January WIPocalypse

The respiratory viruses and assorted sinus and ear infections that sometimes follow have hit our house pretty hard since Christmas and to be honest I’m in the middle of my second round of it at the moment so though I’ve been thinking a lot about it I haven’t made an official 2019 craft plans post. As far as stitching goes I have a big storage bin full of WIPs of various sizes and in various states of finish so I’m really not planning a bunch of new starts to add to it. I’m hoping to spend a lot of time on Coppervein with some deep dives into the WIP bin and maybe even a finish or two. The new starts I do have in mind are a Russian alphabet sampler I meant to start last year and some Christmas ornaments for the kids. Haven’t made a final ornament decision yet but I’m leaning toward the Mill Hill sleighs.

I have some more definite beading plans. I fell in love with Julia Pretl’s snowman box and have the beads to make at least 3. I’d like one for myself and my mother and mother in law. Might be persuaded to make them for the boys instead of ornaments if they decide they like them and the pattern works up relatively easy. I will attempt to up my skill level and tackle the Threadabead Ombré Star. I’ll decide on how many points once I get going, the pattern has directions for 6, 7 or 8. In my continuing attempt to decorate for holidays other than Christmas I also have plans for some Easter stars and have purchased Lady Lunar Kat’s egg and flower stars. 

So that’s what I have in mind and so far I’ve done pretty well in January. I pulled Space Traveler out of the WIP bin and did about half a page...

Also about a half page on Coppervein...

And a finished star, my colorway of a free pattern shared in a beading group I belong to...

And one more star, almost finished. This one was my pattern.

That about wraps it up for this month. Hoping to get around to seeing everyone else’s progress soon. Keep warm everyone! 

Happy 2017!

New year, fresh start. Time to empty out the 2016 orts and start over. 2016 wasn't the best year for me but not the absolute worst either. We lost some family members, dealt with some illness (extended family), but also took some fun trips, spent good times with friends and had a little more free time for hobbies. My 2016 ort jar is definitely more full than the last couple despite being shook up and dumped a few times by my favorite helpers. The boys are all a year older and have grown so much since last January.

I'm excited for so many things in 2017- more soccer for Josh, a trip to Celebration of Needlework for me in May, and of course another year of Measi's WIPocalypse SAL. My blogging and stitching has been spotty over the last couple years with babies in the house but I'm hoping to improve on that this year. 

So welcome if this is your first visit and here's a short intro- I'm Sara, wife, Mom of 3 boys, retail pharmacist and stitcher of BAPs (note that does not read finisher!). I love the big pieces but I stitch
plenty of smaller things too. My taste in designers ranges from tiny Mill Hill kits to Teresa Wentzler
and Heaven and Earth designs and lots in between. 

My goal for 2017 is simple- stitch. As I said, I have 3 boys in the house, an 8 year old and twin 2 year olds, so my stitching time has been limited to nap time and after bedtime. The twins will sometimes
allow me to stitch on something simple while they play and watch cartoons lately though I am getting lots of "help" while I do. I guess I will have to organize my stitching by complexity this year- ornaments and small pieces during the day and HAED and other larger pieces at night. As far as specific pieces I don't have a solid list for 2017 but there are 3 main HAED pieces I'd like to make progress on...

Coppervein, my main focus as it is a gift for my brother-

Space Traveler, pretty equally for me and my husband-

Dragon Master, definitely for me-

There are a number of smaller pieces I'd like to work in as well. The only must is the Vervaco birth announcement I'm working on for my cousin who has a baby boy due in February. Here's my current starting spot on that...

The rest of my very fluid list includes but is in no way limited to

-a yet to be determined block from CCN's Frosty Forest set for my Mom

-a Mill Hill Christmas village kit

-maybe some of the chalkboard ornaments from Hands On Designs

-a possible start on Death By Cross Stitch from Long Dog Samplers

-some things I haven't even thought of yet but will see at Celebration

I'm off to a good start at the very least since this should be posted on time (writing on 12/31). I'm also excited to be part of Measi's Facebook group this year. I'm on FB every day anyway so it's a great quick place to check in though I love the idea of keeping the blog for goals and longer check ins. See you all at the end of the month for the first check in! 

June WIPocalypse

Long time, no post! Sorry about that, the end of the school year and vacation got the better of me for a bit there. So what's been going on? Well, Josh finished up first grade and is a happy kiddo on summer break until mid-August. Soccer is over now too and we're beginning to consider a fall league at the suggestion of some of the coaches. The twins are looking and sounding much more like toddlers than babies as we approach the terrible twos. And we went on vacation:) We spent a fun week with my parents in beautiful Mackinaw City, MI and introduced the kiddos to the best fudge I've ever had. Josh can't wait to go back on a camping trip up there and neither can I!

I completely missed the May WIPocalypse check in so I've got extra stitching to report. I'm coming close to another page finish on Space Traveler...

Also picked up another HAED, Dragon Moon, and have stitched a skein (yes, a whole skein!) of 939 into the sky as I reach for the top of the first column. 

I took my Sugar Skull along for the car ride and made good progress on the black background, I also managed to bobbin all the floss for my next HAED start (graduation gift for my brother) and found some new magnets I'm going to use as needle minders.

Measi asks a fun question this month- 

Do you find yourself more productive with stitching in summer or winter?

That's actually a hard one, kind of depends on the weather we're having so it's not really the same every year. The more extreme it gets outside, the more likely I am to hide inside and stitch. 

Sounds like there is at least one Olympic challenge in the works so I've been considering my stitching plans for the next couple months. I think I'm going to take July and make it "Christmas in July" so I can get a start on ornaments and gifts and probably go back to a HAED in August. We'll see how far I get! 

April WIPocalypse

Two posts in a month and this one is only a few days late, look out world! So first up is Measi's WIPocalypse check-in. I finished a short page on Space Traveler and am slowly climbing up the second page in this column. Confetti isn't too bad yet but it's coming! Sorry it's sideways, Photobucket decided to turn it and crashes every time I rotate it.

I also started a Mill Hill kit while on a short vacation with the family over Josh's Spring Break. We spent a couple days in Indy and did some fun things like the Children's Museum and zoo, even got to visit with some college friends. I got a few colors in on Sugar Skull but there's a long way (and a ton of beads) to go before Halloween. 

I'll have to pack this one for our summer trip too if I don't decide to finish it first! 

And then there's the question of the month- What do you listen to while stitching?

It's a mix of TV and podcasts for me. Right now when Erich is downstairs with me we're rewatching Game of Thrones but I've been doing podcasts when I'm by myself and there are so many good ones! I listen to a wide range- several of the How Stuff Works shows, The Moth, Ask Me Another, Sawbones, Welcome to Nightvale, and The Sporkful to name a few. 

Outside of stitching we've been up to some Spring cleaning and getting ready for the end of the school year. And soccer is back too! Josh had his first game this weekend. He's moved into a new age division that follows more of the actual game rules so there are a few things different but all the kids played a great game. I even got a good pic or two...

He looks so grown up all of the sudden! Good to see him doing something he loves so much.

Can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to this month and I think I'll actually make TUSAL since I've got my orts back together.

Some updates and a late WIPocalypse

So I skipped out on TUSAL again but only because the twins found my ort cup and emptied it all over the rug so it looked pretty sad and not very post worthy. I meant to get back for an on time WIPocalypse but I was so close to a page finish on Space Traveler I wanted to finish then post and of course everything else in the world got in the way of stitching for awhile including a little Spring Break trip but we're home now and here I am.

Stitching first! I finally made it to the end of the first column on Space Traveler! It only took about forever to get through the confetti but I made it. I'm so happy with it I've kept on going and am about halfway through the short page at the bottom of the next column but that was after I took the picture so it'll have to wait for next time.

I also managed to finish the stitching on Jack-Arachnid and the Santa ornaments for the boys.

I would love to get the finishing done for next time but we'll see how thing go on that. I'm hoping for at least a short page finish on Space Traveler and maybe a finish on the Mill Hill kit I started last week on our trip.

We took the kids to Indy for a few days last week while Josh was on Spring Break and hit the zoo and Children's Museum and got to spend some time with friends too.  The weather was perfect for seeing active animals...

Josh even got to see the coolest Darth Vader car ever at the museum.

And just to prove my kids do occasionally all face forward, this one's from Easter. The twins are only unhappy because their terrible mother is making them sit still instead of running around like the wild boys hopped upon Peeps and chocolate that they were.

So that's about it for now. Josh is back in school and soccer starts tonight so I'm sure we'll be running from now until the end of school. Hoping for a few rainy stitchy days!

January WIPocalypse

Time to talk about 2016 goals as we start the new WIPocalypse year! Can't believe we're almost a month into 2016 already but here we are at the end of January and I've been thinking about the crafty things I want to accomplish vs what I really think I can accomplish and have updated my WIPocalypse page to reflect what I think is achievable. Mostly my plans are to work on the WIP pile and stitch and finish a few ornaments and maybe a small for my Mom out of the Country Cottage Needlework Frosty Forest series. I would not rule out a new start or two, this is a hobby and is supposed to be fun, but I'm going to try to keep the new starts to a minimum and try for more finishes.

And to that end I actually have a finish since last check in- this is Snowy Friends from the Frosty Forest series I mentioned above, finished just in time for my Mom's birthday.

As for the WIPs I'd like to work on in 2016 the two big ones are HAEDs, Dragon Master which I've worked on since last time so there's a before/after pic and Space Traveler.

So that's about it on the stitching end for now. If you aren't familiar with Measi's WIPocalypse SAL please do click and check it out.  The participants have done some amazing work in the past and I'm looking forward to seeing more this time around. Wanted to leave you with a few non-stitchy pics but I guess Photobucket has decided to stop cooperating so maybe next time.

December WIPocalypse

So I've been a blog slacker this year and there are lots of reasons- busy with the kids, busy with work, busy with work, busy with family. Both of Erich's remaining grandparents passed away this year and my Mom had a cancer scare (100% removed with surgery and she is fine now).  But 2015 is almost over and I'm hoping to get back to a few things I love in 2016, both stitching and participating in the online stitching community.  I've already got some stitching time back.  My little guys are all in bed by 8:30 or earlier so I've reclaimed the evening as stitching time but for some reason it has been harder to get back into the habit of checking blogs and posting and I miss it so I'm doing something about it.

I guess I made it here at a good time as it happens to be WIPocalypse SAL check in time and time to talk about the year's progress too.

I did have a few finishes this year. I finished a couple ornaments for the boys from 2014 (don't ask about ornamentifying, it didn't happen)...

And I stitched Vervaco's Sleeping Baby not once but twice for two new babies in the family...

My final finish for 2015 is Bluebird Cabin by Country Cottage Needleworks as a Christmas gift for my Mom.

I also made some progress on a couple WIPs like Space Traveler...

And Fish City...

Even started a few 2015 ornaments for the boys but ran out of stitching time before Christmas. This is  Magical Santas and they have appeared in both Cross Stitch & Needlework magazine and one of the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas books. They're much brighter in person than the finished pics with the chart would lead you to believe but I like them, they're very fitting for my boys. 

That's about it for my 2015 stitching. I'm working on Space Traveler at the moment and trying to make some 2016 plans. I was lucky enough to get plenty of stitchy things for Christmas including a chart and some supplies for a photo of my boys that my cousin had converted to cross stitch for me so there are plenty of new starts and WIPs to choose from!

July WIPocalypse

Missed the first one but I'm sort of close to on time for the second July check in! I don't know where the summer has gone but it is definitely gone.  School starts here Wednesday and we will be sending off our brand new first grader.  

I've gotten some time to stitch in between work and lots of summer fun.  I've had to put it away now to work on a couple of birth announcements but HAED's Space Traveler was my July project.  I've got a long way to go but I finally hit the top left corner, lots of progress from my starting point this round.

It's a little strange to be working over 2 after spending a few months on this one exclusively but I'm hoping to be back to it later in the fall.  Pics of the birth announcements to come later, all I've got is a tan blob for now! 

Off to enjoy those last few days of summer but I'll leave you with the soon to be first grader enjoying a hot air balloon ride last week at Conner Prairie.

June WIPocalypse

Gone a little longer than I thought but with the end of school and a busy soccer season and mobile babies sometimes I've got energy to make it through a level of Candy Crush and that's about it! So here it is June and I haven't updated you on anything since April.  I'll try to type quickly before the babies crawling on me actually succeed in wrestling away my phone.  

Kids first- Josh finished his last day of kindergarten yesterday and is officially on Summer break which I think he plans to thoroughly enjoy. He's also been playing in his first real soccer league since the end of April and is having a blast. Coach says he shows some talent and he enjoys it so we'll probably repeat next year.  Ben and Chris are most definitely crawling and cruising furniture with frequent attempts to take unaided steps.

Here's all the boys of the house on Erich's birthday at the end of April...

As for stitching I'm pretty close to on time for WIPocalypse check in time and I happen to have been stitching on a WIPocalypse piece too.  Since the last check in I put Fish City away and have dusted off HAED's Space Traveler.  I've done about half a page and have managed to make a halfway decent TARDIS corner.

I'm feeling pretty good about the over one stitching and think I'll keep on going for awhile.  

And the check in question this month is- Do you find yourself more productive with stitching in the summer or winter months? 

I guess it depends as parts of winter are filled with family gatherings and holidays so not so much then but other parts of winter are perfect for snuggling under a blanket and stitching the hours away.  Same in summer- some parts are so busy with outside activities but we get such miserable hot and humid weather for part of the summer that there's not much to do but hide in the air conditioning and stitch while ignoring the housework.  

That's about it for now.  Off to enjoy a little sunshine and get some dinner on the grill.  Hope you're all enjoying some summer sunshine too!

August TUSAL

Thanks for all the kind words on the stitching and well wishes for all the boys too:). We made it through the first couple days of school without any problems and Josh seems to like it so far though I think his backpack weighed more than him on the first day! Here's a quick pic we snapped before we left on the first day...



It's also time again for TUSAL, that fun time of month to show off your ort jar...



I realized while taking this that I've been stitching some really boring colors so far this year, almost all blues with various shades of brown and gray thrown in, so I made my next rotation choice a more colorful one and decided to go back to Chatelaine's Watergarden for a week or two to save my eyes from the over one of Space Traveler and bring a little color to my jar for next time. Here's where I'm leaving Space Traveler for now...



I made it through the first full page so 2 pages down now with a bunch to go and yes, I did work on it while watching the Doctor Who season premiere the other night. Very happy to finally see Peter Capaldi in action!

That's about it for now. Not much baby news to report since last time, going to hit 33 weeks in a couple days and all seems to be well outside the normal complaints of getting uncomfortable and not sleeping a whole lot. I do have possibly our last ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow so excited to see the boys and how big they've gotten. Very excited to be so close to seeing them in person!

Late Turtle Trot and WIPocalypse

A little late but I do have some stitching to report for both the Turtle Trot and WIPocalypse SAL's. First up is Space Traveler which is on my list for both SAL's. I've got a before/after for you since it's been so long since the last time I picked it up...





I'm very pleased with how this is turning out so far and am looking forward to continuing to work on it and get to some of the other parts I've seen stitched on other WIPs. I did take a short break from it to start a Halloween design from the special JCS Halloween issue. Sorry to say I didn't catch the designer but this is the beginning if the mummy on perforated paper...



In answer to the WIPocalypse question of the month about oldest/newest WIPs I'd say the mummy is my newest with Space Traveler as my newest long term WIP. My oldest would have to be TW's Storyteller which I started sometime in the 1990's and just have never gotten back to. I'd love to finish and frame it someday as it is still one if my favorite TW designs.



In kid news we are less than a week away from the first day of school for Josh and he is very excited to be an almost kindergartener. He's got his backpack packed and uniform ready to go for Day 1.

Babies are still doing fine too, they hit 31 weeks today. I'm doing ok outside a little elevated blood pressure that's being monitored carefully. I got taken out of work on maternity leave this week too so it's starting to feel like we're getting close to their arrival. Hoping that means more time for stitching for a few weeks but so far it seems like all I've done is sleep and run errands! Oh and buy a car- we celebrated my first day off by trading in our Honda Civic for an Odyssey. Didn't exactly plan it that way but we happened upon a really good deal and we wanted to trade before I go back to work in January anyway so we couldn't pass it up. Just one less thing to do after the twins get here.