WIPocalypse Feb 2013

I have done it! I can't believe it! My head is killing me today, but there was no way in Hades I was gonna quit till I finished. My first ever HAED is complete, ahead of schedule and just in time for this month's WIPocalypse!


Here she is in all her Scottish beauty!


I do feel surprisingly numb, but it may be because cannons are going off in my head, bouncing off the sides like popcorn in a popper. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I also need to decide if I'm starting my next two now, or waiting a little while. I might work on A Summer Ball and get it out of the way. Plus, I have my secret project to start as well.

The only other project I worked on this month was The 35th Anniversary Celebration:


I also have the gigantic task of teaching my Mother how to cross stitch! To make matters worse, I'm starting her off with a HAED! But I do honestly think they are easier than a kit, just a lot more stitching is involved. We'll see how she does!

Now it's time for Stadol and bed.

New "kid" update

So, no word from the second rescue place. Just thought I'd give an update concerning our search. We have been looking at PetFinder (which is how we found the Shih-Tzu Rescue group) and I do also check with our local shelter's webpage. We are a very Shih Tzu oriented family, so I'm afraid that limits our search quite a bit. On top of that, we also only like boy dogs, limiting our search even more. We aren't incredibly age specific, but we are limited to baby and young (unless it's a very young adult). Apparently the only Shih's available are older girl dogs! I'm not giving up though. Zach has a vet appointment tomorrow and I'm gonna put my feelers out with the vet as well (that is unless we get the huge ice storm they have been screaming about all day).

We do have strict criteria, actually, it's all Zachary...he's such a picky butt sometimes, but we know what will make us happy! And a happy Keebs and Zach mean a very very happy (and very very spoiled) new addition!!

Another "kid" in our family?

Zachary's best "love us" face:

Zachary and I did something yesterday that I'm still shocked over...we put in an adoption application for a Shih Tzu rescue group! It wasn't an easy decision and we didn't take it lightly. We answered the questions on the form honestly and took our time about it. However, the application was rejected rather quickly (and almost seemed like an automated rejection) because I don't have a yard. No one loves or takes care of my "kid" like I do, and whether or not I have a yard is a stupid reason for rejection! He doesn't go outside anyway due to a past trauma of having a pup of mine die rather brutally by car. I know tons of people with a yard and they are HORRIBLE pet parents! Sorry...getting off track of the story.

So, not swayed by rejection, we tried again, this time a different rescue group. We took even more time and tried to convey what a great family we would be without being overly cheesy. We pointed out our good points, without leaving out the bad (aka, lack of outdoor space). We even looked at pictures of potential family members trying to decide if they would be happy with us. As of now, we have yet to hear from anyone. Is that a good sign or a bad sign? I don't know, but patience isn't one of my virtues.

Zander (god rest his soul) and Zachary both came from pet stores at a time when it wasn't non-PC to do so....ok, so it was non-PC even then, but it didn't have as much of a stigma as it does today. I always looked at it as dogs in pet stores need to be rescued too! That point of view was even more valid in the case of Zander because he was almost 6 months old and was about to be destroyed (their words, not mine), he had patches where he had no hair (probably due to nerves from being raped daily by a chihuahua), and he wasn't in the best of health...basically, a puppy only his mother could love (and I did more than anything or anyone ever).

Zachary, on the other hand, was a happy, healthy, ball of fur who stole my heart at first glance. He wasn't originally bought for me, he was bought as a brother for Zander. The mistake I made was that I didn't get Zander's approval first, but then again, thankfully I didn't let the little bugger pick. I wouldn't have Zachary at all since Zander HATED him at first sight!! It took Zander an entire year to not murmur under his breath when Zach got close to him. But, in the end, Zachary was the best brother Zander could have ever had.


So why now do I try to embark on the task of trying to enlarge our family? I've got no clue other than I just think it's time. Zander has been gone for almost 3 years now, Zach is 12 and getting on up there and I feel like he is lonely (even though I'm home a lot more now than ever), basically though, I think I just miss having two snuggle bunnies! Stupidest reason on the planet, I know, but when is it not all about me anyway?

So wish us luck, and if we get denied again, look out puppy store because we are on our way! I've got no qualms about "rescuing" another pup from the puppy store, afterall, where would our family be without it? It's just a shame that the love we give gets denied due to lack of acreage. Even if I had a yard, Zachary probably wouldn't be allowed to be left alone in it. What if the neighbors threw something over trying to poison him? What if there was a snake? What if his allergies kicked off? What if a meteor fell from the sky and hit him? Yeah, I never claimed to not be overprotective.

IHSW Results

Despite very dismal progress on Saturday, and a very long nap today, I still managed quite a bit of progress.

From here:


To here:


I have really been pushing myself hard on this project and I have been unable to control my OCD much lately. I think I'm gonna need a bit of a stitch break once I'm done!

A quick pre-IHSW update

I'm interrupting this IHSW start for an important announcement...I only have the black areas left! All others colors are finished! Whoo Hoo!!


As a side note, I am completely obsessed with a YouTube series I just found. I don't know how I never saw this before! For all you Janeites out there, you HAVE to see this!

V-day surprise

I'm not a fan of today...chalk it up to too many years on my own, too many horrible memories of my marriage, or many other reasons I could could come up with (be they real or imagined). I don't usually acknowledge today as anything other than just a regular day (and, as per my post title, even have trouble saying it). Now, if someone decides to throw V-day candy my way, I won't deny them their generous gift (re: the cupcakes in our breakroom today that I have had three of...thanks whoever, I have no clue who brought them, nor do I care, they were covered in icing and were store bought instead of homemade, that was good enough for me).

But today I got a surprise from my sissy that left me speechless and the envy of all the married creatures wandering around the lab who have yet to get nada (bet there will be a couple of husbands chewed out tonight):


Considering that I have very recently brought up the subject of our Mother wanting to go to Disney at X-mas (another day I can't bare to spell...oh why can't every holiday be Halloween?), it makes me question her motives. Are purple roses code for "please don't make me go to Disney World at X-mas"?

Tuesday was also our Mother's retirement party, which I had to attend much to my chagrin (because we all know how much I LOVE to be social). Could these possibly be "buck up little trooper, hope you've gotten over Tuesday" flowers? Or maybe they are "glad you survived the five Xanax you downed throughout the day" flowers. Or even "so sorry you had to take pictures with your family" flowers.

Then again, why must I question everything? Could they possibly just be "hey sis, love you and thinking of you and hope you are having a good day" flowers? Knowing my fabulous sister, that is exactly what she meant them to be (with a touch of "don't make me go to Disney World at X-mas" thrown in for good measure)!

Am...you totally rock! I have raised you well. Love Ya, Mean It (and yes, if I have to spend time with Chuck and Dave in their X-mas jumpers, so do you!!).

IHSW February

Is it just me, or is time really flying by! It's once again time for the International Hermit And Stitch Weekend.


I so wanted this to be the weekend that I was finished with my little Highland girl, but alas, it's just not to be. I still believe I will be done with her before the end of the month (which was my original goal), but I have to admit I'm a bit bummed. Thanks to everyone for your kind comments re my crappy stitch progress anyway. Your encouragement has been helpful. I know I have a very skewed opinion of my work as well as goals I've set for myself. I get really upset when I get a headache, not because I'm in excruciating pain, but because I can't stitch! Looks like it's time to move up the neurologist appointment again. Ugh. And I was doing so well.

What makes it worse is that I'm practically drooling over starting both Sleepy Hollow and The Princess And The Pea!! I've had everything I need for Sleepy Hollow for quite some time, so I'm good there. The scrap of material left from Sleepy will be perfect for Pea. I do actually have quite a lot of thread I bought off of eBay a long time ago, knock off DMC, but all 447 colors. They were very cheap (think like about $65 for the set versus $300+ for real DMC), but I have used it and it works really well. I do think it might be better than real DMC - which has really gone down in quality since I first started stitching. Pea actually calls for Kreinik as well, and I'm not a huge fan of "sparkly" metallic type thread, so I think I might substitute DMC Satin instead. I had a HORRIBLE experience with blending filament and Past, Present, and Forever and I'm really not too thrilled about going through that again. It frays, it splits, it's awful to thread. I know some people recommend using thread wax, but I just can't see me going to that extreme when I can just use a different kind of thread.

Here's hoping for a big jump in progress despite the fact that I'm going to see Die Hard on Saturday...maybe Bruce will kick my stitching mojo into gear, yippie ki yay!!! Good luck to everyone else as well!

February TUSAL and update

So, for this month's ort pic, I thought I'd finally make use of the Beast candlestick holder I bought in Disney World (since I will probably never get around to getting a candle for it!).


As far as stitching goes, another sucky, headache-filled week, so not very much progress again.

I started here:


And finished here:

They've done it!!

The Princess and the Pea by Jasmine Becket-Griffith is now mine! I love Heaven and Earth Designs!!!


I was also bad and got another one:


I don't know what the fascination with stash is...I will NEVER in one lifetime ever finish all of these! I'm blaming this extravagance on my headache meds!!

Stitch update

It's that time again...another week ended and my stitching due for updating. This week was rather trying; work totally sucked pretty much the entire week, my heater decided to die just as it started to get really cold again (and I absolutely HATE cold!), and, because of three headaches (yes, three, more than I have had in the entire month of January), very little stitching got done. It's difficult enough to talk or walk on Stadol, let alone push a needle through very tiny little holes of 28ct! At least I didn't have to call my sister to come give me Alsuma shots. I really hate bothering her, but seeing as I am too chicken to give myself shots, even if they are auto-injectors (that just makes them more painful and scares the crap out of you when they go off), I really have no other choice. There is no one else I would trust to stab me with a large gas-powered needle connected to a tube of extremely cold liquid, but I will still try to avoid it at all costs.

Anyhoo, enough of my moaning...the week started here:


And here is where I am today:


I'm trying to look at it as I'm almost 2 pages down in my final 5 1/2 pages, but it was just a disappointing week all the way 'round, and optimism just isn't in my bones. Luckily, neither is pessimism. I have another chance of getting caught up next week and there is no use dwelling on the disappointment of this week, thus the mantra of a realist...hopeful, yet unexpectant of anything other than what will be.