An Update on the Birth Record

It's been a long time since I last posted.  I am still on maternity leave but that is quickly coming to an end.  I go back to work in a few short weeks, April 1st.

I haven't done a lot of stitching; it's hard to focus and concentrate as I'm still getting up at least once a night to feed the baby.  He's completely weaned and now taking formula and although husband does get up for a feed, it's still fragmented sleep.  I find I make a lot more mistakes when I'm tired.

Having said that, this past week I was able to get some quality stitching time while the older two kids were visiting my mom.  I have been working on the baby birth record.  I'd like to finish it before his first birthday (in September). 

I'm Baaaaack!!!

Hello, hello!!!

It's been a while, hasn't it?  The baby is almost 3 months old and is starting to sleep more predictably and is finally in the crib, so I am slowly getting the rest of my life back!  And you know what that means?????

Yes!!!  I am cross-stitching again!!  Yay!!!

(Can you tell how happy I am to be working on my project(s) again??)

I decided to tackle the new baby's birth record - best to get it done and out of the way so I can focus on the Hermit.

I am certainly a bit rusty - well, at least my hands are.  After 15 minutes of holding the fabric, my fingers starting going numb and cramping up.  My right hand (the one I use the needle with) also started cramping.  Bleh!  I lasted about an hour.  Boo!  Going to have to build up my endurance again! ha!

Anyway, here is an updated photo I took this morning.  She's coming along nicely!

Ah... so good to be back!!!

Still around - just not stitching much these days!

I had no idea its been 4 months since my last post!  We had a busy summer and with my ever growing belly, I found it harder and harder to sit and cross stitch.  I seem to recall that most summers I tend to put away the projects as there are lots of other things on the go, but by the time fall rolls around, I am usually back in the swing of stitching.

Not this fall.

Some of you may recall that I was expecting my 3rd child.  Well, he arrived on September 16, 2013 and I've had my hands full, figuratively and literally speaking.  I barely get a few minutes to check my email let alone a few hours to stitch.  With the older two kids needing just as much attention as ever, precious "me" time is scarce, to say the least.  If there is any time for myself, I am usually found taking a shower, having a coffee, or more often, trying to catch a few zzz's.

Life is great though, don't get me wrong. My new son is now a month old, he's gorgeous and healthy and nursing like a champ.  I am recovering well from surgery and hoping to get back into running in the next few weeks.  Once life and our new routine settles in for the winter, I plan on picking up that needle and thread and getting back to work. 

Until then ... happy stitching!

Update on the Little Pond.

I've spent the last week working on the Little Pond.  As I mentioned in previous posts, it is a much easier project to stitch.  There are blocks of color to stitch, rather than having to change threads after 2-3 stitches like I often have to do with the Hermit.  It's also more fun in some ways because I can see the animals coming together much faster.

With my expanding belly, it is also easier to stitch this one because I don't have to use the large Q-snap.  The Hermit is so large that the Q-snap is resting at the top of my belly/uterus, which can be quite uncomfortable at times.

So, here's the progress photo.  The giraffe is coming along and you can see a little froggy!

As always, thanks for reading!

Another New Project!

I once was a one-project-at-a-time kind of stitcher.

Not anymore.


I currently have 3 projects on the go.  The Hermit, Warm and Fuzzy Kitten, and now a new birth record for baby #3. 

I started Little Pond Birth record on May 14, 2013.  I hope to have it completed before new baby is a year old, so sometime in the last quarter of 2014.  Totally doable, I think.  It's a relatively easy pattern, on 14ct Aida cloth.  It's funny to me how these charts are "easy" for me now after working on the HAED.  It is actually a nice break from working on the the Hermit.

Here is the first photo.

As always, thanks for reading!

One more down ...

... page, that is.

Yes, that's right folks!  Another page of the Hermit is complete.  This page was a bit repetitive which in some ways is easier to work on because I only needed 4-6 color threads to do the majority of the work.  I attacked this page a bit differently - I worked more consistently on each 10 x 10 square, which helped to minimize counting errors, though somehow I still ended up with a few. 

Anyway, I think it looks great and certainly no one will notice where the errors are - so, without further ado, I give you the latest update of the Hermit. 

  

Once again, thanks for looking! 

Back to "scary" kitty.

Hello everyone!  My apologies for being MIA.  Did I mention that I'm expecting my 3rd child in September?  Yeah, so that has occupied my mind over the past 2-3 months.  It's all good, we are excited and a little scared as well.

I took a self-imposed break from stitching for several weeks.  As some of you may recall from previous posts these breaks are usually due to television series addictions.  ;)  This current addiction is Fringe.  Oh, sooooo goood!!!!!

Anyway, over the weekend, I picked up an old project which I haven't touched in ages - warm and fuzzy kitten.  Or as my husband describes it, "scary kitty".  It's a beautiful project, and I have missed doing half-stitches, so it's been pretty easy on my eyes.  Here's an updated photo.