I. MISS. STITCHING.

Hello, friends! I feel like I've been a little MIA.

Well, there is a lot going on at Chez Chaos, so much that I haven't picked up a needle in 2 weeks!!! My word. Can you say withdrawl?

Work is very busy. This past week, my partner and I conducted an internal audit of our Management, New Product Introduction, Development and Qualification processes. Four days of non-stop interviewing. Now, I have to write up my report. Fun.

On Friday, it was the Cadet's Military Ball. The DH and I attended and it was VERY cool. I always look forward to this dinner. On Saturday, I met with the Lovely Jenna's, Mom, for some serious wedding shopping. We went to lunch and then the Cadet and I had some one-on-one time, just so we could chat. He bought me ice cream. And now, I am home, keeping the fires burning cause Dave went to Pittsburgh to visit his parents and see his brother, who just came in from Nebraska for a few days. I am tending to my menagerie and trying to get some work done in my house. I am a little overwhelmed! Hence, no stitching.

SO sad. But I plan on fixing that situation as soon as humanly possible. I am so close to finishing Bea now and I found my materials for the wedding sampler (they went MIA for a day or so). Plus, I have a number of Wips to work on and, did you see the Blackbird Design freebie? Oh, how I want to stitch this darling little sampler! But I think it's going to have to go on the back burner for awhile. Exchanges and the wedding sampler, plus Bea will take up most of my stitching time.

Well, sweet friends, it's off to bed with me. I have to get up bright and early to tend to my critters. Then it's off to work. Damn, I wish I would have taken tomorrow off. But I would be cursing myself later when I really need that vacation day. Hope you are well and are spending copious amounts of time stitching.

I am jealous.

HE IS RISEN!!!!

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.

Matthew 28:5-6

Alleluia!

Let Sleeping Cats Lie

I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves...This is exactly what I wanted to do this afternoon but instead, I started my Spring cleaning. The house smells very fresh!

Ella found a new perch. The Grandfather clock commemorated my DH's 25th service anniversary from IBM.

Unfortunately, she and the barn cat had an altercation about 6AM on Friday morning. She jumped from this perch and to our horror, the grandfather clock fell over. My DH was beyond mad and he was very upset. It survived the fall with some damage, the corner of the pediment is crushed and there are a few scratches. We were pretty amazed at the lack of damage because the weights separated from the chains. We thought that the glass panels in the door would be smashed to smithereens. The glass popped out of the gasket in the door and nothing was broken.

Sweetie-girl burying her nose between the sofa cushions.

And Olivia...

Don't they look comfy?

Well, now I am going to stitch and watch TV.

Have a Happy Easter!

And there was light! And there are pictures!

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had a great Wednesday. Life at Chez Chaos is, well, chaotic!
Today, the DH and I drove 2 hours to pick up his new truck. And 2 hours back again. The insurance company finally declared our little truck dead, they took their time cutting a check and today, we drove home a new-to-us '01 Silverado. It's a year older than the dead truck but it has less miles, is a full size pickup and has a manual transmission. All criteria that the DH had for a truck was met. He's happy. The down side to this whole affair was the truck was in Pennsylvania, 2 hours away. So, I had to take a 1/2 day personal to drive there with him and then drive the Explorer home. It was a weird day. I feel like I am on vacation but really I am not. It feels like Friday but I have to get up and go to work tomorrow. My reality is skewed right now cause I took time away from work in the middle of the week.

But there was light when I got home. The sky was brighter than it's been for the last week. Granted it was SNOWING (hello, Mother Nature, didn't you get the memo stating that it's SPRING? My daffodils are shivering!! Please send warm weather, soon!) but there was sufficient light to take some pictures.

May I present to you:

My progress on This is the Day:

Stitched on 36ct Lakeside Autumn Gold with the recommended thread. Tonight I started on the black border on the right side and finished stitching the black line under the alphabet. I am having fun with this sampler. I hope to make significant progress over the weekend cause I am sticking my ample backside in the corner of the sofa and stitching. All. Weekend. Long.

Next is Feed the Birds:

Honestly, this little sampler looks like a fast stitch but in reality it's not! I really thought that I would be done with it by now. Well, I am almost 1/2 way done. I am debating on stitching the checkerboard border or just leaving it off and putting a mat on it. The checkerboard screams 1990's! But it also adds charm to the piece. I'll have to see when the time comes. The sampler is stitched on 36ct Flax linen with good ol' DMC.

And this is my girl Bea! Only 4 more motifs to stitch and she'll be done! Can you believe it?

The motif on the bottom left next to the wheat motif should be stitched 2 threads higher than where I placed it. I am debating on ripping it out or just leaving it where it is. My OCD heart is telling me to rip it out and place it where it should be (and be accurate to the chart) but my lazy self says just to leave it. It's not affecting the placement of any other motif and I know that it doesn't affect the look of the sampler. It's just not correct. And it's a reproduction. So, dear readers, what say you? Would you rip it out and restitch it where it belongs? \

Ok, so that's all the news that's fit to type tonight. I am really tired and if I was honest with myself, I am a little anxious about work. I am sure that the work thing is actually nothing, I just have a tendency to build up things in my head. Well, time will tell... I think I am going to work a little on This Is The Day and watch some TV. And then turn in early.

So, once again, thanks for stopping by, I am tickled that you are interested in what I have to say. Leave a comment if you are inclined. I love reading what you have to say to me!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Hello, World!

Yes, it's me! I've surfaced but sadly without photos. I know, I know, I will lose readers if I don't post pictures soon of my crazy life or my stitching progress but you will have to be patient cause it's been RAINING for the last 4 days. I am seriously considering asking God if he wants me to start building another ark. No light for pictures.

Let's see...where to begin. Well, you all know about the tragedy that happened in my little city. Tonight the paper ran little bios of those who were killed. So sad, so sad that I cried. A newlywed who will not see her first anniversary. A husband who did his best to shield his wife from the shooter's bullets only to have her die in his arms as a bullet passed through him and into her. A Mom and Dad who weren't at the bus stop to pick up their 6 and 9 year old after school. All who just wanted a better life, all who wanted to provide for their children. A retired teacher who just wanted to give back to her community after years of service in the public school system. There are many more stories that are sure to be told as these souls are laid to rest.

My DH took his last state test for his teaching certification. He said this test was hard. He'll find out if he passed in about a month. Now, he's sending out resumes. He knows only of one district that has 2 math teaching positions open. I am praying hard that he gets an interview. I don't want to think what will happen in the fall if he doesn't find a full time job and has to resort to student teaching.

The Cadet and the Lovely Jenna are well. Both are exhausted. Jenna is working 2 jobs and the Cadet is holding down a full time job, a full credit load and ROTC. And now, we are pushing them to finalize some of the wedding plans cause it's 5 months away!!! We need them to get registered. I am planning a bridal shower in July. I have to get busy! But I feel like I have all the time in the world. NOT!

We will be going to Rochester to the Military Ball in a few weeks. It will be a lovely time! I enjoy this dinner so much. And then there are rounds of graduations, showers, birthdays and weddings! WOW!

On the stitching front, this week I am focused on This Is The Day. Michelle and I are working one week out of the month on it. I love the colors but I am not loving the stitching behind the alphabets or numbers. It's mindless stitching. Which is good when you are listening to the TV. I've been blog hopping and I've noticed many stitchers have worked and finished this little sampler. I like the alternate colorway too that some of you've used to stitch your sampler.

And on Bea, I am down to 4 motifs. I will be frogging out one of them though cause I misplaced it. But fortunately, not much is stitched, only the outline.

And! We have 20 talented stitchers signed up for Round 1 of the Blackbird Designs Exchange Blog. The response was greater than my wildest dreams! Thank you to all the talented stitchers that signed up for it! I know we will have a lot of fun and I can't wait to see what everyone creates!

Well, that's it for my corner of the world. Hope you are well and thanks for stopping by my little corner of creation!

Happy stitching and have a wonderful day tomorrow!