Keebles World

Yes, I know I'm extremely opinionated, often to the point of obsession (you could blame either the Aspergers or OCD for that). That's why I typically don't read comments about things I love because I tend to get quite upset sometimes (and I NEVER post comments anymore because I often get into a cyber war). But, because of the events last night, I've found myself scouring the web more than once today for more information and, since my blog is for my big mouth, I thought it best to post my comment here instead on numerous boards and websites (my anger level is pretty high right now). And it's been a while since I stepped on my very high soapbox, so here I go! Those that watch Once Upon A Time (the only American show I watch regularly and actually like) got a shock last night, a major character died (and that's all I'm saying because you may not have watched the episode yet). OUAT fans knew it was coming, the creators told us in January a major character...

I didn't work on Pea this week...I was testing to see how my Disney alphabet for the A to Z Blogging Challenge would go. I did another chart from CloudFactory to see how long the characters would take to stitch. I haven't mounted it or framed it yet, but here it is: Granted, they took longer than I wanted them to, but in all fairness I was using hoops (which I never do because I can only stitch one-handed). I much prefer scroll rods and a stand, be it lap or floor, so both hands can have access. It's also been a while since I used Aida, and, even at 18ct, it took some getting used to...evenweave Monaco or Lugana is much more forgiving. Heck, I even found using two threads instead of one a bit of a challenge! I keep saying it, but HAEDs have ruined me for life! I ended up having to frog half of the first character (I can never remember if it's Flora or Fauna that is green) because the stitch was big I could see the flaws in the pattern...instead of stitching fr...

Still didn't get through the peach areas on Angel, but got pretty close! It is really hard to stitch and socialize, but I am enjoying working on a different project in an entirely different environment.

It's that time again for the Hodgepodge! I'm not really sure how this will work out during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge, but only time will tell. 1. March is known as the windy month. Which of the following phrases best fits your March so far...'throw caution to the wind', 'three sheets to the wind', 'run like the wind', or 'see which way the wind blows'? How 'bout 'the winds they are a'foul'? That better suits my March! This year has got to be better soon! 2. Your favorite green food? Your favorite dish made with your favorite green food? Spinach. I could eat spinach in varying forms every single day of my life (and it's probably one of the only vegetables I actually do like). My favorite way to eat it though is raw as a salad base with cheddar cheese, grilled chicken and whatever salad dressing I'm favoring at the moment. I also love it in alfredo, but I think my pasta days are over now (thanks to my...

Another International Hermit and Stitch Weekend has come and just about gone. I'm giving up a bit early partly because I need to start going to bed at a normal hour, but more importantly, I finished row 6!! I started Monday here: And finally finished row 6 today: Which means my little Pea Princess now looks like this: And I did manage a little bit more before I decided to throw in the towel: Only four more rows to go!! Oh, and as an aside, row 6 picture number ended up being exactly 100...thought it was a bit interesting!

It is almost time again for the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge ! For those that aren't aware of what the challenge is, you post a blog entry for every letter of the alphabet on every day of the week (excluding Sundays) for the entire month of April. There are as many different themes as there are participants and even those that pick the same subject matter usually approach it in very different ways. Some people manage to complete the entire challenge, while a surprising number drop off after only a couple of days. Obviously, given the quantity of participants, reading every blog on the list is darn near impossible, especially while you are trying to keep up with your own posts. But I have found some pretty amazing blogs from the challenge and I look forward to finding even more! It's extremely modest to say I'm Disney obsessed. I have Aspergers and OCD...Disney is more important to me than 95% of the humans I know! So the overall theme subject was a given. ...

We were a bit short this week versus last, but things moved along much quicker because I wasn't having to stop as much with interruptions: I was really surprised to see her head already starting to appear. Definitely making me feel much better about a quick stitch! It was 6 or 7 pages in and a row down before my little Highland girl's head appeared. But the face will be the deciding factor on how I feel about it. And, with all the pink, I'm not so sure now that it's gonna look good in my very purple office.

1. Thursday marks the first day of spring...to celebrate would you rather plant a garden or go for a walk in the woods? Would either of those activities be possible on Thursday where you live? I would love to be able to plant a garden, if I had a yard (which I don't), but I am absolutely terrified of masses of trees, so the woods would completely be out of the question!! Besides, this is the South and woods around here mean you would probably get shot by some redneck hillbilly looking for dinner (I kid...sort of). But, in any case, neither would be possible on a Thursday...it's a work day! 2. When did someone last spring something on you? (or when did you last spring something on someone?) People pretty much know not to spring anything on me (I don't do well under pressure and tend to explode, often very vocally) and I think the "do under others" mantra holds true with this one and I try to not spring on others! I'm the kid who used to open Christma...

I didn't get much done this week and I'm still not finished with row 6. I am determined to finish this row in the upcoming week. Monday started here: And today ended here: But despite a horrible week, I did manage to get the house cleaned yesterday (for the first time in forever) and both boys got haircuts this morning. Baby Bammers went first: Mr. Grumpy-Pants Zachary always goes last because he is a total prat when it comes to haircuts (and the one time I did him before Bams, Bam thought he was supposed to behave like a prat as well). Everytime I swear never again because Zachary really is horrible. He fights me the entire time and I'm so afraid I'm gonna hurt his old bones. But I just can't bring myself to take them somewhere and leave them in someone else's hands for hours on end. Plus, they never cut them close enough and you always have to take them back sooner than you want to. If I do make mistakes, it will always grow back (usually ...

Yeah, like I needed more stash, but Heaven and Earth Designs was having yet another sale. If I've learned anything about HAED, if you see something you like, get it (even if you may never be able to stitch it)...not all designs stay on there forever, and more than once I've had a design I really liked get retired or removed way too quickly and I end up missing out. It's kind of like shopping in Disney World...it may seem like every store carries the same things, but if you see something you want, buy it immediately, because if you don't, you will a) never see it again at another store; and b) went you go back to the store where you saw it originally to get it, it will no longer be there. But without further ado, here's my new additions: Faces of Faery 70 by Jasmine Becket-Griffith (shock): Faces of Faery 167 by Jasmine Becket-Griffith: (both of these were purchased with the idea of a possible future Needle Club project) Rapunzel In Rococo - Jasmine Becke...

Much better week attendance wise...we had four in total (and one onlooker, so five if you count her). But I have to say, my fears were right, I got far less stitching done in a group than solo. It's hard to talk, help others, eat (because they decided to order out and make a party out of it), and still stay focused on your own project. If you'll remember, last week I ended here: And this week, I made it here: I did manage to make it through the week without taking it home and it did get easier to ignore it staring at me all week. Once Pea is finished though, I may start taking it home.

1. Do you have an interest in learning about your family's heritage? Why or why not? If you know a little bit about your roots, share an interesting piece of trivia or a fun fact about someone who goes way back on your family tree. When my Dad and I were on speaking terms, he was more than a bit obsessed with tracing our family tree. He tried numerous times to get me involved, but it's not a "cheap" hobby and I could never get the information he needed. Luckily, we are Scottish, so there are tons of records and he was able to go as far back as the 1600's, but about the only interesting data is that an ancestor was the personal priest to Robert The Bruce. I was able to meet (well, mostly online) most of my Dad's family I never even knew existed. 2. Branch Rickey, the baseball exec credited with signing Jackie Robinson, is quoted as saying- "Luck is the residue of design." Agree or disagree? Why? Agree and Disagree. Yes, some people are des...

I did work on 35th Anniversary Celebration a bit at the beginning of the week. It was great to see characters appear daily...this was last Sunday's progress where Mickey showed up: And Cinderella started to show on Monday: But come Tuesday, it was back to Princess and the Pea: And got here by today: I came close to finishing the blue layer, but not quite there and no where near finishing the entire row. I found myself spending the entire week obsessing over the work project, even while stitching on Pea. Hopefully, this week will be a much better Needle Club since we're not expecting horrible weather. Looking back on it, I may have had a better week on my own than I would have if the others had been there. I guess time will tell. And I'm probably gonna cry like a baby in the morning when the alarm goes off...I absolutely HATE daylight savings time. I'm not the least bit sleepy right now. I still don't understand why we do this. It never gets easi...

Well, I could blame it on the weather, I could blame it on myself for not reminding people, or I could blame it on others for not following through (which I think is the way my mind is leaning) but needless to say, our first Needle Club ended up a bust attendance-wise. For more than the first hour, it was just me and then only one other person. If I tried to find a bright side, at least I got quite a bit done in 2 1/2 hours (although not as much as I wanted...it was a bit weird getting used to the bright lab lights and the magnifying glasses instead of my trusty magnifying light at home). It was really hard to walk away from it at the end of the time as well. It's going to be really hard not to bring it home to work on. The thought that I'll have to look at it every single day, but not touch it again until next Wednesday will probably break me come Friday or so! I said that it would be a work only project, but I think that I might change my mind about that after a while. ...

1. The expression 'mad as a March hare' originated with a fictional character who is distracted and frantic. When were you last 'mad as a March hare' and what was it that made you that way? I'm like that every single day, and, if I'm specific, just a couple of minutes ago due to a work-related matter and one of my bosses who seems to not like me (for some reason) at the moment. 2. Mardi Gras this year falls on Tuesday, March 4th. Have you ever been to Mardi Gras, and if so what did you think? If not, do you have any interest in going? Purple, green, and gold are the colors of Mardi Gras. Which one is most prevalent in your wardrobe? How about in your home? I have only been to New Orleans once and I will never go again. The vibes in that place are akin to those in Gettysburg or Savannah and it's just too much for my sensitive spidey-sense to take! Purple is my life! My office is filled with it (and after my office flooded, I actually managed to t...

Well, yet another ice storm has struck us. Today is my first day back at work because the ice piled so high in front of my door, that I couldn't get out! I literally had to be dug out by a co-worker this morning (and, of course, crackhead neighbor had to get involved)...two hours of slowly chipping away over a foot of packed ice, good times! They did the unthinkable (and for the first time ever) closed our lab yesterday, so I didn't have to worry about getting out on Monday (which meant another day of stitching on the Disney project). Good thing my house didn't catch on fire...I would have burned alive since I couldn't get out! Considering there was actually snow mixed in though, it made it much easier to drive on (once I finally got out and spent another hour clearing the car). Have I mentioned before how much I hate ice?

Another week gone and another row finished! And here she is in her whole: As glad as I was to finish another row, it's been really hard to work on these mattress layers and it's slowed me down quite a bit. Maybe I should have started at the bottom and worked my way up, then I'd at least have the Princess and her bear to look forward to. As of now, it's just more of the same boring mattresses and a little green pea at the bottom. I originally thought that the mattress layers would be easy...guess that's what I get for thinking! Today, I decided to take a break and decided to test out the lightbox I bought over a year ago, so back to the 35th Anniversary Celebration I went! It was February of last year when I last worked on it and left off here: And today Widowmaker has made his grand appearance: I have to say, as much as I have always hated working on this project because of that damn navy material, the lightbox really does make a difference and I ha...