Catching up...

Hey all,

Quick post to catch up. :)

I finished Easter Parade. Such a cute, fun stitch. I love eyelet stitches, and this design is full of them. I also love the purple border (GAST Berry Cobbler).

I broke down and ordered the rest of the NPIs I needed for CaHRH. I had been trying to order them a block at a time as needed to spread out the cost, but we know from my last post that obviously that wasn't working for me. I finished both blocks 2 and 3 this month. I have started block 4 and would like to complete it and block 5 during April. The bazillion white snowflakes on block 4 are already getting to me however.

I also started a couple of things...

Rise and Shine by Bent Creek. This is a cute little all inclusive kit that came packaged in a coffee bag. This will look cute hanging in my kitchen eventually.

And I started the Blackbird Designs series Anniversaries of the Heart. I am following Nicole's lead and stitching these on 40 ct. Meadow Rue (I hope she doesn't mind me copycatting). I am looking forward to all of the personalizing that I will get to do with this series.

I also rearranged my WIP storage. I had been keeping tons of projects in mesh project bags stored in a basket in my sitting room, which was fine and working, but messy looking. I had so many that I was having a hard time narrowing my focus. So I decided I needed a different solution that would allow me to have variety but not too much as to be overwhelming. I repurposed a little 7-drawer cart that I had been using for scrapbooking. This has been perfect. I have a project per drawer. The drawers are lidded so it is very easy to pull a drawer and go stitch in any room. All the supplies needed for each project are in the drawer, so it stays pretty organized.

If you look carefully in the above picture you will see a cookie sheet next to the drawer unit. I have found that I prefer using these with magnets to hold my charts and keep my place. I have one of the smaller boards that is specifically for stitching, but found I like this better. It looks a little silly, I guess, but it works.

My stitching has taken a backseat lately to reading. Michael surprised me with a nook as an early anniversary gift. I love it. I don't want to put it down. It is so much fun (and a little dangerous!) to be able to shop for books anytime. I have been keeping myself in check though. I am trying to order one book at a time and wait until I have finished it before ordering another one. Currently I am rereading "Voyager" by Diana Gabaldon, and I am enjoying it just as much the second time around, as it has been several years since I last read this series. I am really enjoying the free sample feature that you can use with the nook/Barnes and Noble. As I see books that I think I would like to read eventually, I download the sample chapter so that I will remember the book and be able to check it out more in depth before committing to the purchase. I thought I might would miss holding an actual book in my hand and turning the pages, but not a bit. If you have a favorite book that you would recommend, I would love to hear about it. I am always interested in reading new material and new-to-me authors.

One more week of work and then we are off for a week of spring break!! I am hoping to travel a little and do some home improvement projects...more on that later.

Until next time.....

NPI woes...

I would have finished block 2 of CaHRH by the end of last weekend, if I had had NPI 871 like I thought that I did. I thought that I had all of the silks I needed for block 2, but I guess that is what I get for thinking. LOL! So, aggravated but still determined, I dashed off a quick order to Needlecraft Corner and promptly began block 3 which I was sure I had all the supplies for. See that pretty, unfinished pineapple in the picture below. It lacks NPI 313 which I also thought I had. That did me in.

It took me less than 10 seconds after discovering my lack of 313 to chuck that baby into a project bag and put it back into WIP oblivion. To ease my frustration, I promptly started BBD's Easter Parade (which thankfully I seem to have all the threads for...at this point anyway!).

Needless to say, I will be dashing off another quick order to Drema because I am determined to get both of these blocks finished before the end of March and get back on my (self-imposed) schedule.

In other news...

I was recently honored with an award from both Jolene and Faye. I greatly appreciate that both of them thought of me. :)

I am supposed to tell seven little known or unique facts about myself. So here they are, in no particular order...

1. I am a Disney fanatic. I have turned my husband and son into Disney fanatics as well. We try to visit the parks for an extended vacation each year. I scour the internet for tips and trivia. My friends ask for my help in planning their trips. My basement bathroom and one of my school offices is Disney themed, and that decor is starting to leak into other areas of my home as well. I have more Disney art on my walls than cross-stitch.

2. I love electronic equipment--computers, phones, iPods, flat screen TVs, gadgets, etc. I jokingly tell my husband that I would rather have the latest electronic gizmo than jewelry for special occasion gifts. (Honey, if you are reading this, a Nook for my birthday would be fabulous!!).

3. I sing. I am a member of my church's praise team, and I love it. I much prefer singing with a group as opposed to singing solo, however.

4. I've been cross-stitching for 20 years, but feel like I have so little to show for that amount of time. I gave a lot of stuff away, and I have a lot of stuff stored. I have very few stitched pieces hanging in my home, but I am making an effort to change that before the end of the year by either framing some things myself or having them custom framed.

5. I once met John Travolta in a Red Lobster in Florida and got his autograph. I was (am) a huge fan of Grease, so you can imagine how excited I was.

6. My husband's middle name and my first name are the same--Kellie/Kelly.

7. I met my husband on a blind date that I VERY reluctantly agreed to. Almost 14 happy years of marriage and a wonderful eight year old son later, I am so glad I didn't back out.

There you have it... a little glimpse of me that you didn't know previously. LOL! I am supposed to pass this on to seven blogs I love, and there are so many to choose to from that I love. And I am not sure who has been selected already and who hasn't, but here are my nominations...

Natalie - a . stitch . in . time

Doris - A Pause in the Journey

Natasha - A Stitcher's Ramblings

Lainey - Lainey's Stitching Hoose

Nicole - Nicole's Needlework

Siobhan - Notes from Blue Hen Hollow

Melissa - Words and Blooms

If you want to accept this award, the following are the list of rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

2. Paste the award on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you.

4. Tell 7 interesting things about yourself.

5. Nominate 7 blogs and post links.

We are going to see Alice in Wonderland tomorrow night in 3D (refer to #1 in my list above... LOL!). I can't wait!

Well, Survivor and stitching are calling, along with a pan of snickerdoodles....

Kellie

Plugging away...

My stitching has been really scattered lately. I have stitched a lot, but I have picked up and put down so many different projects that I really don't have a lot of progress on anything to show for the last couple of weeks.

However, the last couple of days I have consistently worked on block 2 of CaHRH. I am hoping to have this block finished before the end of the weekend.

I also want to say a big thank you to Lainey. I recently won a giveaway on her blog. The picture below is what it looked like when I first received it. It was like Christmas in an envelope. :) To see what I won, click on her name above. It was very nice and very generous, and I really appreciate all of it... Thank you, Lainey!

Here's hoping all of you have a wonderful weekend full of little x's. :)

Have a good one!