Back In The City

Hi everyone!  I am back from a wonderful week at the cottage.  Here's a view of the lake.

I'm not particularly rested (late nights drinking, early mornings with the kids) but I somehow feel rejuvenated.  Spending a week in nature, where the only sounds are birds chirping, loons looning and the crickets cricketing helps centre my gravity.  We went with another couple and their two daughters and everyone got along great.  Despite feeling tired now, it was truly a relaxing week away.  The kids had oodles of fun in the lake, my daughter even did some fishing with her dad!

I was able to get in a bit of stitching, not as much as I would have liked, but enough to satisfy some urges.  It was hard fitting in time to stitch between swimming in the lake, sun tanning on our small, private beach and looking after all the kids.  Still, I was able to get some alone time on the deck.

I returned home to a package in the mail and it wasn't until I opened it that I remembered what I had ordered!  The missing thread from page 3 of the chart.  Yay!!!  Page 3 is officially complete.

We are off for another 3 days this week camping, so there will be no stitching to be had.  It's too dangerous to stitch in the great outdoors, I'm afraid of losing thread and getting my fabric dirty.  It'll be great to get in touch with nature again, this time up close and personal in a tent.

Before I go though, here is an updated photo of my progress on page 4 of charting (an you'll note the bottom of page 3, under the lantern, is now complete).

Moving On.

So, I'm over the frustration of not being able to finish the 3rd page of chart due to missing thread.  I've ordered it from 1-2-3 Stitch and it'll probably arrive sometime next week.  In the meantime, I have started the 4th page of chart.  Gotta keep moving, right?

Oh, and speaking of moving, I have started running.  Crazy!  I used to work out at a gym years ago but since having children and cross-stitching, I have become lazy.  I was starting to notice that I was getting more and more out of breath just carrying the kids up and down the stairs and decided it was time to do something about it.  I don't' think I'll ever be running marathons, but at least I'm getting up off the couch.

And speaking of the couch... it's time to do some stitching.  But first, here's a updated photo.  You can see at the very bottom where I'm missing those stitches.

Ugh -- Frustration!!!

There is nothing worse than thinking you're going to finish a page of chart, in fact, have one colour left to stitch, only to discover that you are actually missing the one thread you need.

DAMN IT!!!!!

I can't describe to you the number of expletives I just muttered under my breath.  (My daughter is sitting next to me, so I have to watch myself).  But, OH MY GOD, I am exploding inside!!!!  I was all ready to post a photo of the completion of page 3 and now it's going to be delayed by at least a week while I wait on delivery of the missing thread in question.

What is even more frustrating is that the thread is checked off my list, meaning, I bought it.  Yet, it's no where to be found.  WTF?!?!  I have triple checked the area where I stitch, I've checked the baggies my threads are in.  Nope. Nada. Nothing.  I don't get it.  Ugh.

This is me right now.

Vacation stitching.

So, it's July and I am on vacation for a month.  Yay, me!

Sadly though, my days are filled with family-oriented activities which eats into my stitching time.  I only partly jest.  I love spending time with my children and the weather has been so fabulous that we are going on family bike rides throughout the trails in our city and not only am I finally getting some exercise, but I'm also getting a killer tan!

By the end of the day, the kids are beat and so am I.  Hubby and I finished Game of Thrones, well, what was available to us, which was the first two seasons, so I have not done as much evening stitching as I would have liked.  I wanted to have completed the third page of chart by now, but alas, it is not meant to be.

I am so very, very close though!!  I can see the end of the page is soooo close!!!   I think there's about a thousand stitches to go.  I know, I just stopped myself - a thousand more stitches?!  That sounds insane!  Yet, I am determined to complete this page by the time we head to the cottage in a week.

Wish me luck.

Here's a current photo.