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.....