Christmas Card Confession

I have to put this out there.

I'm terrible about sending Christmas cards. I don't know exactly when this happened, because I used to be pretty good at letter writing, so Christmas cards were really a breeze. We had friends in distant places, and I had a bunch of pen pals in the US and overseas, and Christmas cards were just like a natural extension of the things I did all through the year. So what happened?

Honestly, I'll bet that I haven't sent Christmas cards in the past FIVE years. And in that time, some friends have hung in there and continued to send cards, but most senders have either become discouraged by my laziness, or else they became lazy, too. (I hope it's the latter situation. Makes me feel like less of a slug.)

So as of right now, I'm going to make myself send five Christmas cards. I'm going to squash down the temptation to make it difficult by writing long, newsy letters, adding photos, or anything else that could give me an excuse to abandon this task as too complicated . I'm going to keep it simple and get it done. Five cards.

And now I have to go, because I'm getting nervous about this already.

More hats!

Last night I stitched these up during the football game. I wish the camera or scanner could pick up the twinkle in the iridescent thread (Caron "Snow"), but I guess you'll just have to come over to see it.

The variegated thread colors are DMC 4220, 4100, and 4030. The single color threads are 3846, 725, and 3806. And I just grabbed any old grey to backstitch with. Choosing the threads is a no-brainer, though. And last night, no-brain was perfect for me.

C'mon. You have to come over. I've even baked!

A blue day

I'm having a really blue day today. Maybe it's lack of sunlight and exercise. Maybe it's just this phase of my life.

My dad loved Christmas. He loved Christmas music and would have played it all year long if we had let him. So every Christmas song that I hear makes me feel blue. Turning it off seems wrong, though.

I suppose it's best to just feel this and then let it pass, because there's no avoiding it. Probably wouldn't be healthy to avoid it anyway.

Maybe a nice snowstorm will help. The wind today is wicked, and the power has been flickering since 6AM. But the snow will be pretty.

Framed!

Today I framed the CCN Holly and Ivy sampler that I stitched a month or two ago.

Don't fall over flat - this is actually a recent project! And a new frame. BUT, the fabric is ancient. I bought it about 20 years ago, when I had delusions of completing a set of 4 floral pictures. It was a series of wildflowers by a designer named Dagmara I think? Anyway, that was about the time that I discovered that realistic, still-life style cross-stitch just wasn't my cup of tea. I'd rather have the painting or the photograph.

Gee. How soon till I get to call my stuff "vintage"?




That's your basic 8X10 frame with a 5X7 opening mat. All bought off the shelf at Michaels. The frame is actually more gold than it appears in these photos. The photos make it look silver.

I got lucky - not much fits in a standard frame, and to be fair, this was a little tight, but I thought with the matting it looked just fine.

Baking cookies today, and making spaghetti and meatballs. Just call me a domestic goddess.

I could stitch these by the dozen

Because they are way, way too cute. This was a little freebie from The Floss Box, and you can find it here. It's stitched on a 14 ct. opalescent aida, with one strand of Caron Watercolours Holiday thread. Except the yellow which is DMC 725, and the backstitching is black. And I've had this little round frame for at least 20 years. It was in a bag of stuff that I bought way-back, when Uniontown actually had a cross stitch shop. Back in the good ol' days.

Please help me...

Will somebody PUHLEEZE come over here and explain to my otherwise-intelligent husband that lights on a Christmas tree should go round and round the tree and should NOT vertically draped from top to bottom?? And that light wires are colored green so that they can be hidden in the tree, as opposed to hanging all over the outside of the tree.

And finally, please tell him that the little metallic tags and white tickets and little bags of extra bulbs are not decorations in and of themselves, but they are actually meant to be removed from the strand of lights. Scissors will do this quite nicely.


Every single Christmas for 25 years, we fuss over this.

It's a good thing he buys me nice jewelry.

So - no finishes today. Dave was home all day yesterday, and bothered me endlessly looking for whatever little thing he has misplaced over the past year. Then we spent last night decorating our large tree (pre-lit, thank god), and putting up the smaller pencil tree (needed new lights - hence the rant). I'm up to three trees now. Funny how they seem to multiply over time.

But anyway, I worked a little on a Mill Hill Buttons and Beads kit I bought at that little store in Meadville. Folks, I'm not a good beader. I've studiously avoided beads for most of my stitching life. If anyone has any hints about this, I'd be so grateful to learn them. Here's where I am so far.

Finally, it looks like some of you all(like Annemarie)are posting true confessions about the number of WIP's you've got going and UFO's you have hiding away. Seriously? I mean, I'll fess up as long as we all agree that it's just for fun and amusement and that I don't have to stitch on anything I don't want to and as long as you don't tell my husband. At least not while I'm alive.

This is so old

You won't even believe me if I tell you.
I'm nearly certain that I bought this scissor case at a CATS festival. In Buffalo. Probably 12 years ago. Last night I finally stitched something on it.

As it turns out, it's for 5 inch scissors. Gee, I don't have any 5" scissors. Maybe I'll need to buy some....

Squares. We love squares.

Where would we be without the square? Or the cube? If you were an old cross stitch project of mine, you'd still be sitting in a basket. But thank goodness for the square and the cube.

Here's a Quaker-style design that has been crying out for a finish.


And here's a little thingy I stitched probably three years ago. And I received this little tuck pillow as a gift or prize or something from a Yahoo group, and why it ever took me this long to put these things together, well who knows?


And here I have finished the stitching for my sister's gift. (Gee - it's exactly a square...go figure).


I have the box that I want to use to finish it, but I need to do some sanding and staining. I think I'm getting to be pretty darn good at mounting my own needlework. It's actually kind of relaxing to lace it and skootch it around.

Finally, thanks to everyone for all of the nice things you've said about my photo collage of my dad. I appreciated each note.

It's such an odd thing. I find that every kind gesture and word gives me comfort, whether it comes from a close friend or from a stranger who's just swinging by my blog that day. It just goes to show you what any act of kindness can do for someone. So...again...thanks.

Another quick little finish

I put together a No-Sew cube Saturday. It was super easy, and it fits perfectly under this little tree. I have a couple of random Quaker motifs that I've stitched recently, and I think they'll look nice under the tree, too.

But for right now...work is calling me. Drat.

1/2 of an Empty Nest

I took Johnny back to school today. Boy, this house feels empty without him. He can be one giant PITA sometimes, and I lost a lot of my beauty sleep this weekend, but I sure do miss that kid.

Of course, Colleen is still here, but she gets pretty persnickity these days. (I mean, anymore.) Getting all of your mother's attention all of the time isn't necessarily a good thing, I guess.

So - today we left around 10AM and I drove to Meadville, took my son grocery shopping, had lunch, decorated his room for Christmas, and headed home. Stopped briefly during my return trip in one of those Super-Joann's for some more finishing supplies and some tree ornaments. Met Dave for pizza in town, went to his mother's to take out her trash, and was back at my own house by 8PM.

I'm tired!

A Special Finish

Remember how I said that I was looking for a piece of needlework to dedicate to my dad? Well, I didn't have to look very far.

Before I left for stitching camp, I was straightening my office/sewing room, and this was in my basket of stitched but unfinished work.


I had stitched this maybe 2 years ago, and I kept meaning to find a suitable frame for it, so that I could give it to my dad. I guess sometimes you think you have all the time in the world, and you just don't. And I was so sad when I saw it in my basket. But what to do with it? It was as if I couldn't even look at it without feeling badly. Feeling heartbroken about losing my dad, and feeling pretty mad at myself for being such a terrible procrastinator.

Anyways, I went off to stitch camp and thought maybe I'd find another project to stitch in remembrance of my dad, but nothing really spoke to me. There's lots of Mom and Dad stuff out there, but it all seemed to cutesy. And sometime during that weekend, I decided that it really wasn't all about finding a new project. Just like my life after my dad died can't be about a new life free of grief. It's about remembering what life was like before and during his sickness and dealing with the grief, but letting go of the regret. Grief is bad enough. It doesn't need the pain of regret. And so even through the sadness, I still must find ways to celebrate the life of this great guy - my dad.

So I decided to keep the little band sampler, and I made it a part of this:


I look at this and even though sometimes it can make me cry, I'm happy. I think my dad would be pleased, too.

I hope all of you guys had a great Thanksgiving! We had a lovely and quiet day.

The kids and I started the day by running our local 5K Turkey Trot race. Guess what? I finished first in my age group (with a blistering time of 33:04)! I'm sure that I was first because I was the "only" 45-49 year old woman, but I'll take it. Actually, for me the real accomplishment was: This was the first race that I've run that has broken my consistent 11 minute/mile pace, even if it was only by a little bit.

Came home, had my coffee, took a shower and started my turkey while Dave and the kids went on some family visits. And I have to say, this turkey turned out beautifully. Not only in taste, but it really was picture perfect. (I really should have taken a picture)

Did I mention that I had a little catnap in the afternoon? Heaven.

Then we watched "Mr. Bean's Holiday". It was hilarious. The perfect post-Thanksgiving meal movie.

I stitched a little on the "J" project before bed. I absolutely hate over-one stitching. In particular, I hate over-one backstitched words. They are torture. I've ripped it out three times already, so now it's time to substitute something else in its place. And then I'll add the beads, paint the box I've bought for it, put it all together, and it's done! I hope my sister likes it.

Pumpkin box

Since Stitch camp, finishing things has been on my mind. As in, ways to finish completed stitching. I suppose I've always thought of framing first, but it's so insanely expensive any more.

So - on my last trip to Michaels, I thought it was time to twist my thinking around a little, and I bought a few of these cheapy little pine boxes. I think they're awesome. (Who doesn't love to shift gears for a while and paint a little box??) Then I went through some little stitched things that were sitting in my Basket of Lonely Cross Stitch Projects.

What do you think?



I've also bought a wooden tray and I have a JBW Designs sampler from 1997 that will be happy to have a home. I'm looking forward to a productive weekend!

He's back!

My loverly boy is home from college for a nice break! This is the longest he's been home since he left for school. We'd go to see him for his XC meets, and he came home for a quick overnight back in September (seems like a million years ago) and that's all. So now we have him for five whole days and the house is "right" again. And the beard is history! Yay!

Found a new (sort of) cross stitch shop while I was picking him up in Meadville. The sort-of part refers to the cross stitch part. It's a combination Fly-tying and cross stitch supply "shoplet". I never would have put those two together under one roof, but they must have something in common that I don't know about? Anyway - It's in one of those buildings that has been converted to a mini-mall. There aren't actually stores in it, but vendors have small spaces, sometimes in cubicles, sometimes not. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, that's the second wee little store I've come across lately. The other one was in Philadelphia and was in a corner of a gift shop.

Makes me wonder...with so many shops closing, will these mini-stores make it? Their inventory is so very small. I always buy something, because they always have something I can use and because if somebody has the chutzpah to give a cross stitch store a try, I'll gladly give them some business. Heaven knows I've thought of it about a million times, but I've never had the courage.

I went to Michaels over the weekend to buy some finishing supplies and frames. Remember that I had a stitched project that I wanted to dedicate to my Dad? So, among other things, I found the perfect frame, and I came home excited to start putting it together - only to find that I left the blasted thing at the register at Michaels!! Almost an hour's drive away! What a moron! I'm having a painting framed there, so they'll just hold it until I return to pick up my custom framing.

One of these days I'll get my act together.

I think this is the last of it

These should be my last pics of the things I brought home from Camp. First the projects we received as part of our camp fee: I only finished one project, but I thought you might like to see the colors of the fabrics and fibers of the other stuff, too. My only finish was the little ornament at the bottom. It's a little snowman designed by Prairie Schooler, but the Silver Needle girls improved it using a piece of WDW hand-dyed linen, and with using mostly Crescent Colors silks. The finishing technique was more or less the same as a pinkeep, but they added ruched ribbon to it up and provide a hanger and a bow.

The other two projects are a halloween needle/scissor book (came with scissors and a gold needle!). I don't like the design that much, but I do love the vivid colors. And the third project was a sampler-style Christmas tree made into a box. The stitching was designed by Erica Michaels, and the SN folks added all kinds of great and fancy threads and beads for embellishment. Sorry - that project's supplies didn't photograph very well.

Each night we received a treat bag, and the first night included packets of cross stitch booklets and magazines and leaflets. There was something for everyone, and this was my packet:
The first bunch includes a book of samplers designed for Sudberry House, some lovely Linda Driskell ornaments, and a Mosey 'n Me chart called "Chesters Heart". The second batch are leaflets that just aren't particularly me, so if anyone wants one or more of them, please let me know and you can have them. If more than one person wants a particular chart, I'll just draw a name out of a hat. But anyways, these charts include:
The Lord is my Shepherd - 4 My Boys
Boo Brew - Ladybug Lane
Who's Scared of Crows - Mosey 'n Me (MNM)
Simple Houses - MNM
The Trio - MNM
Halloween Stack - Waxing Moon

And this next picture is from our final night: Three little treats from Vera Bradley - a tiny purse/keychain, a Post-it holder, and a credit card holder. And a neat little sampler magnet. Oh - and a SN pen, but that's not here. Oh - and the bags of candy. Lovely dark chocolates. They aren't here either. For obvious reasons....Gimme a break. It was seven days ago.

Tomorrow I should have made great progress on the Sweetheart Tree "J" project. I'm just flying along....

Camp stash!

I promised to show you some of the stash I brought home with me, but I think I'll divvy this up into a couple of posts. Not that I bought such an huge haul, but because my camera software is acting hinky and I just don't feel like dealing with it anymore.

So - Here's the stuff that I bought: First the new projects! What you see here is :
Papillon's Simple Little Quaker, with the fabric and threads that I chose. I think it's 32 Ct. Light Sand Linen, and it's "Freedom" threads from GAST.

Two Mill Hill Button and Bead kits - one of a Western scene, and the other is a Lake scene. I decided on light blue linen for that, rather than the perforated paper that came with the kit.

Finally, there's a Sweetheart Tree kit from their alphabet series. This is the letter "J", for my sister, Janet. Coincidentally, she signs everything "J", so this was perfect! It'll make a nice gift for her.

Now, on to the gadgetry!
I love these Kelmscott Needle Minders and I went a little nuts and bought three of them. A butterfly, dragonflies, and a kitty. I'm sorry, they are way too pretty to leave on the shelf, and they make me smile every time I plunk a needle onto one.

I decided to try a magnifier. I'm up to using super strong cheaters for stitching - (3.5's) and I'd much rather use my regular reading glasses and a magnifier. I used this Daylight magnifier all weekend, and although sometimes I'd need to switch away from it, for the most part I really liked it. Not terribly costly at about $30, and even if I hadn't liked it, I could have given it to John for when he works on his plastic models.

And since I'm the Queen of Eavesdropping, I overheard some women in the shop saying how much they liked the John James Petite needles. So I tried a pack of 26's, and they were marvelous for my Tree of Life project. (36ct. fabric and one strand of silk). And since one can never have enough needles, I bought three more packages the next day.

I had planned to buy some new scissors and I really liked this pewter colored pair. I have gold and silver, so pewter was a bit different.

Everybody had these neat little Ort holder kit things. Most of them were larger, with enough room for your scissors, a nice pincushion, and a needle magnet, but the ones the store sold were these much smaller ones. Nonetheless, I liked it and had to have it! But if anyone has a pattern or plans to make the larger version, I'd love to try to make one.

Finally, with these purchases I had filled my whole my Silver Needle keytag, so I spent my credit on one of these thread cards. It has the Eiffel Tower on it. Did I ever tell you that my dad's family was from France? Both of his parents were immigrants, he actually spoke French fairly well. So French things have kind of a special meaning to me.

OK, later I'll show you the goodies that came to us as part of our camp fee, like the three camp projects and the night time treat bags we received. Unless I chuck the camera out the window...

Stitch Camp!

I’m back to tell you about my Camp Wannasew weekend. I should warn you – I’m having a hard time separating the emotional experience from the nuts and bolts of the trip, so if you just want the “facts”, you may want to read about the Camp Wannasew weekends elsewhere. I’ll try to keep my personal comments to the end of this entry, so you don’t have to wade through my personal stuff first.

I opted for the day-early arrival, so I had to leave my house at 4AM to catch my Thursday flight to Tulsa. (Hm. Tulsa is not the easiest place in the world to fly to if you live in Pittsburgh.) But you know how at the beginning of the trip you’re all excited, so the early morning doesn’t seem so bad? 4AM didn’t seem so bad.

Arrived in Tulsa around 11AM, (and this is exciting) my bag was the FIRST bag down the chute in baggage claim. That’s never happened before…it was a good omen. I picked up my rental car and headed straight to the Silver Needle, which was very easy to find.

Wow. Words escape me. It’s a wonderful place, filled floor to ceiling with everything a stitcher could want, but especially with stitched models. Really and truly, I’ve never seen so many awesome models in one place. Lots of models were stitched over one on 28-count fabric, probably because they took up less space? I took at least three spins around the store just to try to get an idea of what all was there, and honestly I could have done three more, because there’s no way I saw it all.

And I didn’t even look at the Vera Bradley stuff. Not because I don’t like it, but because I don’t need one more thing to collect.

Word was that a quilt shop had opened in the same plaza, and ordinarily I would have visited there, too, but I wanted to get on the road to the Western Lodge, because I thought it might not be particularly easy to find. And I was getting kind of tired.

As it happened, it was quite easy to find. The ladies at the shop provided me with great directions, and I was there and unloading my stuff within the hour.

A handful of us were getting settled in for the long weekend. The sleeping rooms were nice. Quiet, clean, comfortable. And the common area for stitching was pretty great. It was big and bright, with a communal kitchen handy. There were plenty of outlets for lamps, and although I had brought an extension cord, I was happy that some of the wiser and more experienced ladies had thought to bring power strips. So by evening about half of the campers were there and we were plugged in for light and ready to stitch on whatever projects we had brought with us till bedtime. Thursday night was kind of subdued, especially at my table where we all were just starting to get to know each other.

The other half of the campers arrived Friday. And by late afternoon the Silver Needle ladies arrived with carloads of shopping stuff, groceries, and prizes. The place was buzzing! After supper Lindy gave out the weekend’s projects – a snowman ornament, a Christmas tree box, and a Halloween needle and scissor keeper. Some of the ladies jumped right in, but there was really no pressure to work on all of them. In fact, some campers just put them aside and kept going on the personal projects they had brought along. As for me, I finished the snowman ornament, but didn’t do the other two.

Saturday was spent stitching, and then Sunday morning there was just a little time to stitch before it was time to check out.

It was a pleasure to spend a weekend with people who really "get" this whole needlework thing. We were all different... various personality types, various backgrounds, various ages and life situations. But our commonality was our love needlework and all of its forms and its meaning for each of us. And by our love of gadgets! Lamps, pinkeeps, needleholders, magnifiers, scissors, threadholders, oh my!

Non-stitchers may ask you politely what you are doing or comment on your scissors or lamp, but if you talk excitedly about your project or gadget, they get that glazed look in their eyes and you know you've lost them. But not these ladies! They were usually just as excited about your project as you were. And very generous with their praise. What joy!

Some of you guys who have been visiting here for a while may remember that I’ve been wanting to attend some kind of camp or retreat for a for quite a while. See – over the years I’ve become a solitary stitcher. I love my friends, but none of them stitch. And I love stitching, but sometimes I get a little lonely. Years ago we had a Thursday craft group with anywhere from four to eight of us, but over time we broke up. Some of us moved, others had health problems, and as for me – I just couldn’t fit it into my weekday schedule any more. Meeting online stitchers thru their blogs or through internet groups has been wonderful, but that will never match the give and take that happens in person, you know? So I was really looking forward to the companionship part of the trip.

Then, just days before the camp, my dad passed away. After everything had settled down, I came home on Monday night and told Dave that I just didn’t think I could leave again on Thursday to go away for a stitching weekend. I had been on the road so much all through the fall, and the last trips to Philadelphia had worn me out. Not to mention that I was feeling really fragile emotionally. But he told me to go, to get away, and to rest. I still wasn’t convinced.

Well, until I talked to my dear friend Patricia. Patricia always helps me to see things in a different light, and she asked me if I thought I could take the weekend as a meditative weekend. I was going to a place that would care for me physically, which could free me up for time spent sitting quietly and stitching with my own thoughts and that time could be very healing. She even encouraged me to find a project to dedicate to my dad. So…with all of this in mind, off I went.

And I’m glad that I did. I was much more quiet than usual – I was always afraid that I’d start to cry. But that quietness allowed me to listen to other people’s stories, and that was a good thing. Sure – there’s always a person or two that will dominate the room and they can be kind of annoying. But if you’re quiet, you can hear about other people’s lives, both in the words they say and in way they act and I’ll tell you – there were some lovely women in that room.

As for the tribute to my dad….well, as it happens I had the perfect piece. I’ll tell you more later, because this post is way too long already. And I’ll get some photos together and show you the stuff I bought.

So till then….

Catching up

First of all, thank you all so very much for your kind and helpful words after my dad died. Every comment and email went to my heart, and I appreciated each one more than you can imagine.

Losing my dad has been the most profound and sorrowful experience of my life. I’m still not myself. I often wonder if I ever will be. I mean, I know time will pass and the pain will be less intense. But I don’t think I’ll ever look at life in the same way again.

Even though we all knew how sick he was, it still seemed as if Dad’s death was sudden. We knew he was in the final stages of Alzheimers disease, so maybe we were just in denial? But after the disease took away my dad’s ability to swallow, everything happened so fast. Hospice care kept him comfortable and my mom stayed by his side the whole time. All of us kids kept close, too, taking turns staying with Mom during the nights and several of us were there during each day. And after just a few days, he died quietly in his sleep. I was there…His breathing had been so loud and labored through the evening, but mom and I lay down to try to sleep around midnight. I woke up around 2:30 and heard his quiet breathing – almost a soft snore. Mom and I sat up at the same time and we both knew something had changed. And within a minute or two, Dad was gone.

Then came the funeral preparations, and part of this included putting together a video slide show of photos of my dad and gathering some of his favorite things to put in a tribute/remembrance room at the funeral home. So we went through many, many photographs…I had forgotten (or maybe just put away) all of my memories of a healthy, quiet, good, and extraordinarily capable man, and those memories came flooding back as we went through dad’s photos and keepsakes. Sad, bittersweet memories. It was good to remember how much he loved us and how much we loved him.

The funeral was amazing. Dad was a 30-year retired Naval Reserve officer, so he was buried with a full military ceremony. Dad would have been so, so proud to see the way he was honored. Then, during the last few notes of Trumpet Taps, a train whistle blew in the distance, and you could hear a collective gasp. See – my dad was a Model Railroad enthusiast. No. An addict. He loved trains with a passion, and was a very accomplished HO train builder. His attention to realism and detail were second to none. In fact, some of the members of his model railroad club were at the funeral, and I thought maybe one of them had gone off over the hill with a train whistle. So afterwards I asked one of the fellows if they had arranged that, and he just smiled and shook his head. He said, “If I had arranged it, we couldn’t have done it as perfectly. That was the noon train coming through New Hope.” That will be a moment I’ll remember all of my life.

I stayed a couple of extra days after the funeral with my mom. Her house was all tumbled, with having to move everything out of the Assisted Living place in rather a hurry so they wouldn’t be charged for additional days. So we spent a day sorting through all of those things, deciding what to keep, what to give away, what to discard. She just needed room to be able to walk through her bedroom, and to have a quiet, peaceful and tidy place to sleep. And although we didn’t intend to start, Mom began to go through some of my dad’s dresser drawers. Another painful process. So we just did a few, and put the rest aside for another day.

Then I left to come home on Monday. Leaving my mom’s house was so difficult, but it was time.

I was home for a couple of days, but had scheduled a Camp Wannasew weekend that was to begin on Thursday. I was so conflicted about going. I was awfully, awfully tired physically and emotionally, and I had so much work to catch up on. And I felt like I just couldn't go and be "normal"...I was worried about being around so many new people. But Dave convinced me to go. He thought it would be a needed respite, and that maybe it would be good to be out of my element for a little while. As usual, he was right. I wasn't my normal self, but that was ok.

And I'll tell you more about my weekend later.

Again...Thanks friends, for all of your kind words.

My Dad

I lost my dad last week.

I thought I was ready, but I wasn't. I'm still not.

Not much more to say.

I love awards. And I love finishes.

My Award First.



And I'll pass this very prestigious award on to:

Dianne
Mia
Anna
Cathy

First, I've gotta say that I love to read my Philly girls. And if it's bad form to re-award the person who awarded me, then just call me guilty. You know what's interesting? I've been reading and blogging for a few years now, and I haven't come across any Pittsburgh area stitching bloggers.

Here's a finish! Just in case you live in a cave: It's one of the LHN/Crescent Colours kits called "Watermelon".


By the way - I'd like to give this chart away. (Chart only - no threads) Any takers? And I'd like to give away the CCN design from a month or so ago, "Holly and Ivy". I'm in a de-cluttering mood. So look out - nothing is sacred. Well, except my scissors. And my threads. And most of my fabrics. And most of my charts. In fact, maybe I'll keep these two charts after all. But everything else had better beware. (Just kidding. If you want one or both of these charts, I'll give them to the first commenter who asks for them.)

Man, that makes me sound desperate for comments.

Now I'm working on a JBW pumpkin. Sigh. I'm always a season behind everyone else. Look for a picture maybe in December...

My fall season of running around like a crazy person is about to come to an end.

High school soccer is OVAH. All that I have left to plan is the banquet on October 29 and then my reign as Madame President is finished. I'm glad that I did it, but I'm even more glad to be finished. I was able to keep a reasonably positive attitude through the year, although it was difficult occasionally. There were new people to get to know, and old friends that needed to be handled delicately at times. Then, just to keep things interesting, toss an insane coach and 24 teenage girls into the mix. Good God. BUT, I did my job, raised lots of money, made some new friends, and didn't lose any old friends. I'd call that a success. And now I'm done. Leave 'em laughing, that's what I say.

Rec Soccer's in-house league ended last Saturday with a series of "World Cup Playoffs". Great fun. Good kids, good coaches. Working those games is a joy. My last traveling league games should be this Sunday. Those games can be challenging, and I find that I look to them with a mixture of excitement and dread.

Cross country is about over, too. Colleen has one more meet next week, and John is done. Well, he's done racing outside. He's preparing for Winter track, which is mostly indoors and will be completely new to us. I don't even know when that season starts!

And now I'll be catching up on work. I mean paycheck-type work. December will be here before I know it, and falling behind is not an option this year.