Goodbye to 2004

I'm slowly trying to take photos of WIP's and completed cross stitch. I updated Stitching Albums. I'll try to post another Fish Medley progress pic soon.
In a stitching roundup:
WIP's
-Fish Medley (Cross My Heart)
-Engine #1 (Stoney Creek)
-Wedding Ring Sampler (LA)
-Man and Wife (LA)

Quilting WIP
-I Spy Quilt (would like to finish before DS/7 b'day 1/28.

Possible Starts in 2005 (kitted)
-Gathering Honey
-Rose Garden
-Music Stocking
-Stitching Stocking
-Australian Butterfly (JCC 4/89)
-Jesus: Physician ornament (Cross Country Stitching 8/92)
-Jesus: Carpenter ornament (Cross Country Stitching 8/92)
-Jesus: Bread of Life (Cross Country Stitching 12/92)
-Jesus: Author of Faith (Cross Country Stitching 23/92)
-a few others I'll post in the days to come.

In closing, here's the memorial collage I made for my MIL's funeral service.

MIL Collage

I'm Still Here

My current project, Fish Medley, hasn't progressed enough for another pic. I haven't had much time to stitch. Sunday was visitation for my MIL. Despite the ice on the roads, there were many people there. Monday we had the funeral. It was a very sweet service. DH managed to play a song "Untitled Hymn" while a friend from our bible fellowship class sang. It's a sad time for us, but we know that she's in heaven. That is such a comfort. Her bible had her hand-written testimony in it. What a treasure! Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us. We have felt your prayers.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope all of you got stash enhancements. I have too many WIP's and Standbys to ask for any new additions just yet. I did, however, get a mp3 player. I'll get a lot of use out of it at the gym. DH got a guitar strap for his guitar. DD/23 got a digital camera, DS/18 got a fridge & mircrowave for dorm, and DS/7 got a scooter and gameboy advance. Everyone seemed happy. Still, a cloud of sadness is in the air because of MIL's passing. We will be gathering photos today, and, since stores are closed today, tomorrow, we will be making a photo collage of over 300 photos for the visitation and funeral. This will be the 3rd collage I've made in 2 yrs. for this purpose. The 1st was 2 years ago, for my dad's service. In May of this year, I made one for my DH's aunt, who was 91 when she passed. This will be my 3rd. Keep me in your prayers, since time is short to get this one made.
Merry Christmas...and hug your loved ones!

More Details on music CD

To get more details on the CD, you can go to the band's website:
Dani

Drum Roll.....Here's the CD that DH is on!

DH Happy Dance

Not a stitching happy dance, but DH's musical happy dance. A compilation CD he recorded was released yesterday!

Insult to Injury

It's still iced over and DH left to make his mom's funeral arrangements. He didn't get far. Not even out of the neighborhood. His radiator blew up, adding insult to injury. Fortunately, he's off work for the next few days on Bereavement leave. Hopefully, the freezing temps will be over soon, so he can get his truck repaired.

MIL Passed Away Today

My MIL passed away today. She's home with Jesus. Christmas was her favorite time. She always enjoyed putting up her Dicken's Village. The weather is very icy and snowy, so it will be difficult, if not impossible, for some family and friends, to come in to town for Christmas and her funeral. It's just a sad time all the way around.

Trouble with EZ Boards

I haven't been able to access any EZ bulletin boards, such as Rotation Stitchers & Needle and Thread, for several days. Does anyone know if the boards are down? I was really enjoying the updates on all the ornaments everyone's been stitching.

Hustle & Bustle & Big Thank You

We're hustling and bustling to get all the Christmas shopping finished. We've still got a few gifts left to buy and the stocking stuffers. The crowds have been heavy, so we're going to get an early start in the morning. On another note, my MIL is now in a nursing home with skilled care. She's unable to feed herself and has been sleeping or unresponsive for the most part. However, today she was awake for a short time and actually knew my DS/7. Thank you for all your prayers on her behalf. Every little moment we have with her responding in any way is a treasure from this point on.

Dicken's Village

Usually, I set up my Dept. 56 Dicken's Village at Thanksgiving. This year, I am just now getting it out to display. My MIL, who's still in the hospital, has a Dicken's Village collection that she would set up each year. I admired her village for a few years, then decided to start my own collection for our family to enjoy through the holidays. It's making me a little melancholy to set up my village, while she's not able to enjoy hers. We took her to the Mall of America a few years ago and we went to the Dept. 56 store where all the villages are set up. We also saw a children's quilt show that was displayed in the Mall. Hundreds of quilts were displayed. I could kick myself for not taking photos of them.

MIL Hospitalized

MIL is back in the hospital. She has Alzheimer's and now has beginnings of Parkinson's Disease. She has had multiple strokes in her brain and is unable to feed herself. We are waiting on more tests results. She was already in an assisted living facility. Now, she needs a nursing home with skilled care. She's 75 years old.

Christmas Cards

I'm finally getting a start on our Christmas cards. Every year I try to find a lion & lamb themed card, but this year I didn't find one. I also do a yearly newsletter for the family and friends that live out of town or aren't in touch often. This year has been a bear. We are all grateful it's coming to a close. I haven't started shopping for gifts yet. I don't like being in crowds in stores. Maybe next year, I can get an earlier start and just order gifts online. I must make a note of that one.

WIP Fish Medley

Progress pic of WIP "Fish Medley" from Cross My Heart book "The Ocean". It's for my DS/7. He picked out the design. It has 69 colors! What was I thinking? Oh well, since each fish is sort of like a separate project, maybe I won't get too burned out on certain colors. This design doesn't call for any beads or metallic threads, but I think it would look better with some added. If you have suggestions, please comment.

Fish Medley as it will look finished

Fish Medley progress

A Dream Goes On Forever

I designed and stitched this piece of music for my DH who is a musician. This is one of our favorite songs. My DH helped me chart it correctly, since the piece of music wasn't true to the recorded version of the song. Now, if you look at the stitched piece, you can play the first part of the song just as it was recorded. We are probably the only 2 people in the world that would even care. However, that's why we deserve each other! It was stitched for DH for Christmas while we were dating.

"Dream" Framed

Dream...Stitched

A Dream Goes On Forever

Christmas Ornies

The following 4 ornaments are the rest of the ones I have stitched so far for my "Names of Jesus" tree. The designs are from issues of Cross Country Stitching Magazine. I stitched 2 of them in 1995 and 2 in 1996. Each one is a quilt pattern. I plan on refinishing them before next Christmas, now that I have used them a few years. One is stuffed too tight and 2 are too flat. I hopefully will frog them apart and refinish them a little nicer. I also have to replace the tree itself this year. I had previously used a tomato plant thingy with garland wrapped around it with lights. The garland was shedding so I threw it away.

That Spiritual Rock ornament

The Stone of Israel ornament

Jesus-Rock of My Salvation ornament

Jesus-The Foundation ornament

Names of Jesus Ornaments

Each Christmas I put up a small tree, in addition to our large family tree, which has only "Names of Jesus" ornaments on it. These designs are from issues of Cross Country Stitching Magazine. I haven't stitched any new ones in a couple of years. I need to get busy. I have a few more kitted up, but my WIP is fairly long.

Names of Jesus Ornaments

Sunday Stroll

I stitched this Gloria & Pat design for my DD/23 in 1992 (she was 12). I asked her to pick out a design for me to stitch for her birthday. It has 37 DMC colors! Some of the shades are so close in color that it made it a real challenge. At that point in time, it was the largest stitching project I had tackled. Stitching time was over a year because I only could stitch on weekends and lunch hours. She thought I would never finish it. If you like the design, it is found in "A Merry Mouse Book of Favorite Poems". I believe it is out of print.

Sunday Stroll by Gloria & Pat

Created Stitching Blog Links

I added some of my favorite cross stitching blogs. I was a little slow in understanding the html. It should have taken a few minutes. It took me several hours. If you have a blog you think would interest me, just post it and I'll give it a look. In the next few days, I'll try to post more stitching. I'm not very handy with my digital camera, so I've had to take some photos over again.

The Christmas Stocking is Missing!

This is an Alma Lynne design called "The Earth Angels - Winter". I stitched it on a stocking I made for My DD/23 in 1996. I stitched her name on the cuff and added antique lace. The inside is lined with burgundy fabric with the back side in burgundy velvet. I added a pre-made tassel. It took well over a year to stitch because I was stitching it mostly on lunch hours. I substituted the french knots for the holly berries in the basket & headpiece with burgundy Mill Hill antique beads. Last year, when we got out all the Christmas decorations, the stocking was nowhere to be found! My DD/23 was so upset. I tore the house apart looking for it. We went through last Christmas without her having her stocking. I was sick! All that time I spent cross-eyed from so many shades of burgundy, and now it was gone. When Easter rolled around, I got up in the attic to pull out Easter baskets, and low and behold, there was one box of Christmas items far in the back crevices of the attic we had missed. I ripped off the lid and there, neatly wrapped in tissue, was this stocking. I hung it up and it's been out all year awaiting Christmas. I was afraid to store it again for fear of misplacing it! I realized how important it was to DD/23 when it came up missing.

Alma Lynne design I stitched on stocking in '96

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving Dinner was successful. I haven't cooked many turkeys, so I had bought the one with the pop-up thermometer. It worked like a charm. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food. My DS/18 now has a pink mohawk hairdo. Lovely. He is very handsome, but he tries to shock people with his looks, so he is always doing extreme things to get attention. My MIL did not get to come because she has alzheimers. It was disappointing that she was unable to be with us. We got a call today from the assisted living facility, where she lives. They said she was getting violent and wasn't feeding herself. If she is unable to feed herself, she will not be able to stay at that facility. We were told otherwise when we chose this place for her. Now, my DH may have to relocate her.

Family Gathering for Holidays

Today should be filled with cleaning and cooking some of the dishes for Thanksgiving Dinner. Waiting until the last minute is not something I like to do. Nonetheless, since I was helping care for MIL while she was hospitalized last week, that's how I am only now just beginning to get started on Thanksgiving preparations. I'm praying that it all gets done so I can enjoy the family. Happy Thanksgiving!

Yippee! I'm A Blogger!

I've read so many blogs and I suppose it's time to take the leap. I will be learning as I go along, so please have patience with me.