Perfect end to a very rough day :)

I keep posting on the *other* page, so it never looks like I'm posting, and I didn't want it to look like I'm ignoring my blog and even though I wanted all stitchy on this page...oh well.  It's been a VERY turbulent week (more in the # of days than in the start as of Monday).  My ear has been keeping me from stitching.  I did attempt to stitch last night but alas, I noticed looking back and forth between the hoop and the pattern as I counted made my head swimmy and as I worked my way up one side of spongebob's arm I had made a counting error on the other side and had to frog it all.  So stitching is just going to have to wait a little longer.  Friday is payday and I am going to get some meclizine and between that, antibiotics and sudafed, hopefully I can get this meneire's under control.  There must still be fluid from the infection even if I don't feel it or any pain.  ANNYYYWWWAYYYSSS, the "week" culminated with Ty going alone to JO Wyatt this morning to start the application process after pushing and pushing and pushing me all week to try and get me to break to go with him.  I'm proud to say I didn't go with him, but I do feel like I broke in a way, inside.  I'm going to go ahead and go back in counseling for a little while as we go through this hell ride, nightmare, torture, turbulence with Tyler.  So I was checking email after this horrid, horrid day and was talking kittens with Cheryl over at Acorn to Oak and of course I had to go look up our kittens old site where I had posted about them when they were so teeny tiny for family to keep up with.  And when to grab the site addy, of course I got caught up looking back. Oh they were so so tiny.  At one point I was showing James a video and we were awwwing over their little sounds and I had the volume turned up and oh Lordie, Tas and Cashew went nuts looking for their babies.  You see, they were Lil' Mamma and Big Mamma to the kitties.  They took over "stimulation" duty for us, kept a very close eye on them, alerted us to any problems and watched over them very closely.  And when they heard those little sounds coming from my laptop, they just could not figure out where their babies were.  It drove them nuts.  And it was just too precious.  I grinned so big looking at all the pictures and looking at the videos.  It helps to that when James got home he had let me cry on his shoulder and really talk, just talk and talk it out.  I love that man so much.  He can drive me so crazy sometimes.  We are so opposite in so many ways that we can really drive each other up the wall.  But I love that man.  And he has my back hands down.  And I have his.  So I am very, very glad that I got to end this day with such huge smiles on my face, laughing at the dogs and loving my hubby so much.  I wanted to include a pic of the kitties and oh, maybe the furs, but I couldn't find my camera.  So tomorrow when James isn't using his tablet, I'll borrow it (again) to take a pic of them and post it.  I know, the tablet doesn't take the best pics, but it'll do.  Oh, and thankfully on the kitties blog, I have the date of when they came to us, and wow, they turned 9 months old this week. 

Mr. Logan with the ever entertaining box and straw wrapper

Tas (brown), Dolly and there is Mr. Gambit in the left upper corner.  Tas looks like she has not front legs the way she is laying!

Mr. Gambit is just chilling

The Princess Issabella

Mr. Logan pretending to chill, you have no idea how many blurry pics I have of him because he would not be still!  LOL

The Angel

And I guess the pic of The Angel, The Princess and The Cash got deleted, so we will have to make due with this rather blurred picture of Ms. Cashew.  She was posing so pretty, till I looked at her.

Grow Your Blog Party!

Hmm, Hi!  Blogger is currently not being nice and not allowing me to upload pics, so I can't add in the little Grow Your Blog picture doohickey, but it is being hosted by Vicki over at 2 Bags Full, last I read, over 150 bloggers were signed up!!  No matter what I click on on the left side of the box (after clicking the insert pic) the right side is blank.  I do use firefox and this has been going on for 3 days.  I HATE picture-less and this is usually why I will disappear from blog land.  Anyhoo, that is why no pics.  But on to me.

I am Shanda and live in Texas.  Wife to James, step-mom to 16 yr old Seb and mom to 18 yr old Ty.  If you look at the 2nd page it is all about the angst we are going through with Ty right now.  It is not good or pretty and breaks my heart.  I really wanted my blog to be all about stitching, but it veered when "the kitties" came into the picture.  "The kitties", long story short, were babies found at 1 day old and their momma was killed.  I took them in and my husband and I nursed them and they are healthy, happy rambunctious, ohhhh, 7/8 month olds now.  They joined our crew of 5 doggies.  The kitties are Logan and Gambit.  Doggies are Tas (german/husky mix), Dolly (german/lab mix), Issabella (chihuahua), Cashew (jack russell/pug mix) and Angel (terrier mix).  Yes, we have quiet a crew and my heart is entirely too large when it comes to critters.

I started stitching November 2011.  I was in my 2nd year of an undiagnosed back injury and had to realize quilting was no longer an option for me.  I could no longer sit at the sewing machine, or sit or stand to cut fabby.  I spent over a year in just this loss.  Then I remembered back to this one year in high school when I had stitched this little bitty Christmas ornament, so I thought, let me try that again.  And I did, and I loved it.  Soon after I had a full set of DMC and had quickly jumped from smalls into medium projects.  Some over my head probably. Many got chunked.  I now have my own "girl cave" to stitch in.  I LOVE stitching.  It gives me peace and joy.  I LOVE watching the patterns come alive into pictures.  I had many goals last year, my first one.  Boy did I think I was going to stitch a whole lot.  Boy did I not meet most of those goals :)  I am sooooooo trying to keep my goals smaller this year and I have started a small goal list.  I have.  You can see it.  But, if you are on facebook, and you know Silkweavers, you know about their sale.  And I keep buying these patterns.  And then Stitch Witch n Bits has their sale going and I bought more patterns.  All patterns I of course want to do THIS year.  It is such an addiction.  One I love.  My hubby has his music (he is in a band), I have my stitching :)  I'm also co-owner in a wonderful, relaxed yahoo stitching group, Sisters_Stitching_Sharing_Life.  We talk a whole lot about our lives, stitching and support and love each other.

So, now that you know about me (and if you've read the 2nd page, you know a WHOLE lot about me, and my struggles with my son), and you've made it this far, with NO pictures no less, let's make it worth your while.  Post in the comments section and you will be entered in a drawing for a giveaway.  It won't be made by me because I'm not that confident in my skills yet, but it will be a nice little stitchy package. If you become a follower, let me know in your comment and that gets you a 2nd entry in the drawing.  Drawing will take place Feb. 1st and package mailed out Feb. 8th :)

Update 1/19/13 10:56 pm

Wowee!!  When I signed up for this, I never thought it would be this big!!!  I’m rather stuck in bed due to an ear infection that is triggering meneire’s.  TV watching is out, but so far I can still read, although I am having to be very careful with reading on the computer.  But man oh man, so many blogs signed up!!  I got through the first section with 0-50 followers.  I finally had to tell myself to quit looking at older posts and just  do a brief scan.  I can always go back later!  I do want to hit all the blogs by Feb. 1, but man, what is it 400 and some odd blogs?  Thank you to all the new that have visited my blog and especially to the new followers!!

Now this is stash ;)

I got my other Silkweaver order.  And yes, I ordered more this week.  I swear I just need to walk away from the computer when it comes on otherwise I will never get to order the pattern specific fabby I need.  Of course the little devil on my shoulder keeps saying "oh yes you can, with tax returns".  LOL.  Anyway, this is what was in this order:

And wouldn't you just love to see it?  But blogger as not let me upload pics for 2 days now, so I will keep trying to upload that pic and one of the updated spongebob pic.  This is the first time I've really run into such a problem with blogger.  Any hints?  I mean I click the thingy to insert pic and I get the box with upload, from picasa all that on the left, but everything on the right is just blank.  Such a bummer!!  From what I hear it is IHSW this weekend?   I'll be working on the dreaded Spongebob as much as possible.  I've got a horrid ear ache, I may as well say ear infection as it is all stoved up and it feels like I've been smacked in the head w/ a 2x4 on that side.  Hubs has band practice tomorrow so it will be somewhat quieter around here and the 3 of the guys will get to do the cleaning this weekend, as is usually the norm.

Pretty boring blog with no pics, so lets just hope I can get them soon!

Yay!!  Here they are!!  Thanks to a blogger through Grow Your Blog I tried Windows Live Writer and here they are!!  Woo Hoo!!

Not so stash stash day :)

One of my facebook Silkweaver sale orders came in. This is from when they had all those cute adorable snowmen.  I'm such a snowman fanatic!!  This is what I got :)

Aren't they just the cutest?  I'm waiting for James to get home and improvise me a hanger to hang the one on the desk so I can hang it on my door.  I love my little snowmen :)  And yes, I did get me a piece of fabric!  I noticed I've been ordering a lot of blue, so I get a pretty light purple color.

I'm still plugging away on Spongebob, although I have taken a break for a few days.  Between Ty's EEG, his Canada revelation, and my escaping into some reading, I've just not been stitching.  But I am in the cave today doing some stitching :)

I still have another Silkweaver package coming in hopefully this week.  I got a couple of patterns and a piece of fabby, maybe 2.  I hope you enjoyed the pics!

Grow your blog!!

Okay so reading blogs I read over at Daffycat that Vicky is having a grow your blog thing.  I love reading blogs, so why not.  Now, you see the button for it over there in the upper right hand corner, have you tried to click it?  Yeah, it doesn't work because I don't know how to do that.  But if you click  here it will take you where you need to go.  Hopefully now that the laptop is back I will be a more regular poster to blog land :)  but I sure do enjoy reading post.  It is a part of my morning and evening routine :)

Blog Land Enablers

So catching up in blog land, I came across this blog by Tama, I now blame her for enabling me.  Of course I had to go take a look, and look at what jumped into my cart:

Spiderman, which James adores.

Light and Life, which hopefully Seb will like :)

Wolf of the Trees, for Ty.  Of course it may be a long while before this one gets stitched :)

Wolverine, I was thinking of James along with Spiderman on this one, but this one is just not Wolverine to him, it is of course, Hugh Jackman.  Which is who we non-nerds think of as Wolverine, but who is NOT the iconic comic book Wolverine, so this one just may never get stitched.

All for less than 8 bucks!!  Now that is a price you just can't beat!
Go on over here and check them out, I dare you!!  So many amazing patterns delivered right to your email, instant gratification!!

A finish and a start....

I finished the Minecraft one for my oldest nephew :)  It is done on 18 ct cream Aida.  The pattern is by Lord Libidan on Etsy.  Now to give it a wash, iron and frame :)

I did get started on Spongebob..not much progress for today.

Not a lot of stitching today, it was not a good day.  Need a re-boot for the week.

Stitching Progress :)

It looks like I will have a finish tomorrow to show!  Woo Hoo!!  I started my oldest nephew's very late Christmas present.  Santa was just too busy and didn't tell me until Christmas Eve what they might like (a little fib, actually my brother was a little late telling me and I didn't find out until the week before!!).  It is easy and a quick stitch.

He is a little Minecraft finatic so hopefully he will enjoy this. 

And here is this week's progress on Halloween House:

  I hate that the weekend is over!  I really want to pop another movie in and finish my nephew's, but it's time for the regular week schedule so no staying up until 2am stitching and watching movies.  With Seb's room right next to my cave, the movie and light interferes with him being able to sleep.  So it's off to bed and reading I go.  But tomorrow I will finish his, then I need to start my youngest nephew's spongebob one.  Once those two are out of the way I can focus on Halloween House again :)  It is nice to take a little break from Halloween House though.  I just hate working with a hoop.  I have 2 8x8 homemade qsnaps, but I never could find the right material to make the clamps.  Does anyone out there have 8x8 Qsnaps that they wouldn't mind measuring the clamps for me?  If I can find that out, then I can maybe just order replacement Qsnap clamps that would fit the ones I made, then no more hoop!!!

First Finish of the New Year!!!

I'm so excited!!  I've been working hard on Halloween House, and no before anyone gasps, it is not the finish.  It is coming along nicely and I'll probably have a progress pic after this weekend.  My stitching group as a stitch-in every weekend so I'll wait till after the weekend to post a progress pic :)

Anyways, I took a short break to work on our groups first ever small pattern January SAL.  This pattern was picked because yes the Newtown tragedy was heavy on my heart and as all tragedies like that do, it brings back the horror of losing my own daughter. 

The heart is done in DMC 4240 which is in their variegated or variations, it's of the blue blends.  She was a September baby so her birthstone is a Sapphire and the blue represents that.  Of course her wings are done in pink, DMC 48.  The variation in the coloring is much more prominent in it, which seems to be the main difference between those 2 color lines.  It is done on lavender sunset and it is either 28 or 32 count, stitched over 2.  Except I did the name over 1, which is what really made me feel like I just might be working on 32 count, had to pull out the magnifier and I'm still cross-eyed.  I'm very, very happy with it and think I will probably finish-finish it into a cube for my shelf.

First post of the New Year :)

Of course I had intended to make a nice New Year's Eve post yesterday.  Reminisce about what I've learned in this first year of cross stitching, my laughable goals not met, my love for all things cross stitch, my new found fascination with wrangling the budget to buy stash, hiding said stash from hubby so I don't have to be "fair" and wrangle budget for him to get something of "equal" amount (don't worry, he gets plenty all the time, he really does, music stuff, games, books, etc  and I don't, but for whatever reason if momma spends the guys think they should get something of equal value, go figure :) ).  I was also going to do the editing of the blog.  Yep, great intentions.  But, I was just blah.  Hubby and I both were.  We didn't want to fiddle on the computer, read, watch a movie, do "our thing" (him play games, me stitch), we seriously considered going to bed early!!  He finally decided to hope over to his brothers and I finally found a movie to put on.  And for whatever reason we slept until 1:30 today.  Yes, we are late sleepers as it is, I get up on a normal day anywhere between 10 and 11, but 1:30 is out of the ordinary.  Although in our "neck of the woods" New Year's means ringing it in with everyone firing off guns and they do it for hours.  Not necessarily a peaceful way to try and get to sleep so we were up till 3am or so.  We lazed around a bit and then I headed off into the cave.  Halloween House has been back on the snaps for a week now and here is how it looks: 

The new level of the house is where I started with a blank canvas, so I think it is pretty good progress.  The kitties have finally discovered my threads in their little tray on my lamp and like to get into them in the night now.  Drives me bonkers as I so love being able to leave them in the little compartments on the tray.  But no, now I have to bag them up each time I finish stitching and drag them back out when I'm ready to stitch.  Needless to say, I make sure I'm going to be able to stay awhile stitching.  I can shut the door on the room, but with the temps in the teens at night this room gets way too cold and I wouldn't be able to get it warmed up to stitch in the next day. 

The kitties.  Oh my babies.  Those 2 little bitty things have sure grown.  They are little scamps too.  They can no jump to the tallest heights of the house, are great little mousers (even if they prefer to just play with it, not eat it) and they never cease to entertain us.  They rip roar through the house after each other.  They snuggle and love on us.  They terrorize the dogs by day and curl up by them at night.  It can be so funny because Angel a.k.a Devil dog does NOT want them laying by her at night and if they even get within 3 feet of her she snarls and barks.  But I'm telling you, Logan is the stealth master at sneaking up beside while she is sleeping and laying down just barely touching her.  It is so funny and cute at the same time. 

That one is Mr. Gambit, daddy's boy.  He loves his daddy.  He's also the escape artist and loves to run out the door.  He was missing for 24 hours one day and it traumatized the whole house.  Tas and James found him next door.  Another time he got out, I found him by our car.  I was leaving and had just let the dogs in.  I swear it is the part of him that thinks he is a dog and he is wanting to go out with the dogs when they go.  Yes, he thinks he is part dog.  We had a trainer come work with us on the dogs and I've continued to work with them.  They are working on "sit" and "down".  I use kitty treats (hey they're tiny and lots of 'em and when you have 5 dogs, that works).  I kept telling James I thought Gambit was learning to "sit".  He said no way, cats don't learn commands.  One night I was working with the dogs and of course the kitties line up too.  Gambit is sitting and the guys were like he just wants the treat.  I said they all do, but if that is all, he would just swipe it from my hand, you know that.  And yes, at that moment he swiped and kitty ninja attacked my hand.  I pulled it back, told him know, and did the hand motion with a firm "sit".  He sat.  Each time I would go down the line with the other critters he would stand back up, but when it came his turn, hand motion, "sit", he would sit.  Yes, he thinks he's a dog and the guys had to shut up :)

Sorry this one is blurry, I could not get him to sit still for me.  This is my baby Mr. Logan.  He is momma's boy and he gets treats when I'm working with the other critters but in no way does he follow a command.  He grabs the bag and takes them.  He doesn't antagonize the dogs as much as Gambit does.  Gambit chases Issabella, Logan does not.  He has no interest in going outside.  He's a good boy.  Except when he falls in the bathtub.  I can not take a bath alone.  He must go in there and prowl the edge of the tub.  Try and swipe my goes, lick my shoulder.  A few times he's tried to turn around on the thinner part of the edge of the tub and that has not worked out well for him.  It ended up not working well for me either as I was stuck in the tub he was clawing his way out of!!  His favorite place is the top of our armoire.  And it is his place.  If we put our keys, a pen, change, anything like that up there, uh yeah, he will promptly knock it all off when he gets up there.  He also has another nasty favorite past time.  We always take drinks with us when we go to bed, a soda or a glass of tea.  I usually make sure I finish mine before I fall asleep or that it has a lid on it.  James is not always so wise, but he is learning.  Yep, Logan knows when a cup has something in it.  He can not resist.  I'll hear the cup start sliding in these little bitty nudges, then splash!  And he's just sitting there, pretty as can be, watching it spill.  They love to snuggle together, play together and get in trouble together.  They are very much a part of our home, family and lives now and I couldn't imagine life without them. 

I'm looking forward to a new year of stitching.  I'll have my goals/projects up soon.  Much, much fewer than last year.  I'm not making many personal ones.  We are having great difficulties with my son Tyler and I just don't know where that is going to lead.  All I can say is that I'm hoping we get his epilepsy stabilized soon and get him moved out.  He really needs to become responsible for himself and experience real life instead of being unpleasant, judging everyone else while he sits back and is supported by us while he plays his games, chats with his online friends and sleeps.  I'm finding a lot of strength in prayer and relaxation in stitching :)