Twentieth Finish For 2011

FINALLY! Here is THE LAST finish for 2011. This is Snow Friends by Bent Creek -

I love these kits because you don't have to go hunting around for all your supplies. Plus, I enjoy stitching on 18 count linen with pearl cotton every once in awhile for a nice change of pace :o)

I have the frame for this piece but it's just a wee bit too small :o( I think I'm going to re-stitch this piece on a smaller count so not all is lost!

Third trimester has brought with it some unpleasant things. That wonderful energy I had is now zapped :o( I can't believe how good I felt for those few months! But I can overlook the fatigue; it's the pelvic pain that has me screaming at times. It feels like someone is tearing my legs from my body! Ugh! This has made getting around difficult, especially stairs.

At least this has given me more time to stitch ;o) So that means that very shortly, I can share with you my 2012 stitching!

Nineteenth Finish For 2011

Whew! I'm almost there ;o) This was a big finish, not only for me but for Nia too since this was our SAL. Here is Christmas Rules by Lizzie Kate in all its finery -

I'm quite happy with the results. It was stitched on 32 count Light Mocha linen with the suggested threads.

Now that I've started Halloween Rules though, I'm finding the threads have much more variegation so I think I'm even happier with this new SAL. All in all though, when the time comes to finish Christmas Rules, I'll be proud to display it on my wall :o)

Caution...B-U-M-P Ahead!

This past Tuesday, I had another check up at the IWK. Before we left, I got DH to take another picture of me so you can see Junior's progress ;o) This is us at 27 weeks -

A little bigger, no? LOL!

The appointment went very well. The doctor is still extremely happy with my progress. I had to do a gestational diabetes blood test and the first one came back on the high side of the cut off line but the second proved it to be a false positive. I figured that was the case. I suspect it was all the candy and chocolate over the holidays ;o)

The nurse located Junior's heartbeat and it still remains strong. He kept avoiding her though so she had to keep moving the Doppler around. BOTH of us weren't happy when she decided to see if she could feel where his head was! I suspected it was on the right hand side and was right. That was until she found him and then he kept moving again to avoid her. LOL!

He definitely is an active one! I told DH that I hope this isn't an indication of what's to come... Our next check up is on January 31.

DH took this week off so we could do some baby things. Today he's putting the second coat of paint on the nursery :o) We chose Secret Garden by Beauti-Tone as the base and will accent that with stripes along the top of the wall with Muddy Waters (Beauti-Tone). I'm not sure if I mentioned it yet or not but the theme of the nursery is monkeys :o) Junior got his first stuffed monkey for Christmas and I found THE MOST adorable onesie with monkeys on it -

LOL! LOVE IT! He's our little monkey boy for sure :o)

I still have two more 2011 finishes to show you and my current WIPs. See, I wasn't kidding when I said I was way behind on my Blogging!

Great Mail Days

Over the holidays, my mailbox was happy on more than one occasion ;o) I have the nicest friends!

I'm sure most of you will recognize this sweet little mistletoe from Nia -

How she had the patience to make them all herself, I'll never know! It hung proudly in the middle of our living room over Christmas. Thank you Nia :o)

Next, a box arrived from Donna (no Blog). I had so much fun going through the goodies she sent -

I just love the blue teddy bear for Junior! I really got a kick out of my carrot bunny ornament -

Isn't that just THE cutest???? I know I haven't officially thanked you so thank you so much Donna :o)

Just when I thought the Christmas cards were done, along came one from Myra and she included a little portable ort container -

Just adorable and it's going right into my stitching bag :o) Thank you Myra for another one of your perfect sewing projects!

Back in December, Melanie hosted a giveaway and I was one of the lucky winners! And I mean l-u-c-k-y because no one else asked for her handmade socks :o)

I have coveted her socks ever since I started reading her Blog so I am SO thrilled to now have a pair!!!! I LOVE THEM Melanie and thank you so much.

I also want to thank those that sent Christmas cards and ecards as well. I loved receiving them and they put a smile on my face :o)

What's up next? Look out for the b-u-m-p! ;o)

Eighteenth Finish For 2011

Still another 2011 finish to show you :o) This one was on my ornament tree for most of the holidays. Not your typical festive colours but I still like him. This is Snow Swirls by San Man Originals -

Yes, I did say he was on my ornament tree so that means he was actually finished-finished! Sandy supplied the tuck with the pattern. It was cheating again but hey, he's done ;o)

There were snowflakes and a white ribbon to attach but I decided not to add them. It just made the pattern heavy looking. I'm pleased with the results as they are :o)

Thank you for all your kind and wonderful comments on my last finish. Stay tuned for some overdue Thank Yous and what I got!

Seventeenth Finish For 2011

Yes, you read that right... I'm so behind with my Blog that I still have a handful of finishes to share with you! LOL!

I was SO happy to finish this project because all I saw was white, white, white. I love this pattern though so I plugged away :o) This is Winter Silhouette by Imaginating -

This is not a great picture because it doesn't represent the color of the fabric really well. I used DMC 3865 on 28 count Colonial or Denim Blue (I can't remember!). I used two strands of floss for the cross stitch and one strand for the backstitching. The pattern called for two but that looked too heavy for my liking.

If you haven't checked out the Pumpkin Patch & Co. Graveyard, head on over and take a look at my list of 2011 finishes as well as my 2012 goals :o)

Santa's New Entryway

Another successful Christmas has come and gone. As always, it was here and gone before we knew it! This year, my parents were here for the holidays and we had a very nice visit with them :o) They even gave Junior his first Christmas present! LOL! He got a HUGE stuffed monkey and I'm sure he'll love it when the time comes and he can lay right on top of it :o)

As I mentioned in my previous post, DH and I had already bought our Christmas gifts for each other and got to enjoy them even before the big day. Each year we buy ourselves a pewter ornament for the tree and this year it was two chickadees -

It signifies that this will be our last Christmas as two ;o)

We also bit the bullet and put in a propane fireplace!

It may be hard to tell but DH had to build out the wall around the fireplace and it's not complete. I wouldn't let him do any sanding because I had just put up all the decorations and cleaned the house ;o) Remember the white mantle? Well, it's been stripped (partially) and whittled down. I love the look but we're still not sure if we'll repaint it or stain it. We also still have to pick out some tile to put around the fireplace insert.

And do you notice the area rug? That's my new $3,000.00 addition! Nope, I'm not kidding! Did we pay $3,000.00? Are you crazy? LOL! When we were searching out area rugs, I came across this great site called Rugs On Time. The real price? Just $421! That included free shipping, no tax and a free under cushion. How awesome is that?

I've still got loads to share but I'm still catching up with my Blog reading. Hopefully my Blog won't be as neglected in the New Year ;o)

Merry, Merry Christmas!

I hope all my friends and family have as wonderful and blessed a day as we've had here. We're all stuffed with turkey and sweets waiting to watch A Christmas Story ;o)

LBB

As promised in my last post, I'm going to post a picture of me with my new belly. Or as we like to call it, my Little Buddha Belly ;o) I got DH to take some pictures on Tuesday before we went into the big city. This is probably my second favorite of the bunch but the first one is out of focus. I hate getting my picture taken btw so consider yourselves lucky!

Yup, the bump finally popped although my belly button is still a little concave but much better than what it was ;o) Please forgive the extra stuff in the background. I hadn't finished decorating the tree yet.

Since you can see our Christmas tree, I might as well post a picture of the final result -

I LOVE my tree! It's not very tall but it's just right for the space and smells SO heavenly :o)

DH and I already got our Christmas gift for each other but that will have to wait a bit before I can reveal it ;o)

Christmas Rules SAL Block Eleven

I can't believe it, I haven't written a post since November! I have shamefully neglected my Blog :o( I do have some good excuses though... I'm making my way towards catching up on my Blog reading (30 posts left) and my email is 'almost' up to date ;o)

This block was completed last month, I just never got up enough energy to iron and take pictures of it. LOL! So here we have block eleven -

And here's what it looks like to date -

Right now I'm stitching the LAST block! Wow! Hard to believe that Nia and I are almost done :o( This was such a fun SAL to stitch together :o)

Since December 1, I have been decorating the house for Christmas. I now have my ornament tree up and I just love it -

I hope that we're going to pick out our tree this weekend. I'm SO behind with everything. My Christmas cards are sitting here expecting to be addressed and presents waiting to be bought and wrapped. Ugh! Where has the time gone???? DH and I have another trip to the 'big city' on Tuesday for another check up so there's a day gone. I just hope I don't have any more distractions so I can get all this stuff done.

Btw, I promise to post a picture of 'the belly' soon ;o)

Snips & Snails...

And Puppy Dog Tails...

That's what little BOYS are made of :o)

Yes, we have a boy! I couldn't have been more wrong in my guess. LOL!

Now to come up with some boys names ;o)

The Time Has Come!

It's a...

Sixteenth Finish For 2011

I just LOVE the Zipper Kits that Bent Creek makes. They are so much fun to stitch and it's nice having everything together so you don't have to go hunting high and low for fabric and threads ;o) LOL!

This is Snowman Flatbed -

Isn't he cute? I have to say that I was a little disappointed with this kit though because the WDW pearl cottons that were included were sparse! I 'just' had enough thread to stitch the hat but had to make an adjustment to the flag in order to get it in there :o(

I plan on stitching this pattern again but on 32 count (this one was done on 18 count) and with different accent colors. It will be interesting to see the difference in size and look :o)

As this is ornament size, it allowed me to achieve one of my 2011 goals! All I have left is one medium size piece (WIP) and Christmas Rules and I'll have wrapped up those goals with a nice red bow for the holidays ;o) I'm pretty positive that I can do it.

Back during Thanksgiving, my MIL gave me an African Violet. I have NEVER had any luck with these plants but surprisingly, this one must like me -

Or maybe it's the environment it's in ;o) LOL!

I'm not sure how much I'll be around for the next week. My parents are coming on Wednesday and are staying until the weekend. They want to be at the ultrasound on Thursday. Don't worry, I'll post any news as soon as I can ;o) Thanks everyone!

How Terrible A Mom Would I Be?

I'm a real sucker for children's books. Always have been and I'm not sure why. When I was in university, I took a Children's Literature course and absolutely loved it. I had hoped to someday write my own children's book but that has yet to happen. Maybe one day ;o)

DH and I were in Chapters about a month ago when I spotted this new children's book on the shelf. I had to do a double take though because I wasn't sure I read the title correctly. Upon closer inspection, I was right in what I read and couldn't help chuckle. DH and I thought it was hilarious. So how bad a parent would I be if I added this to our child's library of books -

ROFL!!!! Yes, you read the title correctly ;o) The next time you're in the bookstore, I highly recommend you seek this book out. It's definitely worth a good laugh.

Yesterday DH and I went into the Big City for our check up appointment. It turns out everything is great! The baby's heartbeat is strong and my weight is what it should be. I guess I do have to get a Rubella vaccine after the baby is born though since I'm not immune to the virus. Oh yay...

We still can't get over the fact that I don't have much of a belly. We met the owner of a second hand maternity store and she could hardly believe that I was 19 weeks. I was even wearing my maternity clothes although I didn't really need to ;o) At this rate, I won't be wearing maternity clothes for very long.

Next week is 'the' ultrasound when we (hopefully) find out the sex of the baby. Let's just hope Peanut cooperates ;o)

Christmas Rules SAL Block Ten

I bet you thought I was behind didn't you? Well, not with my stitching ;o) I finished block ten at the end of October but just didn't post a picture yet so here you go -

And the full piece to date -

Again, sorry for the horrible pictures. Boy, it's been so hard to get good ones lately :o(

I'm SO proud of myself too because block eleven is even done! You'll have to wait for another post to see that progress. It's hard to believe that Nia and I only have one more block left to do. It sure doesn't feel like we've been stitching on this all year. This was definitely a fun way to stitch this project though :o)

Fifteenth Finish For 2011

Here is my last Halloween ornament for the year :o)

This is By The Full Moon by Ink Circles. It was a joy to stitch too!

I did a few changes with this one. The fabric is 32 count Smokey Pearl linen so it's slightly bigger than what it should be but I'm still happy with it. I also switched the orange thread and used Bittersweet by GAST. I thought it was less garish than what was called for. That's just my opinion though ;o)

We're gearing up for more rain :o( Their talking 70-100mm! The last time we had that much rain, the downtown area flooded. A rainy day makes for a good day of stitching though ;o)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Fourteenth Finish For 2011

Yup, I know, I've been neglecting my Blog as of late :o( To be honest, I've been trying to catch up on my Blog reading (almost done) and my emails (getting somewhere). When you combine the tiredness from the pregnancy with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, it really wipes me out sometimes and I just don't feel like doing anything. But...I do have a backlog of stitching to share with you! LOL!

I despised this pattern but wanted to finish it since it had already been started last year. This is Halloween Coins by Bent Creek -

Why did I not like this pattern? I have no idea. There was just 'something' about it. I was SO relieved when I put those last stitches in. Since it was a kit, I used the recommended fabric and floss.

I apologize for the pictures. It's been so hard to get great pictures lately. The second picture probably best represents the true colors of this piece.

I'm still chugging along and yes, I'm starting to show now, although it's not a very 'attractive' tummy. I showed DH last night and he laughed. Before the pregnancy I was almost at my ideal weight but still had some rolls ;o) Well now I have one big roll at the bottom, a crater where by bellybutton is and then another small roll on top. ROFL! One of my friends asked when I was going to take a picture and I told her there was no way in Hell that was going to happen anytime soon. Hopefully that bellybutton pops soon ;o)

I've also had to dig out Boobarella (my silicone insert). After I had my breast cancer surgery, I gained a lot of weight and opted to go with one of these to go 'on top' of my reconstructed boob. Well the girls definitely DON'T match anymore! Anyone see the movie Just Go For It when the woman comes in Adams Sandler's office with the bra she handmade from two different cup sizes? If Boobarella wasn't around, that's what I would be faced with ;o) ROFLMBO!!!!

All is well though and we're anxiously waiting for the next ultrasound on November 24! Boy or girl? What do you think?