Are Wind-up Chickens that "Poop' Jellybeans Appropriate Gifts?

What I consider an appropriate gift vastly differs from what Joe considers appropriate. After the jellybean pooping wind-up chicken, I "help" Joe when it comes to gift giving holidays.

Two Sundays ago, I found book of cross stitch fonts that I was coveting on a website, filled out all the necessary information including billing and shipping info and stopped just short of clicking the "pay here" button. I woke up my extraordinarily patient spouse and informed him that I found what I wanted for Mother's day and he should get out of bed to click the pay button. Suddenly, I realize that he puts up with a lot of crap from me.

It isn't really a present if I bought it myself, right?

The past two years he and Boybat have gone camping with his family during Mother's Day weekend, leaving me at home. For which I am eternally grateful. I hate camping. Tents are like stay fresh bags for bears. Ursine ziplocks. When I leave my house for an extended period of time, there had better be outlets, hot water, and cable involved.

This left me with an entire weekend with only one chore, paint the front door, which took all of two hours–only because I had to let the paint dry between coats. The rest of the weekend I spent watching BBC America (Supernatural Saturday, Yipee!), and stitching.

I've un-banished Lo How a Rose. After much soul searching and pirate-like cursing, I found peace with the fact that I had to frog the bright pink stitches-have I explained frog to all you non-stitchy readers? No? It's a term stitcher's use to refer to removing stitches when you make a mistake. When you remove a stitch you have to rip it, rip it. 

I also finished up Green Snowman and just have to sew on the buttons. I ran out of the oatmeal scone thread that the snowman and the hill are stitched in. No idea if it didn't come with enough or maybe the cat ate it. I thought I was going to have to rip out all the stitching in the snow guy and the hill and start with a new color, but after talking with the ladies in the local stitch shop, they suggested calling Shepherd's Bush and getting another piece of thread. Brilliant! They're my new best friends for the week.

I'm fickle, it'll be someone else next week.

Brain Monkeys Win Again

While we were on our Seattle adventure, I got to stop at a little cross-stitch/needlepoint store in Issaquah, WA called Threadneedle Street. Every time I go in there and look at the gorgeous hand-painted canvases on the wall I consider trying needlepoint. Then, what Joe refers to as the "brain monkeys," beat that idea with a stick until it goes away ("brain monkeys" are what you have when there's so many things going on inside your head that you can't think. "Brain Gorillas" carry much bigger sticks). Eventually, I figured out that they're like the ones you see in the movies. You know the ones, locked in cages, infected with some deadly zombie virus and then "somehow" let loose on an unwitting population. Now you know why I'm like this. 

I picked up a couple nice pieces of linen and a few patterns that I mentioned earlier. Including one that I didn't even know I wanted. It was done on a gorgeous green linen that called to me...."Heaaathher, buy me, I'm greeeeeen." No seriously, my car, 40% of my clothes, Lunch bags, umbrellas, mugs, almost everything in my studio. They're all spring green. I can't help it, it's an addiction. 

I also had some time to work on a small sampler I bought almost 10 years ago. It's an Ewe & Eye & Friends pattern called Nancy's Sampler. It's going pretty fast and I'm hoping to finish it this weekend, barring any family drama and or trauma.

Happy sorta Valentine

In keeping with my recurring theme of "Where the Hell did I put that?" I bring you my Valentine's Day present for Joe.

I designed and stitched this little heart one day last month when I wanted to do something quick. I set it aside with the intention of giving it to Joe today.

I'm sure you can all see where this is going...

I can't find it. I found the frame for it, but no little heart.

So, Happy Valentines Day Joe! Here's what you'll get when it shows up!

Cross stitch masochist

Most of the patterns I pick out are monsters, not as in "EEEK! A Monster!", but as in "Good God! How many years is it going to take you to finish that?" I am apparently a cross stitch masochist.

For instance, one of the current WIP is "Marriage of the Minds" from The Drawn Thread.

Loved the pattern,  just didnt realize that it'll be over 2 feet long when I'm finished. Twenty six inches!

WTH.

I have about 3 bands done. The only reason I have that many done is because I was at home for three weeks.

Boybat will be driving a car by the time I finish this. Not my car–a car, preferably not one that I'm paying for.

My "Other" Life

Ahhhh, the house chores are done and I've decided I'm not doing the outside chores today. I am going to write this and then get stitching. I want to get a couple more bands done on this project before next weekend. We've got a lot planned in the next few weeks with the weekends packed with fun family stuff, and a visit from a friend I haven't seen in 11 years.
Its right about now in a project that I get distracted. Like right now. I could be stitching , but noooooo. I'm typing, making bread, wondering what to make for dinner, that sort of stuff...

Stitching addiction

I have an addiction. It's cross-stitching. No matter what else I try, I always come back to cross stitching. I dont know about the rest of you, but I have 4-5 projects that are always going and cruise the internet for patterns and gadgets. I've tried knitting (who would spend all that time counting...Oh wait..nevermind), scrapbooking (I still do that but its usually only 2 weekends a year when I'm on a retreat), sewing (that lasted all of three days, but I have a snazzy sewing machine that I use to bind the edges of my projects to keep them from fraying), and countless other side tracks, but I always come back to this. There's probably some deep, telling thing about it, but for right now the only reason I can think of is because I like it, and it's calming. If anyone has any better ideas, I'm open...