It's Winter!

West Michigan is such a pretty place in the winter - as long as one does not have to go anywhere or do anything. This morning we woke to an additional 8 inches of white stuff, and the snow plow guy apparently decided to sleep in this morning, as the drive was not plowed. I couldn't get the car backed out of the garage and turned to go down the drive until DH and I had shoveled the snow. That took care of any excess calories that I might have consumed in the past week!

Last night I learned that one of the ladies in EGA who had some fairly routine surgery to remove some suspected cancerous growths is in critical condition due to peritonitis. She is one of those poor souls that I marvel at, wondering how much can a single person bear? She has some sort of spinal problem which bends her over almost parallel to the floor, had a progressive case of MS and now this. I am reminded how fragile our existence on this earth really is, and how lucky I am to be reasonably healthy, able work and do pretty much what ever I want to. I don't know that I would bear the burdens that this lady does with as much grace and cheer as she shares with the world. She is a very accomplished stitcher and in that way brings a lot of beauty to this world. I pray that God holds her in the palm of His hand - more than that is up to His mercy.

This time of year, I look forward to being home, reading, stitching, making soup and hanging out with the cats. When I can't, I seem to do a lot of ordering of stitching supplies! Displacement of frustration, I guess!

I haven't posted in such a long time - too much work, too much family and nasty weather adding commute time! I have lived in Michigan for over 2o years, and I am still shocked everytime winter comes - you would think I would learn. The plus side is that I start wanting to stitch - I have a fun ornament for an exchange tomorrow night going (yeah, I know - nothing like pressure!). But this is fun - I am working with Vikki Clayton's premium silk overdyes on a piece of sparkly gold and cream fabric from my stash and making a free snowflake chart that came with New Stitches a while back. I am already 2/3 done and that is not bad for the world's slowest stitcher (or runner up). I went at lunch and got some fat quarters to try for the backing - and tonight I have nothing on the docket but to finish it. Fun! Fun!

Indian Summer?

It's unbelievable but we have been having temperatures in the low 70's. Really amazing for Michigan and November. I am not complaining! Marvelling is more like it.

I have not heard if my little surprise made it to ??? yet. I had another surprise - DH took me out on Saturday and replaced my 25-year old Singer Golden Touch and Sew with a brand new Viking Scandinavia 2oo. Of course, nothing else got done from that point as I have been playing with the new machine.

I did go and workout at Contours on Thursday and I am going this afternoon as well. I hit work at 7:10 this and worked through lunch, so I can be out by 4:10 and make it to the bank and to exercise!

wonderful surprise from France!

I signed up for the Redwork exchange on the Stitching Bloggers' Exchange EZBoard. After much trial and tribulation (nothing like a deadline to bring out every possible obstacle!), I finished my contribution and sent it off to ??? yesterday! Then to my utter and complete surprise, my goodie was waiting for me when I got home from work. A lovely package from Bea in France with a lovely natural linen bag embroidered with birds in dark red (my favorite style of redwork and what my contribution is done in) with a lovely red handle trimmed in lace. With my initial! She enclosed some darling paper napkins with a redwork sampler on them, a skein of overdyed floss, and a post card with a pattern on the front and a message in French. Luckily, DH is fluent in all the Latin based languages and translated for me! DH has decreed that the bag is far too precious for use and is to be "On Display"! Interesting reaction given that sometimes I feel as if he just tolerates my embroidery!

I am delighted with Bea's gifts and I hope that the receipient of my efforts enjoys her package just as much. I'll try to get photos and publish them later this week!

musings on autumn

Here in West Michigan, the colors are just about at their peak. Somehow, even with the gloomy weather we've had the past 3 days, the glowing colors of the trees cheer up the days. Having moved the work site not only makes getting to work much easier (avoiding the bottlenecks) but the new expressway goes through a lot of undeveloped land with gorgeous woods. Sometimes I can't identify trees while they are leafing out, but I usually can when I see their colors in the fall. All those fall leaves I had to collect and label years ago have stuck with me!

Of course, now that I want to stay home and nest, the temporary job has been extended at least another 6 weeks. But, it gives me Christmas money, stash money and book money... for those times when I am not working.

It's perfect soup and stew weather, which are my assigned dishes in the family cooking scheme(also most appetizers, vegetables and desserts). So I am coming into my time of the year for cooking - I don't care for hot weather and I certainly do not want to make anything that isn't cold. I haven't cooked in any real fashion since April, since we spent May in Mexico, then came back to hot weather. I'm sort of looking forward to it.

And of course, it's grand stitching weather. I have started to do an assessment of the stash and WIPs. I am close to the point of starting serious organization efforts in the house, after having it up side down for far too long. The big issue of course is that I didn't expect to keep working more than a month last February, and thought I would get back to completing all the sorting and throwing away that I had started. I realize that the nature of contract work is that there is no way to predict how long an assignment will be, and so when starting one, it is better to complete whatever home projects are in flight as soon as possible. If it ends on time or early, then I can start another home project. That is why I am doing the assessment - I'm breaking those big in-flight projects from the beginning of the year (I don't regret the projects, as I was really making wonderful progress for the first time with my New Year's resolutions) and breaking them up into mini projects that can be done in a couple of hours or so. With working full time, and at least an hour on the road every day, and DH wanting to go places on weekends, 2 hour projects are the most realistic. Who knows, perhaps they'll all be done in time for the 2006 resolutions!

further cat tales

Well, the two little tabby kittens disappeared - Probably picked up by college students who will keep them through the school year and then dump them in May - without neutering them or shots or anything. DH saw 3 college girls taking photos of them last week and the neighbor saw the same 3 girls over by them another day. So the bets are that the 3 girls had something to do with the disappearance. the hardest part is their mom and sister going around crying for them - heartbreak stuff. Contrary to common opinion - it looks as if they are grieving the two that are gone...

Phases in catdom

Have you ever noticed how the more things in life change, the more they stay the same? I just gave up on the cranky cat, deciding that after 2 years, she really is NOT going to adjust to the others. Especially as her behavior was worsening with the outside kittens visiting the back door every chance they got looking for food. So, she is off going through through the process of being placed with an Assisted Living person who will spoil her to death. And before the 3 that are left can adjust to that idea, my good friend C. decided that she really wants one of the outside kittens for her very own. So Cocoa (so named because she looks like she stuck her face in a bowl of cocoa [are these called seal-point siamese?]) has come into the house to be socialized. She's doing really well and has taken to the life of luxury - cream at every meal? Of course! Dry food all the time - Outstanding!

But the other cats are totally ticked off! I guess they will calm down after Cocoa leaves on Thursday for her new home. What a riot! - one kitten 10 weeks old in a crate that gets held approximately 2 hours a day has her 3 half-sisters who live in the house all the time completely upside down! Too funny to see them!

Needless to say, kitty socializing cuts into the stitching time, but I did get halfway through the broad diagonal stitch foliage for the 2nd tree on the DT "Marriage of the Minds" sampler. It won't be finished by the anniversary on 10/11 but I think it will be finished by year end.

And I have my redwork exchange item down what I am going to make, floss and lining fabric. Now I just have to find the linen that I know is in the stash to start the "???" - I'm not telling until after it's mailed off... But I will try to scan fabrics and floss with my new scanner and put up a photo.

Starting a new phase

Wow - I feel as if I should say something profound, but for the life of me, I can't think of anything. Starting a blog is an idea I have played with for some time, and Becky at the Stitching Bloggers Exchange pushed me into it by saying that if I wanted to be part of the group, then I have to have a blog.

I visualize this as a ramble about the REALLY important things in life - stitching, books, achieving balance in my life. It's going to be a journey!