So I figured... hey, I have some quiet time. Let me catch up on the couple of Stitching Blogger Questions I've missed... and eep! There are nine of them.
Where has this year gone?
In any case, here's my catch-up!
9/28/06- When you find yourself making a lot of mistakes in various stitching projects do you find it better to muddle your way through or do you take a brief break from stitching? If you do take a break, how long do you take?
I usually muddle through, but I will take a break from the project with which I seem to be having difficulty. If it's just a row or two of miscounts, I'll just pick them out and redo. If it's something god-awful, then I do a ceremonious hoop toss across the room (no... really), unhoop the project, and move onto the next in my rotation.
Granted-- it all depends on my general life state, too. Lately, anything that stressed me out was just punted away for a while.
10/11/06- As we all know, stitching in the winter can really be rough on the hands. What do you do to treat your hands well in the cold winter months? Do you have any suggestions for creams or soaps? Or perhaps a special regimen that you would like to share?
I'll confess- I have none. I'm horrendously rough on my hands, and generally hate the feeling of creams or lotions. I've had friends recommend ones that they claim are great, non-greasy, "soak right in," etc... and I just hate them. The only lotion I generally use at all is the Aveeno oatmeal stuff that comes in a big tub-- it works well on my skin when I'm sensing I'm close to a hives outbreak. Otherwise, I'd much rather deal with dry skin than lotion.
10/18/06- Which way do you stitch, i.e. do you stitch /// followed by \\\ on top, or the other way around \\\ followed by ///? Are you left- or right-handed and do you think that this affects the way that you stitch?
I'm right-handed, but I don't think it affects the way I stitch. I've actually switched directions-- as a child, I stitched every-which way (because I didn't know better). As I started figuring out that they should all face one direction, I stitched \\\ then ///. When I picked it back up in college, somehow I switched to the other direction, /// followed by \\\. My guess is that I probably was thinking about what I was supposed to use, saw the diagram on a chart I was stitching from, and it said to stitch that direction. I stitch /// \\\ on all of my projects currently.
10/25/06 - If you were to come across a sampler chart that caught your eye and
appealed to you, would you or would you not stitch it if it had a
morbid or "creepy" saying on it? If not, why?
To be honest, I find almost all of the samplers that have sayings a bit creepy. Some are downright morbid. I guess it really depends on how weirded out I am. Some of the replica samplers from the 17th and 18th centuries can get VERY morbid. I still would love to try stitching them because of the historial aspect, though. So I guess my answer is yes, I'd still stitch it. Justifying the expense is another matter...
11/1/06 - How did you decide on the title of your stitching blog? Was it random,
or does it have a special meaning to you or about you?
It's dull and boring, I admit. I've never really been... happy... with it. I just never put the energy into a better title. (should I open this up for a debate? Start the new year with a new title?)
11/8/06 - How many different brands of "complete" embroidery floss sets do you own? How do you keep track of it? (i.e., spread sheet program, index cards, palm pilot, etc.)
None. I have a pretty good collection of DMC standard thread, but it's definitely not complete. I also have a decent collection of Dinky Dyes and Sampler overdyed threads, but not complete. I don't have any method of tracking it-- the different kinds are kept together, but that's about it. When I have to gather threads for a new pattern, I go to the overflow box first, then purchase anything missing from the overflow. As I finish projects, I put the remainders back in the overflow (unless there's really none to speak of).
11/16/06 - Do you stitch Christmas ornaments? If so, how many do you stitch each year and for whom? If not, why not?
I have not stitched any ornaments to date, but I do have some that I want to do. With the exception of perhaps my mom or Erich's mom, I would only stitch them for our tree, so I can do them on my own time.
11/29/06 - How do you secure your thread when you begin a new one? Specifically,
do you or have you ever used a waste knot?
I don't use waste knots-- I was taught to never, ever knot the thread (and to this day, I feel guilty knotting my backstitching thread, but can't figure out how else to secure it). If I'm stitching with a single color, I use one strand, fold it in half, and then loop through to start it. If I'm stitching with two colors at once, I just pull the thread through until I have about a five or six stitch-long tail, and stitch over the tail.
13 December 2006
If I had to write one...
Thankfully, my family isn’t very big on the generic holiday letters. I do receive them occasionally from friends who haven’t been able to stay in touch due to their busy lives. I admit to having sent them to penpals on occasion, particularly during college, because I just couldn’t keep up with everyone. Generally, though, I’d rather just receive a little email from someone, rather than the “INSERT NAME HERE” mailmerge that often times isn’t even merged. They’re so dry, and despite my writing skills—I can’t make them sound interesting. They’re just… impersonal. Feh. But I guess that’s what makes holiday letters so uniquely un-unique.
However, in the spirit of Holidailies, here’s what I would write if I had to send a generic letter out for this year…
Dear INSERT NAME HERE,
Hey there! Happy INSERT APPROPRIATE HOLIDAY HERE! I hope that this card and letter find you and your family in good health and happiness. Hopefully you’re getting a bit more of a holiday-like December than we are here. It’s been in the low 40s to mid 50s since early December, and both Erich and I are wondering whether we’re looking at Christmas or at Memorial Day as the next upcoming holiday.
I’m sorry for not keeping in touch this year. It’s been horrendously hectic here. Thankfully, though, it’s ended up being a pretty good year despite some large bumps and bruises along the way.
We’ve been to five weddings this year. The first two had us traveling to new and exciting places- first to San Diego in April for my friend Melinda & her (now) husband, Kevin. Then in June, we headed to the Bahamas with the majority of our college crew for a week for Seth (who I used to refer to as Carge in college) and Gina’s wedding. The last four were thankfully closer to home- Frank and Teresa in August, Erin and Marc in October, and Dennis and Lisa in November.
All the while we realized that we really should start planning our wedding, considering that out of that group, only Seth & Gina had been engaged for longer than us. In September, my mother came up for what I now refer to as the “wedding crasher weekend,” where we managed to pick my date, pick a place, pick a caterer, and buy my dress in two days. The official date is September 23, 2007. I haven’t started to freak out yet, but probably will starting in April or so when I realize I really need to get stuff done. You know me—procrastinator? Nah… never.
On the sadder side, Erich lost his two remaining grandparents this year. His paternal grandmother died in early summer after a long illness. His maternal grandfather died suddenly in September. I never had the chance to meet his grandmother, but did meet his grandfather last year. I can only hope to live to 90 years and still have four close friends by my side.
Erich’s mom has been ill or in recovery for a good portion of this year. She broke her leg in late spring and has been in and out of a rehabilitation home due to complications that occurred with her diabetes. She seems to be in better spirits now that she’s able to go home once per week for the day. We’re hoping that she’ll be able to go home for good within the next few weeks—and then hopefully get up to see her, as she didn’t want visitors while she was in recovery.
Being homeowners has been great so far. We’ve now been in the house for over 18 months, and have really only had one major repair so far that needed immediate attention- the roof over the sunroom. We had a bad leak during one of the many severe rainstorms. We do have to replace the plaster on the ceiling and take a look in the nearby wall to seek out any internal damage to the house, but we’ve at least solved the leak problem. We haven’t done much else to the house yet—I’m hoping to be able to get wallpaper down in at least a couple rooms and repaint by the time the wedding comes around.
After six years at OLDCOMPANY, I decided it was time for a big change. In late November, I began a new job at NEWCOMPANY, doing similar work to what I did before. But the switch in industries and surroundings have been wonderful. I already feel like I’ve been here for a long time (except for still not having faces stick with names). I’m still commuting to Boston, but Erich and I can make the commute together. It’s not that bad with the two of us.
That’s about all for here. Please drop me an email at ADDRESS HERE, and I’ll make a point to stay better in touch next year. I’m sure I have your email somewhere, but you know me—always disorganized. Much love to NAME, NAME, and OTHERNAME.
Love,
Mel (and Erich)
However, in the spirit of Holidailies, here’s what I would write if I had to send a generic letter out for this year…
Dear INSERT NAME HERE,
Hey there! Happy INSERT APPROPRIATE HOLIDAY HERE! I hope that this card and letter find you and your family in good health and happiness. Hopefully you’re getting a bit more of a holiday-like December than we are here. It’s been in the low 40s to mid 50s since early December, and both Erich and I are wondering whether we’re looking at Christmas or at Memorial Day as the next upcoming holiday.
I’m sorry for not keeping in touch this year. It’s been horrendously hectic here. Thankfully, though, it’s ended up being a pretty good year despite some large bumps and bruises along the way.
We’ve been to five weddings this year. The first two had us traveling to new and exciting places- first to San Diego in April for my friend Melinda & her (now) husband, Kevin. Then in June, we headed to the Bahamas with the majority of our college crew for a week for Seth (who I used to refer to as Carge in college) and Gina’s wedding. The last four were thankfully closer to home- Frank and Teresa in August, Erin and Marc in October, and Dennis and Lisa in November.
All the while we realized that we really should start planning our wedding, considering that out of that group, only Seth & Gina had been engaged for longer than us. In September, my mother came up for what I now refer to as the “wedding crasher weekend,” where we managed to pick my date, pick a place, pick a caterer, and buy my dress in two days. The official date is September 23, 2007. I haven’t started to freak out yet, but probably will starting in April or so when I realize I really need to get stuff done. You know me—procrastinator? Nah… never.
On the sadder side, Erich lost his two remaining grandparents this year. His paternal grandmother died in early summer after a long illness. His maternal grandfather died suddenly in September. I never had the chance to meet his grandmother, but did meet his grandfather last year. I can only hope to live to 90 years and still have four close friends by my side.
Erich’s mom has been ill or in recovery for a good portion of this year. She broke her leg in late spring and has been in and out of a rehabilitation home due to complications that occurred with her diabetes. She seems to be in better spirits now that she’s able to go home once per week for the day. We’re hoping that she’ll be able to go home for good within the next few weeks—and then hopefully get up to see her, as she didn’t want visitors while she was in recovery.
Being homeowners has been great so far. We’ve now been in the house for over 18 months, and have really only had one major repair so far that needed immediate attention- the roof over the sunroom. We had a bad leak during one of the many severe rainstorms. We do have to replace the plaster on the ceiling and take a look in the nearby wall to seek out any internal damage to the house, but we’ve at least solved the leak problem. We haven’t done much else to the house yet—I’m hoping to be able to get wallpaper down in at least a couple rooms and repaint by the time the wedding comes around.
After six years at OLDCOMPANY, I decided it was time for a big change. In late November, I began a new job at NEWCOMPANY, doing similar work to what I did before. But the switch in industries and surroundings have been wonderful. I already feel like I’ve been here for a long time (except for still not having faces stick with names). I’m still commuting to Boston, but Erich and I can make the commute together. It’s not that bad with the two of us.
That’s about all for here. Please drop me an email at ADDRESS HERE, and I’ll make a point to stay better in touch next year. I’m sure I have your email somewhere, but you know me—always disorganized. Much love to NAME, NAME, and OTHERNAME.
Love,
Mel (and Erich)
11 December 2006
Being a "macoddity"
My new job is going well so far. I'm settling in, and for the most part am finding my way around both the style guidelines that I need to follow and finding my way around the office. I still don't know most people's names, but some are starting to stick. I know that will happen with time.
I did find it amusing that the very night I go out with my old workmates last week for drinks - something I wound up having to avoid doing while I was working at that job due to false accusations about not putting in the correct number of hours - I get both a phone call and an email from my old boss asking me to come in to help in the evenings, since they still haven't hired a new admin. Never mind the fact that I made that offer twice before I left the job and didn't get an answer one way or the other until I contacted my boss during the last day that I was there to see what I should do about my ID and such on my way out the door. She said she'd get in contact with the internal temp agency to send me paperwork-- which wasn't done until the same day she called me last week. It takes three weeks to do that? Sounds like... exactly the kind of crap that I put up with for years.
My guess is that it finally hit that I did, in fact, do a crapload of work at that job. Now no one's there to do the work, and the shit is finally hitting the fan. Which makes me sad in some ways because I do care for the majority of the people I used to work with, and I don't want their lives to be hellish at work because there's no admin there. But then again, with the exception of only a few people... I never felt like I was supported. Appreciation was uncommon. Civility became uncommon over the last four months. I was always fighting from a corner, always on my own, and always at the bottom of the barrel where all of the shit flowed. It made me horribly depressed, both at work and away from it. I really was just going through the motions of life for the past year, trying to survive until my wedding so I could leave. In the end, I just couldn't push myself to endure all of the bullshit. I was sick of going home in tears, crying to Erich about how I just couldn't understand why it had to be this way. But in the end, it just... did. My manager played a lousy hand, and I called the bluff by getting a new job.
Since the week of Thanksgiving, I've realized just how bad my mental state really was at that job. As soon as I got the call last week, I started feeling the anxiety and the panic about dealing with her all over again. I think that was the wake-up call sign about what I should do, not to mention some strong doubts about how this really would work out, and how long in reality such a position would last. I mean-- I gave my notice well over a month ago, and they haven't hired even a temp to come in? Let's just say that I'm not exactly trusting that this would be a temporary position. I'm already trained to do the job. I forsee that I'd be getting dumped with the work for a long time to come-- only this time with no bennies.
Thankfully, I can honestly say that my new job is keeping me too busy. I've stayed late over half of the days I've been working there so far. It's the start of one of the busier seasons in my new industry, and lots of projects are needed to go out the door ASAP. I couldn't guarantee steady hours over there even if I wanted to-- which I honestly don't.
It's great to feel wanted, and that the work that I do is valued-- but in this case, it was way too little, way too late. I've moved on to much better things, and I don't regret it for a single second.
(title reference comes from a rather... odd... cartoon short here. Funny... with some great one-liners that have become very common in our gaming group.)
I did find it amusing that the very night I go out with my old workmates last week for drinks - something I wound up having to avoid doing while I was working at that job due to false accusations about not putting in the correct number of hours - I get both a phone call and an email from my old boss asking me to come in to help in the evenings, since they still haven't hired a new admin. Never mind the fact that I made that offer twice before I left the job and didn't get an answer one way or the other until I contacted my boss during the last day that I was there to see what I should do about my ID and such on my way out the door. She said she'd get in contact with the internal temp agency to send me paperwork-- which wasn't done until the same day she called me last week. It takes three weeks to do that? Sounds like... exactly the kind of crap that I put up with for years.
My guess is that it finally hit that I did, in fact, do a crapload of work at that job. Now no one's there to do the work, and the shit is finally hitting the fan. Which makes me sad in some ways because I do care for the majority of the people I used to work with, and I don't want their lives to be hellish at work because there's no admin there. But then again, with the exception of only a few people... I never felt like I was supported. Appreciation was uncommon. Civility became uncommon over the last four months. I was always fighting from a corner, always on my own, and always at the bottom of the barrel where all of the shit flowed. It made me horribly depressed, both at work and away from it. I really was just going through the motions of life for the past year, trying to survive until my wedding so I could leave. In the end, I just couldn't push myself to endure all of the bullshit. I was sick of going home in tears, crying to Erich about how I just couldn't understand why it had to be this way. But in the end, it just... did. My manager played a lousy hand, and I called the bluff by getting a new job.
Since the week of Thanksgiving, I've realized just how bad my mental state really was at that job. As soon as I got the call last week, I started feeling the anxiety and the panic about dealing with her all over again. I think that was the wake-up call sign about what I should do, not to mention some strong doubts about how this really would work out, and how long in reality such a position would last. I mean-- I gave my notice well over a month ago, and they haven't hired even a temp to come in? Let's just say that I'm not exactly trusting that this would be a temporary position. I'm already trained to do the job. I forsee that I'd be getting dumped with the work for a long time to come-- only this time with no bennies.
Thankfully, I can honestly say that my new job is keeping me too busy. I've stayed late over half of the days I've been working there so far. It's the start of one of the busier seasons in my new industry, and lots of projects are needed to go out the door ASAP. I couldn't guarantee steady hours over there even if I wanted to-- which I honestly don't.
It's great to feel wanted, and that the work that I do is valued-- but in this case, it was way too little, way too late. I've moved on to much better things, and I don't regret it for a single second.
(title reference comes from a rather... odd... cartoon short here. Funny... with some great one-liners that have become very common in our gaming group.)
10 December 2006
Cat-tastic Entry #2: Mephista
So... cat entry #2 is on Mephista, more commonly known as Fizzy.
Fizzy is our littlest cat-- she's all of 7.25 pounds. She appears black in person and in photos, but when the sun shines on her, she's actually a mink brown tabby (with very narrow stripes from head to the tip of her tail). She has one small white stripe of fur on her belly, white fur protecting her ears and a stray white hair here and there all over her coat. Her eyes are pale yellow. Her whiskers, nose, and paw pads are all black. She's five years old and the princess of the household. She needs to know what's going on at all times, but never really wants to be bothered. She is a human's cat, but not a cat's cat. She does NOT play, thank you very much. And don't dare pick her up-- unless you're wearing a full body suit of kevlar. Those claws will be digging firmly into the nearest body part if you try to remove her from solid ground.
Fizzy came to us in August 2001 as the second cat in the household. I'd started dating Erich only three months before. My first cat, Colley, was forced to be home alone more and more, and it was causing some temperment problems because he was so lonely. We decided to start looking for a cat (preferably one of the many "free to a good home" cats) to keep him company.
In early August, I was reading one of the many internet listservs that I belonged to. A woman and her husband belonged to a group that trapped, spayed and released the stray cats that lived around the Yard at Harvard University. One of the cats they'd caught was pregnant, so they waited for the cat to have kittens-- then posted the kittens on the listserv. If I recall correctly, they were a mix of black and grey cats. Some were polydactyl. We asked for a black poly-toed kitten, but by the time we'd replied, they'd been spoken for. They did have a very small kitten (of undetermined sex), however... were we interested?
We said yes, and planned to meet them later in the week at the T stop at Harvard Square. When we got there, Fizzy was latched in a little ball to the woman's shirt (I'm sure the sounds of the MBTA station were scaring the crap out of her). We exchanged the kitten-- Fizzy immediately clung onto my shirt just below my chin and nuzzled there. We managed to detach her and get her into Colley's carrier, wished the couple well and headed back to my apartment on the train.
My long-time readers will remember Fizzy as the cat that confused both Erich and me when she was a kitten. For the first six months, we thought Fizzy was male-- and so "his" full name was Mephisto. That changed during the appointment to have "him" neutered. So... a quick change of name, and Mephisto became an -a. :)
Fizzy definitely seems relieved that we finally clued into the obvious. She was rather dainty from the start, but we are stupid humans, after all. She got back to us by informing me for well over a year that Erich was HER human. She'd nip at his heels as he went from the bathroom to the bedroom after a shower, as well as perch and prance on all of his clothes for him, vying for his attention.
From the start, Colley was extremely gentle with Fizzy. They played together, and Fizzy would flip over on her back and profess how Huge and Vicious (tm) she was by splaying her claws and opening her mouth to show her tiny pointed teeth. This usually confused Colley, who would just stare at her and blink. It was quite cute. :)
Fizzy also imprinted on Colley- until she was nearly a year old, she would "nurse" on Colley. Granted, I was a bit concerned about my older neutered male cat and his gender issues... but he seemed okay with it. To this day, Fizzy will come and nuzzle on Colley for comfort.
Fizzy has the distinction of being the first cat I ever had who retained all of her claws. My parents, coming from both a generation and a social circle who found it acceptable to do front declaws on cats, had always had them declawed. But Fizzy quickly learned how to behave from Colley (who was declawed by my mother before I got him) and never was destructive. I might add that we've never declawed any of the cats since. Each of them has learned from the one before in some way or another, and we don't have that many problems with scratching.
Anyway... getting back to Fizzy...
She's the most high-strung of all of our cats. She tends to hide out when there's a lot of commotion. She's always been a "quiet" cat. She likes quiet places, and loves to perch. She gets frightened and anxious easily. For example, when we moved into our house last year, the stress of moving caused her to have a bout of temporary alopecia. She lost most of the fur on the backs of her hind legs, plus a huge spot on her chest, mostly due to overgrooming from the stress. Thankfully it grew back after a few months (but we were very concerned).
She doesn't like to play-- her least favorite cat is Gus, who has constantly taunted her since he was a kitten. He often wants to wrestle with her-- and pounces her, causing her to scream and hiss as if she were being killed. It's... unpleasant to listen to. Thankfully she's now found spots where she can relax undisturbed. And we also have Noby and Elly to keep Gus busy.
But aside from her aloofness, she is a loving cat one on one. Last night and this morning, for example, she was extremely cuddly. She perched on my shoulder a lot last night as I played computer games. This morning she weaved around both of our heads in bed, purring as we gave her little back scratches.
She's the fearless cat in our group as far as food goes. Her biggest craving is cheese (and not the "real" cheese, either). I found this out when she was a few months old. She would steal pieces of the Hamburger helper or Mac & Cheese that I'd be having for dinner at the time. She LOVED the powdered cheese... and would eat the pasta, too.
I can't fathom how she stays so small with such a love of junk food. :)
Fizzy is our littlest cat-- she's all of 7.25 pounds. She appears black in person and in photos, but when the sun shines on her, she's actually a mink brown tabby (with very narrow stripes from head to the tip of her tail). She has one small white stripe of fur on her belly, white fur protecting her ears and a stray white hair here and there all over her coat. Her eyes are pale yellow. Her whiskers, nose, and paw pads are all black. She's five years old and the princess of the household. She needs to know what's going on at all times, but never really wants to be bothered. She is a human's cat, but not a cat's cat. She does NOT play, thank you very much. And don't dare pick her up-- unless you're wearing a full body suit of kevlar. Those claws will be digging firmly into the nearest body part if you try to remove her from solid ground.
Fizzy came to us in August 2001 as the second cat in the household. I'd started dating Erich only three months before. My first cat, Colley, was forced to be home alone more and more, and it was causing some temperment problems because he was so lonely. We decided to start looking for a cat (preferably one of the many "free to a good home" cats) to keep him company.
In early August, I was reading one of the many internet listservs that I belonged to. A woman and her husband belonged to a group that trapped, spayed and released the stray cats that lived around the Yard at Harvard University. One of the cats they'd caught was pregnant, so they waited for the cat to have kittens-- then posted the kittens on the listserv. If I recall correctly, they were a mix of black and grey cats. Some were polydactyl. We asked for a black poly-toed kitten, but by the time we'd replied, they'd been spoken for. They did have a very small kitten (of undetermined sex), however... were we interested?
We said yes, and planned to meet them later in the week at the T stop at Harvard Square. When we got there, Fizzy was latched in a little ball to the woman's shirt (I'm sure the sounds of the MBTA station were scaring the crap out of her). We exchanged the kitten-- Fizzy immediately clung onto my shirt just below my chin and nuzzled there. We managed to detach her and get her into Colley's carrier, wished the couple well and headed back to my apartment on the train.
My long-time readers will remember Fizzy as the cat that confused both Erich and me when she was a kitten. For the first six months, we thought Fizzy was male-- and so "his" full name was Mephisto. That changed during the appointment to have "him" neutered. So... a quick change of name, and Mephisto became an -a. :)
Fizzy definitely seems relieved that we finally clued into the obvious. She was rather dainty from the start, but we are stupid humans, after all. She got back to us by informing me for well over a year that Erich was HER human. She'd nip at his heels as he went from the bathroom to the bedroom after a shower, as well as perch and prance on all of his clothes for him, vying for his attention.
From the start, Colley was extremely gentle with Fizzy. They played together, and Fizzy would flip over on her back and profess how Huge and Vicious (tm) she was by splaying her claws and opening her mouth to show her tiny pointed teeth. This usually confused Colley, who would just stare at her and blink. It was quite cute. :)
Fizzy also imprinted on Colley- until she was nearly a year old, she would "nurse" on Colley. Granted, I was a bit concerned about my older neutered male cat and his gender issues... but he seemed okay with it. To this day, Fizzy will come and nuzzle on Colley for comfort.
Fizzy has the distinction of being the first cat I ever had who retained all of her claws. My parents, coming from both a generation and a social circle who found it acceptable to do front declaws on cats, had always had them declawed. But Fizzy quickly learned how to behave from Colley (who was declawed by my mother before I got him) and never was destructive. I might add that we've never declawed any of the cats since. Each of them has learned from the one before in some way or another, and we don't have that many problems with scratching.
Anyway... getting back to Fizzy...
She's the most high-strung of all of our cats. She tends to hide out when there's a lot of commotion. She's always been a "quiet" cat. She likes quiet places, and loves to perch. She gets frightened and anxious easily. For example, when we moved into our house last year, the stress of moving caused her to have a bout of temporary alopecia. She lost most of the fur on the backs of her hind legs, plus a huge spot on her chest, mostly due to overgrooming from the stress. Thankfully it grew back after a few months (but we were very concerned).
She doesn't like to play-- her least favorite cat is Gus, who has constantly taunted her since he was a kitten. He often wants to wrestle with her-- and pounces her, causing her to scream and hiss as if she were being killed. It's... unpleasant to listen to. Thankfully she's now found spots where she can relax undisturbed. And we also have Noby and Elly to keep Gus busy.
But aside from her aloofness, she is a loving cat one on one. Last night and this morning, for example, she was extremely cuddly. She perched on my shoulder a lot last night as I played computer games. This morning she weaved around both of our heads in bed, purring as we gave her little back scratches.
She's the fearless cat in our group as far as food goes. Her biggest craving is cheese (and not the "real" cheese, either). I found this out when she was a few months old. She would steal pieces of the Hamburger helper or Mac & Cheese that I'd be having for dinner at the time. She LOVED the powdered cheese... and would eat the pasta, too.
I can't fathom how she stays so small with such a love of junk food. :)
08 December 2006
Big stitching update & goals
I never updated my goals at the beginning of the month, due to all of the craziness that resulted from starting my new job. Here's where I'm at, and where I'm looking to go, both in December and for 2007.
In November, I wanted to..
1) Complete my portion for Autumn's flower RR done!
2) Finish Home is Where the Cat Is nope... still not done. *sigh*
3) Complete 20 hours on Goldie's UFO RR piece done and mailed.
4) Work 10 hours on Apache I did around five...
5) Cook a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy the day with family and friends. definitely done!
So for December, I want to...
1) Finish Home is where the Cat Is... seriously, this time.
2) Complete my flower on Linda's piece for Flower RR
3) Work 10 hours on Gina's piece for UFO RR
4) Finish the sunset & tree band on Apache Wedding Blessing.
5) Put together my stitching plan for 2007.
I had a good year stitching, although I didn't finish any of my stitching goals for 2006. :) They were (just for the record...)
- Finish two TW's I finished one, and another is now moving as part of the UFO RR.
- Complete both Wedding Samplers About 50% on one, haven't started the other. Should be done with #1 over the winter.
- Complete 5 other pieces (any size) I finished one other piece this year. The TW finish took more time than I expected.
For 2007, I hope to do the following:
Finishes
----------
Apache Wedding Blessing (sometime during the winter)
Teresa Wentzler's Floral Bellpull (traveling in the UFO RR currently)
Cats on Staircase stocking
Dragon Dream's elemental dragons still remaining: Spirit, Air, Water, and Earth
Starts
----------
Dragon Dream's Wedding Blessing
(Either) Spring or Autumn Queen
Why I Love New England
One Cat Leads to Another...
I know that keeping a solid rotation is going to be difficult the closer I get to my wedding in September, but I see stitching as my release from the planning stress! :) So I'll do the best I can.
In November, I wanted to..
1) Complete my portion for Autumn's flower RR done!
2) Finish Home is Where the Cat Is nope... still not done. *sigh*
3) Complete 20 hours on Goldie's UFO RR piece done and mailed.
4) Work 10 hours on Apache I did around five...
5) Cook a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy the day with family and friends. definitely done!
So for December, I want to...
1) Finish Home is where the Cat Is... seriously, this time.
2) Complete my flower on Linda's piece for Flower RR
3) Work 10 hours on Gina's piece for UFO RR
4) Finish the sunset & tree band on Apache Wedding Blessing.
5) Put together my stitching plan for 2007.
I had a good year stitching, although I didn't finish any of my stitching goals for 2006. :) They were (just for the record...)
- Finish two TW's I finished one, and another is now moving as part of the UFO RR.
- Complete both Wedding Samplers About 50% on one, haven't started the other. Should be done with #1 over the winter.
- Complete 5 other pieces (any size) I finished one other piece this year. The TW finish took more time than I expected.
For 2007, I hope to do the following:
Finishes
----------
Apache Wedding Blessing (sometime during the winter)
Teresa Wentzler's Floral Bellpull (traveling in the UFO RR currently)
Cats on Staircase stocking
Dragon Dream's elemental dragons still remaining: Spirit, Air, Water, and Earth
Starts
----------
Dragon Dream's Wedding Blessing
(Either) Spring or Autumn Queen
Why I Love New England
One Cat Leads to Another...
I know that keeping a solid rotation is going to be difficult the closer I get to my wedding in September, but I see stitching as my release from the planning stress! :) So I'll do the best I can.
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