Some photos of the makeover

Well, the extreme home makeover has really gotten underway and there is significant changes to the house. The boys put on the roof and the new soffits and fascia, it's very nice. However, the big change is the new room.

Here are some of the pictures of the makeover...

The guys finished the framing on Tuesday:







And today when we got home from work, they had put the plywood sheeting on the framing. We have a room!

I don't think the husband is really happy about it though, he is now questioning everything. In the beginning, he had nothing to say, but now, he's concerned about lighting and switches and window size. I am not sure what to make of it.

On the stitching front, I haven't picked up a needle. Honestly, I haven't felt right for the last couple of weeks. The house remodel and the house sale (I am selling my Dad's home)is a weight right now. Work is beginning to get really stressful too.
We have a number of Customer audits coming up and our big registration audit happens in 8 weeks. Plus, a large project that I am team lead for is not going as planned. I think I need a *Calgon, take me away* moment!

Hopefully, this weekend, I will feel better and want to stitch again. I feel badly because I haven't had anything to show you in the last couple of weeks.

I did break down and I ordered the Fancy work's, Lavendar Rose Sewing Case and Hillside Samplings Alphabet Needlebook.

I've been lusting after the Hillside Needlework's piece for quite awhile now. And I just thing the Lavendar Sewing Case is very pretty.
A little retail therapy can cure a world of ills!

Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler

Today, I received my Beatrix Potter Quaker sampler. Oh, my!!! IT'S GORGEOUS. Here is a picture (click on it for a larger image):



I bought the kit and I love the fiber. It's AVAS silk (actually Soie d'Alger) in the most gorgeous terra cotta color. It's going to be perfect for my kitchen. And the linen is the most fabulous. It's heavy and has so much body. The linen is 32ct Belfast in Antique Ivory. I am dying to start on it but I am going to wait for a little while. I have 2 BAP's going now and I don't want to start a third. I will go crazy!!!

Anyway, The Twining Thread is offering it, as a kit or just the chart. Criss Cross Row and The Scarlet Letter is offering it too, as well as, other shops. Not affiliated with these particular OLN's...just a very happy customer (much to the dismay of my wallet, credit card and husband!)

It's a must purchase for those who love Quakers. GO GET IT!!!

Just....Sigh...

Well, I haven't picked up a needle since Monday night when I decided to work on that mystery piece. I fixed the backstitching to make it square and I decided to cut out the spider web roses. Got one removed and then the second. BUT!!! I cut the wrong one out!!! Instead of removing the bottom 2 roses I cut out the bottom left and then the upper right! UGH!!!! This piece is jinxed. So now, I have 3 to re-stitch.

I put everything away.

I slept 2 evenings away. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I came home from work, made dinner and by 7 o'clock, I was fast asleep on the sofa. I think that I was getting over the migraine that I had most of the day on Monday. It's certainly been a weird week.

Tonight, I was supposed to go to a dinner meeting for the local section of the American Society of Quality. I went shopping instead. I bought 2 pair of jeans, 4 sweaters, a jacket and 2 pairs of earrings, 2 bracelets and a necklace. Everything was on sale. Mostly on clearance and then another 15-25% off. I got one pair of jeans for free and the other pair 1/2 price. $20 for 2 pairs of Liz Claiborne jeans. I am very happy with all my goodies.

Speaking of goodies and purchases, what do you all think of the new market releases? Any MUST HAVES? I have a list but I am not sure when I will be purchasing anything new. I loved Cherished Stitches needlecase and the Carriagehouse Samplings tombstone angels. There's more, but I can't remember right off. Today, I got conformation that my Beatrix Potter Quaker sampler was shipped on Valentine's day. That's cool.

I was so tempted to order a number of things but I exercised some restraint and just window shopped alot.

So what about you? What is on your wish list from market?

I was temporarily insane!

I value everyone's input into my *dream rotation*. I really was temporarily insane. It was from a bout of stash fondling, there are so many things that called to me. In the process of pawing through my stash, I got that feeling of guilt, all the $$$ spent and these patterns are languishing in binders waiting for needle and thread to come to life. Reading all your blogs doesn't help either! LOL!!! I see how many wonderful things that you all work on and I get caught up in the excitement of everyone's beautiful stitching.

But I will only keep the small amount of projects going at once. Looking back, I realize that a lot of projects really make me nervous. It's because I do suffer from *completion anxiety*. The thought of that many things in my stitching basket make me want to break out in hives! Also, since I am a *screamer*, stitching only on the things that are calling the loudest, I don't need to become a *guilty screamer*, stitching on those things that make me feel the guiltiest. Then stitching would just be a chore. And since work is slow, I have plenty to think about and wish that I was spending *work time* stitching. It's a death spiral that ended up in my bout of temporary insanity.

What I decided to do was to pull those patterns that are on my *dream rotation* and put them into a binder. None are kitted so I don't have that burden on my back, you know, I spent the $$$ on supplies so I SHOULD start on them. Having all of them together in one spot and will allow me to choose from them when I can start a new project. All of these projects really make me happy so I will enjoy stitching on them.

Also, I took a look at some of my *active* WIPs and I was pleasantly surprised to see that some of them are within hours or days of completion. I should have a couple of happy dances in a few months!

Karen, I will be working on Welcome Spot. That's my next WIP after Hillside School of Needleworke which should be done in the next week. I won't be able to work on Welcome Spot until March though, cause I have the Lottery II piece to finish. And some basting to do on my mystery project. With your encouragement, I will finish it soon!

Karen, Nicki,Isabelle, Becky and Myrna, thanks for reminding me that this is my hobby and I should do what's best for me. I value your opinions and I am glad that you have grounded me in reality again. I love all of you!

The construction has commenced

So, the Extreme Home Makeover has begun. The construction crew has been at it for a week. Of course, the weather has turned cold and snowy.

While the boys were demolishing the gutters, soffits and fascia, they discovered that we have water damage. Seems our roof is worse that what we expected. We sorta knew that but were hoping that we could hold off doing the roof for another year or two. Not the case. So, we are getting a new roof too. An unexpected event that cut deep into my cash reserve. But what are you going to do? One needs a roof and if it's not replaced then all this new work will be compromised.

On the stitching front, I have been noodling with my stitching plans. This is the entry in my Stitching Journal for 2/9:

I think I should make a dream rotation and then split it in two and work each rotation bi-monthly. It's a thought and I might get everything that I want stitched either started or I will at least I will satisfy my urge to start a lot of patterns. I should also make a list of WIPs here too.
These are my *identified* (ahem) WIPs:
The Castle
Welcome Spot
Twined Hearts
Bring It On
Real Roses
Wild Roses
Time & Seasons
Tree of Life
Heirloom Wedding
Charmed Hearts
Stitching Chair Necessaire
Plaid Heart
Tocatta I
Scared Silly
Gentle Harvest
I know there has to be more lurking about in various bags, boxes and baskets.

So, if I had my ultimate stitching rotation, this is what it would contain:

Ultimate Stitching Rotation:

Drawn Thread slot - Welcome Spot Sampler
Prairie Schooler slot - Prairie Year & Prairie Birds
Over one slot - Two Red Houses - Little House Needleworks
Chester County Collection slot - Elizabeth Pusey or Rebecca Townsend
Quaker Sampler Slot - Sarah Tatum, The Needlework Quaker Sampler, Quaker RR
Memorial Sampler slot - Armada, Nellie's Garden Revisited, Wild Roses
Stitching Accessory slot - Berries & Pins - Carriage House Samplings
Holiday Slot - Scared Silly - BOAF, Trix or Treats - Blackbird Designs, Snowmen designs,
Christmas slot - Heirloom Christmas - Victoria Sampler,
Whimsical design slot - Farmer Rabbit & Mrs Farmer Rabbit - Fanci That
House Sampler Slot - Tree of Life Sampler, Hillside School of Needlework - Hillside Samplings
Exchange Slot - Catherine's Armchair Pinkeep - Indigo Rose,
Lottery II -
Current WIP slot - Time & Seasons - Moira Blackburn
Reproduction Sampler Slot -
Ornament Slot -
Fun Piece slot - Miss Mary Mack - La-D-Da Designs, Bring It On - JABC
Decorative pieces - Lizzie Kate Cottage Boxers made into pillows
Alphabet Sampler - FAS
Redwork Sampler -
Freebie Slot - N is for Needles
Sample of my own design -
Marking Sampler Slot -
School Girls Sampler - Emma Jane Baker - Chester County Collections
Calendar Series - Bent Creek Snappers
Noah Ark Samplers -
Almost Done Slot -
Just Because Slot -
Biblical samplers -
Mike's Slot - Air Force, The Castle - Teresa Wentzler

What would it be like to have a 30 slot rotation? Not a rotation in the classic sense, since I am a self-avowed SCREAMER. But to start designs just because I want to, I like them and who cares when they get finished as long as they are for Moi?

DO I DARE HAVE A GUILT FREE MARCH? Will I go nuts after I started it and regret starting all these projects? Can I keep my sanity and not look at all these projects as a chore but as open ended projects? I really want to start all of these pieces, there are a number of patterns that I absolutely want to stitch in this lifetime. DO I DARE???

So,dear blog reader, what do you think? Should I go for it?
Comments welcome.

STEELERS ARE SUPER!!!!!

THEY WON, THEY WON!!!!! THE STEELERS WON SUPERBOWL XL!!!!

I am on cloud 9!!!!

Pictures!!

First of all there is a mystery post on my blog. I posted an entry *Do you ever get to a place* and no one can enter a comment on it nor can I edit or delete it because it doesn't show up in the listings of my posts. Weird.

Next, I finally took a couple of pictures and tried to upload them into a NEW post but blogger would not allow it.

I did a test entry and it worked.

So, I am trying again. Here goes.

There was light yesterday! So I took a few pictures of my progress on Miss Mary Mack and Sarah Tatum. ALso, I snapped a shot of Drawn Thread's Welcome Spot for Karen so she can see how far I am and spur me on to finish it. It's my way of preventing me from starting yet another project. I want to start Drawn Threads Season Spots into one big sampler. I've bought the linen and I have the DMC. And it's calling, calling to me to put it on scroll rods. Karen, you have to save me from the siren call of a new project! LOL!!!

Anyway, the pictures...

Miss Mary Mack...



Sarah Tatum....



Welcome Spot...



Today, I am going to work on my mystery project. It's really not a mystery to me but it is for Nancy. It's the long awaited Autumn Exchange. Nancy, if you read my blog, I apologize and I wish you had some Anti-Frog spray for this piece and my needle. Or teach me to count...LOL!!!!!!!!!

Then the Steelers are playing in the Superbowl. YES!!! I am not sure what I am going to stitch on during the game. Nothing that requires concentration, that's for sure!