Another Finish...and a PLAN!

Yes, I've been finishing off projects! Here's the last of my lingering smalls. It's Penguin Hugs by Paw Printings from the 2004 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue. I'm not normally one for *cute* but this one got me. I don't remember how many years ago I started him (guessing maybe six years), but he lacked only backstitching, border, and charms.



Stitched on a random, unknown lugana (32ct, I think) from a Silkweaver's grab bag. Don't know why it took me so long to finish. I must have been distracted by something shiny.

As I mentioned, the little guy is the last of my smalls I needed to finish up. This brings my current WIP count to SEVEN! Yay!! Haven't had a WIP count that low in more years than I care to think about. Here's the current list:

1. Egypt Garden (Chatelaine Designs) - BAP - 75% complete
2. Evening in the Park (Chatelaine Designs) - BAP - 66% complete
3. Misty Morning Vineyard (Chatelaine Designs) - BAP - 5% complete
4. Elizabethan Sweete Bag (Chatelaine Designs) - medium - 75% complete
5. English Garden Sampler (Teresa Wentzler) - BAP - 15% complete
6. Diamond Delights 9 (DebBee's Designs) - medium/large - 90% complete
7. Pineapple Stitches (Jeannette Douglas Designs) - medium) - 5% complete

Egypt is my focus piece right now. I'm using it for the Chatelaine WIP Slayers Contest and trying for a finish by the end of May. Will be close, but I just might make it. DD9 is really close to finished, too. My goal is to have it finished by the end of March.

My plan for April and May is to focus on Egypt and use either EGS or Pineapple Stitches as my "break" from Egypt when needed. I'm not making any specific plans beyond May. But, it sure would be nice to end the year closer to my ultimate goal of a rotation of four WIPs.

2011 Stitching Goals - EPIC FAIL; 2012???

So, the only 2011 goal I managed to achieve was to attend 4 Moonlight Stitching events at my LNS. The rest? Well, let's call it a "rebuilding year". After all, that's what the NFL teams say when they have a disappointing season, right? Yeah.

Of course, a status report on 2011 goals brings the question of what to do for 2012 to the fore. I can honestly say I have no real idea. There, I said it. I have no real stitching goals. With so many of my friends participating in various WIPocalypse and other SALs and posting lofty goals (on which they are likely to make excellent progress), I feel woefully inadequate.

I've never made so little progress on my goals as I did in 2011. Most of them I never touched on. I realize this is my hobby and it's about the fun. I've never met all of my goals, but I usually bat at least .500 if not better. But, in the vein of "if you first do not succeed, try, try again", here goes nothing.

2012 Stitching/Crafting Goals

~ Make a t-shirt quilt for Diva as a graduation gift.
~ Finish Egypt Garden for DH.
~ Stitch and finish some smalls, new starts and current WIPs.
~ Net reduction in WIPs by year end.
~ Attend bi-monthly Moonlight Stitching at the LNS at least 4 times.

That's all I'm committing to. ;-) The quilt project should be interesting. I'm sort of a newbie quilter. I've been sewing since I was a teenager, but never quilted really. An awesome stitching friend, who also is an amazing quilter, helped me find the t-shirt quilt instructions. They seem easy to follow and fairly simple, so I think I can handle it. And, if I get stuck, I just might know someone who can give me some helpful hints. LOL.

Here's to a more successful stitching year in 2012. I hope it is for all of you, too!

What to do, what to do?

As I near completion of two BAP happy dances, my thoughts have inevitably turned to which projects should be my next focus and stitching/crafting goals for next year. I do view year-long goals as somewhat-changeable entities, recognizing that shit happens and sometimes you just want to change your mind. My 2010 goals and their related progress evidenced this quite well:

2010 Stitching Goals
Finish Hanging Gardens of Semiramis - Completed 5/28/10
Start Nativity Story Table Runner and stitch on it every month with the goal of finishing by year end - Stitched on it every month except May
Finish Medieval Town Mandala - On track to finish by Christmas!
Stitch Dragon Dreams' Fantasy Wedding Blessing for my cousin - nope! Decided not to do this
Start one project from my Stitching Bucket List - decided to postpone this until I finish NSTR.
Stitch three ornaments Changing this to three "smalls" - completed one in May - others in process!
Stitch as much from stash as possible If I buy it, then it is part of my stash
Attend Quilt Festival in Houston - Mission accomplished!
Attend bi-monthly Moonlight Stitching 4 of 6 sessions attended Jan. and July. All the other months I had conflicts.

When MTM and NSTR are completed, I will have 8 WIPs remaining. I'd really love to have that number to 5 or less by the end of 2011. But then, there are new things I really want to stitch (that age old dilemma). And, of course, there is the unknown entity of how much client work I will have in 2011, because I finally figured out how to get over my guilt feelings for crafting during the weekday daytime. Yada, yada, yada...

So take a look at the box to the right, and you will see my thoughts for 2011. DH really, really, really wants me to finish Egypt Garden (remember this is a gift for him and take 2 for me as the first one was victim to...well, that occurrence I refuse to remember). I'm going to try to make Egypt my focus. Elizabethan Sweete Bag just has 1 over 1 bugs remaining. I just need to get on it and finish the darn thing already. I don't have a plan for bag-ification, but "I'll think about that tomorrow". I have several ornaments in various stages of completion (lumped them together as one WIP) none of which need much effort (except to overcome inertia) to complete. I've finished 3 of the 16 blocks for Celtic Quilt with a 4th block well underway. I WANT to make progress on this. My other WIPs are languishing. They need some love. Some haven't been touched in the last two years!!! And then, of course, are the new things I want to do. I am listing a few of the big things, but I think there is room in my plan for some smaller projects, too. We shall see. Look for an update to the Stitching Bucket list coming soon.

Sorry for the lack of photos in this post, but if you really want to see my WIPs, click the link to the album in the upper right of this blog. That's the best I can do today. ;)

Goals? What are those?

OK well, I've been partially derailed this month. Most of you know DH was injured in a bicycle accident on the 22nd. Since then, there has been little accomplished in this household that didn't revolve around him. While certainly he didn't do this on purpose and cannot change the fact that he has needed a great deal of help to do everyday things as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, he has still been...well, I'll be kind...a typical male patient. Let's just say that my going on Diva's volleyball trip to Memphis has a lot to do with DH still being alive. I do want to know how I can do every load of laundry in the house on Thursday, be away for two days, and come home to EIGHT loads of laundry that needed to be done before going to bed on Sunday. I recognize one load was Diva's volleyball clothes, but STILL.

So, you get a partial goal vacation this month. To summarize: I did some stuff. Didn't get to other stuff. Completely punted a few stuffs. My life is so exciting.

What you really want: pictures of stuff. :-D

Earlier this month, I took two very amazing classes through my LNS with designer/teacher Susan Greening-Davis. Susan KNOWS STUFF. I learned tons about finishing and textiles. What I really like about her is that she shows you the technically "right" way to do things, explains the logic/reasoning, then tells you when it's really needed and when you can get away with cheating. She's all about the end result. I also like that her designs and kits are focused on finished items. Her stuff isn't available through LNSs, only through her trunk shows. Most are limited editions and include everything you need to finish the project. Here's what I bought:
Spooktacular Stitching:

Celebrations of needlework 15th Anniversary Spot Sampler:

Starry Night Hanging Ornament:


The class projects were a stitching seat cushion with pockets for your stitching supplies (very handy for Moonlight Stitching at the LNS) and a discontinued Longaberger basket with doo-dads for holding supplies. There are not photos of the finished product, but here are pics of the kits and my progress:



Really, the best part of the classes was just talking to Susan. Worth the cost of the classes. She's traveled all over and studied needlework and textiles. Font of knowledge. My dream is to take one of her needlework trips abroad. I think she's working on one to Ireland for 2011 or 2012.

Later this week, I will post updated pics of MTM and NSTR. Those are the only projects to see any stitching progress this month. I'm hoping September will be more productive!

I did buy boxification supplies to further my ambition to be Melissa. I bought The Book with the fabulous instructions, and Fabrics.com had a silk dupioni sale, so I indulged a bit.

Don't know when I'll actually make one, but my hope is to make at least one before the end of this year.

August Goals/ July Progress

That's right, time for goals again.

Stitching Goals for July

1. Stitch two small projects while at the lake (Red Dragon Bookmark by Dracolair and Oh Christmas Tree by Charlotte's Web Needlework in the 2009 JCS Ornament Issue). Not really. Red Dragon is half finished. Didn't have as much stitching time at the lake as I expected.


2. Complete the finishing for the slipper portion of Snow Queen's Slipper.Nope. I have all the supplies, but I seem to be suffering from finish-finishing anxiety.


3. Stitch 10 hours on Nativity Story Table Runner. YEP and then some!


4. Stitch 10 hours on Medieval Town Mandala (hoping that will finish the current town).YEP, see post below for photographic evidence.


5. Make a master list of all the projects hiding in my closet that have been stitched but are in need of finishing and determine finishing requirements. Nope. Still living in denial. See #2 above.


6. Attend Moonlight Stitching at the LNS on July 24. YES! Had an absolute blast!

Non-stitching Goals for July

1. Stick to eating plan - lose 4 pounds (I said it would be a tough month)YES - officially lost 5.5 lbs for a total of 35 lost to date!


2. Exercise at least 14 days, including 3 body pump classes.YEP - lost track of exact number but roughly 19 days and five body pump classes


3. Order new sofa. Yes, current delivery date is 8/31, but I'm not holding my breath.


4. Attend ADFP meeting for professional development. Meeting post-poned until August, but unfortunately, I will be unable to attend on the rescheduled date.


5. Determine CPE requirements for the remainder of year and decide which classes to take. NOPE. Really need to do this.


6. Update professional profile and begin to develop marketing plan.NOPE. Total fail.

Yeah, so July was only so-so. Eh. Whatever. In the words of one of my favorite heroines, Scarlett O'Hara, "Tomorrow is another day!" You can stop laughing at/with me.

So what will happen in August? With the start of Diva's volleyball season and Perfectionist Child's football cheering season, who knows! But, in my perfect dream world, here's what I hope will happen:

August Stitching Goals

1. Finish current page on NSTR. Probably about 20 hours.
2. Stitch one of the over-one bugs on Elizabethan Sweete Bag.
3. Stitch 10 hours on MTM
4. Finish THE SLIPPER (really, somebody hold a gun to my head and make me, PLEASE!)

August Non-stitching Goals

1. Stick to eating plan -lose 5 pounds. Will be tough as I am getting closer to my goal which means slower progress.
2. Exercise at least 22 days (see #1 above).
3. Map out CPE requirements for the rest of the year.
4. Update professional profile and begin to develop marketing plan.
5. Figure out new daily/weekly routine now that kids are back to school.

Sorry the formatting for this post is not consistent. Blogger apparently does not like me today and will not let me make the formatting uniform.

So we'll see how it goes. In other life notes: I had Diva's entire volleyball team, varsity and JV (21 teenage girls) spend the night at our house last weekend. I lived and my house is still standing. Judging by the shrieks and giggles into the wee hours, I'm reasonably certain a good time was had by all. Everybody wins. :-D I did have to send DH out for a long bike ride the next morning as he was suffering from estrogen overload. Perfectionist Child had, and lived through her cheerleading initiation (involving much humiliation in front of the football team). I hated it for her, but she took it pretty good-naturedly. Today is/was PC's first day of high school. She was a nervous wreck this morning despite (or maybe because of) the cute boy who hugged her at book day yesterday telling her he hoped she'd hang out with him today. Diva was jealous. Diva still has the boyfriend and the boyfriend-drama. I'm gonna be shocked if he lasts through half of volleyball season. And that's really all I have to say about that!

June Progress/ July Goals

Yes, it's that time of the month again, Dear Readers. So how did I fare this month?

Stitching Goals for June:

1. Finish "duckie" band on Egypt Garden Score! All done.
2. Stitch 10 hours on Nativity Story Table Runner Another one bites the dust - see post below for photographic evidence.
3. Start stitching Snow Queen's Slipper Started AND finished the stitching. Minimal progress on the finish-finishing, though.
4. Post final sign-ups for the Chatelaine Smalls Exchange, assign partners, etc. DONE!
5. Mail my own entry for the Chatelaine Exchange Mailed and received by my victim. :-)
6. Take Hanging Gardens to the framer Sadly, no. Just didn't get there.
7. Make hotel reservations for the Houston Quilt Festival YESYESYESYES!!! Hotel AND Airlines booked!! WOOOHOOO!

Non-stitching goals for June:

1. Stick with eating plan - lose 6 pounds Great with eating plan. Just barely made weight goal - but I did make it.
2. Exercise at least 16 days Made 19 days! Go, me!
3. Do the Body Pump class every Thursday Yep. Even convinced Diva to go with me.
4. Buy some shorts that fit Bought two pair then guilt set in.
5. Bite the bullet and buy a new bathing suit (UGH!) Changed my mind after trying on what I have and deciding it would work for the 3 days I have to wear one.
6. Buy some new summer shoes Fail. Didn't even get to the shoe store.
7. Let go of guilt over spending money on items 4.-6. I am SO not good at this.

July will be really challenging. We are headed to Lake Oconee, GA tomorrow to meet up with DH's family for a reunion of sorts. I'll spare you all the reasons I'm not looking forward to the trip and just say this is absolutely NOT a vacation for me and is the source of much stress. The day after we get home, I have to babysit my grandmother so my mother and her fiance can get away for a few days. Gram is in the early stages of dementia and doesn't do well out of her habitat, so I will be spending nights there. Mom hasn't been away from Gram in almost 16 years, so I'm glad to do this for her. But, it does mean more days of little/no exercise for me. With both of these events, it will be July 12th before I am able to resume a "normal" schedule. I'm worried not just about failure to lose weight, but actually gaining weight as a result. Yes, I have been discussing it with my doctor. She's concerned, too. Mostly about the effect of stress hormones on my body. Just have to do the best I can and then deal with the aftermath.

On the other hand, stitching time should be in abundance. Or at least, that is my expectation. Let's see what I can accomplish.

Stitching Goals for July

1. Stitch two small projects while at the lake (Red Dragon Bookmark by Dracolair and Oh Christmas Tree by Charlotte's Web Needlework in the 2009 JCS Ornament Issue).
2. Complete the finishing for the slipper portion of Snow Queen's Slipper.
3. Stitch 10 hours on Nativity Story Table Runner.
4. Stitch 10 hours on Medieval Town Mandala (hoping that will finish the current town).
5. Make a master list of all the projects hiding in my closet that have been stitched but are in need of finishing and determine finishing requirements.
6. Attend Moonlight Stitching at the LNS on July 24.

Non-stitching Goals for July

1. Stick to eating plan - lose 4 pounds (I said it would be a tough month)
2. Exercise at least 14 days, including 3 body pump classes.
3. Order new sofa.
4. Attend ADFP meeting for professional development.
5. Determine CPE requirements for the remainder of year and decide which classes to take.
6. Update professional profile and begin to develop marketing plan.

As you might gather from the non-stitching goals, I am gearing up for a big marketing push for my financial planning/divorce financial planning practice. Now that both DDs are in high school and my volunteer days are minimal, it's time. There is also the realization that slammed me upside the head yesterday when Diva got her ACT scores (very good, BTW), that I have to pay for college in two years time. EEEEKKKK!!!! The need to generate some income has really hit home.

June Goals

Thought I'd given up on goals? Ha ha ha! No, May was just the month that got away beginning with Nashville's Great Flood and then all of the girls' end of the school year stuff. So actual planning sort of got thrown out the window. But that's OK because I actually accomplished stuff. Sometimes I think it's easier to get stuff done when you are insanely busy. Murphy's law of time management, or some such. The more time you have, the more you waste.

So, now to think about June and what I want to accomplish this month.

Stitching Goals for June:

1. Finish "duckie" band on Egypt Garden
2. Stitch 10 hours on Nativity Story Table Runner
3. Start stitching Snow Queen's Slipper
4. Post final sign-ups for the Chatelaine Smalls Exchange, assign partners, etc.
5. Mail my own entry for the Chatelaine Exchange
6. Take Hanging Gardens to the framer
7. Make hotel reservations for the Houston Quilt Festival

Non-stitching goals for June:

1. Stick with eating plan - lose 6 pounds
2. Exercise at least 16 days
3. Do the Body Pump class every Thursday
4. Buy some shorts that fit
5. Bite the bullet and buy a new bathing suit (UGH!)
6. Buy some new summer shoes
7. Let go of guilt over spending money on items 4.-6.

All do-able goals. We'll see how it goes.

Monthly Goal Stuff - April Edition

Most of March was dedicated to Diva's volleyball tournaments and shopping with Perfectionist Child. Many lost hours. Little stitching. Crabby me. Not sure April gets better as I just returned from yet another out-of-town volleyball weekend followed by an eight-hour shopping excursion with Perfectionist Child. Let's see how I fared:

Stitching Goals for March
1. Stitch 10 hours on NSTR (bit of a cheat goal as I already have almost 6 hours done). Yep. Actually put in around 15 hours, I think.
2. Stitch 20 hours on Hanging Gardens. Yes, just barely. Making quite excellent progress.
3. Visit LNS to buy more floss for NSTR without buying more than $25 in additional stash (quit with the manic laughter, people). Not quite sure how to address this. I did get the floss. And, that's all I'm sayin'. lol.
4. Lace Vintage Stitches to foam core (really, I am going to do it this time). Sadly, no. Didn't even think about it.
5. Create guidelines for smalls exchange on the Chatelaine message board. YES!!!!! I did this! See here.

Non-stitching Goals for March
1. Take Perfectionist Child clothes shopping with the express purpose of buying a dress for Confirmation. Avoid shooting her, if possible. Any clothing purchased after dress acquisition achieves bonus points. Shopping accomplished and she's still living. Let's just say that I've already experienced purgatory.
2. Dig out the black pit my office has become. This is becoming mission critical. Some progress, but then more accumulation of "stuff". I get points for trying.
3. Exercise at least 16 days this month. The Great Plumbing Disaster in my home sucked away two days of exercise, so I only made it 14 days.
4. Do the financial statements/tax forms for my business (can you say procrastination? Um, yeah.) Not only did I do them, but I even mailed them with the appropriate checks. Have also done the draft version of the personal return. Just need to review it.

Not such a great effort, I think. Some things beyond my control, but still. Oh, I am giving myself a bonus point for scheduling a dental appointment for April. That was on my Jan. and Feb. goals and was never accomplished until March.

April is another busy month with two out-of-town volleyball tournaments (just got home from Atlanta) and Perfectionist Child's Confirmation, not to mention the continuing saga of the Great Plumbing Disaster and the Unknown Ailment of Diva's car (which, of course, becomes my problem when I have to provide transportation in lieu of her self-sufficiency.). So, let's see what's possible:

Stitching Goals for April:
1. Stitch 15 hours on NSTR.
2. Stitch 15 hours on Hanging Gardens.
3. Plan, kit, and start project for the Chatelaine Exchange.
4. Join the Chatelaine Designs Peacock Garden group before the end of the raffle period on April 15th.

Non-stitching Goals for April:
1. Organize office (yes, again).
2. Exercise at least 16 days.
3. Work through household "to-do" list backlog so that May starts with a clean slate.

I really don't think anything more is possible.

DH asked me this morning what I wanted for Mother's Day other than to do nothing. He has no idea how much I wish I could do nothing. But, no, Mother's Day will be spent catering to his mother and my mother. In the 16 years that I have been a mother, only once did I get to do what I wanted to do that day. At the time, my mother lived 2,000 miles away, and my MIL was out-of-town. I've asked to celebrate my mother's day on an alternate date, but somehow, it never seems to happen. I won't be holding my breath this year, either.

Monthly Goal Stuff

Lest you think my brain has exploded from the rant (thanks for hanging with me while I did that - you have no idea how much better it made me feel), here's an update on my goal status from February:

Stitching Goals for February
1. Stitch on Nativity Story Table Runner for 10 hours. YES! Actually, I managed a bit more than 10 hours.
2. Stitch on Hanging Gardens for 10 hours. YES!! Did better than 20 hours and it is looking amazing.
3. Lace Vintage Stitches to foam core. Sadly, no. (hangs head in shame as this really needs to be done)

Non-stitching Goals for February
1. Finish organizing my office. Not only not accomplished, but I've added to the chaos. Don't ask.
2. Exercise at least 15 days this month (this will be tough to accomplish). YES!
3. Make appointment for self for dental check-up. sigh, No.
4. Have a serious conversation with Diva about the need to actually get a summer job this year (wish me luck - it won't be pleasant). Did it and lived to tell the tale. Not that Diva will actually take action....

I'll give myself a "C+" for February. Part of my lack of goal achievement was due to out-of-town travel for Perfectionist Child's cheer competitions. But, I could have done better if I was really motivated.

March is another month with out-of-town travel. This time with Diva for volleyball tournaments (Louisville and St. Louis). So, we'll see if I can find more motivation this month. On a positive note, this big yellowish ball of light has appeared in my sky a few times over the past week. AND, I actually left my house without a heavy coat yesterday! Could this be a sign that the weather gods have not totally abandoned me? Dare I think it?

Stitching Goals for March
1. Stitch 10 hours on NSTR (bit of a cheat goal as I already have almost 6 hours done).
2. Stitch 20 hours on Hanging Gardens.
3. Visit LNS to buy more floss for NSTR without buying more than $25 in additional stash (quit with the manic laughter, people).
4. Lace Vintage Stitches to foam core (really, I am going to do it this time).
5. Create guidelines for smalls exchange on the Chatelaine message board.

Non-stitching Goals for March
1. Take Perfectionist Child clothes shopping with the express purpose of buying a dress for Confirmation. Avoid shooting her, if possible. Any clothing purchased after dress acquisition achieves bonus points.
2. Dig out the black pit my office has become. This is becoming mission critical.
3. Exercise at least 16 days this month.
4. Do the financial statements/tax forms for my business (can you say procrastination? Um, yeah.)

Oh, and while not exactly a goal, I think I will give myself bonus points if I manage to leave the surgeon's office on Wednesday without going postal. For those playing at home, the CT scan itself, went just fine. I don't get the results until I see the surgeon, of course. And, I was not able to talk with anyone who could access the part of the computer system where insurance authorization information would be found. I'm told that the claim is submitted electronically, so I should be able to see it on my insurance company's website this week. Here's hoping.

January Goals Status Report/ February Goal Setting

Close counts in horse shoes, hand grenades and goal achievement. So, how'd I do this month?



Stitching Goals for January:

1. Select and purchase DMC for Nativity Story Table Runner, cut and serge fabric, and stitch on the piece for at least 8 hours. - I actually did this!! Yay me! I really love how it is turning out.

2. Finish part 7 of Medieval Town Mandala - Did this one too. Not too much of a stretch as I was really close at the beginning of the month.

3. Take Crabby All Year for framing. - Yep. It's hanging on the wall already. See previous post.

4. Attend Moonlight Stitching at the LNS. Yes!! It was much fun!

5. Stitch on Hanging Gardens of Semiramis for at least 10 hours. - Did this one, too.



Non-stitching Goals for January:

1. Recover my office from the holiday explosion. Sort of. Made a good start, but still have work to do.

2. Make appointment for self for dental check-up - oops.

3. Exercise at least 18 days this month. - thanks to the very invonvenient snow (see previous entry), I made 19 days, which includes three days of heavy snow shoveling. I will personally hurt anyone who hints that this does not count as exercise. I absolutely cannot raise my arms above my head right now!

4. Wipe hard drives on old PCs so they can be donated and removed from the house. YES! And, DH is much happy with me for it!

5. Organize storage room - Did this one, too! I was on a cleaning binge for a while. Kinda over it now.

So, I'd give myself an A- overall for January. Could have accomplished more stitching wise, but I had a couple of book distractions.

Now, what can I accomplish in February? OK, short month, plus Diva has three volleyball tournaments (two out of town) and DD#2 (I still need a blogname for her) has two out of town cheer competitions - not to mention a number of appointments scheduled for various sundry stuff - equals limited productivity. Here's what I think possible:

Stitching Goals for February

1. Stitch on Nativity Story Table Runner for 10 hours.

2. Stitch on Hanging Gardens for 10 hours.

3. Lace Vintage Stitches to foam core.

Non-stitching Goals for February

1. Finish organizing my office.

2. Exercise at least 15 days this month (this will be tough to accomplish).

3. Make appointment for self for dental check-up.

4. Have a serious conversation with Diva about the need to actually get a summer job this year (wish me luck - it won't be pleasant).

As I said, I'm keeping it reasonable given all that's going on in such a short time frame.

Meanwhile, I've been working on uploading all my stitching photos to flickr, complete with descriptions and details. When I make a little more progress, I'll post a link to the albums for WIPs and finishes on my sidebar. I always feel like I stitch and stitch and stitch but rarely finish anything. Going through all of my old photos and documenting the details has been really good for my ego in that respect. I've finished more than I've credited myself with. It just doesn't seem that way because some of what I've stitched is finished but not finish-finished (hence, the drawer of finished ornaments awaiting ornamentification) or, I've given them away. Anyway, photos to come soonish.

I know I owe you a progress picture on NSTR. Again, coming soon. Maybe even today if I get it together.