And the Winner is....

I picked up my cross stitch from the fair today.  And here's what I got....

I was shooting for "grand champion" this year but apparently there weren't enough entries so blue was the highest ribbon.


I finished this piece awhile back but the frame I had bought would not let me drive nails into it.  So long story short, I hot glued the backing on and it fell off the wall.  I was able to repair it and used command strips to put it on the wall this time.  It's nice to have it hanging back on my wall!

I was a bit naughty and picked this up at Build a Bear.....  I had a coupon for $10 off so I added the sound effect.  It was buy one get one so I got Luna the My Little Pony too.

I also finally finished this great piece "Trimming the Tree" from Nancy at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe.  It turned out great with the bells and fusible fleece.

In not so great news, I discovered at the beginning of the month that my oldest had head lice.  Eeew!  My youngest also had it, I had some and so did the stepdaughter.  Everyone but my husband!  Fortunately, I think we've killed them all.

My suggestions for dealing with lice!

1. Don't panic. Lice can't jump or fly.  They are spread by head to head contact.
2. Lice can be anywhere on your head but look for them by the ears and back of neck.  You can tell nits from dandruff because nits don't just brush off but you can slide them off with fingernails.
3. Tea Tree Shampoo.  My husband thinks he didn't get them because he had been using tea tree soap in his hair and I didn't.  
4. Hair Dryers. Lice can't stand heat so blow drying your hair is a great way to kill them.  My hair dryer is the kind with the brush attachment so I thoroughly ran it through my hair after each wash.
5. Combing. I suggest a good leave in conditioner (I'm loving Ion Moisture Leave in from Sally's Beauty Supply) and detangling comb because a lice comb needs to have tangle free hair.  A comb with metal tines is essential.  I got a nice double sided one at Walgreens with a light.  Combing works best if the hair is wet and conditioned.  A spray bottle like beauticians use is great for wetting down hair (under $5 at Sally's).  There are good videos on how to comb on YouTube.
6. Benadryl Cream.  Lice can cause a rash around the ears and neck (I reacted pretty badly).  The cream helps with the itching.  
7. Gin. A cheap and effective alternative to Nix/Rid/pesticides.  Put the gin in the spray bottle.  Wet hair thoroughly and put on a shower cap to prevent evaporation. Reapply every hour for 4 hours.  Wash hair.  If you can't get the person to wear the cap, you'll have to keep reapplying every 15-30 minutes for 4 hours (Zoe wouldn't wear it).
8. Prescriptions. Adele would not let us comb much due to her sensory issues so I got a prescription from her doctor. It was $161 but it did kill everything and didn't require nit combing.
9. Clean up. After treatment, you'll need to clean stuff.  Fortunately, lice don't survive long off the human host (24-48 hours).  Boil any brushes/combs that have been used. Wash all bedding and towels.  Pop anything that cannot be washed in the dryer for 15 minutes. Vacuum carpets and mattresses. Put anything that can't be washed or dried in quarantine for a few days (or vacuum it if possible).

Catching up!

I've been off the blogsphere quite a bit this year.  Sorry.  But here's a run down of what I've been up to recently.

Work

I'm still seeking a full time teaching job.  I've had one interview so far and my local district has several positions open so I'm hoping to get one.  If not, I'll be subbing.  I also have been grading standardized tests and found out I'll be scoring leader for the next session.

Children

My girls will both be full-time in school next year!  Finally!  My six year old passed Kindergarten reading on grade level!  That is incredible since she really didn't start talking at all until age 4 and didn't say a sentence until age 5.  We are also expecting another grandchild (a boy) so that's more ornaments to stitch.

My daughters are into Tsum Tsum (these adorable little Disney plushes).

The Five year old's collection

The Six year old's collection

We also have some Build a Bear Ponies which have recently joined us.  

Stitching

I have had a few small finishes, but I am mainly working on Gathering Honey which I plan to enter into the fair in August.

A finished Long and Winding Road

A finished Dandy Wishes

A baby shower present

Work in Progress: Mini Twist from Stitchybox

My fair piece: Gathering Honey

Stashing

My husband, who totally understand me, let me get stash at the LNS for Mother's Day.  I picked up an 11x11 QSnap and a needle keeper (which I love) as well as the fixings for the bird ornament out of last year's JCS Ornament issue, some Kreinik and silk for another WIP and the GA Chalk for the Winter Chalkboard.

Blog Hop - June

I've been off the blogosphere for awhile now.  I was correcting standardized tests for most of April and May so my laptop was busy reading all those student written essays.  So, I'm back for the summer with a blog hop.  I haven't done one in awhile.

I have some great thrift store finds.  I have SCRAP, a "creative reuse store" which is a thrift store for craft items and other things that could be used as art.  They've moved to a new location and raised some of their prices but I still go there occasionally to see what I find.  I've found some amazing patterns, old magazines, kits and fabric.

This tote was only $3

Found my Fuji pattern for $2

And this whole lot of linen was like $4-5

My other, but not cross stitch related, find was these Boomwhackers.  They retail  for $25.  I got them for $2

April is Autism Awareness Month! And also some string....

I have mentioned it before, but both of my daughters are on the Autism spectrum.  They have been doing very well in school with the help of their iPads which they use for communication.

A few months ago, I listened to the audio version of In a Different Key: The Story of Autism.  I highly recommend it.  It is a great narrative about the history of Autism, starting with the first children diagnosed and the fight of parents to get their children out of institutions and into regular public schools.

On a string note, I am almost completed with "The Long and Winding Road" by Blackbird Designs.  Here's a picture.

Belated Posting

Hello all.

I haven't posted in a month.  I've actually gone the way of a bunch of fellow bloggers and started posting pictures on Instagram.  But I hadn't been stitching a lot until this week.  The girls were out sick again and I've been busy since I'm now playing organ for church again.  

I reached a milestone in my current WIP.  I completed the center (minus the french knots which I will put in last).  Here's a look.  

The amount of detail in this piece is stunning. This is the center and I think probably the most dense part of the piece.  After this there's a lot of white space.  I'll be taking a short break to finish up a baby sampler and a few other things and then I'll be coming back to it.

WIP Wednesday

It's been awhile since I posted.  When the girls came down with strep, I got tested and found out that I didn't have strep but had a sinus infection instead.  A few days into my antibiotic, I was feeling better when all of a sudden, I got worse.  I caught a cold virus!  Ugh.  Now, I'm over that but Mountain Cedar is pollinating and I'm apparently allergic to it.

Meanwhile, this weekend, my daughter turned 5!  Here's a picture of the cupcake cake I made for her.

Here's a quick look at what I've been working on.

Oh, and the husband bought me some stash for The Long and Winding Road.  I finally bought a plate frame for it ($16 on eBay!) and calculated the new thread count.  Instead of the called for 36, I will be using 28.

A Framed Finish and a SALE!

By Wednesday, I had both girls back on the mend and back in school so Mommy had some time for doing string-type things, like framing.  So, I finally got Strawberry Fields Forever Framed and it is now in my husband's office.

The newest issue of Just Cross Stitch came out and I had to have the fabric for that cute hummingbird on the cover.  My LNS in Plano just happened to have a piece so we traveled out there today only to find out that THERE WAS A SALE!!!!!!

So, I bought some fabric.

That would be:
32ct. PTP Linen "moss"
32 ct. PTP linen some blue color I can't remember
30 ct. WDW "Gunmetal"

Miscellaneous stuff

Hello everyone.

There's not much to report in the world of string lately.  We have been busy with an outbreak of strep with both girls.  I don't have it but I have a sinus infection so everyone is sick.

I did start work on a small cross stitch piece I got at SCRAP a week or so ago.  It is a cute little Wine piece, but right now it says "Win"

I also managed to crochet a scarf.  I was cleaning the garage and ran across one of my early experimental loom knit scarves.  It was not very good, so I tore out the yarn and added the second color and made this:

In non string news, I have started a new reading challenged but I am doing it on Instagram/Facebook.  I also joined a "read the Bible in a year" challenge on Facebook.  Which brings me to my next point.  I grew up with the 1984 NIV Bible translation and I own both the NIV study Bible and the Concordia Self Study Bible.  Many of you may know that the NIV underwent a major revision a few years ago in 2011.  This has caused many church bodies to have to make a major decision about whether or not to stay with the NIV with its new revision.  I heard last month that Concordia, the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church's publishing house, had come out with a new study Bible using the English Standard Version.  So I picked one up.  And I'm very happy with it so far!

Other things that make me happy is that Angry Orchard has their Cinnful Apple back in season!

And in closing, I tried that whole "Pizza in a mug" thing and it's not bad.  It is a very small serving.

Finished

I finished it yesterday!  I just need to find a frame and frame it and it will be ready for my husband's office.

Yes, there is a mistake in it.  I was going to frog it but then my husband couldn't find the error and even when I pointed out the error, he couldn't see it so I'm not going to frog it.  I changed the numbers and letters in it from the original pattern.  I also had to substitute two WDW for the GAST because my LNS was out and it's not the required fabric.  So, basically, I made it my own.

Current String Projects

Since the New Year started, I have been working on "Strawberry Fields Forever" by Blackbird Designs.  I am hoping to have it done and framed by Feb 20 (which is my anniversary and the husband's birthday).

I also started a new project.  I have had the materials and pattern for a few years but I never got around to starting it.  It is a "January Sampler" and it has beads and metallics and everything.  I realized today that I had read part of the pattern wrong so there was some frogging but I have made a good start so far.  There are companion February and March pieces which I hope to two the next two months as well (and then frame them all in the same type of frame).

Ornament Project Update

I am caught up!  Whoo hoo!

It was a bit late to make the tree but oh well.  She can enjoy it next year and hopefully I will have the ornaments done sooner (there will only be like three to make).

I did swap in some metallics (on the crown and necklace and the white collar) and satin (the bodice).

WIPs of 2016

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  I got a few crafty things.

I don't normally set a ton or resolutions but here are my goals for the next year.

1. Wear my FitBit every day.
2. Read 200 books.
3. Get the champion ribbon at the fair (grand or reserve)
4. Get a ribbon at the state fair

Now, to the WIPs.  I still have a bunch in progress even though I finished off a few last year!  The following are the ones that I will be focusing on this year.  I have a few new projects I want to do as well.  You can always click the "Long Term Projects" tab to see all the WIPs I have.

Aurora is almost completed.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Gathering Honey

Rose Garden

Country Grace