Events and Goings On, a Catch up post

Oh where to start...

I put my house on the market back in May, around the 15th or so.  Then started the process of open houses and showings and what not.  I received a good offer on the condo last week, and after offering a counter offer they accepted and the house is now officially under contract.  Hurray!  I've gone through the inspection (yet to see the report, but I don't expect anything much in it) and I believe the appraisal is going to happen this up coming week.  I am ready to start the serious packing as the "big load out" is to take place July 9th, with closing on the 18th.  (I want that extra weekend for just-in-case, emergency-backup time.)  I am so tired of having strange people traipsing though my house and things never being in the spot I left them... Or the a/c never being on in the evening when I left it on in the morning.

I am now sort of employed.  I  have a long term temporary job with a large company doing Data Analysis stuff.  They are converting from several different old legacy databases to Oracle.  I am working with the Supply group and specifically working with the Vendors that are entered into Oracle.  The goal is to have only one named vendor (FedEx for example) but many addresses (since FedEx has several locations to order from but typically one payment site) to help out the purchasers and the accounts payable folks.  Some days are more challenging than others, and some days are mind numbingly dull.  I will have to say that over all I like it.  My immediate supervisor is a delight and she is trying to get me hired on permanently.  I'm good with that.

My brother proposed to his long-time girlfriend and it looks like we are going to have a wedding in September.  I really like her and am excited for them.  I should buckle down with my eating and exercising and try to drop about 10 pounds.  Oh I'll still be a fluffy woman, but I won't be oddly stuck between sizes like I currently am. ... However, I could just eat myself in to a coma and gain 10 pounds and get out from in between sizes. ...  I think dropping weight is probably a better idea.

A few weeks ago, the lovely Jennifer of Confessions of a Serial Starter was having a give away for her 3rd Blogoversary.  I entered on a whim and was greatly surprised to find out that I'd won the drawing!  I never win anything, so this was a really big big surprise.  I'll be sure to show off a picture when it arrives.  I must confess that I'm not really stalking my mailbox.  I'll probably forget about it until the envelope arrives and then be surprised again.  Go check out her blog.  It's delightful!

This past Friday I went with part of my department to see The Blaze.  They are the local arena football team.  They were planning the trip the first week I was working with them, and I said I would go since I didn't want to be 'that person' of the group.  You know, the one who doesn't go to anything or socialize with anyone...  Anyway, as the date for the outing got closer, and after the tickets were purchased more and more people of the department had to drop out for other commitments.  I ended up with another ticket and called up one of my good friends and she could come along with me to the game.  We had a great adventure.  We rode the local light rail for the first time, and it was my first time to arena football.  I like regular football and arena football moves faster and just as much fun.  We had a good time and I met some people from work who don't necessarily work directly with my department.

Saturday night and I was off with another good friend to see her husband in a production of The Drowsy Chaperone.  I saw a production of this about a year ago at the Hale Centre Theatre and was prepared to be disappointed since the quality of the Hale's productions is very high.  This production of Drowsy was preformed by a little community theater, the Springville Playhouse, and the whole cast did a great job! They, of course, didn't have the same budget as the Hale does, but Springville did a great job.  The staging was inventive where it needed it, and the interaction with the audience was delightful.  My friends husband was was playing the part of Aldolpho and truly hammed it up.  He was a over the top and hilarious.   The actor who portrayed Man in Chair was really good as well.  He chatted up the audience, in character, during the intermission. I think this may be my new favorite musical.  The old favorite is Guys and Dolls. I might have to get the album.

And that's about that... and a little bit more.  I do wish I had a little dog to take pictures and write about.  Maybe once I get moved 'home' to Mom and Dad's house I can talk them into getting another Sheltie.  That'd be awesome.

Report on Other Stitching

I was moving slowly but surely on Red, White and Bloom at work.  And then I went and left it at my parents house.  So no work on it this past week.  Here is how far I've gotten on it.  The 15 minutes or so I have to stitch on it each day at work just isn't enough.  (Then again, is there ever enough time to stitch?)

Luckily I had another project tucked away in my desk at work, so I put a few minutes here and there into Bless our House, also by Country Cottage Needleworks.  It really doesn't look like much, and you won't see more of this until I get down with Bloom... Unless of course I leave them home from work again. (I take them home on Friday so I can get a picture of them.)

Moving along with my alternating weekend of Halloween Rules and Crabby All Year... Last weekend was Halloween Rules weekend and I got the first two blocks all nice and finished up.  I'm still totally in love with this fabric.

This weekend was Crabby All Year's turn to be worked on.  I finished up the last brown weed in the Weeds block and got some nice progress in on the Leaves block.  I have hope that this will be done in time for Christmas so I can give it to my Mom. 

Thanks for wandering by!

Joseph progression

Hi y'all!  It's been busy around here what with selling the house and all, so there hasn't been much time for blogging.  I'm sorry about that.  I keep hoping things will settle down soon so I can get back to something more regular.  I have been working a little bit each Sunday on the last piece in my freestanding nativity.  Here is the progress over the month.

As of June 5th:

June 12th:

June 19th:

June 26th:

Just a little bit more to do on Joseph and then I move over and start work on Mary and baby Jesus.  I'm thinking of finishing off this series as a set of flat folds instead of stuffing them like pillows and trying to get a flat bottom on them so they will stand up properly.  What do you think?

Weekend Stitching

Hey look! It's a blog about what I did over the weekend, and it's not yet the middle of the week! Yay me!

Red White and Bloom has become my office project.  I get to work on it about 15 minutes a day during my lunch break.  So over the course of the week I put in an hour and 15 minutes.  I suppose I'd get more done in a solid hour and fifteen, but go with what you've got, right?

I'm thinking of alternating weekends between Crabby All Year and Halloween Rules.  Since it was Halloween Rules last week, that means this week it was Crabby All Year.  I'm so very close to getting this Weeds block done, I'm tempted to work on it again next weekend!

I completely forgot to take a picture of the progress on the last block for my freestanding nativity.  You'll have to use your imagination, but Joseph has got most of coat done, his face and hands done, half of his beard, and half of whatever you call that thing on his head. He'll be handsome by the time I'm done with him.

And here is the completed project of what I've been calling Eden Stars.  Eden is the name of the fabric line, and there are a few star blocks in it.  A couple of months ago I finished quilting it on Mom's long-arm sewing machine.  The pattern was so tight and loopy, I got motion sick stitching it!  Here's a close up of the stitching pattern.

It took a while for Mom to decide she was going to bind it for me.  She was working on projects that she liked better, and really, I can't say that I blame her.  Here's the full thing draped across my bed and pillow and what not.  I put a nice fuzzy flannel on the back, so it's a bit heavier in weight.  Perfect for spring and fall nights.  It's about twin sized.

Thanks for stopping by!
Kay

Weekend Stitching

Hurrah for the Weekend!  (I cheer as it's Wednesday and here I am just getting around to submitting and update for the weekend past.)  I've been so much busier than I have for the past year and a quarter with the temporary job.  I just don't know what to think.  I do like the job, even though the actual work is dull.  What I really don't like is the loss of time in my day!

Anyway... I worked on Red White and Bloom while on my lunch break, and then finished up the 'white section' on Saturday.  I'll work on the 'bloom section' while at work, but I don't think I'll work on it on the weekends.  I really want to get more progress done on Halloween Rules... and Crabby All Year for that matter.

I got a good amount of work done on my last Freestanding Nativity Piece.  This is Josephs coat and staff.  The little girl who sits in front of me in church watched the progress again this week.  She wanted to know why I was making Joseph and Mary and Jesus.  I told her that I loved baby Jesus and His family.  I asked her if she loved her family to, (she said yes), and if she loved Jesus as well (another yes from her).  Kids are just so cute at that age. (I think she's in the 4 to 5 age range.)

And here is Halloween Rules.  I swear I did work on it!  I know it doesn't look like I did.  But in addition to my job, I've been working at the Temple on Saturday mornings, so that's another half a day where I used to stitch that I don't anymore.  I work on two blocks at a time as that's how much fits into my hoop at a time.

Today I wandered over to the Craft Center of Fine Stitchery to place a pre-order for the new collector ghingers that are going to be released in September.  I don't really collect them, but if I see a design that I like, I'll pick it up.  While I was there I saw they had a couple parts for the Bouquet Sampler, so I picked those up and put my name down to be called when they got the missing part in.  I also picked up a little sugar bowl that they've made into a scissor holder, and an old creamer that they've made into a pin cushion.  I couldn't resist the pin cushion.  It has pansies on it.

I also picked up Button Button by Country Cottage Needleworks.  I mean... how could I not?

I really need to get back to enforcing my stitching budgets for each month.  I think I've officially spent the budget for the rest of the year.  If only the designers could refrain from releasing more patterns that appeal to me.  They can release all the designs they want that don't appeal to me, I'm cool with that.

Wee Bit 'o Me v. 48

It's been busy since I started my temporary job.  I just don't have the time I used to have when I was puttering around the house all day. ... I miss puttering around the house all day.  Anyway...

1) How many times have you been a bridesmaid/maid of honor?

El Zilch-o!  I have a policy of not being a bridesmaid.

2) What’s the last thing your do before you fall asleep at night?

Read a few chapters out of the Scriptures, usually.

3) You just won your dream vacation, all expenses paid. Where are you going?

Year-long cruise around the world.  Yeah baby!

4) What is your favorite outdoor activity?

Does driving count?  I love to drive.  If gas weren’t so darned expensive I’d be taking more Sunday drives.

5) As a child, what did you want to “be when you grew up”? Did you end up there?

I thought I’d be just like my Mom.  I was terribly surprised in college when that dating/getting married thing just didn’t seem to be happening, and thus my degree and career in accounting.  But I’d still much rather stay home all day.

6) What are 3 things your dream home would have that you don’t currently have?

A larger kitchen, and attached 2 car garage, and prewired for one of those thingies that you use to automate you Christmas lights and sync them up to music.  Ah yes, the flashy-blinky.

7) What’s for dinner tonight?

Since I already ate, it was a couple of chicken fingers marinated in Orange sauce then bbq-ed, and long with some instant mashed potatoes and a sugar cookie with lemon icing.

8) If someone stopped by your house unannounced on a typical Saturday night, what would they find you doing?

Probably working on my latest cross stitch project.  Or one of them at least.

9) What’s your average monthly water bill?

Haven’t a clue.  The HOA pays for it out of the dues I pay them, along with snow removal, yard care, clubhouse and pool upkeep, and there’s a tennis court on the premise somewhere.

10) What do you do to relax?

Cross Stitch! (I’m so predictable that way.)

TUSAL - June 1, 2011

This months 'piece' is titled "TUSAL Jar with UFO."

I started working on that a long long time ago and put it on a bookcase and there it still sits.  Although I usually have a bread cloth over it to keep it from getting too dusty.  I did all of that work on the bears and santa's mittens one summer when I was staying with Grandma while LJ was out of town. (Back when Grandma was still pretty mobile and before I was staying with her everyday.) The aida really isn't checked like it's showing in the pictures.  That's just the holes and pixels lining up wrong.

I thought I'd try something with the photo, and this will probably show up if you click on it to see the larger picture.

The floss in the Red circle came from "Love Is" by Shepherds Bush.  The floss in the Green circle came from "Crabby All Year" by Raise the Roof.  The floss in the Blue circle came from "Red White and Bloom" by Country Cottage Needleworks.  Fun!  Happy Stitching!