Chocolate Rabbits

Well I don't know about chocolate rabbits for easter but I certainly had a frog in the house.  As I rushed to finish the second release of the pattern for Sweet Flowers I was inundated by the critters and I can tell you if they had of been chocolate I would have eaten them.

So on the very late evening of the 9th of April I managed to put the last back stitch into the blessed piece. I had to have it finished for the new part release on the 10th.

Do I like the design?  Well yes I do and it is certainly a lovely stitch.  I don't think it will fit into my house though and hopefully when it is done someone will be desperate to own it.

So why I am spending the best part of a year stitching on it?  Dunno....  I think it is a motivator.  I want to stitch but feel so exhausted all the time.  This design has enough colour change not to be boring and I like stitching pretty things.  It is also just plain cross stitch.  It is enough.

So here is the picture I sent to the lovely designer Angie.  She does some gorgeous designs.

The first egg and a stitchy update

Well I have not been doing very much stitching in these last few weeks.  I have, however, stitched a bit on my Mirabilia SAL that I am doing with Jill.   Not a huge amount done.  I very stupidly decided to stitch the skin with one thread over one.  So it is taking a while.

Also with great excitement one of my chooks has started to lay eggs.  Bertha is an Australorp and they are reknowned for being good layers.  She is also going to be a broody girl as I found her nest outside the pen and she was sitting on 2 eggs.  I had to move her to get them.  I don't think I was her favourite person.  She has been laying an egg a day.  I am hoping that it will inspire the other 3 chooks to start laying.  I did take a picture and was really thrilled to find out when I used it that she had layed me a double yoker.  What a girl!

Jacob

I have been wanting to show everyone a picture of Jacob and our first grandchildren.  They are steps but we count them as ours and he certainly counts them as his as he is a stay at home Dad.  Naomi got offered a terrific job so they decided it would be good for her take it.  He is still trying to get work but alas really needs a drivers license.  He is learning.

Anyway these was taken last father's day when he was asked to go to Lachlan's daycare to celebrate father's day.

Jaelyn, Lachlan, Jacob & Piper

Lachlan made this for Jacob

Another Stitch Update

Well it has been a slow fortnight (2 weeks) with the stitching.  Have been trying to unpack and decided where this and that goes.  Trying really hard to throw stuff out and not having a huge success with that.  Have been trying to take on more of the everyday house stuff and with all of that I have had a bit of a flare with the Fibro.

Had a terrific weekend with Kenric and Marilyn coming to stay overnight.  It was his birthday yesterday.  He is 29.  Where does the time go?  Mary Lyn (Marilyn), as we call her, is battling away with her pregnancy.  Little Miss Smith is making her mother quite ill.

Now for an update of a stitchy picture.  It is Dorothy Preston.  I started stitching Dorothy around the time my mum got very ill or when she died.  Not sure which because they where quite close to each other.  I would like to finish her this year.  Did I tell you I had to restart her because I cut the fabric too small.  Now I never do that.  I guess I had a good excuse.

Well here she is.  You can see her percentage progress on my side bar.

A Quick Blog and a Brag

No stitchy news tonight.  Not because I haven't stitched because I have but because I am tired and off to bed even though it is only 9.15 here in WA.

Firstly my baby boy has passed his driving test.  He has only to wait 6 months and clock up 20 hours of driving time (with a licensed driver) and he will have his License.  I am thankful for that.

Secondly I have to tell you that my second boy who studies at the University of Notre Dame here in Western Australia received an email from the University to tell him that he has won the Vice Chancellors medal for the School of Medicine for 2011.  He has only this year to go and he will be Doctor Smith.

Yep a proud Mum and Dad are we.

My SAL's

Well I didn't get to update my blog last night.  I was just too tired.

Firstly this is the very first progress picture of my Baroque Gardens which is an online SAL by Chatelaine.  I then saw some progress pictures of it being stitched on black and what can I say but the heart was weak.  Was probably one of those down days when stash shopping makes it all better for a nano second.  Anyway, I promised myself that I would start it when we moved down here to Kirup. That would be my reward.  Then I had to get the fabric and the rest of the materials.  Money was not at a premium so that took a while.  I seem to be stitching it in the afternoons at the kitchen table with a good  light.

and here is the very first progress picture with just a tad under 1000 stitches done

Now for my Coat of Arms SAL.  I really love how this sampler is starting to look.  I am stitching it on what I think is a 40 count Summer Khaki Zweigart using 1 strand of Dinky Dyes Kayla's Rose.

It is a much more vivid colour (the thread) but I want to get stitching on my Baroque Garden for this afternoon.  Tonight I am putting away my COA and will probably pick up Dorothy Preston.

The Terminator

Aka my Thermomix now named Arnie arrived today.  I am so excited as this mean machine is all part of my plan to becoming a little bit more live off the land type self sufficient type thing.  I laybyed this little beauty last June and have at long last paid it off.  Julie (the sales lady person) is phoning me tomorrow to go over everything and then I can experiment.  Woohoo

Also my parcel from Martina arrived.  Lovely scrumptious Weddingen Linen.  I love this linen.  I now have another metre each of 30 count Antique White and Fawn, 34 count Antique White linen.  I also ordered the Dragon Quaker chart.

Tomorrow you get to see my first progress photo of Chatelaine's Baroque Gardens.  Maybe my progress thus far on the Coat of Arms SAL if I manage to finish page 15 tonight.