Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The N Crew

Can you believe that it's the end of January already???? Where has the time gone? I thought that I would sneak in one more post before the start of February :o)

So who are these characters -

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Aren't they cute? These are some of the pieces to Noah's Crew by Imaginating. I started this project about four years ago (ack!) and it quickly became a UFO :o( With Junior on the way, I figured this was a perfect piece to go in the nursery so I got my butt in gear and dug it out again.

There are thirteen pieces in all and I'm finished eleven of them! Only two more to go. DH has already put the shelf on the ark so I'm ready to assemble it once I'm done stitching. Yes, there is actually a wooden ark! Check out the picture here for what it will look like when completed.

Some of you may notice a bit of a difference in Noah's robe and you're right, I did change the colors to suit the colors of the nursery :o) I'm quite pleased with the results. For those of you interested in how they convert to DMC, it's 3013 and 3865. LOL!

Later today DH and I go to the IWK for another check up. It will be a quick trip to the big city but that's all my body can handle right now. We also start our prenatal classes tomorrow. That should be interesting...


Saturday, January 28, 2012

Halloween Rules SAL - January Progress

Now that my 2011 stitching is behind me, I can finally share with you what I'm stitching on at the moment. I'm not sure if you remember or not but I mentioned that Nia and I would continue with another SAL this year. We had so much fun with Christmas Rules by Lizzie Kate that we decided to stitch Halloween Rules together :o)

So here is January's progress; the header and the first block -

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I'm stitching mine on 32 count Lilac linen with the recommended threads and I just love it! Luckily these threads have a lot of variegation so they're really showing up nicely.

I did run into a problem but thankfully it was early in the game. I had to frog the grass under the gravestones because I thought they were supposed to be stitched in Blackbird. When I printed out the border, the symbols didn't come out very clear but I should have known Moss made more sense ;o) It helps to refer to the colored picture from time to time. Lesson learned!


Monday, January 23, 2012

Twentieth Finish For 2011

FINALLY! Here is THE LAST finish for 2011. This is Snow Friends by Bent Creek -

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I love these kits because you don't have to go hunting around for all your supplies. Plus, I enjoy stitching on 18 count linen with pearl cotton every once in awhile for a nice change of pace :o)

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I have the frame for this piece but it's just a wee bit too small :o( I think I'm going to re-stitch this piece on a smaller count so not all is lost!

Third trimester has brought with it some unpleasant things. That wonderful energy I had is now zapped :o( I can't believe how good I felt for those few months! But I can overlook the fatigue; it's the pelvic pain that has me screaming at times. It feels like someone is tearing my legs from my body! Ugh! This has made getting around difficult, especially stairs.

At least this has given me more time to stitch ;o) So that means that very shortly, I can share with you my 2012 stitching!


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Nineteenth Finish For 2011

Whew! I'm almost there ;o) This was a big finish, not only for me but for Nia too since this was our SAL. Here is Christmas Rules by Lizzie Kate in all its finery -

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I'm quite happy with the results. It was stitched on 32 count Light Mocha linen with the suggested threads.

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Now that I've started Halloween Rules though, I'm finding the threads have much more variegation so I think I'm even happier with this new SAL. All in all though, when the time comes to finish Christmas Rules, I'll be proud to display it on my wall :o)


Sunday, January 15, 2012

Caution...B-U-M-P Ahead!

This past Tuesday, I had another check up at the IWK. Before we left, I got DH to take another picture of me so you can see Junior's progress ;o) This is us at 27 weeks -

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A little bigger, no? LOL!

The appointment went very well. The doctor is still extremely happy with my progress. I had to do a gestational diabetes blood test and the first one came back on the high side of the cut off line but the second proved it to be a false positive. I figured that was the case. I suspect it was all the candy and chocolate over the holidays ;o)

The nurse located Junior's heartbeat and it still remains strong. He kept avoiding her though so she had to keep moving the Doppler around. BOTH of us weren't happy when she decided to see if she could feel where his head was! I suspected it was on the right hand side and was right. That was until she found him and then he kept moving again to avoid her. LOL!

He definitely is an active one! I told DH that I hope this isn't an indication of what's to come... Our next check up is on January 31.

DH took this week off so we could do some baby things. Today he's putting the second coat of paint on the nursery :o) We chose Secret Garden by Beauti-Tone as the base and will accent that with stripes along the top of the wall with Muddy Waters (Beauti-Tone). I'm not sure if I mentioned it yet or not but the theme of the nursery is monkeys :o) Junior got his first stuffed monkey for Christmas and I found THE MOST adorable onesie with monkeys on it -

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LOL! LOVE IT! He's our little monkey boy for sure :o)

I still have two more 2011 finishes to show you and my current WIPs. See, I wasn't kidding when I said I was way behind on my Blogging!


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Great Mail Days

Over the holidays, my mailbox was happy on more than one occasion ;o) I have the nicest friends!

I'm sure most of you will recognize this sweet little mistletoe from Nia -

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How she had the patience to make them all herself, I'll never know! It hung proudly in the middle of our living room over Christmas. Thank you Nia :o)

Next, a box arrived from Donna (no Blog). I had so much fun going through the goodies she sent -

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I just love the blue teddy bear for Junior! I really got a kick out of my carrot bunny ornament -

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Isn't that just THE cutest???? I know I haven't officially thanked you so thank you so much Donna :o)

Just when I thought the Christmas cards were done, along came one from Myra and she included a little portable ort container -

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Just adorable and it's going right into my stitching bag :o) Thank you Myra for another one of your perfect sewing projects!

Back in December, Melanie hosted a giveaway and I was one of the lucky winners! And I mean l-u-c-k-y because no one else asked for her handmade socks :o)

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I have coveted her socks ever since I started reading her Blog so I am SO thrilled to now have a pair!!!! I LOVE THEM Melanie and thank you so much.

I also want to thank those that sent Christmas cards and ecards as well. I loved receiving them and they put a smile on my face :o)

What's up next? Look out for the b-u-m-p! ;o)


Sunday, January 08, 2012

Eighteenth Finish For 2011

Still another 2011 finish to show you :o) This one was on my ornament tree for most of the holidays. Not your typical festive colours but I still like him. This is Snow Swirls by San Man Originals -

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Yes, I did say he was on my ornament tree so that means he was actually finished-finished! Sandy supplied the tuck with the pattern. It was cheating again but hey, he's done ;o)

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There were snowflakes and a white ribbon to attach but I decided not to add them. It just made the pattern heavy looking. I'm pleased with the results as they are :o)

Thank you for all your kind and wonderful comments on my last finish. Stay tuned for some overdue Thank Yous and what I got!


Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Seventeenth Finish For 2011

Yes, you read that right... I'm so behind with my Blog that I still have a handful of finishes to share with you! LOL!

I was SO happy to finish this project because all I saw was white, white, white. I love this pattern though so I plugged away :o) This is Winter Silhouette by Imaginating -

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This is not a great picture because it doesn't represent the color of the fabric really well. I used DMC 3865 on 28 count Colonial or Denim Blue (I can't remember!). I used two strands of floss for the cross stitch and one strand for the backstitching. The pattern called for two but that looked too heavy for my liking.

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If you haven't checked out the Pumpkin Patch & Co. Graveyard, head on over and take a look at my list of 2011 finishes as well as my 2012 goals :o)