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Again, I've been holding out on you in the stitching department. January and part of February proved to be very productive months :o) I didn't plan on stitching this piece as stash buying is very limited now but when I saw Ranae's finish on her Blog, I inquired if she wanted to do a trade. Thankfully she accepted!
As soon as this chart came out, I was on the bandwagon. Here is Sergei by Plum Street Samplers -
I just LOVE this piece!!!! LOVE! I had so much joy stitching him and I was sorry to see the end :o(
I went out on a limb with Sergei and stitched him on 36 count Light Exampler Linen by Lakeside Linens. This was my first time on such a high count but do you know what? I LOVED IT! I used all the recommended fibers except one that I substituted for DMC and I stitched one over two.
I've had such a hard time getting a good picture of him. Eventually, he will be framed :o)
Now I'm determined that I want to stitch Boris! Is there anyone out there that would like to do an exchange - my Sergei for your Boris? I'd rather deal with someone that I know because back in December I got burnt in an exchange with someone I 'thought' was known well enough in the Blogging community :o( I will not reveal a name. Needless to say, they got their end of the agreement but mine has not appeared and she will not answer my emails. If there is an interested party, please feel free to email me :o) Thanks! 
Believe it or not, Junior has received even more gifts :o)
I've been reading Tatyana's Blog for awhile now and coveted her adorable owls that she was making. She offered to make a special one just for Junior and it even has a bell inside it -
Of course, she added a few things for Mommy too. LOL! Thank you so much Tatyana. As always, it's a joy doing an exchange with you :o)
The second package was a complete surprise! Teresa sent the following -
I have wanted that Charles Craft (oups, not DMC) monkey ever since I saw it but never thought I would get one! Now to decide what to stitch on his bib :o) Teresa also made me some burp cloths. These are awesome! I'd never heard about them before the shower but I'm glad I have enough that I can stuff a few in the diaper bags. Thank you Teresa!
Both are such talented ladies!
I've got loads of stitching to show you so stay tuned ;o)
A baby shower that is ;o) As most of you know, I went back to NB two weekends ago to attend my own shower and spend some time with my family. I'm ashamed it's taken me this long to post this but when I got home, I came down with this horrid head cold and I've been miserable ever since. Ugh!
Anyway, Mom and our friend S did a fabulous job of putting this party together. S opened up her home for the party and it was greatly appreciated. I think Mom had such a fun time shopping for all the supplies and she did a great job. It was a jungle theme, including a monkey of course ;o)
When the guests came in, there was a banner (in the same theme) they could sign. I plan on putting it up in Junior's room. Believe it or not but I have not read the messages yet. Why? I'm not sure but I'm think I'm afraid I might cry.
There was a ton of food! So delicious! And of course a cake with little blue baby booties made of icing :o) Mom had also put together goodie bags for the guests to take home with them.
In the end, there were fourteen people (including me). Fifteen if you include the 'baby' -
I had a few people cancel at the last minute and although I really missed seeing them, I completely understand why they couldn't be there. I did enjoy catching up with everyone but sadly three hours flies by fast.
I can't believe how spoiled I was! The gifts were overwhelming and I thought they would never stop -
I've done my best to take pictures of everything but there are a few things missing from the following pictures. There were a handful of books and two dog snugglies that didn't get included. I ran out of steam while taking the pictures so that's why no books but the snugglies are at S's house because she's going to embroider Junior's name on them when we announce his name ;o)
Can you believe all this came home with me???? I had brought an extra suitcase with me but in the end, there were three extra boxes and a crib mattress that came back across the ferry! LOL! There were some people that had passed on some items to us so that's why the extra baggage. It's a good thing they have a container to place these items in. I can't imagine trying to lug all that with me on the ferry ;o)
The majority of everything has been washed, sorted and put away. The nursery IS getting closer to being finished! I can't thank everyone enough for making that day so special :o) I truly have the best family and friends. More to come...
It's that time again and the second block is complete! Well, it's been complete for at least a week now but it's just taken me this long to post it -
I did make a small change to the piece of candy on the left hand side. It didn't seem very symmetrical to me. Call me crazy ;o)
Now I have to wait the rest of the month before I can continue :o(
As I write this, I'm in New Brunswick with my parents. I took the ferry from NS yesterday and they picked me up on the other side. My mom is throwing me a baby shower tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends, some of which I haven't seen since we moved to NS!
Junior is doing well, much better than his mother. It seems that I'm not as sea worthy as I was before I was pregnant :oS All I can say is that I'm glad it was a calm crossing because otherwise I might have spent the whole time in the bathroom. LOL!
I'm SO excited to finally have this project completed! I never thought it would see the light of day again so it was a good thing that Junior decided to make an appearance ;o) LOL!
This is Noah's Crew by Imaginating -
As I stated before, I changed the colors of the curtain and Noah's robe to match the colors of the nursery. I used DMC 3018 and 3865 along with white. Noah's scarf changed color too to match his new robe. The background was supposed to be red but I just reversed the piece of matting so the white became the new backdrop. I'm very happy with the results -
Once I got working on this again, and I'm not a perforated paper stitcher, I really did enjoy it! All the animals seemed to have their own little personalities :o)
This crew even has a monkey -
I'm not sure where I'll display this piece but for now it's on top of the dresser. I know you are all anxious to see pictures of the nursery but it's not ready for reveal just yet. I 'will' give you a sneak peak of the colors being used and the striping on the walls -
How's that for a tease? LOL! Hopefully it won't be too much longer and I'll show you what Junior's new room will look like ;o)
I want to thank everyone for their absolutely wonderful comments and to welcome some new Pumpkin Stalkers :o) I truly enjoy reading everything you write and I'm trying my best to reply to everyone that I can.
I know I'm late in posting this but hey, better late than never ;o) LOL! Last Tuesday, DH and I had another check up at the IWK and I got him to take another picture of me. I'm starting to look a bit tired now -
But guess what? That was me at 30 weeks so the countdown is on! People are still surprised that I'm that far along when they see me so that makes me feel good ;o)
The appointment went very well and my doctor is still very pleased with my progress. The second gestational diabetes test came back negative, as I predicted. That was definitely NOT a fun three hours. My leg/pelvis pain has shifted to my right leg and really packs quite a punch of pain :o( I'm still avoiding too much walking or stairs. I can hardly lift that leg now. I'm one unhappy Pumpkin! I was hoping that when Junior moved it would go away but not so. He moved position on Tuesday and is now vertical. I'm not sure where his head is yet but hopefully he's upside down ;o) LOL!
We've taken in two prenatal classes so far and I have to say it hasn't been too bad. Interesting people to say the least...
DH continues to work on the nursery and I should have pictures soon :o) The crib arrived yesterday! We haven't opened the box yet but I hope it's what we want. The cushions for the rocker would have been here today but I wasn't home. Hopefully they will arrive tomorrow. I was really surprised that they came so soon so fingers crossed they look good!
I put through TWO FULL loads of clothes in the wash for Junior. And that was only everything up to six months! This child is going to be a clothes horse but then that's not surprising if he takes after his daddy ;o)
I have finally finished and put together Junior's Noah's Crew and I will be posting pictures of it soon!!!!
That's right! I can now show you my first finish for the year :o) This is Gingerbread Snow by San Man Originals -
I love the little gingerbread man :o) Again, I cheated and was able to finish this into an ornament with the tuck that Sandy provided with the pattern -
One ornament down, eleven more to go! LOL!
I'll post a new picture of myself and Junior on my next post and give you a quick update :o)
Can you believe that it's the end of January already???? Where has the time gone? I thought that I would sneak in one more post before the start of February :o)
So who are these characters -
Aren't they cute? These are some of the pieces to Noah's Crew by Imaginating. I started this project about four years ago (ack!) and it quickly became a UFO :o( With Junior on the way, I figured this was a perfect piece to go in the nursery so I got my butt in gear and dug it out again.
There are thirteen pieces in all and I'm finished eleven of them! Only two more to go. DH has already put the shelf on the ark so I'm ready to assemble it once I'm done stitching. Yes, there is actually a wooden ark! Check out the picture here for what it will look like when completed.
Some of you may notice a bit of a difference in Noah's robe and you're right, I did change the colors to suit the colors of the nursery :o) I'm quite pleased with the results. For those of you interested in how they convert to DMC, it's 3013 and 3865. LOL!
Later today DH and I go to the IWK for another check up. It will be a quick trip to the big city but that's all my body can handle right now. We also start our prenatal classes tomorrow. That should be interesting...
Now that my 2011 stitching is behind me, I can finally share with you what I'm stitching on at the moment. I'm not sure if you remember or not but I mentioned that Nia and I would continue with another SAL this year. We had so much fun with Christmas Rules by Lizzie Kate that we decided to stitch Halloween Rules together :o)
So here is January's progress; the header and the first block -
I'm stitching mine on 32 count Lilac linen with the recommended threads and I just love it! Luckily these threads have a lot of variegation so they're really showing up nicely.
I did run into a problem but thankfully it was early in the game. I had to frog the grass under the gravestones because I thought they were supposed to be stitched in Blackbird. When I printed out the border, the symbols didn't come out very clear but I should have known Moss made more sense ;o) It helps to refer to the colored picture from time to time. Lesson learned!
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!
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)
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!
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)
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!
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)
