Ornament Finish

Here are the two ornaments I stitched up.

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Reading Challenge - September

I had the time to read some more Newbery books as well as a few series and the new Bill O'Reilly "Killing" series book.

To Be a Slave by Julius Lester - A Newbery Honor, nonfiction account of what slavery was really like, from the early days of slave ships to sharecropping after the war.
The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2) by Robert Galbraith - I liked The Cuckoo's Calling and book three is coming out next month so I had to read this.  A good mystery.  Will keep you guessing.  Definitely not for kids though.
Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Real West by Bill O'Reilly - I have enjoyed O'Reilly's "Killing" series and listened to this on Audible.  Very interesting biographies of some of the Western legends.
Getting Near to Baby by Audrey Couloumbis - A pair of sisters spend the morning on the roof of their aunt's house, reliving the circumstances of their baby sister's death in flashbacks.
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy - A nonfiction book about the Great Chicago Fire.
On My Honor - Tragedy happens when two boys go for an ill-advised swim in the river.
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant - Summer misses her deceased aunt.
Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers - A dying, escaped convict spends time with his estranged son before he dies.
Killing Reagan by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard - A look at Reagan - his days as an actor who went into politics, his almost-assassination as president and his decline into Alzheimer's.

Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith
- The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs - Van Igelfeld is mistaken for a veterinarian with disastrous results.  He also has adventures in Italy and on a cruise ship.
-At the Villa of Reduce Circumstances - Van Igelfeld has adventures at Cambridge and Colombia.
The Selection by Kiera Cass
-The Selection - America is chosen to be one of thirty-five women chosen as potential brides for the prince in a post-apocalyptic Bachelor-type contest.
-The Elite - America makes the cut to the final six girls but she is still unsure if she loves the prince or still has feelings for her first love, who is now a palace guard.
-The One - Tensions with the rebels continue to get ugly and the true nature of the current king is revealed.  Who will the prince pick to be his bride?
Star Trek New Frontier by Peter David
-The Returned (Parts 1, 2 and 3) - Captain Calhoun leads his ship into a pocket universe bent on revenge against the race that wiped out his planet and finds an even worse race.  Meanwhile, Robin Lefler and Mark McHenry return to New Thallon.

I Need a Little Break

I got a bit of work done on Country Grace today, despite having a girl out sick.  However, after spending several hours doing wheat, I decided I need to take a little break from it.  I think I'll try to get in a few ornaments while I'm at it.

Stitch from Stash Update - September

Month: September
Total Spent: $0.00
Total Earned: $2
Carryover to October: $30.37

I can't believe it's already time for this update!  Time has flown, especially with me having some substitute teaching jobs to occupy my days.  I was very good this month and didn't buy anything either.

Here is my small start and finish that earned me the $2.

I also started a wedding sampler that I have decided to change the color scheme on it, so I won't post a picture.

I only did a little bit on Butterfly Rose Cross.

The majority of my time was spent on Country Grace.  I finished the solid crosses on the center medallion today and I just have to add the backstitches.

Thanksgiving String Progress and a Yarn finish

I didn't get quite as far as I expected.  There is extensive backstitching in the center circle along with some straight stitches.  I also subbed in first grade all day Thursday.

I also finished my mom's Christmas present, except for the button in the middle.

Hope it fits.

Books!....And a Public Service Message

My small town has a big bazaar every September which means the library has a book sale.  So, I came home with a stack of books.

That stack on the right was only $5.  Spent $17 overall.  Not bad, I say.  I'll need another book shelf soon :)



And now for something completely different.



This week was National Suicide Prevention Week.  Suicide is a topic that has hit home for me when one of my close friends from college committed suicide two years ago, leaving behind his wife and a young daughter (she is only a few months younger than my oldest).

It has been extremely hard to watch a friend pick up and move to a different state (to be closer to family) and have to struggle with raising a child alone, along with trying to find a decent paying job that can support both of them (she is actually doing college right now, so proud of her).  It didn't have to be this way.

Suicide is preventable.  People want to help you.  There are suicide hotlines you can call, if you do not want to talk to your friends or family.  Please seek help if you feel the need to end your life!

This ends my public service message.

Thanksgiving String Update

I have been working this week on Country Grace.  Progress is slow due to the detail but it is coming along.

Knitting Circle Time!

It was knitting circle time at the library today.  Here's what I worked on.

The loom knit shawl is getting close to being completed!  I have less than a foot to go before ended it with the cuff.  I have five more rows on the gray vest before I start to decrease for the arm holes in the vest.

String Plan

With school starting and Christmas fast approaching, I decided it was time that I come up with a plan of what to do between now and then. I have a few things to get done.  Adèle's ornament is almost done.  I know what I want to do for Zoé but I don't have all the materials yet.  I am also doing that wedding sampler and a crochet vest for Mom.

Meanwhile, my husband ("the string enabler") asked me just how many projects I had going on as I was talking about stuff I wanted to stitch in the future.  I said like 10.  And that's when I realized, I have a lot of projects.

I decided to pick one and set a deadline.  I want to finish it by Thanksgiving.

I had stopped work on it because I didn't have a needed color of DMC.  However that has been remedied, so I pulled the floss.

It has a lot of floss.

Here's what it looked like before I started work.

And here's an updated shot.  The work is a bit slow with all the backstitching and fractional stitches.  However, I think Thanksgiving is a doable deadline because there's not much to it after the frame is done around the edges.

The Ornament Issue is Here!

The JCS 2015 Ornament Issue is here!  Here are some of my favorites!