something to Stitch about...

Stash: (self-explanatory)

Sorry about the flash.

Christmas Biscornu 2:

On this face I have the outlined backstitching & all the beads, then I have to complete the reverse face, which will be simple like the first biscornu.

That Bright Needle ornament from JCS 2007:

Still some red to be stitched on the upper right motif, some lilac on the upper middle, and finish the lower right and complete the outline.

Girth fuzzys for the Axinator:

One for her dressage girth and another for her regular girth. These slide over the girth (the wide "strap" that holds the saddle on, goes under her belly) to help prevent chafing behind her front "elbows". My girl has sensitive, ticklish skin, she does, precious. Good ride tonight. She's loving the hay I bought for her- waiting with prickly ears for it after our ride tonight!

There, but for the grace of God...

I spent $40-some odd dollars on a strangles vaccine for Axe, and a vial flea control liquid for Chicken today.
I went back up to the barn to ride later, and while doing so, she kicked across a 1/4" x 6" long steel pin buried in the footing. Can I tell you I nearly fell prostrate in an effort to thank the gods that she didn't puncture her hoof with this thing!!!??? Talk about a vet bill! That would have easily gone over $500 in vet & farrier costs. I hopped off & immediately picked it up. Two other teens, who aren't so obnoxious when the AssFace boy isn't with them, asked incredulously "Was that a pin???!!!" I slapped it on the ring rail & said "Yes" and politely advised them to account for all the pins when they move the jumps around (really- i didn't scream at them! I used a very neutral tone of voice!) After they left the ring, I realized this pin may have come from the tractor used to drag the footing, not from a jump. But, hopefully, the kids will be more cautious & diligent with the jumps, seeing as this pin had been there for the whole time they had been riding, and it was sheer luck their horses didn't step on it.

That's gonna hurt!

I went to the barn Saturday morning to make grain and while doing so, decided to NOT go up to Canton to make some prints of a small side-job: I wanted to save 50 mile's worth of gas, and I didn't know if my boss would have had his driveway plowed out yet (making the proposition of the drive with no where to park upon arrival iffy.) My pooper-scooper replacement Michelle wasn't feeling well, so I offered to help her by sweeping the aisle and emptying and filling water buckets (16 horse's worth x 2 buckets each). On one of my trips to dump a bucket outside, i ran into Bob the manager and he asked "what's up?" so I explained about Michelle not feeling well and me just helping her out. So anyway, TMALSS, I got a call around 4:00 pm yesterday from Bob "Do I want to make some money? Can you do stalls Sunday? I'll help". So I set my alarm for 6:00 am, woke up at 5, tossed for an hour, and was up there by 7:00 am. We were done by 11:00, but we didn't turn out- which would have added at least another 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
I stopped to take 3 Aleeves at 9:30 and drink my 2-hour-old coffee. Now I have to go back up & ride. I'm going to be so tired.

Snow Day!

Well, half of one anyway. So I went up to ride Ms.Axeu. She seemed happy to get out of her stall- the past 2 weeks has been spent inside more than outside. I tried switching saddles, but the new one is stiff from lack of use, although it fits my fat ass better. She was frisky today at the canter, too frisky, and I think my weight has been bothering her back, so I want to rise out of the saddle, which I'm pretty sure is not "quite Proper" in a dressage saddle. Anyway, either I'm tense with other riders in the ring (Ummm...Yess?) or this new saddle tosses me out of it more- I was bouncing like crazy- or she justs needs a good run, something I didn't have the nerve and the room for with a 4-person group lesson going on at the same time. Sigh! I'll have to go up again tomorrow night when (hopefully) it'll be quiet for a six-lap canter, both directions.

Here's a Creepy Kids update:

The right side house I bought a different floss- it's supposed to be the same floss color as those dark maroon berries between it & the middle house, but that skein seemed a little too monochromatic. I'm pleased with the new color.

Here's a crappy shot of the eclipse:

Sorry it's blurred, but what do you expect with no tripod and an (what-seemed-like) 18 minute shutter lag? If you didn't get out to see it live, oh well you'll have to wait a few years.

Back to the snow- it wasn't too bad when I left work at 11:00, but in the 2 hours I was at the barn we got about 3 inches. We're supposed to get more by midnight- about 6-8 inched total.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

Bright Needle's "Merry Xmas Pinkeep" from the 2007 JCS ornament issue:

On that infamous 32 ct. Jobelan "Lambswool" with DMC flosses. I needed to start & finish something new & different. It's over one, the squares are a little bigger than the size of a dime. I'll try to remember to add a coin in the next photo for scale.
Next, these aren't entirely different, but everyone needs a gratuitous cupcake shot, don't they??

2 for everyone except me (I have the leftovers at home!) for tomorrow night!

And a Little More...

Creepy Kids:

Christmas Biscornu2:

I was hoping the Kreinik filaments would show here:

Maybe not so much...

SCORE!

Here's my e-bay win:

15 skeins of floss, of which I only had the yellow already, and the seller threw in the chart too!

All for less than $22.

Slipped Thru the Cracks of my mind...

It started the other day as I was thinking I really should "Finish"-finish some of my ornaments, which led me to think about framing some small things, which led me to think if I had any frames on hand, which led me to remember "Hey I went to IKEA a few weeks ago & got frames!", which led me to think "But what did i do with those frames??" All forgotten until a moment ago where I looked on the floor behind me and espied a long narrow box in which rests my friend's Christmas present which caused me to remember "Hey! Where are those tassels I bought at IKEA a few weeks ago?" And I looked to the right of the box and lo! there it was- my forgotten IKEA bag! With tassels and frames! Which led me to remember "Hey! I took pictures of this stuff & never posted!" Which leads me to right here right now:

My friends Xmas present (yes- I'm a tad delayed in giving it to her...):

I saw on Alicia's "Pozy Gets Cozy" blog she had received a pale pink loaf baking pan, so since I was having gift paralysis, I thought of giving my friend a bread-baking themed gift. I found this red stoneware pan on the King Arthur Bread website (on sale, no less!) and also purchased 2 different bread mixes and a bread knife.

At IKEA, I found this stuff to add:

A bright red PVC cutting board, and a couple of red striped dish towels, a red checked oven mitt, and the red/white/blue striped apron. I was hoping for some groovier bright red towels, but I may make a trip to Bed, Bath & Linens & Things Beyond All Hope.

For my stash I found the following:

Those are 4 boxes of tassels ( 5 cents each!!!!) with 2 each burgundy, black, and natural-colored yarn. Below that are a set of 3- 4"x6" unfinished pine frames (no glass), and a single 9"x9" frame matted to 4-3/4" square. I think my stuff cost about $7.00 total. The linens & gift stuff, maybe $18 or $19.

Some stitches:

Fruit of the Spirit:

Christmas Biscornu 2:

Happy Hallmark Day!

I DID have a post started for last night, complete with pictures, except someone who shall remain nameless was logged onto my computer with about 13 Internet Explorer windows open, including music downloads, and my connection to the internet kept going away: "a network cable is unplugged". Yeah right! If some computer-savvy (oo-Johnny Depp) person knows why this should happen, I'd be forever grateful for some tips to prevent it.
Stitch & Bitch tonight, and I haven't stitched an "X" since, last week sometime. I think I did about 2 lengths of white floss on my Xmas Biscornu2, and I know I never posted a picture.
Oh- and I scored 15 skeins of Sampler Threads from Ebay last night for $21 & change. Now let's hope they're FULL skeins (it didn't say otherwise....) There are some awesome floss sales going on right now. I'm watching some silks, but the price for those is getting high, although still lower than LNS prices per skein. Now don't any of you go checking this stuff out and out-bidding me - you hear!!??
I will try to re-post what I hope is saved as a draft, and add the pictures- I tried to email the pictures here at work, but even that didn't escape the clutches of my "network cable" thief!

Sweets for the Sweet...

Emily came home for the night, ostensibly to ride the horse & to make Valentine's cookies.

I baked the cookies & made the frosting and let her have at them. Here they are:

HMMM.. my "network cable is inplugged".....NOT!

Everytime she's on her desktop, I lose my connection. F%$^&ing sucks.

Here's the cookie recipe:

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk, reserve white
2 cups all purpose flour


In large bowl, combine sugar, butter & cream cheese. Cream together until blended. Add salt, extracts, and egg yolk; blend well.
Stir in flour until well blended. Wrap dough in plastic in a disk shape. Refrigerate dough minimum 2 hours.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8” thickness. Cut into desired shapes with lightly floured cutters.
Place ½” to ¾” apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Leave cookie plain, or brush with reserved slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges turn pale golden brown.
Makes about 4 dozen 2" cookies.

It's Alive!

My head cold is much better; but every time I sat on the couch, I tended to snuggle under the afghan(s) and zonk out- I did have my stitching tote beside me more than once, but I never had the energy to open it.
Evening stitching time is now going to be shortened- I'm trying to NOT get to the barn until after 7:30 to avoid conflicts with AssFace people. I suppose I could stitch before I go to the barn, that may work.
I finally realize why my parents retired to Florida: it's too damn cold here!! They made their decision to move and bought a house in 1978 or '79, and did the move in 1981 after my younger brother graduated high school. This of course occurred after the oil crisis, and then the DUM-DUM-DUM.... Blizzard of '78 (all you NEw Englanders now of which I speak- the 30th anniversary was last week, replete with TV specials and Boston Globe inserts). I'm so fed up with being cold all the time- my thermostat is set for 63 at night and 65 during the day. I supplement with the wood stove, but I can't start that until I'm in for the night, which will now be later because of asshats at the barn. I just want WARM!

Remember this?

I finally broke out this thing at lunch today:

I have to say, this piece of fabric is the main reason why I try to stitch only on Jobelan. It's done over one, and the fabric has a very soft hand, like it's been washed & tumbled dry. The threads aren't tight to each other, so if I'm not careful with my tension, the floss will slide under a fabric thread, and I have to pick it back into place. Jobelan (and maybe there's a comparable fabric to it with the same qualities) seems to have sizing; it's stiffer, and the threads are "tight". It's a consistent, regular weave, too, with little to no slubs, like "natural" linens.

This piece is a Cashel, and mayube it WAS washed & dried in the coloring process. I'm too lazy to go look at the packet to see who made it. Plus there's a Tony's Pizza for one odoriferizing the joint and I'm starting to drool all over the keyboard.

Sniff!...Sigh... Cough...

Gotta a headcold, so I opted not to go to S & B tonight and spread the germs. We were going to have birthday cake for Jean, too! Oh well, I suppose being able to fit into my pants would be a postive to that negative.
The AssFace boy at the barn who likes to give me trouble was at it again last night:
He was at ringside while his "buddies" from the other barn rode around when I entered. There was a private lesson ending, and a pre-teen exercising a pony while her mom, a trainer, watched. One of the "buddies" finishes & starts walking her horse out to cool off, and the other starts warming his horse up, and I heard him say he hadn't jumped yet. He's polite, and calls out where he's going:"Inside" or "outside" or"red+ black cross rail", etc., so I stay out of his way, and he stays out of mine. 10 minutes or so go by, and he's letting the AF boy get on his horse, who starts cantering, either direction, getting used to the horse. He's not near me-which is fine.
I'm minding my own business going around the perimeter of the ring, walk, trot, canter, very predictable. I reverse and repeat. Now I've started cantering, and I'm 2/3 of the way around the ring, and on the opposite side of the ring I hear the AF boy cantering towards me, and based on the rules I've been taught, (the same rules he's been taught mind you), I ride on the "inner" loop of the ring, and he rides to the outer wall- my left shoulder faces his left shoulder "Left-to-Left" is the rule. So I'm coming around a jump and all of a sudden, he's going over the jump, right in front of me, and instead of going straight or bending right away from me, he turns towards me, so I have to yank back on Ax's mouth as hard as I can to stop/steer her left to avoid colliding with this other horse. I let the F-bombs fly, and he never even apologizes, as if!
Then he gets on his cell & calls someone- probably his mommy to report that I yelled & swore at him, becuase that's his M.O.
So now I have to look forward to his bitch on wheels troll of a mother getting up in my face. I'm going to tell her to bite me and walk away.
Never annoy a PMS-ing Premenopausal woman with a head cold. I'm just warning you.

If Wishes Were Horses...

beggars would ride, as my mom always said.

Therapy

Here's what i stitched during the game last night:

And here's what I got done at work today (at lunch of course!):

I'm having menopausally-warped PMS- I was very anxious about going up to ride tonight- dreading it, in fact. I ended up having a nice ride (as usual!) I came home ready to bawl my eyes out, being lonely, wanting to stitch, NEEDING to get some exercise & not having time, bored with work, but being too busy to be bored, wicked anxious about bills and money; I was totally pissed with Chicken last night because she wouldn't go to the bathroom,; I've been SO exhausted I could scream and if only I wasn't so tired, I could up early & jog, and if I could just get up & jog, I would stop being so tired. What a conundrum! I just want to say "F%&k this" about everything, and hop in the car & drive out to the west coast somewhere (never been, but hey- it's my nervous breakdown), and then remember my "anniversary trip" back to Ireland, and I REALLY want to live there, not just go back. Which brings up money woes again.....oh and did i mention my horrendous chocolate cravings?? There is not enough dark chocolate on the face of this planet to satisfy my lust for chocolate right now.

Did we see these ones yet? This was on the way back from Kenmare:

My boys came up short :(

I'm sure some of you may have noticed the lack of any pre-SuperBowl references last week...

I give full credit and blame for the loss on Boston's dufus mayor Mumbles, who boastfully and stupidly divulged his plans for the "Parade" last Monday. He totally jinxed The Patriots. I'm sure come re-election (is it next year?), this poor display of judgment will factor heavily in the voter's tallies.

I didn't want to talk about the game at all in an effort to do my part in un-doing any hex or curse the football gods may have placed on the team. Alas and alack, it was not to be. I do give high props to the Giants defense- I was SO hoping someone would break that Tuck guy's leg, before he broke Tom's, but he played, his whole team played, PLAYED with heart, a hard-fought battle and won. Kudos to them.

And what was Belicheck thinking when he opted not to go for that field goal on 4th-and-was it 12? He's not going to forgive himself that one for the rest of his life.

I managed some stitching and will post pictures forthwith. Now let's get on with things and put this bad, depressing chapter behind us all.

Bricks & Mortar...

More FOS:

It was kind of slow going, and the color changes for the masonry occurred a bit further apart than I like to skip stitches, but still too close together to end & re-start the thread. There are 3 different floss colors in there, and I haven't got the rhythm down yet, so I had to refer to the chart every 4 stitches. PAH! And the right side of this house is finished on another page, so what you see continues a bit more to the right.

More stash:

The chart is self-explanatory; the fabric is 40 ct. "Exclusive blend #4". It has a slight over dye effect, but it's a nice buttery yellow. I'm not sure what I'll be using it for, but I know I have several Want-To-Starts that would look nice on this color. I like the chart, but really only got it because I've been itching to stitch something from BBD- like from the book I got last year. Even just the alphabet sampler. People have been discussing rotations, but my scatter brain just can't wrap aound more than one large-ish project and one or two small projects at a time. Plus I absolutely HATE not having all the floss in my kitted project, and having to steal colors from one kit to the next and then not returning it. And that's because I'm cheap and don't want to buy more than one skein of floss at a time (unless the design callss for more).

So anyway, my OCD says to finish the Xmas biscornu, and then ...Ahem... remember the Wish ornament? I need to finish that, and then I can pick a couple of new smalls. ANd then finish FOS.

Oh, and I did get all my tax, FAFSA & CssProfile stuff done. I can file my taxes when I get one last document from BU. It seems they mail out the 1098's on January 31st. Oh- I mean, their "outside source" mails them out on the 31st. I told the student accounts girl that they should tell their "outside source" that I'm supposed to have the document in my hot little hands by the 31st- by law. "TEE-Hee!" she replied, "Well I don't control that."

No I wouldn't think so.