Would you or have you designed your own cross stitch design? If you have can we see it? I think my first foray into doodling with a needle happened when I was given two ornaments at a GTG and I just felt that they needed a third to be a set. I did an ornament based on the set. Never graphed it just stitched it. Now I'm trying to graph it for someone and it's just not happening well. I don't remember how I did the modified waffle stitch. I've done a few other ornaments. That you can see in my gallery. I did win 2nd at the state fair with an ornament that I made in Vegas. I've had the idea for a couple samplers and I've mapped 2 out and started graphing one but I haven't stitched them yet. Maybe after I've finished some of my current want to stitch projects.
[i]Are you aware that your thoughts that you are thinking today, are constructing your World of Tomorrow?" -- Doug Firebaugh[/i]
Growing up we listened to a great set of tapes called Create your own World. We also listened to Dr. Wayne Dyer’s No Limit Person and Gifts from Eykis. I think the most important concepts I learned from these tapes are: I’m in control of my attitude. I can choose to act or react. My behaviour can calm or exacerbate a situation. If I’m unhappy, it’s my choice. No matter the situation, I’m in charge of how I choose to feel about it. People treat me the way that I let them. If I’m being treated like a doormat, it’s because I’m acting like one. Anxiety isn’t a physical thing, it can’t attack If you can’t rewind time, then you can’t should. Time is what you make it. If not you, who.
Right now I have more to do at work, I feel like I'm getting less done, but I'm having a ball. :D
No particular reason other than I feel that I finally have support staff. There are still a few that are moaning and complaining but I think the middle management shake up was a good thing. Now if I can just finish training them to do things the way I want them done rather than the way that they've been done in the past.
During Thanksgiving, many stores have sales on turkey. My favorite is the buy $50 and get a turkey free. I just do my regular shopping and get the turkey. The turkey then gets popped into the freezer for later. Last week, I went to put stuff in the freezer and realized, it was time for a turkey to come out. I didn't have time to cook it immediately and besides it takes a few days to thaw anyway so I stuck Henry on a cookie sheet and put him in the darkroom refrigerator. (It was on the bottom shelf with no film under it, I didn't see a problem.) Sunday after shooting a wedding all day, the turkey came up from the darkroom refrigerator with the instruction to "cook it now before it goes bad." Honestly, I had forgotten he was there. So at 10 pm I'm popping an 18.30 pound turkey (with spiced butter stuck in between the skin and the meat) into the oven. Those who have cooked a turkey before, do you see my problem? Yep, at 2 am I'm still basting and deciding that it will do just fine on it's own if I use the timed bake to shut the oven off in two hours. So I set up the oven and head to bed. At 4:30 am, DH rolls over and wakes me to say, "Your buzzer is going off." I didn't know that the auto shut off feature starts an alarm (it's a safety feature!). I haul out the turkey and stick a meat thermometer in it, it's above the salmonella line, so as far as I'm concerned, it's done. I just put it on the stove and go back to bed, go to work, etc. and forget that there is Henry, now cooked sitting there. So, I call from Driver's ed (last class for DD) and ask DH what's for dinner. There is silence on the other end and he says, "Aren't we eating the turkey you cooked last night?" Du-oh? So I tell him to go ahead and carve it and I'll pick up stuffing stuff on the way home (which I do). DH has made sandwiches with the breast meat and given me lots of pieces to stick in the stuffing. During the evening, he mentions no less than 4 times that he really hopes I don't boil the carcass for stew. DH doesn't like my turkey stew. But I figure that I can get at least 2 weeks of lunches out of the broth and the little pieces that will boil off the bones. So I boil it anyway but this time, I do it my DH's way instead of the way that my family does it. I still get the broth and all the meat pieces but the bones aren't rubbery. DH says it's because I haven't boiled the marrow out of them this time. Tuesday, the boys were excited to have stuffing for dinner (remember it's got turkey in it) and Wednesday, they fought over the last of the stuffing as an after school snack. It made me feel great. They were fighting over leftovers. So tonight after the running (violin lessons, piano lessons and pack meeting - regatta) I will finally get to have turkey soup for dinner. I've had turkey broth in the fridge for 3 days but just haven't had the time to chop the veggies and drop them in. I'm so looking forward to this.
I can remember not liking Anne Tyler as an author, but I just finished [u]When We Were Grown-ups[/u]. It was just the right amount of angst that I needed right now. The concept of a “real” life and what you’re living now hit home with me at this time. I could see myself in the position of Rebecca, waking up at 53 and wondering where I lost myself along the way. I'm experiencing a little of that now. I’ve been feeling like I’m surviving instead of living, like I’m in a holding pattern, or a rut. I know that this is of my own making because I’m in control of how I act and react in my sphere of influence. I’ve been letting things ride that I should have stopped long ago. I’ve been wasting time when I could be doing things productive. Another contributing factor to this mood was the high school reunion. So many people I went to school with have accomplished so much already in their lives. I’m still working for the same company I did in high school albeit in a higher position than file clerk/data entry. However, my brain has turned to mush and I don’t challenge myself much anymore.
Well, it's official from his teacher. DS#1 is entitled to use World Dictator as his career choice in their future planning journals as long as he presents a serious plan on what goals he needs to accomplish to achieve that position.
He's starting with developing a laser that would allow him to quell the rebellions in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. Part of that step is giving scientists their dream lab in the middle of the Nevada desert or in Siberia. The only hitch, nothing leaves the lab without authorization. It may not be feasible but he's thinking
:oops: Today I left my car keys in a co-workers car. It wouldn't have been so bad if today wasn't the last day before her 3 week leave to have surgery :oops:
Of course, the Google search for Bonne Bell also turned up a website for Lip Balm Anonymous, an organization that would like to ban lip balm, or at least keep the world balm free! I honestly can't tell if they're serious or a spoof. Most of the pages haven't been updated since 1997. He never gives another remedy for the dry, cracked, bleeding, lips that happen during a Utah winter. His main suggestion seems to be leave them alone, they'll get better. Maybe come Spring!!! His website also said there was a .PDF file listing Lip Smacker flavors but, considering his page was written in 1997, the link didn't work.
So, for the moment, I'll continue to feed my addiction for soft, non-bleeding lips with whatever I can get that works. I do wonder though if DH would like Martian Mellow?
The last three slots of my current project rotation just aren't really that appealing to me anymore. I have 2 quilts to work on and the new start on Savannah's Curtsey.
Frankly, with the summer heat still here, I really don't want to work on the quilts. But I rotate so that I will work on things that need to be finished, whether I want to work on them or not. The original plan was 2 weeks or 10 hours whichever came first. Maybe I'll just put up the sewing machine, put in a 1/2 hour on the Jungle quilt and let it sit for 2 weeks but I know I'll want to be working on something, so do I work on my smaller rotation pieces at the house (Heaven knows the Stretch pillowcases could use some extra time)?
Or do I just drop the last three slots, incorporate the quilts into the Quilting Focus spot, forget Savannah's curtsey for now (I'm still not sold on the fabric I picked for her, which is probably why I'm so ambivalent about starting her) and start the rotation over? This will probably lead to DH asking, are you ever going to make my Marine Corps quilt?
I've never had a year when I made it through all 15 slots of the rotation before so I think the idea of starting over on a 2nd round is calling to me.
So what do you think? Do I live with the Quilting guilt or maybe leave them in their slots but put off working on those slots until the weather cools down (maybe putting in double time when I get there)?
This was a glorious weekend, even with the head cold. :?
I called in sick to work on Friday but I have a ton of vacation that has to be used so this was no big deal. I stayed home, cleaned house and stitched. I finished up the 10 hours slot for Autumn Queen and got a progress picture posted.
Saturday, we went to the fair ground and I got my 2 pieces entered. They told me that I had to compete as an Advanced Amateur this year since I've had at least 2 first place ribbons. DH wasn't able to enter his photos because the Utah State Fair had an unpublished rule this year - no borders on prints. This gives an advantage to digital prints over traditionally darkroom printed matter. But what do you expect. It seems the Utah State Fair photo department always has at least one unprinted rule every year - but then that's Curtis for you.
Sunday, was relaxing church was good and I started on FireDance by Enchanted Lair. I'm suprised at how quick this is stitching up. I'm only at 2.5 hours and I have a lot of the first page finished already. I spent a lot of time sleeping on Sunday too. The kids have been congested and slightly feverish. I think I've caught it now.
Monday, I slept in, went to the office and was able to do a lot in just 3 hours. It seems that the new assistant to my sales rep quit last week so I'm back to doing both our jobs. I don't have the new claims supervisor fully trained either so I'm doing a lot of her work as well. But, I thrive on stress. It's good for me. :D
Here's too a new work week, and I hope that you had a nice weekend too.
DS#2 has reached the point in his lessons where he gets to start playing along to real songs. His choices were Tim McGraw or AC/DC (Back in Black). Guess which album got replaced as a CD? I don't think I've ever seen DH run to a record store so fast. :lol:
