a day (or two) late!

Hello!  Okay, I'm a day late but my learning yesterday was something really useful - at least for me and my mom.  It concerns the Touchpad, which is very useful for us to surf with while in bed.  If your screen is frozen or stuck - that is, not responding to your touch, not bringing up the keyboard onscreen -- press and hold the power and home button for at least 20 seconds until the HP screen comes up and voila!  Your touchpad screen is working again!

My learning today is, do at least 10 minutes of exercise each morning (duh, you might be saying, but bear with me). Your body will wake up and you'll feel more energized!  There's something about this cool early morning weather that makes one want to burrow and get back to the zzzzs rather than wake up.   The associated lack of sun - the sky's overcast and the sun doesn't get bright and light until past 7 -- makes it hard to get going in the morning.  I'm not complaining about the weather -- I just wish I had more time in the morning to enjoy it!  lol

I called my nearest LNS and found that they have Lugana, so I am off on Saturday to buy it.  Can't wait to get started on my SALs!  My mom paid for one of them so I have to show some action! :-)

Received some stash from my dear cousin again.  Some things I bought online, and some she gifted me with.. plus a pair of Sofftspots mocs! Yippee!  Stay tuned for photos!  Wish me luck, still looking for the camera USB cord...!

It's my nephew's birthday this weekend; wish we could be there to celebrate with him.. there's just too much work, can't get time off to visit.  Despite that.. Happy 14th kiddo!

And to everyone else, Happy stitching!

ho ho ho and a Happy New Year to all!

Happy New Year!  I thought I'd done a New Year's post and it turns out I hadn't.  I wish everyone a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year, and God's blessings on all of us!  :-)

Wouldn't you know it, two weeks into the New Year and my first post and my first sick leave of the year, too! Caused, in part, by carefree behavior - 2 beers in as many days (but hey the beer drinking took place Dec. 9 and 10, and I've been suffering ever since), and this tipped my uric acid levels over the brink into gout land. Woe is me, how can this be??

As it happens, I want to walk-pain free more than I want to eat, but it's looking more like it will take some time to get back to normal land.. from what I have read, the 'gout diet' does not promise to lower uric acid except over time.. seemingly it will be some time.. boy do I feel like crying!  Lesson learned.

Speaking of lessons learned, I have resolved to write down at least one lesson learned and 3 positives for the day.  Documenting is good (saves you from forgetting).  I learned that if I go barefoot at home my feet won't hurt as much.  I wonder why not?  I learned also that if I relax my feet, it won't hurt as much.

I learned that all the mental planning won't help unless there's some deciding being done as well, not just laying out the possibilities.  This is more stitch-related, as I joined 2 SALs (Pretty as they will be... what was I thinking???) and didn't have enough fabric for both projects.  I was supposed to be gridding from Dec. 31 to Jan.9, and the first installments for both pieces arrived last Thursday..I spent all that time trying to think if I had enough fabric or if I wanted pieces as large as they were projected to be if I used the recommended fabric.. and I ended up not deciding.  So now, a bit late, I have decided to buy other fabric this weekend and then get started, tout suite.  I don't want a finished piece 3 feet across!.

I learned that the "espada" plant is a good indoor plant that will recycle CO2 and turn it into O2... that being so if the CO2 is less then the mosquitoes won't be attracted..

Man oh man, the lessons won't stop coming  It's true that as long as we live, we have the privilege of growing.   :-)

Positives:  have all my floss, ate my vegetables and fish, feel better overall (except for my feet....).. am halfway through La D Da "A Bushel and a Peck".

Here's to learning the lessons of each day well and profiting by them!

Merry Day after Christmas!

Just thought I'd wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!  Here's to your health, wealth and happiness!

My camera is still down and out and the new-ish one is still missing its box and the critical USB cord...so finally I thought of just sharing a few pics from last Christmas..

Actually I should mention this is not our tree, it's my sister-in-law's,  and I have no idea why I took such a bad pic of it - it's really lovelier than this.  She has a bunch of handmade button wreaths that I love love love, because they were made by my nephew and niece.  My mom and I spent Christmas in Singapore last year; we usually spend it with them but this year my mom wanted a Christmas in our new place.  In the 3 years since we moved this is our first Christmas here.

We also have some of the same button wreaths for our tree (not pictured); I apparently forgot to take photos of it last year.  We did put it up despite knowing we would not be spending Christmas at home.   This year, it's up and I have pics, but the USB cord is missing, so despite the pics I can't post. Boo.

With all the things going on in the world (the Newtown massacre is still sending chills through me despite American media having a seemingly short attention span and forgetting all about it less than 2 weeks later), please don't forget to hug those you love and be quick to forgive.. life's too short!

It's too short, and here's hoping I finish the projects I listed this year.. next year!
:-)

Wishing you stitchy success with your projects (there's still almost a whole week left of the year), I remain your stitching friend, T.

hello it's me!

I can't believe I haven't posted in all this while! I have thought about it but with my favorite camera out of commission I haven't been in the mood to post.. and let's face it, what's a post without pictures??  Though I didn't realize it's been almost a month since I've posted!  and I have so many things to show!

The fabric for "A Most Noble Pursuit" arrived from my cousin (it's Lakeside Linen 36ct), as has the chart.. only I have to stock up on floss!  My other stuff also arrived - Prairie Schooler's "Garden Samplers", some LKs , Praiseworthy Stitches' "Hope" and a whole heap of other charts which I'll have to look through tomorrow so I can post. I hope to post again - that is, if I can buy the AA batteries for the Nikon - I didn't know I needed to get NiCad or lithium, and not the alkaline no matter how expensive.  So I hope I can do that tomorrow.

It's not that I've lost my mojo - I started on La D Da's "A Bushel and a Peck" and though it's kind of easy (only 4 or so colors and no confetti stitches!), it's also been not very interesting to stitch. I suspect it's because of all the counting I have to do because of all the space.  I must say, I do like to see solid stitching though I find the going a bit hard at times.  I also made a start on the freebie gift tags from last December's "Cross Stitcher" magazine which I bought in Kinokuniya Singapore.  So that's another pic I'll have to post.  And the start I made on the freebie heart from DMC for a quilt square - I'm late!

We've been so busy at work..  you can't imagine!  And yet we all sort of live under a cloud, because of new management's "list" (of people who are 'in the navy').    Well anyway, enough of that.. nothing to do but put one's nose to the grindstone and work these absurdly long hours!

So.. till later!  Wish me luck on those batteries... and thanks to Aurelia and Joysze, for their inspiring comments!  Keep 'em coming, I appreciate them so much!

Blogworld birthday giveaway from Craftymoo

The fabulous Sarah over at Craftymoo is having a special giveaway.. it's her birthday on September 17!  Do join in and greet her!

hello, hello

"Hello hello, hope you're feeling fine... "  this is a song from the 80s and I can't quite remember who sang it.  I really do apologize for the hiatus - it's not that I haven't been stitching, it's more I haven't had photos to share!

And why, you may ask.. the problem is my camera!   I googled, and discovered the problem may be that my poor Canon has lost a pixel in camera mode. I can do video, I can review old photos, but I can't take any new ones!  I feel so sad about it. it's a 5 year old classic, love its looks, but sadly it won't take photos anymore.  All I see in camera mode is a black screen.  I have to check with Canon if it can still be repaired but I'm not getting my hopes up as this is a model that was sold in the U.S., not here.

On to stitchy news.. I finished my Madame La Fee quilt square and have sent it by post to the lady who will incorporate it into a quilt.  I've gone back to doing my Maria Winkler "Peaches in a bowl" and started Lizzie Kate's Christmas Spirit double flip-it to be made into a banner.. charts courtesy of my dear cousin..  no it's not Christmas Rules, which I would also love to do.. although goodness knows and as many stitchers are wont to say, I have enough to do to last me for years at the pace I am going!   lol  I won't say I have enough to last me my whole life, but I have enough at the moment in freebies alone.

So.. there's still my Whimsey and Wit Advent Alphabet waiting in the wings for me.. I don't know if I said so in my last post, but I put it aside when I discovered that I was a stitch off-count.. don't know what I will do.  Frog? Go on?  I really don't know.

And then, when I had declared a stash diet, I went and bought a Bleu de Chine chart, and some Nutcrackers charts, and a copy of the Burda International magazine (important note - with the CHARTS!) and 3 fabrics, 32, 36 and 40 ct linen (I think one of them is jobelan not linen).  And I have to confess, there are 3 ladies waiting for me to make up my mind about additional stash.. this will be IT for the year, I spent more than I ever planned (actually I spent more than I ever have on stash in my entire life!).  I hasten to add that this stash is all pre-owned, so I can live with the idea of being a spendthrift better... now to find the time to stitch all this when they finally arrive!

Work has suddenly ramped up (is there such a word) and everyday I just feel so tired after.  Part of this is some organizational changes and the fears that go with it.. I just hope and pray everyday.. hope what, pray what, I think you can guess what  :-o

So hoping that you can send some good thoughts and prayers this way..  and I send the same to you, reading this!

a late, not so short post.. i'm still here!

hi everyone, just felt the need to post and have my presence noted. hello from this rainy patch of earth in asia!  it's raining even as i write.

it's not been a super stitchy month for me but i've managed to finish stitching a square meant to go in a quilt, for a cancer patient (whew what a long description, there must be a way to say this in a more mellifluous way!).  it's a Madame La Fee floral heart, a freebie actually.  i'm not able to post pictures, which i've been wanting to do, because my camera seems to have given up on me.  it is able to record in video mode, can show my previous photos, but in camera mode, it shows a black screen.  i googled my problem and it seems that maybe my camera's pixels have shorted, blacked out, or just in general given up the ghost.. lol   well, i turned it off then and haven't fiddled with it since, and now i am re charging the batteries, hoping the happening was a fluke.  we'll see, when the battery's been charged and loaded into the camera again. keep your fingers crossed for me, please!

in other news, my lovely stitching friend sent me the out of print and hard to find, BBD Loose Feathers No. 31 "Blessings and Kind Wishes". wasn't that sweet, and super generous of her? i was hunting all over for it to complete the Blackbird Designs Mystery Sampler, and she found it, and gifted me with it.. and it arrived last Thursday!!!  Showing her the BBD Mystery Sampler also made her want her own set, :-)   i must say, i quite enjoy being able to share stitchy news with her.  okay, that's another photo owing...

in a fit of madness, i bought a Bleu de Chine chart "Violets" and got into a whole lot of trouble over paying via PayPal.  don't ask!  although i'll write about it in my next post.  again my friend helped me out with that.  lol   if you ever get the chance, look up the The French Needle website.  if you're tired of the usual designs and charts, mosey along there and you'll be dazzled with what you find.

another extremely kind stitcher helped me with eBay-- purchasing a "Burda International" magazine. i have the magazine (bought all the way back in 1993) , but lost the charts, as the charts were all on 2 pages stapled in the middle of the magazine!  not one of the smartest things in formatting, i have to say.  

i'm thinking that at this point, i really should catalog all my purchases. i hasten to add that most of my purchases have been from fellow stitchers, hence most of these have been at least half price.  i'm excited at the thought of stitching the charts and looking at the fabrics i bought.. some linens at 32, 26 and 40ct, some aida.. they aren't here yet, but if i'm lucky they'll be here by Christmas.  how's that for something to look forward to?

August has, in the past 5 years, not been a good month..here's hoping we get through it unscathed..

anyway, wherever you are.. i hope the month of August is being kind to you!  Blessings and Kind Wishes to you! :-)