It's Tax Day

I had hoped to have my Taxes finished today. Yes, I'm aware the tax mailing deadline is tonight...I'm not talking IRS taxes but Crabby Taxes! (hee hee) My IRS taxes were finished the day after we got all our forms in the mail w-aaay back in January. Since I wasn't able to post an April finish yet, I thought at least I'd show you where I'm at. And offer a little stitching tip since this piece is such a good example.

When there is a large area to fill in one color you should always vary the ends of your rows as I have done in the photo above. If you end each row in a straight line down there will be a weird line visible in your finished block. The varied rows hide the stopping/starting places. When I was a beginner stitcher, I once threw away a half-completed project because it showed so badly!

In Other News

Angela (read my mind and) invited me to her new Lizzie Kate Exchange blog. I'd been itching for an exchange so I've already joined the first round. This will be a fun one! Why don't you join us?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Jump in the Line

To quote the incomparable Harry Belafonte:

"When she wind up she bottom
She go like a rocket!"

I certainly went like a rocket once I got wound up! Here is Crabby All Year's offering for the month of March, Wind.

This means I am a fourth of the way through the Crabby year. I'm pretty sure most month's stitching will not be rocket fast...April's looks on par with January's with a huge block of same-color stitching. But I'll tackle that one when it gets here!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Birthday Mail

There was mail in my box today. Birthday mail! First up here is a birthday card & package from my dear friend, Joan, in London. Joan and I are long-time snail mail pen pals. Every year she sends me something from Red Nose Day. It usually shows up around my birthday. This year it is a pin badge and a charm. The charm will probably end up on my cell phone! Cute, cute, cute! Thank you, Joan!

Next I opened this lovely Post Box Floss Tag from Rachael, along with birthday greetings and some ribbon and Kreinik braid. I adore the post box...Rachael knows how much I love all things British. Thank you, Rachael, for thinking of me!

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Finally, some WIP pictures. While waiting for March to arrive, I stitched a teeny bit on Peacock Cypher. There isn't a great deal of progress (not a lot of stitching time) but I was able to stitch the two butterflies and row of over-one lettering at the very bottom.

Then on Sunday, I was finally able to get out Crabby All Year and begin Wind for the month of March. Again, not a lot completed but it is a start.

Thank you all for the wonderful happy birthday wishes on my last post, and the emails too. You are such dear friends and I cherish you.

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Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Love Stinks

Crabby All Year...Love Stinks is done! This took forever for me to finish. In spite of being incredibly excited about stitching I hardly had time for the needle this month. I'm afraid this is the only stitching I've done all month. Hopefully, next month will be more productive. Well, I do have another week left of February so I should be able to stitch a bit of something in the time left, you think?

It is my birthday next Monday, March 2nd. I think I'll treat myself to a bit of stash shopping over the weekend and I have my birthday off from work to celebrate. Next month's Crabby looks to be a very quick stitch. Perhaps I can complete it over my little 'holiday.'

Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway on my last post!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Follow My Blog

The blogger following widget is pretty cool but you are only allowed to follow 200 blogs. Considering I currently have nearly 300 blogs in my reader, a good majority of them on blogger, I clearly cannot follow everyone. That's really crappy! I made the difficult decision to follow only those that display the widget on their blog.

Last Sunday, I visited every blog I was following, checked for the widget and deleted them if it wasn't there. Yup, I visited 200 blogs on Sunday! I'm sorry if you were deleted! NOTE: I still read your blog if you are in the list in my sidebar. I was able to pare the 200 blogs down to eleventy-one (111). If you add the following widget to your blog, I'll likely start following your blog again. That is until I reach the 200 limit again, at which time I'll probably have to visit them all again and weed out those that haven't been updated in yonks.

I currently have 88 friends following my blog. That is amazingly awesome! Thank you all so much! I decided I will have a giveaway after (if ever) I reach 100 followers! Or would eleventy-one be more fun? Anyway, please follow my blog and watch this space for a giveaway, hopefully soon.

There is not an incredible amount of progress being made on Crabby but I'll show you anyway. I discovered a tiny little frog, one stitch short, on the seat of the 'L' in love and had to re-stitch the word. Poo, it would have to be red and leave fluff behind, the discoloration even defeated lint rollering. Dratted little frog. The fluff will come out with washing but that has to wait.

Little miss Taco had decided her new favorite warm-snuggly, sleepy spot is my laptop. I'll come in and find a zillion windows opened from little cat feets walking over my keyboard. Plus hairs. And it's difficult to type when someone is snoozing on the keyboard. I changed my setting so the computer does nothing when I close the lid. I just have to remember to close the lid. Every time I leave. ***plucking a cat hair from the keyboard***

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

I'm Obsessive and I Know It

I've finished the header on Crabby All Year. Now, it has to be put away until February. (I really just want to keep going!) I am really pleased with this project so far.

Since we still have another few days left of January (until I can begin the Love Stinks block) I took out my WIP box and pulled Peacock Cypher. See this post to see where I left off last. I did two lines of mosaic stitches and started the flowers on the next row. Whoops! I reversed the colors on the rows of mosaics! I dinna care, lassies, I'm leavin' it be! This is the only band sampler I've ever worked on and find it is very enjoyable. I've also worked very little in monochromatic stitching but I do like the effect.

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This picture is proof of how obsessive I can be. Excuse the wrinkles. When I buy fabric especially for a project I can get a little freaked out about the margins. Did I add correctly? Is there enough fabric? What if I don't center it right? Better add another inch or two, just in case. Good Lord. There is SIX INCHES of extra fabric on each side of Peacock Cypher. ROFLOL. Somehow, I don't tend to do this if I already have fabric on hand and pull from stash.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A Teeny Bit Crabby

Thank you all for the kind comments regarding my last freebie. Also for the happy birthday wishes for Jessie. There were so many, she was over the moon! I still need to figure out how I want to finish A Star Danced, I'm thinking a pillow...if I can find a fabric I like.

Now, why am I crabby? It's all those stinkin' single stitches of snow! But they are finally completed and with that, the January block of Crabby All Year is finished! ***mini happy dance*** This months' block has two little bird buttons to decorate. Those will wait until the very end, when all the stitching is finished. I guess I'll work on the top banner now until it's time for the February design. This is a really soothing pattern to stitch, easy to follow and not so many color changes to drive you batty...yet enough to keep things interesting.

Too cute! And so much fun to stitch! I only wish we would actually receive some snow with our cold this year. No, just cold. Blah.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Shakespeare movie fest

Having wended my way through Middle Earth destroying a magic ring with the hobbits, I couldn't decide what to watch next. Then it hit me, Shakespeare! I watched Much Ado About Nothing and Othello yesterday while stitching. Lord, how I love that Kenneth Branagh. ***sigh ~ drool*** I shall continue tonight with, hummm...A Midsummer Night's Dream, maybe? Hey! Where is Titus? I have a feeling Jessie has taken him off somewhere. Return, please, dear daughter! Oooo, Hamlet sounds good too...

Here is a quick picture of where Crabby is today. Loads of snow so far. I don't mind the repetitive stitching, it's soothing. The area isn't too large either. It drives me nuts doing that border though...counting and recounting to make sure. I suggest keeping a box of pins handy for marking stitch counts. The next block will go much easier with the first one done. Oh, hell, it's only the fifth day of the month and look how far I am along! I'll have to decide which WIP to pull out when January's block if finished...

I had mah hairs cut after work today. I can't remember the last time I had it done. One nice thing about long hair is fewer cuts; bad thing too, is fewer cuts; it was looking a little ratty! I think I'm going to try fixing myself up a bit. I've developed a bad habit of not wearing make-up, or my contacts and pulling my hair into a ponytail. Can you say lazy? I'm sure I look a right hag some days. ROFLOL Hey, at least I shower before work! I do iron my shirts too...

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

First Crabby Update

I began stitching shortly after my last post, great progress! I am officially in love with Silkweaver's Lugana fabric. It is such an easy to stitch fabric.

There won't be much stitching today as we are going shopping in Oklahoma City. Rick spent his holiday from work replacing the bathroom floor...which meant taking out the toilet and sink/cabinet. The lovely new floor means I need a new bathroom rug! Then, since we are going to the city, we might as well go out for dinner. Perhaps I'll get some stitching in this evening?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Crabby New Year!

You heard me right! It's a Crabby New Year! Yay, it's finally time for the Crabby All Year Stitch-a-long! I have everything ready to go and I can't wait to start stitching! I am using DMC floss on Silkweaver's 32 count Lugana, Days Gone By. Here is a quick snap of the fabric, the $$$ buttons and the floss for the first set of designs.

Here is the rest of the thread. I store my DMC in Floss-a-way bags with a 3x5 index card inside. The card makes the floppy bags stand up. Small projects are threaded on rings. On large, kitted projects like this, I use index card file boxes from the office supply to store the threads. Otherwise they are stored in my floss cabinet.

I have been so excited to start stitching! I've heard from most of the SAL participants and they are ready as well. There is a section at the top of my sidebar...everyone is listed there; except for our Crabby friend, Carol, as she doesn't have a blog. Anyone wishing to join in on the fun is more than welcome. There is still lots of time to gather supplies and start...the patterns are simple so it would be easy to catch up even weeks from now! Come on ~ be Crabby with us!

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All last night and early this morning, I had it in my head this was Friday...and that I just had to work one shift and I'd have all weekend to stitch. Major disappointment when the weatherman said today's weather; blah blah and Friday's; blah blah. Poo, today was Thursday. That sucks.

Isn't this a pretty fabric? The colors are much prettier IRL. I won this Silkweaver's Solo in a Christmas game at San-Man Originals message board. There is always lots of fun and games and stitchy chat going on there; a really fun message board. Thanks, Chris!

Welcome to all new (or lurking) readers! Please leave me a comment so I can come visit your blog. Thank you for reading my blog today. I'd like to wish you all a Happy (Crabby) New Year!

xox

Two finishes

What, with it being Christmas and all the goings-on, I completely forgot to share this little finish with you. Here is a precious Hanukkah ornament I made for my dear sister, Carol. I created this using Mill Hill's Tiny Treasured Diamond kit Star Of David. These little ornaments look so complex but are insanely simple...and I am not one that easily follows written directions. From start to finish, this was one evening and one morning. I highly recommend these for a super fast and easy finish. Oooo, and all the bling!

Last night I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on my laptop and finished Summer Joy! It was true satisfaction to put that last stitch in! This was such a fun piece to work on. I must have taken a zillion pictures but this was the best I could get. The fabric color is acually much richer. I still can't decide how I want to finish-finish it. Any suggestions?

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After I finished Summer Joy, I unkitted it and put away all the floss I recived for Christmas. (No, Cindy, they were just the 3000's!) By then, Harry Potter was over and LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring, extended edition was going...yes, I was up past Midnight! Then, I got out the floss for the Crabby All Year stitch a long and played with it. I have it all sorted but still need to cut the threads. (I cut all DMC into 8 equal lengths.) Maybe I'll share a photo shoot of the kitted SAL next. I seriously thought about converting the DMC to GAST and WDW but with 46 colors, sheesh! Plus, I already have les Moutons going in GAST.

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Thank you for visiting my blog today, your comments make me smile!

xox

I haz new bud

Yup. New buddy. I haz one.

Everybody, please go say "Hi!" to Cheryl of Wicked Witch Maggie's World, my new best bud. Hey, she even says so! Cheryl is joining us on the Crabby stitch along. Welcome to blogland Cheryl!

Snuggly

Today is a snuggly kind of day. It's bitter cold, windy and wet outside. We are having a bit of snow but it's only the snarl-traffic kind of snow not the snow angels and snowman kind of snow. Ho-hum. Yes, it's a keep-under-the-covers-warm day and I had to work. I did have the foresight to start a pot roast in the slow cooker before I left, so I arrived home to savory smells and a toasty warm kitchen. It was yummy.

Can you believe I haven't blogged since Friday? Creepy! We had a very productive weekend. Rick cleaned the garage while Jessie and I tackled the basement. The stacks of stuff in the basement were becoming rather Dr. Seuss style! Rick hauled two pick-up loads to the Salvation Army. Yes, two loads. We have said for years we should have a garage sale but it was never going to happen. Why waste a Saturday taking quarters for your outdated curtains when you could be riding a motorcycle or stash shopping? It was a massive clean-out and a nice tax deduction and it felt good! The basement is sparkling clean which pleases me to no end. That is our tornado shelter and I think we have been in more danger of being buried alive than blown away.

Have you noticed how appliances have such bright lights on them these days? We have a new coffee maker and I swear you could make a sandwich by it's clock display at night.

My fabric has arrived for Crabby All Year. It is all I can do to resist starting it! I even bit the bullet and purchased those ridiculously expensive buttons, which should arrive soon. I know I won't need the buttons for another year but I had to. I just had to! It will be fun to get them out for trial runs, right? The threads still need to be sorted, cut and bagged, maybe this coming weekend? Oh, and I found another blogger, Missy, who is just finishing Crabby up...aww, it's so fun and silly! There are a few SAL partners lined up with me for 2009 and it looks like a go! We still have about three weeks before the SAL begins so you have time to get the charts and supplies and join us!

Here is an update on Summer Joy since last time. This is an easy stitch but I haven't gotten much time for it this week. Nice progress though.

Jessie brought home Tales of Beedle the Bard. I'll read it soon. Although, I am still depressed that the Harry Potter series is over. I would still like to read the Twilight series before I see the movie. Wow, there are tons of movies coming up that I want to see. I can't remember the last time we went to the movie theatre...not counting the drive-in movies last summer! Where am I going to get all this time?

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Blogoversary & SAL request revisited

Jean has let me know she received my blogoversary drawing gift. I sent her a big box of Christmas finishing supplies. It was lots of fun choosing what to include!

In the end, I stayed home yesterday. I figured it would be such poor taste to share my cold with unsuspecting others. Thank you all for the get-well-wishes; I don't feel too bad, just a bit run-down and I can't stop sneezing. I did get some great stitching time and was able to read blogs to my hearts content.

I have begun kitting up my Crabby All Year project. I am still looking for stitch-a-long partners if anyone is interested. Click the link above to see my original post. Click here to see the project I am planning, it's the fourth design down. I have purchased the floss and ordered the fabric. I chose Silkweaver's Days Gone By in 32 count Lugana. What do you think? I still need to order the buttons. OMG, they are $43.00 from 123 Stitch. It's hard to swallow that expense...I might ask for them for Christmas.

SAL anyone?

Jessie and I took a trip to Oklahoma City to go shopping with my mother and sister. We had a great girl's day out! Fabric stores and craft shops and even a stop in at Cross Stitch Haven. We had lunch out at Chelino's a favorite Mexican food stop. I had tamales and enchiladas and slurped down two beers, Tecate heaven. It was truly glorious.

While in the Haven, I had a (fabulous) breakdown! I've had my beady eyes on Raise The Roof's Crabby All Year charts for ages and when I saw them this time...they were bought and paid for before I could even say "But, I don't have time for another project!" Alas, they are mine. All mine-and I love them! So cute and silly!

I am thinking about gathering all the supplies up and stitching one block a month over the next year. Is there anyone interested in doing a stitch-a-long with me on this design?

Arriving home late in the evening, I found an envelope from France. I had RAK'd my friend, Marie-Hélène, a copy of the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments issue and look what she sent me in return! I cannot read but a few words...the designs are awesome. There is even a little mousie dressed up as a butterfly!

Thank you Marie-Hélène! I love these!

Thank you for visiting my blog. Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway on my November 1st post!