Nativity Update

Hi everyone!

It's been a ton of time since I last posted an update on my Nativity project!  I'm currently on the middle of page 15 and on track to finish this row of pages by June 30th, which was my goal.  I'm so thrilled!  If I can keep this pace up, I'll have another row finished by the end of the year.  I really hope to finish this by next September, or so!!  Here's where it is currently...

Having a good bit of sky in this top section has helped it to go a little more quickly, but the rest of this page and most of the next row will be confetti stitching with all of the gorgeous robes and people to work on.  It's really going to start taking shape!

Thanks for following along with me as I stitch this piece.  I know that I haven't had much to blog about since I started working on this project only, but I really find it relaxing and I'm thoroughly enjoying the journey of seeing a masterpiece come to life.

Have a blessed day!

Tricia

Nativity Update and Winners!

Hello again!

I'm back with the winners of my free to take charts, but first an update on my HAED Nativity.  I'm really surprised that I haven't gotten bored with this yet, but I am really, really enjoying seeing it come to life with each little block of 100 that I finish.  My goal is to reach the end of this row of pages by the end of June. :)

OK!  On to the winners!

#1 - Snowman Chart - Joyce
#2 - LHN Chart - Kim M
#3 - Cross Chart - Minnie
#4 - Sheep KnotWork Kit - Cucki
#5 - Proverbs 31 Chart - Minnie
#6 - Quilted Tablerunner  - Goodwill : )
#7 - Shepherd's Bush Kit Leftovers - Kathy

Winners, please contact me at thestamperstitches@gmail.com and give me your address so I can get your charts sent out!! :)  Blessings!

Tricia

Free to Take

Hi friends!

I have a few patterns that I'd love to pass along!  I'll post pictures here and you can leave a note in the comments as to which ones you'd like to be in the draw for.  (As many as you'd like!)  I'll draw for winners Monday, March 14th if more than one person would like a specific pattern.  I hate to do it, but my pocketbook says it will have to be US only this time, unless you wouldn't mind paying the overseas postage.  Thanks so much !!

Nativity Update!

This is SO much fun!  I love seeing the faces appear!!  Click on the picture to see it larger...

Heaven and Earth Designs - The Nativity
18 Ct - 2 over 1

I have one more column to go on this page (page 11).  I'd love to finish the page by the 5th, and I'd aim to finish the next one by the end of March.  I really am enjoying stitching the 10x10 blocks with full coverage - each one feels like a little finish and each little finish brings me a step closer to the full picture.  It's like piecing together a puzzle and watching the picture appear!

Hopefully I'll have another page to show you at the end of the month!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

Lots of Stitching

Hi again!

I was able to get in quite a bit of stitching this weekend, so I thought I'd post another update...

I just love seeing this come together!!  Here's a closer picture of the first wise man...

Thanks for looking!

Tricia

Nativity Update

Hi everyone!

Here's my HAED Nativity update for the end of January...

Can you see the first part of the wiseman's robe??  How it looks remotely white and striped is beyond me.  There are a TON of colors in there!!  BTW - for a size point of reference -  that is a 60" round kitchen table that it is sitting on.... : )  I'm still thoroughly enjoying stitching on it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

Page Eight Finished

YAY!!!!!

I met my goal and finished page eight before the year ended! :)  I'm so excited to see the whole top row of pages complete.  Tomorrow I start page nine and hopefully by the end of June I'll have another row of pages done.

Happy New Year!!

Tricia

Finished a Page!

Hi everyone!  I am SO excited!  I've finished page 7 and am on track to finish the top of the picture by the end of the year since page 8 is just a half page.  This afternoon I need to look through my stash and find a travel project for this weekend, but I'm sort of afraid to look at all my other goodies.  I don't want to get sidetracked from this one!!  Unfortunately it is too big to take along or I'd bring it.  I figured it out today and I would need to do 400 stitches a day to complete the whole thing by the end of next year... working on nothing else, of course!  I don't know if I can stay that focused, but I might try.  I don't usually stitch that much during the day and there will be a lot of confetti from here on out, but if I aim high I'll get farther than if I don't!!

Back to stitching!

Tricia

HAED Update

Hi everyone!

I missed posting last month since Stitch from Stash was discontinued, so I decided to put up an update today on my HAED Nativity.  My goal is to finish the top of it by the end of the year and I'm right on track!! :)

Here's where I was on my last check in...



Here's where I am today.  I just finished a column and I'm at 32,000 stitches.

Wow!  I didn't realize that I had done so much!! :)  I have about 6,000 stitches to do to finish the top row by the end of the year.  Wish me luck!! :)

{Stitch From Stash} October

Hi everyone!

Sorry that I've been such a bad blogger lately!!  I seem to have a one track mind lately.  I can blog or stitch, but apparently not both! : )  I have been stitching this month, though!  I've gotten a lot done on my HAED Nativity.  It's the one that was calling to me after I started all the new patterns last month, and it hasn't stopped talking yet, so I'm still working on it!  First, my check in for the month.

Month: October 2015

October Budget: $25.00

Spent: $0
Earned: $0
Budget forward:  $77.00

OK, here's where I was on The Nativity last month.  You can just see the start of the halo of light around the star.

And here is where I am now...

See the tree branches starting again??

I would love to get the top row finished by the end of the year and it is attainable, but I would REALLY have to concentrate on it and I would need a couple of long Jane Austen movie and cross stitch days. : )  I'm a little short of my goals for the week, but I just had a hugongous chiropractor adjustment on my mid and upper back, so I need to lay low for the rest of the night, I think.  I'll try to catch up some tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll have lots more done by the next check in!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

{Stitch from Stash} September

Hi again everyone!

I went on a spending splurge this month.... well, sort of.  I saw a pattern I just had to have, and I got another pattern for my birthday at the end of last month, so I decided to kit them both up and have a pattern starting party last week. : )

So first the details...

Month: September 2015
September Budget: $25.00Spent: $39.00
Earned: $16.00 (L*K Good Marriage)
Budget forward:  $52.00

Here's my finish...

L* K A Good Marriage

25 ct over 1

Threads from stash

Here's my progress on Family Blessings - the kit I started on 14 count because my eyes needed a break from the 25 count...

Then I started Got Snow Reindeer - my birthday present...

And bought and started this chart...  Not as big as an HAED, but still lots of stitching!

And, of course, I'm still working on The Nativity... (sorry for the crummy picture!)

I'm hoping to start some sort of a rotation soon, but right now it is just whichever one is calling to me at the moment. : )

Thanks for stopping by!  Hopefully I'll have more stitching to show as we get into the fall and winter.

Blessings!

Tricia

{Stitch from Stash} August

Goodness, how this month has flown!  I've been working fairly steadily on my Lizzie Kate piece, but I don't want to show its picture again until I've given it away. :)  So... here's the REALLY BORING Stitch from Stash mandatory check in details...

Month: August 2015
Spent: $0
Earned: $0
Budget forward:  $50.00

My husband is doing SO well since his brain surgery in June.  He is back at work full time - or more than full time, and has more energy each day.  My energy comes and goes depending on the stress of the day and what I eat. : )  The prevailing opinion on a helpful diet for me seems to be lots of vegetables (but no tomatoes, peppers or potatoes) and meat and some dairy and healthy fats.  No coffee, sugar, and little to no fruit or nuts or carbs.  Considering I really don't enjoy vegetables that much and I DO enjoy the "don't haves"  I'm having a little trouble sticking to it... : ) 

Thanks for dropping in.  I hope I'll have a more interesting post to share in a week or two! : )

Tricia

{Stitch from Stash} July

Hi everyone!

Month: July 2015
Spent: $0
Earned: $0
Budget forward:  $25.00

It's month one of the second half  Stitch from Stash and I have a wonderful spending report of ZERO but not very much to show on the stitching front!  With my husband's brain surgery last month and then his recovery time, I haven't really been able to calm my mind often enough to sit and stitch.  Now that he is back to work for a few hours a day, though, I have great hopes that stitching will be in my future... if I can tear myself away from the silly 2048 puzzle game that my son got both my husband and I hooked on! :)

For the few minutes I HAVE stitched I've worked on the Lizzie Kate Marriage ABC's - 25 ct over 1 with all different threads...

and I started a kit I had in my stash that I just love and it is on 14 ct aida, which is easier for me to concentrate on right now.

So there you have it!  Hopefully I'll have more to show for my time next month.  

Happy stitching everyone!

Stitch from Stash and Brain Surgery

First the basics...

Month: June 2015
Spent: $0
Earned: $0

So my ending balance is $148.88 + $25.00 for June = $173.88

Now for pictures...  wait.  No pictures.  If you'd like to see my progress on The Nativity feel free to scroll back one post, and if you'd like to know why I haven't stitched at all since then, read on...

On Saturday, the 6th, my husband came home from helping our son do some drywalling at his new house and complained of a horrible headache.  By Sunday night the pain was so intense that he was raining sweat and finally he began to throw up.  Of course I was worried, and asked if I could take him to the doctor, but after his "episode", the pain subsided a bit and he slept.  The next morning, however, the pain was still there, and, since he had a work meeting the next day that he really needed to attend, he agreed to go to Urgent Care.  The Urgent Care doctor was not as convinced as my husband that it was "just a sinus headache" and ordered a CT Scan.  Ten minutes later an ambulance was on the way, "hot", to transfer him to the hospital Emergency Room and a Neuro Surgeon was ready to evaluate his condition.  There was an abnormality in the center of his brain.

The day passed in a blur - but the grace of God was so evident.  Further CT and MRI scans showed that there was no aneurysm or blood on the brain, but a 17mm cyst was blocking the flow of spinal fluid between the ventricles of the brain.  According to our neuro surgeon - who was absolutely AMAZING - it had probably grown since he was a baby and had finally reached the point of completely obstructing the flow of spinal fluid, thereby causing problems that could no longer be excused or ignored.  The pressure from the built up spinal fluid was intense but the blessing was that it had been found.  Often the first indication is sudden death.

A day passed while they got him stable and he underwent another MRI or two, and the 5 1/2 hour surgery was scheduled for Wednesday morning, the 10th.  It was a long day, as you can imagine, made a little worse for me because I had my own intense headache to deal with that day.  But he came through surgery with flying colors.  Praise the Lord!  The next day, however, brought its own challenges...

After the headache passed that I had throughout the day, and after 3 days of sleeping in a chair or recliner in my husband's ICU room, I decided to go to the waiting room to stretch out for a couple of hours Wednesday night.  When I woke up 4 hours later, I had no strength at all in my legs and my heart was racing.  I crawled to the phone and called the nurses' station, and I was quickly taken downstairs in a wheelchair to the Emergency Room for a nine hour stay while they checked my heart and attempted to get my heart rate down... which wasn't happening, because I NEEDED to be upstairs with my husband!!!!!!  By evening, after numerous heart tests that came back normal and a few bags of fluid, I checked myself out of the ER and, after a stop to see my very worried, one-day-out-of-brain-surgery husband and a stop to eat, I went home with my daughter to rest.  Early the next morning, it occurred to me that I was experiencing heightened symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue - something I have struggled with for a number of years on a smaller scale.  My dear daughter drove me to the chiropractor - a 10 hour round trip - and he began to put me back together.  It's been a long week and a half.  I'm eating tons of meat, milk, cheese, and oil to help my adrenals make what is necessary for me to handle the stress, and I think I am finally building a little bit of a reserve., but talking about the experience can wipe me out for hours.  I'm feeling very fragile!  My husband, on the other hand is doing amazing-ly well, considering he had brain surgery a week and a half ago.  He is up and walking - has no apparent complications - no loss of speech, motor function, memory or senses... just a heightened awareness of what a miracle each day is and what is truly important in life.  He is doing so well, in fact, that I almost feel bad making a "big deal" out of what happened... until I remember the nurse telling my daughter in the hospital that often patients with this surgery don't get to go home.  We are so blessed.  

I'm getting the urge to start stitching again.  I'm looking for fabric for a project I'd like to finish before my son's wedding in August, I'm eager to work more on The Nativity, and I was eyeing the new Lizzie Kate mystery stitch since I stayed pretty close to my personal $25 budget for January - June..  I doubt I'll do it though.  I can justify spending for a piece of fabric, especially because I have a small gift certificate to 123 Stitch that will cover most of it, but I think that any extra spending on stitching will be out for the next few years.  I'm not sure how much brain surgery costs, but I don't think it was cheap... : ) Praise the Lord that I have enough cross stitch to keep me busy for years and years.

If you've read to the end of this, thank you.  I appreciate you!!   Hopefully I'll be back with some stitching to show soon!

Blessings,

Tricia

YOTA - June

Oh, dear.  I didn't stitch very much at all on my Stoney Creek Nativity this month.  I've gotten busy with my HAED Nativity instead!!  Can I switch them out?  : )  So here was my progress as of May 22nd...

And here I am now...

I think I'm half way across the top now, or pretty close!! : )

Thanks for stopping!

Stitch from Stash - May

Hi everybody!  I've been SO busy this month that I haven't even had time to update my blog.  In fact, so busy that I FORGOT about the May Daily Treats at the Silver Needle that I told you about last month.  I didn't remember them 'til I saw it in last month's post just now.  I guess I didn't need anything... well, unless something wonderful shows up during this last week of the month! : )

The nice thing is that I've been too busy to shop, so I have a $0 spend month, and, even better, I finished my Precious Moments and a page of my HAED Nativity, so I get some "extra" to add to my virtual budget! WooHoo!!

Month: May 2015
Spent: $0
Earned: $23

So my balance forward is $100.88 + $25.00 for May + $23.00 for finishes = $148.88

Precious Moments (for Charity)

O Holy Night

HAED Nativity - Starting on Page Four

My HAED has been getting most of my attention lately - to the detriment of my Stoney Creek piece.  But I find the HAED to be so relaxing to stitch, and I'd love to make it across the top of it sometime in the next year... LOL!!

I think I have a theme going here... here is the Dimensions Kit that I'm stitching on right now... : )

Random.org says that the L*K Spring Alphabet chart is going to visit Alyssa. : )  I'll be in touch, or if you read this before I get the email sent, you can send me your address so I can get it in the mail.

Back to stitching!

Tricia

YOTA - May 2015

Hi everyone!

Just a little bit of progress to show on my project this month.

Here's the before...

And here's the after.  I worked a little on the bottom of the robe and on the donkey.

Thanks for looking! : )

Tricia

{Stitch from Stash} April

Hi everyone!  It's Stitch from Stash reporting time again!  Here are the basics...

Month: April 2015
Spent:  $11
Earned: $ 0

So my balance forward is $86.88 + $25.00 for April = $111.88 minus $11.00 = $100.88

Here's my progress report...

I worked on my HAED Nativity and finished a column or two.

I worked a little on my Stoney Creek O Holy Night... (Sorry for the color cast on the pictures.  It's really overcast here today!)

And a little more on my Precious Moments piece...  There's a possibility I'll still be able to finish this by the end of the month, or at least be pretty close.  YAY!

And I finished my Spring Alphabet sampler!!

Here's last month...

And here's the finish...

I received this chart from sweet Linda at  Stitching with my Furbabies, and I would love to pay it forward and pass it along to someone who would enjoy stitching it and passing it on in turn.  Mention it in the comments if you'd like to be in the draw!

Well, I didn't quite make my $0 spend goal through April.  My not-so-LNS had their anniversary sale and dd in I were in need of a road trip, so I picked up some fabric for a few ornaments I would like to work on and a skein or two of floss for future projects.  One must support our stitching shops a little... mustn't one?? : )  Speaking of which, The Silver Needle has their May Daily Treats coming up.  I might have to splurge if I see something I like. : )  I'd also like to get the Stoney Creek magazine that just came out.  It has SUCH pretty things in it this time!  So many fun stitches... so little time!  We'll see how I do...

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fantabulous month everyone!

Tricia

YOTA - April

With being sick in March I got off schedule stitching on my YOTA piece, but I stitched for a good bit yesterday afternoon while listening to a Good Friday service online, so I have some progress to show.

Here's my before...

and here's my after...

The bottom of Joseph's robe is coming along and I started working on the donkey.  This is a fun stitch, but it moves sort of slowly with all the color changes!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Happy Easter!  I pray that you know Christ as the Risen One!!

{Stitch from Stash} March

Hi everyone!  It's Stitch from Stash reporting time again!  Here are the basics...

Month: March 2015
Spent:  $ 0
Earned: $ 0

So my balance forward is $61.88 + $25.00 for March = $86.88

Here's my progress report...

I worked on my HAED Nativity and added in three or four hundred stitches.

I worked a little on my Stoney Creek O Holy Night...

And a little more on my Precious Moments piece...

And a few stitches on my Cross Country Stitching Sampler...

And sweet Linda from Stitching with my Furbabies sent me two Lizzie Kate alphabet charts - Spring and Autumn - that I had admired on her blog.  THANK YOU, LINDA!!!!!

I was desperate for a spring stitch, but I didn't want to spend any money, so I dug through the little bit of fabric that I have and managed to find a piece of 18 ct white aida that would be big enough.  I switched out all the colors to DMC that I had and started.  It is a fun stitch and I love how it is turning out.  (The colors are a lot softer in real life!)

So what's new on my wish list this month?  Winnie the Pooh!!  I seem to be picking all expensive projects to wish for this year!  Here's the Pooh and Friends II kit...

Image from Keepsake NeedleArts

So, my goal for now through April.  If I can go another month with $0 spending, that would be fantastic!  I have enough to work on, that's for sure!!  I would like to finish both the Precious Moments piece and the Spring Alphabet if I could, and do a little more on my HAED and my Stoney Creek Nativity.  That's the plan, anyway!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fantabulous month everyone!

Tricia