Houses of Hawk Run Hollow House #5 finis

I finished up house #5 last night! Yeah, it's even three days early. :-) Now if I can just put my nose to the linen and start on #6 all will be perfect. :-) I'm using the recommended NPIs, 1 over two and the recommended linen in 32 count.

I'd like to stitch a big chuck of The Simple Things but the weather forecast is calling for temps in the low 70's with mostly sunny conditions. I know myself only too well. Not much stitching will be going on. :-)

Have a great weekend!

sleepy days on the train

I've barely made any progress on The Simple Things - I've been so sleepy on the train! The chart calls for chain stitching around the leaves but I don't think I'm going to do it. I'm leaning toward making a pillow out of this and I don't think it would need it. But of course I'll see when the time comes. I didn't finish up my house last night. I got home from work and felt like having an evening with some magazines. :-) And I went to bed at 8:30! Hopefully tonight.

Two Hearts finis

Two Hearts, Loose Feathers #34 - design by Blackbird Designs

32 Count Golden Harvest by Silkweavers

Recommended fibers

Lots to share today! I finished up Two Hearts over the long weekend and framed it collage style. I LOVE how it turned out. I really channelled my inner French girl. :-) Click on the photo for a close up. I did a hemstitch around the piece and there is a really pretty lace trim along the top and left side.

The weather while on the cool side was nice for getting more of my outside in order. The only project I didn't get to was putting in my vegetable garden. I'll have to do that this coming weekend.

I'm almost finished with House #5 of HoHRH. I only have a couple of the window frames and shutters to go. I have agility tonight with the pugs so I'll finish it tomorrow evening with several days to spare! The plan is not to waste a day in starting House #6 - the midnight house - it's a biggy.

For my commute project this week, I started the latest Loose Feather, The Simple Things. I'm doing mine on 32 count Antique Gold from Silkweavers. It's going to stitch up quick I think.

I was not able to draw names for the Plantation Sampler until this morning. On Sunday my modem died and I had no Internet connection. I was so lost without it!

The Pail of Destiny (a nod to Edgar for the Destiny part :-))

And the winner is: Tracy J. I have emailed you Tracy.

Murry my new foster pug was dropped off on Friday. What a sweetheart he is! He loves playing with toys and chasing the other pugs. I don't think he will be with me very long at all.

pre-giveaway, giveaway! :-)

I love The Plantation Sampler from Canterbury Designs. So much so, I bought two! :-) It's an oldie but a goodie.

If you would like my extra copy, please leave a comment before Monday evening and I'll draw names for it.

Mrs. Pearson finis

Mrs. Pearson - design by Carriage House Samplings

32 count Golden Harvest by Silkweavers

Recommended NPI Silk

My evening went as predicted yesterday. I finished up Mrs. Pearson but didn't touch HoHRH. For today's commute I put Two Hearts from BBD in my bag. I need to finish this Loose Feathers up before I start the next one.

My 3rd blogoversary is coming up in June. Look for a give away! I'm working on it now. :-) I'm taking a page from Edgar and I'll ask people when the time is right to mention it on their blog (if they have one) to be included in the drawing. But not yet! :-) This is just a heads up that it's coming.

almost

I sure would like to have Mrs. Pearson finished today - I think I can if I don't work on HoHRH when I get home from work tonight. And I'm surely tempted because then I can start work on something new. :-) And who doesn't love a new start?? :-)

I'm fostering Murry for Northern Illinois Pug Rescue and I really don't know if they adopt out of the area. But I think it all boils down to what's easy and it's certainly easy to find a home for a puppy. With adults and seniors it's much harder and I would think they would be more willing to go out of state.

a new foster pug

I debated on whether or not to include the date box and just extend the background blocks up the side. But the time it would take to correctly re-chart it didn't seem worth it. :-) So I'm putting it in.
Take a look at this sweet face! He name is Murry and I'm going to be fostering him starting on Friday. He is six months old and is so cute. It's a very sad sorry on why he is ending up in adoption but it includes divorce, a sick child and a grandmother who won't let dogs in the house. I'll do my very best to find him a great home. It's going to kill me to give him up in a couple of weeks.

Thanks!

Thanks so much for all your very nice comments about the new me! Each and every one is truly appreciated. :-)

I was able to finish up Mrs. Pearson's dress over the weekend and this morning I got a start on the background. That is going to go fairly quickly I think. I'd love to move onto something new this week. But what? I have so many things calling me right now. Such a nice problem to have.

I didn't get as much done with House #5 as I wanted over the weekend but when do I ever? LOL! Rather than start on the windows I tackled the border on the bottom which requires more counting and hence more thinking. I should finish that part up tonight and then I'll start on the windows. I know I have a ton left to finish but how would I love to get this finished by the long weekend (next Monday is Memorial Day - day off work!). I'm thinking about taking this Friday off work also to make it an extra long weekend. I love those the best. I have a ton of lawn work to still do for the spring/summer and my Mom and I are giving my Dad a surprise 81st birthday party in two weeks. I want everything in tiptop shape before then.

Doing the Friday Happy Dance and BIG NEWS!

One of many weekend goals is to finish Mrs. Pearson's dress. Doable I think but I also want to get a lot more done on House #5. We'll see. :-)

I'm so glad it's Friday - I have had the week from hell at work. I've been plagued by mistakes and tasks that should have taken minutes have taken hours. I can't wait to get out of here. :-)

In other HUGE news today, this morning I made my Weight Watchers goal. :-) I started my diet on November 4th and as of this morning I have lost almost 60 pounds. My original pie-in-the-sky goal was 135 and this morning I weighed in at 134.6. :-) I'm going to go for an even 60 pounds however so I have 2.6 more to go - about two weeks more of actual dieting. I've gone from a 16+ (the + means the size 16s were tight) to a size 4! I never in a million years did I see me as a size 4. Even years ago when I was running around 20-25 miles a week did I managed to get smaller than an 8.

Many years ago (2001) I ran a marathon and even did a sprint triathlon (2002) and after a few joint injuries totally stopped working out. That is when the weight started to pile on. I didn't even realize how miserable I had become until a couple of months ago when I woke up one day and I wasn't so miserable. :-) I never thought that the weight could just run me down the way it did, mentally and physically. Now I'm running pain free and I hope to do a 5k in June. And my attitude is 180 degrees different. :-)

Life is good :-)

a hand!

I managed to get Mrs. Pearson's hand on the end of her arm today. Soon she will have clothes. :-)

More progress on House #5. I'll start work on the windows tonight.

she's coming togerther

Mrs. Pearson is starting to come together. She now has a body and arms and everything! :-) Maybe she will even have a hand by tomorrow afternoon. :-)

I finished up the border on House #5 last night while I watched the last bit of the Biggest Looser finale. Does anyone else think Helen took it a little too far? She looked way to thin to me. Of course it got her $250,000 and she can always (and probably will) gain a little back.

eyes and a nose

I did receive my missing blue silk and was able to finish Mrs. Pearson's face. I'm not sure if it makes her any less creepy or not. :-)

I made a good start to block #5 of HoHRH. I'm really going to be good for the rest of the month and get this finished. :-) Yes, you have heard that before. :-) I have many other things temping me right now. Part 3 of my Isa V Grand Marquior is fairly screaming at me and I love the new Loose Feathers AND I still have to finish the Loose Feathers I started two weeks ago. Not to mention the couple of other charts I have picked up in the last couple of weeks. I need the summer off.

a bird!

Mrs. Pearson now has a bird on her head. Oh how cute. :-)

more floating head

I'm not made a lot of progress since Monday but at least Mrs. Pearson's hat is finished. And as we speak, the last skein of silk (and the new Loose Feathers) is flying it's way west from Drema. And if I can stay awake for the rest of my commute this week, I might actually get in some serious stitching. :-)

no update today

I don't have a photo update today - not much progress was made on either of my two projects last night as I worked all my pugs outside last evening - I set up the coolest agility course and we had a blast.

But I thought I would mention that Edgar's second blogaversary is this weekend and he having a contest! If you would like to win the secret prize..... just comment on this post (on Edgar's blog) and mention it on your blog (if you have one) and Edgar will announce the winner on Monday, May 11th. Thanks Edgar - it's always fun to stop by your place. :-)

House #4 finis! A third of the way complete!

I finished up House #4 from Houses of Hawk Run Hollow on Saturday. I did change the inside window color by one shade darker. The recommended color was way to close to the window sash color and it didn't even show a difference with the two dye lots I had. I pulled the silk for house #5 and I hope to start it tonight. It would be nice if I could get a head start on June's house - the nighttime house. That's going to take forever. :-) So the plan is to finish #5 as soon as I can and make a start on #6 before June even starts.

I sure do still have a lot of linen left! :-)

Rather than working on my Loose Feather piece over the weekend I really wanted to start Mrs. Pearson. Right now she looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie! I don't have the primary blue silk - I don't know how I didn't notice that when I ordered the silks but I'll put a call into Drema first thing tomorrow. And I can work around it's absence just fine in the meantime by working up the piece.

It's May already!

I came close to finishing my House #4 but close really doesn't count. I'll finish this up over the weekend - I'll make it the only project I work on. Maybe I'll have time to start Mrs. Pearson. The silks I ordered came and are they ever pretty! Pinks and light blues. A lovely change from the the ochres that I usually see with the CHS that I tend to stitch.

Here is Two Hearts. Slow going as like I mentioned yesterday, naps are taking priority on the train. That happens sometimes. I just get in a groove and can't break it. Maybe next week I can stay awake.

Have a great weekend!