Part 10 is Done

I am all caught up now! Yay! I had to frog this part a few times but I finally got through it. I kept counting wrong for some reason. Too many distractions. 

I tried to get some pics of my chickies but my nephew was "helping" me so none of them would stand still. lol

I found out that my Sis is having a baby girl! The Dr said he was 90% sure that's its a girl. So I will be stitching a birth announcement very soon.  

Spring is Here

My chicks got to go outside for the first time. Here they are enjoying the sun.

Here's my Nephew "helping" me feed the chickens. He squatted down and then said "I'm a chicken" and then giggled. Cutie Patootie!

We finally got our tomatoes planted. I'm still waiting for some seeds to arrive in the mail so I can finish planting my garden. 

So far, I haven't put a single stitch into anything since part 7 of Around the World in 80 Stitches. I am hoping to remedy that this weekend. 

I'm Back!

I may be back, but for some reason I can't upload any of my photos to Blogger. I have trying for 4 days now with no luck. Hopefully I can get it straightened out soon.

Anyway, Here's what I've been up to. I finally got to sit down and stitch on something! Yay! And I even finished it! Yay! Yay! It had been 2 months since I even touched a needle. It felt good to get back into it again. I think my last post mentioned that I had to move all of my stitching stuff out and back in again. While it was good to be able to re-organize my stash, I did temporarily misplace some of it for a short while.

Also, I have been battling the phone company on and off for the past 2 months. We had lost the use of our phone line (and of course the internet as well) for about 2 weeks. Even when it was working, it wasn't very good service. I am hoping though that everything has been fixed now and we won't have any problems for a good long while.

And of course, it's that time of year again! We got some more chicks! Sixteen to be exact. We got Ameraucanas (they lay the blue/green eggs) and Black Australorps. We had hatched out some chicks around October in hopes that we could keep up with the egg production. I didn't realize how popular our eggs were going to be. Anyway, out of 12 chicks, 6 of them were hens. We then lost about 6 of our older hens to hawks, dogs, ect. so now we are back to where we started. It gave us an excuse to buy more chicks though.

My Sis is expecting another baby (her third) so as soon as I find out the gender, I will be working on a baby sampler. She's hoping for a girl since her first baby was a girl but sadly passed away. We all miss little Lucy.

Ok. So had planned a couple of photos to go with all of this but like I said, not working. I will get those photos posted as soon as I can though.  

I'm Having A Bad Week

I have already made a post a couple of weeks ago about how I was losing my job. My cousins that I have babysat for since they were born are now growing up and don't need me anymore. Every time I see the oldest one now, he hugs me and cries. Is it weird to have empty nest syndrome when they aren't even your kids? Well anyway, I was supposed to still be babysitting my nephew when my bro.-in-law gets a new job. Now I am finding out that my Sis will be quitting her job when he gets his new job. So I am officially out of a job. I haven't ever had a "real" job so I am super scared, nervous, depressed, feeling sorry for myself, ect.... I have been self employed and worked out of my home for the past 10 plus years so I am feeling quite lost. I know that probably everything is going to be ok in the end and I am totally freaking out over nothing. I will be looking for a new job this week.

Part 2 Done!

I got part 2 done! Things have been a little topsy turvy around here. My sister's electricity has blown out at her house so while that's being fixed, she, my bro-in-law, and my cutie nephew have been crashing at my house. It's been quite hectic but kind of fun too.

So....on to part 3!

No Photos Today

Well, I have tried to upload photos almost every day for the past week but for some reason, they aren't loading on blogger. I'm sure that will be fix soon but I thought I would check in anyway.

About a month ago, I started working on Around the World in 80 Stitches sal. I was loving it. I soon discovered that the metallic thread that I had picked out was not going to work. I ordered a couple of colors so I could choose what I liked the best. Well, I am still waiting for the threads as they are back ordered. Ugh! I finally decided to use some DMC metallic. I hate working with the stuff but I have to admit, the color is exactly what I was looking for. When I get part 1 done, which should be soon, I'll try to post a photo. Hopefully my troubles with Blogger will be fixed by then.

I have also been working a little on HaED's Fairy Frog Mother. Not much, but a little.

And my chicks will be 5 weeks old this Saturday. I was going to post photos of my little cuties at age 4 weeks but well, you know.

I realize that I missed TUSAL. I will try to get that photo up as well. Last week was kind off hectic for me. My Dad had surgery to remove a large skin cancer mass and he isn't recovering as quickly as we would all like. I'm not saying this is my excuse for missing TUSAL, I'm saying this is why I totally forgot about it. lol.

On a completely seperate note, my cousins are going back to school next week. I have babysat them both since they were born and they pretty much have become "my kids". It has been decided that they are now old enough to be by themselves after school until their mom gets home. I have known that this day was coming but it feels like I'm sending my kids off to college or something like that. I'll still get to see them but not nearly as much.  I'm trying not to be sad.

Clover and Cuteness

I decided in honor of St. Patricks Day, I would take a few photos of the clover in my backyard. I love this time of year.



My Nephew was a tired tiger and fell asleep while eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That is pure cuteness so of course, I had to get a photo of it. Hee hee!

Merry Christmas!

I decided to go ahead with this post now since I am about to be very busy. So, Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Stay safe, have fun, and try to stay as stress free as possible. It seems like Christmas can bring the best and/or the worst out of people.

I finally got back to stitching for more than just an hour. I was so proud of myself for getting in a good 4 hour chunk done. However, I think I am getting carpal tunnel. I started describing my symptoms to my Mom who has experience with c.t. and she thinks that it may be the beginnings of it. I plan to get a glove/brace to stitch with and see if that helps.

Quilting Happy Dance

My Nephew is turning 1 year old next week but his party is this Saturday. I was able to finish his quilt just in time!



This is "Beetle Boy." I think I mentioned that was going to use red fabric for the binding but I decided on an orange instead. I just couldn't find the right red but I really like how the orange looks.



I have slowly working on Mill Hill's Hummingbird when I get a few moments to stitch. I was really wanting to get more done but I had to put it on my Wipocalypse list. I am determined that I will finish it next year. I'm stitching it for my mom. I seem to stitch alot of things for her but she is one of the few people that I know that appreciates stitched gifts. I hate to go to all that trouble for someone only to find out they don't really care about it.

November TUSAL

Oops! I almost forgot TUSAL! Here is my ort jar that I have added a few threads to but not near as many as I would have liked.

My Orts.



Close up. Hee hee!



And here's one reason I haven't gotten much stitching done. My cousin taught my nephew how to climb. Oh boy. Just what I needed. He likes to look at the fishies but I have to watch him super close so he won't fall off.

It's Been One of Those Months!

I have not gotten very many stitches in at all this month. My Mom had surgery on her neck and I have been cooking and cleaning for her and my Dad. I am also still babysitting my cousins and my nephew. Of course, I still have all of my numerous animals to feed, clean, and take care of. Whew! I'm getting tired just thinking about it all! On top of all of that, there seems to be a blockage in the plumbing somewhere. We have been trying to fix it for 4 days. We work on it, it seems to be fixed, and then it plugs up again about 12 hours later. I'm ready to call a plumber but no one wants to do that yet. oh, and a neighbors dog came over yesterday and killed one of my roosters. I didn't see which dog did it so it's not like I can go complain to them or anything. Needless to say, I am stressed. I actually feel a little better now that I've got my complaints out of my system.

Super Busy

Well, Ive done it again. On top of babysitting six days a week, I am also feeding my second cousin's farm animals while they are on vacation. I have to feed chickens, cows, horses, goats, a rabbit, and cats. I get to take home any eggs that the chickens lay which is nice but at the same time kind of depressing. If my chickens hadn't been killed they would probably start laying right about now. I am planning to start over with my chickens I'm just not sure when.

Also, a poo n' spew virus has been making the rounds in my family. I haven't gotten it yet (knock on wood) so that pretty much means that I am doing all the chores that everyone can't do while sick.

So to make a long story short (too late), I haven't been able to stitch very much. This is what I did get done.....


Here is my very little progress on Legends of the Dragons.



We bought a few "exotic" Hibiscus shrubs at a Hibiscus plant sale and some of them are starting to bloom. This one is called "Super Kool".


And this one is called "Some like it Hot". I think this flower would have opened more but we are under a severe drought and everything is suffering.

A Sad Day

Due to a faulty garage door, my dogs got out of the pen today and decided to "play" with my chickens who were out grazing in the yard. Needless to say, we will be spending the evening burying the chickens. Every single one of them, dead. They weren't ripped apart but they all had broken necks from being shook too hard. I have decided that before we get anymore chickens, we need to make a fenced in chicken run for them so they will be safe. It was my dogs this time but it very easily could have been a neighbor's dog, a hawk, or anything.

This is one of those times that you just have to learn from the mistakes made and move on.

Nature!

As you may know, I babysit my 5 month old nephew, 8 year old cousin, and 9 year old cousin almost every day of the week. My sister told me that she was going to a wedding out of state so I wouldn't be watching the baby for 3 days. So I go and volunteer to paint the outside of my parents house. Am I crazy!?! It needed to be done and it seemed like the perfect time. It's been slow going since I'm basically painting it all by myself but it's coming along. I have been stitching but only at night.


Anyway, after we had removed all of the plants and stuff from the back porch, this little guy flew in and let me get some photos of him. So pretty!



This Swallowtail butterfly was hatched out by me and my cousins. We found him as a caterpillar, fed him, and watched him go into a chrysalis and then out came this gorgeous little guy.


And last of all, my dog found this critter on the back porch right before dark. I know it's some kind of water snake but I'm not positive as to which one. My best guess is the Northern Water snake. But like I said, I'm not positive. My dog seems to give snakes lots of respect and keeps her distance. I have taught her well!

I have just a few more hours to put into this RR project and then I should have some update photos to show. And who knows what other creatures I may find before then! Ha ha!

Small Happy Dance

This is White Daisy by Mill Hill Spring Bouquet Collection. It came with a magnet for the back but some of their other kits that are the same size come with pin backs. My mom loves to wear pins and broaches and her favorite flower is the white daisy so I made this into a pin for her for Mother's Day. She really liked it! I had planned to also stitch Mill Hill's Hummingbird from their Buttons & Beads series but I didn't get it finished in time. (or yet :( ) She won't mind if it's a little late.

I'm still working on the RR project but as soon as I get my part done, I will post before and after pics.

Busy, Busy, Spring Break!

I need a break to recover from Spring Break! I have been babysitting a 9 year old, 8 year old, and a 3 month old all week. I am worn out! When they all went home, I managed to plant the garden, clean out the fish pond, and take care of my baby chicks. I also took the two older kids for a hike at our local park to make it up to them for giving so much of my attention to Atticus, my little nephew. Stitching? What's that? Ha ha. No, I haven't even had the time to think about stitching much less the time to pick up a needle. After Atticus goes home Saturday, I plan to take a looong bubble bath and then pamper myself with my cross stitch.

Ok, now for some more photos of my chicks! We put them in their coup that they will be living in to get them used to it. They were a little scared but I think they like it. It's still a little cool at night to keep them out there overnight but hopefully it won't be long. I can't believe how fast they grow! We started with 9 and are now down to 7. I'm hoping we don't lose any more. We may get a few more chicks after we get these grown and in their coup permanently. The white/taupe colored chick has been named Lady Gaga, the black one (Barred Rock) is Medusa, and one of the Rhode Island Reds has been named Jasmine. The others will probably be named soon as well. I want to get a rooster eventually just because I want his cock-a-doodle-dooing to annoy the neighbors. (Evil laugh inserted here)

Atticus

I occurred to me that I hadn't yet posted any photos of my new Nephew, Atticus. So here he is! The best part is that when my Sis goes back to work, I get to babysit him! :-D





Don't ya love this last one? Hee hee!

New Year And Another Ornament

Ok, first off, here is Atticus's Christmas ornament. Technically, I should have had this finished in time for Christmas but I didn't. I had the front stitched already but I ornified it last night on New Year's Eve. I finished it before midnight so I'm counting it towards last year's accomplishments. The design is "Nickademus" by Raise the Roof Designs from the 2010 JCS Ornament Issue. This orni and the one below both turned out a little bigger than I had planned but I think that's mostly due to my amateurish construction skills.

Happy New Year to all! I cannot believe how fast the years are flying by. May this year be better than the last.

From My Garden And An Ornament

I just had to show off my broccoli that I grew! I know, I'm weird. I get excited over the strangest things sometimes. The taste of home grown veggies cannot be beaten.


This is an ornament that I stitched for my little niece that passed away after only 4 weeks at the beginning of 2010. I am also working on an ornament for my Nephew so I am planning to give them both to my sister at the same time. We have all been missing Lucy and this was my way of dealing with the sadness. We are at the same time excited to welcome Atticus into the family. It has been a very emotional holiday to say the least. Oh, I almost forgot to give all the details of the orni. This is Frosty Friends by Mosey 'N Me from the JCS Ornament issue 2008 stitched on 14 count Polar Ice Charles Craft Aida. I had to change one or two colors to accommodate the fabric but this color just caught my eye as being the perfect snowy background. Hopefully my ornament for Atticus will be done soon and I will show that off as well.

Brave Knight Finished

My nephew finally decided to come! So here is "Brave Knight" by Bucilla, all finished (edited for privacy). I had just a couple of days to stitch the date and frame it so I could give it to my Sis for Christmas. I even had to make an emergency trip to Michael's because the frame I had bought just wasn't going to work. And it was a pretty red one too. :( I work best under pressure I guess. I didn't manage to finish his Christmas Ornament but oh well. No big deal.

Our family drama wrapped itself up and ended in time for us to have a decent Christmas Day. I'm hoping next year goes alot better though.