to find a frame for it and get it to my sisters as soon as possible as I am sick of seeing it!

Mermmie has been screaming out to me every time i saw her, so tonight after my 8 hours stuck in a meeting. she will have some stitches put in her!

Well my goals are some what unrealistic but i have done at least one.

Updates

I  have made little progress of anything since i moved, as you will see, but I MUST finish the baby sampler, as last weekend was the Christening, and Charlottes first Birthday was today, so I really need to get it done.

As for my others well, I am still on page one of Fragile Heart, even though the second page has been mailed out to us.

I did make a start on Marilyn, but alas you cant tell which part it is yet, i think its near her face.

I am still on page one of DOTF, i think my goals are going to fail miserably this year!

Here is my start of Daffodil Springs, another Hannah Lynn which was my treat for moving, yes like i need ANOTHER new start.

And finally here is a piccie of the cupcakes i made for my nieces christening/birthday, not happy with some of them as my hubby was complaining saying i was getting the buttercream was too near the edge, but i prefer them that way, but i have got to make some more, for a child's birthday that was at the christening, so i will do it my way this time!

Am i missing much?

I am still here, but no internet fingers crossed it won't be long, i hate been internetless, how did we survive before

just dont hold your breath for loads of updates my  stitching bug is asleep

Before and After

Well we have finished taking out all the new units and replacing the doors, we were told to leave our new kitchen in, that we had paid for. I don't think so was a watered down version of what i said.
I mean what's the point as they are knocking the houses down, Hubby said they would take things out what they could sell, well we have left them a kitchen in. Just not our new one.

When i look at the photo now it reminds me how much hard work we put into the house and now we have a leave it all behind.

My mum did says that at least i am leaving that dreadful colour on my kitchen wall behind!
Honestly her house is painted in magnolia in every room, I hate magnolia with a passion. So guess what colour my new house is. Yes thats right Magnolia from floor to ceiling in every room!

I am Moving!!

I am still here, but i am not stitching at the moment as it has been a mad rush. To find a house that the rooms are bigger than a box has been hard, they were either far too small and expensive to rent, only for 6 months, or just right but way off our budget. So after months of looking and stressing  i can finally say we have got one!!
10 more days and were moving so now is the dubious task of packing. We have only been here 2 1/2 years and to say we had nothing after the house fire, how the hell did we manage to accumulate so much crap!!

So i have made a start on throwing out all the things that the kids have kept and not thrown out and trying to decide what we actually need and what i can make a start on packing. Next Saturday can not come soon enough, the days are dragging and i wish we could move this week!

I will have no internet for about 3 weeks when we move too so how we will cope we don't know, but hopefully my stitching mojo will have returned and i will have lots of updates to show. Now i am off to wade through all the things the kids have decided to keep and throw out, and what's betting that i will make a few changes there!

Here's Looking At You Kid

Here she is, and i have really enjoyed stitching her, so much that i am this week going to stitch another Hannah Lynn, Dreaming On The Farm, (  aka DOTF)  this week, I even remembered to fray check this piece.

Didn't Manage to Get As Much Done

Yay, i finally finished all the black on Fragile Heart, but boy did the last 1/4 of black take some doing. I have been playing taxi service with the kids and only have managed to stitch here and there but i will have to wait till next month to fill the bits in, i have seen a page stitched already on the HAED BB and the pinks just pop.
Will post a piccie tomorrow. Grumpy git (AKA the husband) has gone to bed and the camera is upstairs and its just peaceful with him asleep. should really go to bed since i am at work in 6 hours but I am drooling over Johnny Depp, yummy lol

TUSAL and monotone stitching

Well what can i say, black, black and more black and i am still only 3/4 of the page through, i am hoping to finish with all the black tomorrow as i am wanting to 'colour' in before i put it away on Friday.

And here is my TUSAL, on time too, woop woop ( lets see how long it lasts) most of my things are packed up so my orts are in a Baileys glass until i move and unpack and find something better to put them in. Can you see what's left of the candle - hubby didn't think to move it away from the fire, the dope!

New Start for the New Year

Well first of all, a Happy New Year to everybody! I hope everyone had good christmas, I am debating wether to take down the christmazs decorations today or not, i know my mum says it is bad luck but hell, im going to be homeless soon so im buggered anyway lol

I have decided to not do stupid resolutions that wont last( well not many of them anyway)
but i Do want to do the following:
try and read as many blogs as possible and keep up to date with them
reply to mail asap - as i tend to forget to reply
not change my avatars all the time, i am going to see if i can keep little miss mermaid for a whole year and not change my blog ( well after i have choosen a theme that i like)
NOT buy any more stitching patterns (this one may be hard when HAED keep releasing patterns to die for)

also i am wanting to take things as they ome and make the best of what i have got, there are people worse off than me
and be happy so any moaning posts you can offically kick my but!!

Now for the updates, been stitching Fragile Heart for the HAED SAL and have managed to do half a page of all the black, might do a bit more of her, would really like to get all the black out of the way.

She is stitched on 18ct 2 x1 and i really need to fray check the sides as there is not much room around the edges.
next I started a bit of Mermaid again, but i think i went into stitching overdrive and got fed up of stitching so went looking for a house to live, found nothing and went to bed depressed, i think i should have just carried on stitching.

Now i have to tidy the house up before i can do any mores stitching. i may be a while...

Goal Reached Just In Time

Well I Did it!! i reached my goal of completing four pages of my Mermaid this year, yes it is close and i would not have done it if i had not stitched all day during the Christmas holidays but i can now kit up for the HAED BB SAL that starts on Saturday, don't know what i am going to stitch until then, but i know my husband id relieved as i would not put the stitching down, and he was having to make his own cups of tea, aww poor thing lol.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas!

It's Beginning To Look A Bit Like Christmas

My news years resolution should be do finish something i start. As blogging everyday didn't go to plan. But thats Christmas for you.
Anyway i am showing the very little progress i have done on Mermaid, can you see them 20 stitches? No, well honestly they are there!

Took the photo on my new christmas present, well to be honest hubby bought a camera and said it was a joint present for both of us to each other. Now i know i shouldn't be ungrateful but he wanted a camera so got it i didn't want it, yes its better than our old camera but it wasn't high on my list of 'must get', so will i get to unwrap a handbag, purse even some glovers or slippers on christmas day, No as i have it now, yes i am feeling in a very selfish mood tonight, bloody men well it could have been worse, it could have been some tool or kitchen appliance i got.

Grumpy Bev has now left the building, so back to normal service...
The 2011 Weekly Stitch-A-Long Blog is now up and people can join in and i have put on to carry on with mermaid, but i bought this chart from Celtic Rose Needlecraft,


some of you will know that i have stitched Marilyn before in the 2009 SAL blog. So i am not bot sure which to put forward for the blog.

There is also another SAL i am doing on the HAED BB. From the 5 charts i chose Hannah Lynn Fragile Heart, I have got the floss list emailed through to me so i know have to get my fabby sorted out and make sure i have all the floss, as this also starts on the 1st Jan 2011.

Will i finish a design next year, who knows i managed to finish 2 UFO's this year, i am hoping to finish at least one next year, and as for reaching my yearly goal on the HAED BB of finishing 4 pages of Mermaid, well that is looking less likely all the time

Page 3 Finally Done!!

Yes, Yes I know, no update or anything from me for a week, but what a week i have had, who was i kidding that i would be able to update never mind stitch! The last week of school term is mad, plays, Christmas dinner, parties, carol services, mad, mad, mad.
I have been starting work at 5 in the morning, finishing at 3 no breaks, no sitting down nothing, getting home and collapsing for a half a hour not moving, then starting again at home, so when i finally sit down later i have just been like a zombie, and they say men have it hard and we have it easy! when they finish work thats it, fat chance of women being able to do that!!!

OK rant over

Here is Mermmie, i was hoping to get page 4 finished before the year end, not sure if thats possible now, but going to give it a go, on the bright side i did finish page 3 !!!

a finish is a finish right? only another 21 pages to finish lol

as for the advent calender, well i haven't even had time to put it together yet,

Damn You Internet

Yes I missed a day due to AOL deciding to throw a strop and stop working.

So here is Mermmie, and finally her face is done and I am starting to fill in her hair, you know the stitches that have just one colour in, damn they take some time doing. Love her face now


Yesterday we had a Log Roll, i always make them for Christmas Eve when we have the in laws over for tea,

 and today we have....

Mine Pies, NOOOO I detest Mince pies, with a passion, i WILL NEVER make them!!

Said i wouldn't Get Much Done

and today is a ham joint, i made a roast honey and mustard joint for Christmas last and it didn't last very long,now im off to drool over watch Eclipse again with the kids

Won't get Much Stitching Done Today

I started to do a bit of her hair, after i finish with the yellow at the bottom of the page I am going to finish them few stitches in her face, but this colour is taking ages to do.
I am going to Eclipse now though so i will have to give the TV for undivided attention, mmmm Team Jacob or Edward ( both I'm greedy lol)

 Today was a garland, we did have one but it got squashed in the suitcase and didn't reassemble anything so my youngest has now changed it into a wreath for her room , well i think its supposed to be a wreath anyway.

Its Officially Christmas

I decided to make the trifle( minus the sherry, yuck!) yes i changed my mind, but I'm a woman and thats what we do lol, I did get a bit carried away a bit with the chocolate flake, but who doesn't like chocolate!

As i thought, i didn't get much done on Mermmie but still progress it progress.

For the calender we have little biscuits, - if you can make them out, which no i am not making today. Maybe later though lol,

and why is official?   i have seen the Coca-Cola advert today, so Christmas is now here! now if only i could write the christmas cards out, however, it seems my children have bet me to it and used all the cards i bought and left us with  the dodgy ones. Lovely.

Salad Anyone?

Well the trifle didn't get made as the kids had ate all the jellies, and i wasn't going to go 5 miles to the nearest shop to get one, but after a bad day at work didn't really feel like making one.

I did manage to stitch some more on Mermmie, and i want to stitch on her all week. On the HAED BB my yearly goal was to stitch 4 pages of her, and i would like to nearly be there, as after page 4 ( not that i have finished page 3 yet) there is only 1 3/4 pages to stitch and a lot of them are blocks of colour.
I do think though that it looks a lot better when viewing from afar as when your right on top of it you can not make out any of the detail, it wasn't till i took a photo that i noticed the flower in her hair.
Not the best photo since my youngest dropped the camera in the snow. Will not get much done on her today as we are going to my mums for tea for my step dads birthday, and she doesn't like me stitching.

Today we have a bowl of Salad on the calender, hardly salad weather at the moment, as it is still cold. I am off to now thrash my youngest on Wii Fit, and prove that 37 is not ancient!

Busy,Busy,Busy

Yesterday was like the title says a busy day, i did manage some stitching just not on Christmas Dreams, the bed side lamp is much better for stitching and yes i was being lazy Mermmie was at the side of my bed so i stitched on her last night as my legs just couldn't make it down the stairs to get C-D.

After blogging i dug my car out, dug path out, baked the christmas cake, and boy you can smell the alcohol in it, put the Christmas Tree up ( which i hate but not buying a real tree this year) and managed to make hubby a steamed sponge pudding, all this in 4 hours, so today i was hoping that with it being -11 on the car temperature and black ice everywhere that they wouldn't open the school, but alas they have. The head who lives a mile from me had texted to say it took him an hour to get there( its 8 minutes normally) and be careful, I HATE ICE!! as much as snow.So instead of being able to finish the house off and then stitch i have now to crap myself while driving to work, yes i may live in a beautiful place but all the hills make driving bad at this time of year.

So roll on this afternoon, when i am home and can have the fire on and relax because, ice,snow and kids in school just don't mix!

oh i almost forgot today we have Trifle on the advent Calender. Sherry trifle, yes brings back memories of Christmas parties when i was a child in the 70's the women drinking Snowballs, men on the bitter and us kids sneaking some punch that would have but a horse on its back, while Slade and Wizard were playing full blast, never had trifle since then, may make it for tea tonight, that's if the kids haven't ate the jelly...

Let The Battle Begin

OK so the whole advent calender situation had not eased, the buses were cancelled, the roads were dodgy to say the least and the thought of digging the car out filled me with dread, why make work when it will snow again?


So  there was still no calender for the kids and they were drawing battle plans up, offering them a Kit Kat as a substitute  didn't seem to work and i knew they were up to something, They wouldn't even put the little Panetonne in its place on my advent Calender.

it had come to desperation now, where i had to accept defeat and go to the supermarket with the in-laws as my driving skills in the snow are crap.(plus my little focus was still covered and their 4x4 is a lot better in the snow than mine.)

So after spending 4 hours of being pulled to bits, from  'not making the Christmas cake months ago, what kind of wife am i?' to ' why am i putting the tree up too early, christmas eve is much better', and the classic 'my son could have been living in Australia if he hadn't met me and i had got pregnant',  I am finally  home, the kids have their advent calender, the oven is warming up as i am making the Christmas cake today (yes it is late but i was canceling christmas altogether when i first learnt we had to move) and i may even put the Christmas tree up, before all the snow melts and it no longer feels christmassy. The stitching may not be as much to show tomorrow, but i will spending the last day before they re-open the school tomorrow, getting into the christmas spirit.

I just wish a little elf would get into the christmas spirit and dig my car out for me... well the fruit for the cake will have to soak in the brandy a bit longer if i am to get my car out, unless my prays for more snow are answered. I am now off to battle the snow drift I may be some time...

Its the Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Last year was the first year i didn't get my kids a chocolate advent calender each. I was fed up of the kids arguing over who had been opening their calender and sneaking heir chocolate out. Remember Billy Bob Thornton in 'Bad Santa' and the scene with the kids advent calender? Well that was our house every year.
So to stop the constant battles that took place i bought this advent calender, and there was peace and quiet, no more arguing over missing chocolate, there was just arguing over NO chocolate, it was worse than ever!
Who ever said best laid plans and all that...

Well i liked it, its by Amanda Loverseed, who designs the Cut Thru Designs by Bothy Threads, and being a cook and food i thought it was fitting, i even tried to make everything on the calender ( but failed miserably - it would have been cheaper to buy the chocolate advent calenders three times over) I can honestly say that i would not have been a candidate for attempting to cook an entire recipe book like Julie and Julia, ( i watched it last night while attempting to stitch with the crappy light)

But this year there has been mutiny in the ranks and i was subjected to an ordeal that will scar me for at least a week, they all ganged up on me and i was bombarded with snowballs, till i yielded.
( which to be honest didn't take that long) so yes they are now going back to their calenders with the chocolate that tastes awful in ( unless i buy a Cadburys one then it might be me sneaking chocolate out of them lol)
and we will once again have a house full of the joys of ' WHOS BEEN EATING MY CHOCOLATE!!!'  ringing all through the house, yes Christmas brings out all the joy and love - just not in our house.

So the reason for this babbling post is that i have decided to share my advent calender with you and every day will post the days picture of it, along with what stitching i happened to get done the day before even if it is only 10 stitches - you have been warned.

Now i just have to dig my car out of the 4 ft drift it is currently sitting in, and decide wether i dare drive in the snow, or catch a bus, which come to think of it i haven't seen a bus for a few days- and buy the kids their advent calenders before they sell out( and one for me- but thats just between us)

oh i forgot to add yesterday that this is the chart my hubby bought me to try and cheer me up ( i couldn't start my other new charts as he didn't know i got them lol) it is called Christmas Dreams, but look at all that detail i will still be stitching this when I'm 70!