Another week, another dollar, another stitch ...

I seem to be busy, busy, busy at the moment - and my stitching time is suffering! I shouldn't complain - I still seem to get more time than a lot of stitchers I know :)

I've finished setting up my Prairie Birds (by Prairie Schooler) RR for a Mini RR one of the boards I frequent is doing. Here's a piccie -


I've finished all the stitching that I will have to do on it - which means it will come back to me finished ... yay!

I'm stitching Part II of Chatelaine's Xmas Mystery II now ... I cannot believe I've stitched a couple of hours tonight and I still haven't finished one snowflake ... I thought I might get them both done and start an ornament tonight as well - I'm not finding her instructions particularly easy to understand ... but then again, it's nice to be challenged with something a bit different - one of the reasons I signed up for it and am stitching it.

I heard unofficially today that our 9yo (Cameron) has made the top team for soccer in his grade this year ... it's quite a big thing, they've had to select one team from the three top streamed teams from last year - and this team is being formed to play in the top Wellington League, this year is their training, getting used to it, priming them ... year - next year they'll carry that team through to the Wellington Premier League ... he is going to be a happy little boy when he hears officially.

Soccer AGM is on Sunday ... so I'm freaking over the annual accounts, I think I've basically finished them as of this morning though *phew* ... I can't wait until the meeting is over and done with - I'm not an official accountant or anything so I've set everything up on more common sense and some office accounting experience, so I'm always nervous someone is going to ask difficult questions that I can't answer, and will make me look unprofessional, or a dumbie!

Registrations are starting to come in as well - official registration days are 13/14 March ... the week after that I'll be VERY busy processing them all ... putting each one of the database, receipting them, writing up all the cheques etc ready to bank ... it's the biggest job I do all year. I've got to get my head together before then and make sure the registration hall is set up right so that everything runs smoothly ... meanwhile I'm hoping quite a few come in via the mail over the next couple of weeks so there are less on the actual registration day.

I could carry on rambling ... but you'd get bored pretty quickly! LOL

I'm off to sweet dreams :)

Friday - PS RR - 2.0hr
Saturday - PS RR - 1.0hr
Sunday - PS RR - 4.5hr
Monday - PS RR - 1.ohr
Tuesday PS RR - 2.0hr, Xmas - 2.0hr
Wednesday - Xmas - 3.5hr

Some pictures!

at last :)

The first of eight parts of The Kiss -



After seeing Sleeping Beauty split into 12 pieces for a SAL (which I have joined, but need to start stitching), I decided to do the same with The Kiss that I've had kitted for along time, but keep putting off because other things come along - though the first part took about 25hrs ... which means the whole thing will take a LONG time to stitch!

... and two squares for two different RR's I'm involved in.





Charlotte now goes to daycare when I go to work on a Friday, she goes for the afternoon kindergarten session which is 1pm-4pm (my niece picks her up after finishing at school), but because I don't need to leave until 2pm, I get a precious spare hour. Yesterday, I used it to stop in at Nancy's, a LNS in Wellington. I finally succumbed to the need to buy a couple of Michael Powell kits - I bought two small ones to start with - Cottages I and Cottages II, I actually started one at cricket today - I stitched the top line of crosses, I need to put it aside though and finish setting up my Praire Schooler RR and another couple of things.

Talking of Michael Powell designs - one of my younger sisters is getting married February next year (I think that is when) and I've been keeping an eye out for the "perfect" wedding sampler to do for her - she's not really a flowery, pretty sort of person. I'm going to check with her twin, but I'm pretty sure I'll stitch Michael Powell's Pot of Love (I think that is what it is called) - it is more her thing, I'll probably have a fiddle and put their names and date of their wedding sort of hidden on the vase somewhere, so it is still a keepsake for their special day.

I've actually got a quiet afternoon planned, just need to hang out the latest load of washing, sort out a dessert and salad to take to a BBQ tonight ... but otherwise I plan to stitch, yay!

How has a week nearly gone?

Ugh - I've been so busy this week, I haven't even taken time to take pictures of my cross-stitch!

Between trying to keep up with the walking, keep up with the kids, get things ready for the soccer season which will be starting soon (I am the administrator for our local club - which has approximately 500 juniors and 100 seniors - it's amazing how much work there actually is) ... and of course trying to stitch a bit each day - I'm tired!

Thank goodness for work - it's been relatively quiet tonight, I had a few jobs that I did pretty quickly then I got stuck into the reports I needed done for our soccer mgmt meeting on Monday night - my shoulders feel slightly lighter now I know I don't have to fit that into my morning tomorrow, I'd rather be stitching - but I suppose work things need to come first.

Of course, it's 11pm, I finish at 11.30pm and I was just thinking I might sneak off home early for some much needed sleep when one of the partners brought down some work - my conscious will make me stay and at least type his urgent memo up before I go home *sigh*.

All going well tomorrow (especially with the soccer stuff done, yay!) I might get time to take and post some pictures :)

Monday - Bird RR - 3.0hr
Tuesday - Bird RR - 3.0hr, PS RR - 3.0hr
Wednesday - PS RR - 3.0hr
Thursday - PS RR - 0.5hr (sad!)

Another weekend over -

... and once again - where did it go, so fast?

I've just finished a RR square tonight, one down, a couple more to do this week. It's busy, as usual, so we'll see how we go.

I need to take pictures of the last RR square and The Kiss ... perhaps tomorrow :)

I can't think of anything else ... life is the same old, same old ... that's not such a bad thing though!

Friday - Memories RR - 2.0hr
Saturday - Memories RR - 4.0hr
Sunday - Memories RR - 3.0hr

*phew* it's quiet!

I'm at work, and it's quiet! I was going to try and update here last night, but never stopped and left about an hour late as well - meaning I was home after 1am, but I slept well until just before 7am, so don't feel so bad.

It's been busy, busy, busy the last week or so - I've upped my walking which means less time for other things, but the weight is slowly coming off, so it's worth it.

The kids are all back into their sports, and training, so the weeks are filling up. We enrolled Josh (our 10yo) for flute lessons yesterday - he is the only one out of the five of them who isn't particularly sports mad, so he needs something else - not that he doesn't play sport, he just isn't the natural athlete that his 9yo brother is, or obsessed like the 9yo or Mr 13yo (or DH for that matter! LOL).

So, for now, our schedule goes like this -

Mondays - paper-run, Charlotte gym at 1pm, Cameron cricket at 4.30pm.
Tuesdays - FREE day! Yay!
Wednesdays - Rhiannon gym 4.15-5.45pm, Cameron gym 4.15pm-6.15pm, Josh cricket 5.30-6.30pm.
Thursdays - paper-run - David cricket 4pm-5.30pm.
Fridays - Rhiannon gym 4.15-6.45pm, Cameron soccer 5.3opm.

Doesn't seem so bad written down, but it seems to involve a whole lot of in and outing of the house!

Stitching wise, I haven't done as much in the last week - but I still manage at least 1-2hrs a day. I've just finished the first of 8 sections of The Kiss - I'll take a picture later or tomorrow. Now it's onto some Round Robins I need to send off, plus one I need to start.

I'll come back and do the Stitcher Questions of the Week - and try to put the new icony thingee on my template :)

Sunday - The Kiss - 2.ohr
Monday - The Kiss - 2.0hr
Tuesday - The Kiss - 4.0hr
Wednesday - The Kiss - 5.0hr
Thursday - The Kiss - 1.5hr

Not a lot happening

But I hadn't updated for a while, so thought I should.

I've started stitching The Kiss (Mirabilia) - I've had this kitted for ages, then joined a Sleeping Beauty SAL where they've divided the pattern into 12 with the intention of stitching a 12th each month and thought what a great idea, so have divided The Kiss into eight pieces with the intention of stitching an eighth each month.

I don't seem to have had a lot of stitching time the last week or so, work has been busy this week so I had to actually work, rather than stitch - it's awful how you get used to it being quiet and become disappointed when there is tray full of work to do!

I've got a bit of soccer work and baking to do this morning, then we're off to a couple of BBQs this afternoon/evening so I'm not sure whether I'll get to my stitching today ... we shouldn't be too late home though as we're all going and kids need to come home and get to bed before school in the morning.

Wed - The Kiss - 3.5hr
Thurs - The Kiss - 1.5hr
Friday - The Kiss - 1.0hr
Saturday - The Kiss - 4.5hr

Ants, kids, heat and more

It's summer here, and it's "really" summer - the last couple of years we don't seem to have a real one. So, it's hot and muggy ... and when it's hot - the ants come out, gawd I hate those things, I have ant bait everywhere and they're feeding on it, so hopefully that will keep them under control, but while they're busy feeding on the poison, you don't really want to kill them before they have a chance to take the lovely stuff backto their nests ... so I have to sit here smother the urge to spray them. Have I mentioned how much I hate the darn things???

I'm also trying to walk everyday ... and I just don't seem to be the sort who elegantly perspires, I arrive home looking like a big red sweaty beetroot ... oh, so much fun. The GOOD thing is we've made use of the beach and sea more this summer than we have in quite a few years - it's a great way for the kids to cool off and get rid of a bit of energy!

Everyone has started back at school now, the oldest went off to his first day of high-school this morning, the next three started back at primary school on Monday, Charlotte is still home with me, except for her two daycare/kindy mornings ... it's nice to have a relatively quiet house again ... before the after school rush of activities anyway!

I think that's enough updating for one day ... I'm off to stitch for an hour or so before getting ready for the after-school onslaught!

February Goals

Hmmmm now, what do I want to stitch in February?? Time for something biggish I think :)

Birds RR - Done! (6.0hrs)
Memories RR - Done! (9.0hrs)
Set up new Mini RR - Done! (17.0hrs)
20hrs Lighthouse Kit - (7.0hrs)
1st part of Sleeping Beauty
1st part of The Kiss - Done! (25hrs)
Ornament 1 - Done! (4.0hrs)
Ornament 2
Xmas Mystery - Part 2 - Partly done (6.5hrs)

I think that will be enough to keep me busy :)

Rotation should go like this ...

10hrs Lighthouse Kit
The Kiss
Ornament
Xmas Mystery
5hrs Lighthouse
Birds RR
Memories RR
Sleeping Beauty
5hrs Lighthouse
Set up RR
Ornament

We'll see how it goes ... February will be a busier month than January.

January Round-Up

January Goals -

Cherished Teddy RR - Done
Teacup RR - Done
1st Part of Christmas Mystery II - Done
20hrs on Lighthouse Kit - Done (I think)
2 Ornaments - Done (Carole Snow and Christmas Tree)
Elizabeth Designs - October Sky Sampler - still waiting for fabric, but stitched Sweetpea Gazebo instead.

January Hours -

Ornaments - 3.0
Cherished Teddy RR - 10.0 (guess, I hadn't started counting)
Teacup RR - 9.0
Carole Snow - 9.0
Xmas Mystery - 14.5
Sweetpea Gazebo - 37.0
Lighthouse Kit - 21.0

Total = 103.5 hrs
Average = 3.35/day

(whoa! ... January IS holiday time though :) )

Catch-Up ... firstly, times ...

Sunday - Lighthouse - 4.5hrs
Monday - Lighthouse - 3.5hrs
Tuesday - Lighthouse -5hrs