Hunkering Down

I have been stitching, and stitching, and stitching and I feel like i have gone nowhere.  I finally acknowledged that my focus is all over the place and not always on what is in front of me.
I am waiting for my hubby to help me cut out the teacher stitch I did and get them into the coaster container.  He also has to help me figure out how to keep the stitch in since the cork is smaller than the hole where the stitch and it go.  Nothing seems to be coming easy with this project, but I am so very close.

And I just figured out that the cut outs in the coaster are 2 different sizes. Ha Ha Ha...so 1 less problem at least.  They were quick, easy, and fun to stitch.  I just don't understand why it asked for a piece of 6 x 6 fabric.  I could have used up all the cream fabric instead of having to cut into my white.  Hindsight and all that.

I finished those the beginning of the week and started madly stitching on "Faith".  This is where I feel like I have made it nowhere.  The color changes are so many that a few stitches here and there then start a new color.  I haven't worked on a piece that doesn't have blocks of color in awhile.  Plus, I am trying to finish on a deadline and apparently that doesn't work for me.  I am trying to reconcile myself to mailing a completed but unfinished piece from Colorado.  I might include a gift card to purchase a frame.  Still trying to think of something.

It doesn't help that my youngest has been sickly the last couple of days either.  The night has been the worst, my usual stitch time of course.  But sometimes, in their own little ways, they really do make up for that.

Now, to a crazy week ahead.  Time to pack everything into boxes, into a truck, into a storage unit.

Stitching and packing

Well, we have had an end to the worrying myself sick.  We have had good news!  Hubby got the job he(we) really wanted.  Bad news is we have to pack and move ourselves...by the 11th of March.  As in hubby's first day is the 11th so we need to be there a week(ish) before.  So I have to have us mostly packed by March 1st.  At first, easy peasy, right?  Now every time I start packing I go through 3x the amount of boxes I thought I would.  And we are scrounging for boxes, cause I have you seen the prices of moving boxes.  I think I swallowed my tongue the first time I looked.  And U-haul?  Might as well give them an arm, a leg, and my first born.
Yeah, so we are broke and will remain so, I am guessing here, until way into April.  The other awful thought is will this house ever sell?  I really hope so and I would really like to NOT bring money to the closing table.  So new prayers are being offered to any and all God(s) listening.
So, in the midst of all this craziness, I am trying to stitch two small teachers gifts to turn into coasters.  I am now starting to believe that "Faith" is not going to be done before we leave.  I will have to finish it and mail it unframed from Colorado.  But, remember "Geraniums"?  I am going to finish it - haven't yet made a final decision on how - and give it to my Bible Study teacher.  I think she will like it, if nothing else, because I made it.
I am trying to stitch when I give my back a break from filling boxes.  At night, my stitching is very slow because I am just plain exhausted.  I am making great strides in both areas, but I just feel like I am constantly behind.  I have been spoiled by being moved around the world by the military.  I just wish it would come together better in my head and therefore into reality.  Even with all my worrying I have managed to empty my closet of everything I will not need while in our interim settings, my dresser, my bathroom, my nightstand, the entertainment center is empty of all but electronics, and my china cabinet full of family treasures. And hubby just talked me off a ledge.  I can be calm because we have exactly 2 weeks before we even have a truck to fill.  I DO NOT have to pack every day.  That is my new mantra.  I can do this.  We can do this.  And my stitching will keep both my hands and mind busy.  Yes they will.
On to the progress shots.  I have not worked on "Petunia" or "Horse Pals" at all so no new photos there.  Here is "Faith"

2/13/2013

and "Teachers"

2/16/2013

2/16/2013

I am doing one on white and one cream, just because that is what I already had about the right size at this time.  Chart is a freebie from www.cross-stitching.com.  I am hoping to get the coasters at WalMart and have that actually work.  I have my doubts but am forging on ahead anyway.
Mood wise - anxiety is up but I am just so happy and excited.  The only down for me is watching my kiddos....regress in certain ways.  My son is having potty accidents more out of nerves than it seems like anything else. My daughter is just all over the place mood wise, so we are keeping a close eye on her right now.  But nothing has been able to bring me down.

                                                 WE ARE FINALLY GOING HOME!!!!!

Stitching and Worrying

My husband started the week by being in Colorado for a job interview.  He returned safely with a pretty good feeling about how the whole thing went.  Then another phone interview and reassurance that we would have an answer on Friday.  Enter winter storm Nemo.  We are still waiting for an answer.  We are preparing for him to leave again Sunday for another interview on Monday.  But we are really hoping to hear from the first company with a positive answer as it is in the city we want to be in.  The second company is 2 hours away from there.

I have been trying to stitch to keep myself busy and from getting into another slump with my mood.  So far, I don't think it is really helping. In therapy we focused on what I thought i would need help with, and of course I went in a totally different direction all together. I tried to stick to my rotation this week but "Petunia" has been annoying me and, if we are to move soon, I really need to get "Faith" done to give as a gift.  "Faith" has been giving me fits as well.  I am having to put it down, walk away, and come back to it repeatedly during the day.  I have just been so all over the place this week.  You can read more here.

Onto progress shots

Horse Pals 2/9/2013

Faith, Family, Friends 2/8/2013

Petunia 2/9/2013

So there's that.  I guess I will go stitch and worry some more.

My First Weekly Rotation

I did it.  And liked it.  I had a blast this week with my stitching.  I thought it would be so much harder than it really was.  I found ways for it to work for me.  At night, I pack the project I am working on back into it's storage bag and set the bagged project for tomorrow out.  That way, when I am ready, I pick up the project and stitch.  I actually did not think of the other projects in the rotation.  I really thought it would be much harder hopping around with the charts.  I wish I had learned of this earlier.  It is also great if you get frustrated with one to have another ready to go.  It has been so hard to set the stitching down to take care of kiddos and clean the house.

Progress shots

Horse Pals 2/2/2013

Petunia 2/2/2013

Faith - Family - Friends 2/3/2013

Faith has really kicked my butt tonight.  Luckily, I have been counting multiple times so no frogging necessary yet.  The green is 3 seperate colors, as is the brown rusty color.  So I am kinda in confetti land and I think my brain turned off after hubby left for his flight.  But I got some good stitches in and am looking forward to a change in rotation tomorrow.  I am just going to keep going with this rotation schedule until I finish a project.  That may change though.

I have also been teaching my daughter how to cross stitch.  I think I finally got a good beginner set, although the instructions really threw me for a loop.  Instructions are the complete opposite of how I stitch so I am teaching her my way for now.  When she is older she can choose to change if she wants too.

And after bugging me since the moment I opened my eyes today, we accomplished a lot.  She has gotten the hang of starting a thread and ending one.  Sometimes she gets a little confused but can figure it out.  After awhile this is what she has done.  It is a little slow going because I have the hardest time figuring out when to start and end a color.

Progress 2/2/2013

I snuck some alone time into my Friday morning to hit up Walmart for a kids birthday present.  And I "accidentally" stumbled into the craft section and all this stash just jumped into the cart.  I had to take it home.

I am trying to accomplish getting 1 skein of every DMC color by the end of the year.  This was most of the beginning numbers i was missing up to 400.  They were only missing 2.  I got it all on bobbins and filled my very first box.  I got a spreadsheet going with a list of what I have. I can access it on my phone when I am standing in front of the display so I can just grab a couple every time I am there.  So exciting! 

It truly is the little things in life.