Just hold back your excitement - I make no promises keeping up this streak.

Received my LHN exchange today from Nic:

(I always forget I’m going to *get* something when I send a package out…  LOL)

Something I’ve seen on a blog or two lately:

Annette’s Map

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Almost makes me want to visit West Virginia, just to fill that hole…..

As you may have guessed, life has been…..hectic.

Thank you all for your good wishes for my new graduate.  She’s spending the summer working before starting the local Community College in August, focusing on biology and genetics.

I have been reading, playing a game now and then (Secret Agent Clank and Lego Indiana Jones are the latest) stitching on exchanges (pictures momentarily) and winding down on the work project that has consumed me for the last 18 months.  I’m still amazed that it’s almost completely released!  Of course there’s always another project in need of special attention - the next “rescue” gets my full focus starting on Monday

My recent Freebie Exchange for the “Hooked on Exchanging” Group:

This is Martina’s Roses by Martina Weber finished as a biscornu (click for larger pic).

The Little House Needleworks Exchange for the same group:

Night & Day by LHN.  My very first pinkeep finish!  I must say that Vonna’s tutorial is *great* and I’ll definitely be using the technique again - so easy!

Finally, I finished off this biscornu this weekend:

(click for larger pic)

Spring Garden freebie from Indigo Rose (center rose replaced with button).  It has a purpose, but I can’t share quite yet.  It’s not an exchange, though

A couple weeks ago, Mom and I had a great outing….to Hobby Lobby!  Yes, HL has made it to Arizona and not only are there two in Phoenix, but one is 5 miles from my house!  Mom and I spent a leisurely 2.5 hours walking *every* aisle on Saturday afternoon.  I didn’t break the bank (under $50 spent) but the amount of inspiration and ideas I brought home was priceless.

My reading hasn’t been quite as fast as I’ve been working from home or after hours appointments have been keeping me from vanpooling to work (where I get the lion’s share of my reading done lately).  I have finished The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde (my favorite of the Thursday Next series, I think), am re-reading Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop (3/4 complete) and read Blood Noir after seeing author Laurell K Hamilton at a book-signing in Scottsdale (the crowd was….interesting).   I’ve also been looking at an Amazon Kindle.  Anyone have one?

Off to watch a movie and work on a UFO RR!

Tonight, was a very special night.

The Final Chapter in the car saga:

2009 Topaz Gold Subaru Forester - LL Bean Edition.  That’s DH’s 2007 Forester in the background.

I like mine better

Saturday was also Prom night for my daughter (who is graduating in less than three weeks…heaven help me)

Here’s the full length look: click here

And with her date for the evening (a good friend):

Thanks everyone for the birthday and get well wishes.  I am *much* better

Today, I received a Biscornu Exchange:

Scissors…just what I need :D  And they even came pre-fobbed with a gorgeous purple tassle.  I love it!!!

Monday was my birthday.

Along with some lovely gifts, I got sick.

Thought it might be flu (cough, congestion, lowgrade fever) but I think it’s just a cold…..until 4am this morning when a deep pain in my right ear screamed ‘ear infection.’

After  a trip to the doctor today, I know have *way* too many pills.  800mg of ibuprofen 3x day.  Augmentin (*huge* pill) twice daily.  And I gave in to some pain medication (Vicodin 3x a day) so I can actually get some sleep.

Between naps today I finished the latest Dresden (Small Favor).  Tomorrow I’ll hopefully finish my square exchange (”front” square is done, just need to do the “back” square with my name, location, etc.

Probably need to go light on the pain meds, though.  I’m thinking it would be a frog magnet!

When my week is hectic, I always try to find quiet time on Sundays.  Yes, today that included a baseball game (Braves lost) and a bit of stitching.

It also included photography.  My first Fair & Square exchange received from Marie P!  I love the squares

I’ll be finishing off my stitching for her tomorrow and mailing it out shortly thereafter (due out by the 25th).

I also pulled off pictures of last Sunday’s excursion.

That’s Jim Butcher.  He writes The Dresden Files and Codex Alera series.  I was *seriously* excited to meet him and got totally tongue-tied when he signed my book (I was first in line).  I did remember to ask for a picture, though, and even brought my own photographer (my dear husband):

He answered questions from the crowd (over 100 people) for about 45 minutes.  The Dresden Files will be twenty “case” books and then an “apocalyptic trilogy” to wrap it up.   It was great!

That’s all for tonight….

Yes, I’m still alive and kicking.

I’ve learned a couple things about myself lately:

Baseball is very important to my mental health.  The chance to schedule down time over the weekend which is then utilized for stitching time, tends to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.  A feeling I’ve been living with for most of the last few weeks.

There is a point where I am beyond using my stitching to reduce the abovementioned ‘overwhelmed’ feeling.  At that point, reading is the only true fail-safe method, preferably with an “old friend” like Harry Dresden or Daemon Sadi.  Gaming is second on the list, but its not quite as consistent in results.

Why am I in this situation?  Let’s see……consider:

Work - We had an “organizational announcement” two weeks ago for my group.  As of this writing I have not heard officially who I now work for nor my actual role/responsibilities.  Now, do I have an idea of which of the three directors (formerly one) I will report to?  Oh yes.  Is it a good switch?  Yes, I believe it is.  Do I know what I’m going to be doing in this new role?  I *think* so, but one can never be too sure until it’s in writing.  In the meantime there’s a lot of questions and not a lot of answers and the work just keeps rolling in.

Car - Oh yes, this is still not resolved.  Friday, dealer called to say it was done.  Saturday I went to fetch my car (dealer provided me a lovely red Dodge Charger for the second week, which was *very* nice) and got about 20 miles before the light was back on and two miles later, I was sitting on the side of the freeway saying words that I’m glad my children weren’t around to hear.  I’m now driving a PT Cruiser (a nice steel blue) while dealer tries for Round II.   Estimated completion date is Tuesday.  We’ll see.

Children - My daughter is now 18 and graduating in six weeks.  She’s revised her long-term career goal from vet to geneticist.  Oh to be young again.  My son is nine.  He is his father’s son: stubborn and smart.  A deadly combination at the age of nine.  Hopefully both he and his parents will see ten.

Wrist - I’ve done something to my right wrist.  It hurts.  Just enough to be annoying, not enough to see a doctor…..yet.

I did spend a good number of hours this past weekend with my Braves and Dbacks and Allie’s UFO.  Wrist didn’t impede the stitching progress much.  Just had to take a few extra breaks now and then.  As I had to mail out today, and hadn’t had much in the way of focus for the last weeks…..I wanted to put in at least ten hours over Saturday and Sunday (accomplished).  Now back to another exchange (Fair & Square).  If it weren’t for my obligation stitching, I’m afraid I would be in a pretty bad slump

I did do something Way Cool on Sunday but the evidence is still in the camera.  I’ll save that for the next post…..

We had a great trip! Here’s a few highlights:

On Thursday we drove up to Williams, Arizona which is about 30 miles west of Flagstaff and 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon. Our destination was The Grand Canyon Railway. We spent the night in the hotel and on Friday enjoyed a lovely scenic and leisurely trip up to the Canyon without the headaches of parking

Bright and early Friday morning we started with a Wild West Show:

(click for larger pic)

We boarded the train at 9 am and our estimated arrival at the South Rim was 11:15 am.

Unfortunately, the engine had other ideas. About 10:45 am, the train stopped. The last 30 minutes was enough of a grade that the train needed the extra boost from a turbo and we’d lost the turbo. We had to sit and wait for the train behind us (that departed at 10:15) to arrive to push us the last way.

Fortunately, I was prepared:

A dear friend gifted me with four skeins of Tofutsie on Wednesday so a skein went with me along with an extra long circular (my first magic loop sock).

We arrived at the canyon at 1. This greeted us (click for larger pic):

Pretty amazing, eh?

We got back on the train at 4 and made our way back to Williams.  We did have one short stop along the way…..

Train robbers!!  Happily the sock made it home safely (along with the rest of our valuables).

We headed for home immediately, arriving at 10:30 pm, tired but a good tired.

Saturday, our possessions let us know they weren’t happy with us leaving them home alone for two days.  The engine light went on in my car (it’s now at the shop - they think it’s the sensor bad and of course all of them are on the east coast…) and the Xbox360 flashed red lights that were interpreted as “hardware failure.”  We have to send it back to Microsoft (box arrived today) to be repaired (no charge).  Estimate turnaround time: 2-3 weeks.

I did learn that my recent biscornu exchange arrived safely, so I can show it off:

It’s a Periphaeria Design purchased at One Star’s Light ONS.  Stitched in Royalty Silk n’ Colors on a pale blue linen.  The button in the center is clear - it’s a square with a pattern very much like the border of the design

And what timing!  I just received this month’s SBQ:

When you stitch a pattern that you have downloaded do you print out the pattern or do you stitch directly from your computer screen?

I print it!  No way I could sit comfortably in front of the computer :)  I don’t print them (usually) before I’m ready to stitch, so I don’t have piles of charts lying around.

I’m off to the Grand Canyon Thursday and Friday!