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!!