Happy Dance - Fizzy Moon with Presents

Started: 11/17/2016

Finished: 11/25/2016

This was the free cover kit included with Cross Stitch Card Shop #98.  I stitched and finished it using the materials included in the kit.

When I first looked at the backstitching, I thought it would be awfully hard, but it was actually fairly easy which is a good thing because I have a couple more of these in my stash.  

This is the third cover kit that I've finished since starting my cover kit focus project earlier this month.  Hopefully, the next ones will not take as long as the first three.  This will be added to my box of completed cover kits that weren't stitched for a specific purpose.

Happy Dance - All Our Yesterdays

Started: 11/7/2016

Finished: 11/16/2016

This is the cover kit that came with Cross Stitch Card Shop #91.  It was stitched and finished using the materials provided except that I ran out of the two colors used for the sand so the basket and hat are stitched with DMC floss from my stash.

There are a number of unintentional customizations in this project which is part of the reason I ran out of floss.  It will be added to my box of completed cover kits that weren't stitched for a specific purpose.

This is the second cover kit I've finished since I started focusing on them earlier this month.

Happy Dance - Greyhound

Started: 11/12/2016

Finished: 11/19/2016

Designer: Durene Jones

This is from the Pet of the Month section of The World of Cross Stitching #232.  It was stitched on white 14-count Aida with the called for DMC.  It was stitched for the World of Charity Stitching Yahoo Group as part of their Dogs SAL.

Pumpkin Passport Update (November)

  Started: 11/9/2016

Finished: 11/12/2016

The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

This time we visited Peru.  One more month to go and I think it has to be the USA.

This is being stitched on a piece of 16-count Jobelan from my stash with the called for DMC threads.  Here is the whole thing so far.  The color is better on the picture above.

Happy Dance - Home Sweet Home

Started: 10/31/2016

Finished: 11/7/2016

Designer: Emma Congdon

 

This was the free cover kit from a recent issue of Cross Stitch Crazy.  It's stitched and finished with the materials provided.  I just noticed that it's slightly off center, but that's okay because it's not glued yet.  I haven't decided what to do with it yet, but I might hang it in our motorhome.

After reading a post on Stitch Maynia about gathering all of your planned starts or WIPs, numbering them and using a random number generator, I decided to try it with a bunch of cover kits from the UK magazines.  I'm stitching on these 45 minutes a day and then spending the rest of my time (usually 2-3 hours a day) on a regular project (also using the random number generator), working on each until they're finished or I come to a logical stopping point.

Happy Dance - Beware of the Hamster

Started: 11/6/2016

Finished: 11/9/2016

Designer: Tiny Modernist

This design came from the Crazy Kids section of Cross Stitch Crazy #215.  

It's stitched on a piece of 28-count Lugana from my stash.  I think the color is ecru or a very light beige.  I used the called for DMC except for the lettering and the paw which were supposed to be a bright green.

This will be one of Kyleigh's Christmas presents since she has a hamster living in her bedroom.  She likes blue better than she does green, hence the color change.  I think I found a frame at Hobby Lobby that will work, but I wanted to do the stitching before I bought it.

Fantasy SAL Update #5

Started: 11/3/2016

Finished: 11/6/2016

 Lakeside Needlework/Durene Jones

This is border B3 with the November circle.  Hopefully, I'll get to stitch the troll later this month.

I'm stitching this on 25-count Lugana in Fairy Dance and I'm loving this fabric.

Here is what I've done so far.  The colors are better in the scan above.

 

An Extra Weekend

Kyleigh's Noni was out of town and her father had to work so Janice had her for an unexpected Saturday. (She goes to her dad's house every other weekend).  We found plenty to do though.

Friday night she got to go to Kids Night Out at the church.  KNO takes place one Friday a month from 6:00-11:00 so that parents can have a night to themselves.  They have a  different theme each month and Kyleigh loves it.  She's not been able to go the last couple months so she was excited to go this time.

The theme was Hollywood and the kids played games including Spotlight Tag, walked the Red Carpet as celebrities and each team got to dress up one of the team members.  They also serve them dinner and put them to bed in pajamas and sleeping bags while showing a movie to quiet them down.

Here are  a couple of pictures I took from the church website.  Kyleigh is in the black t-shirt.

On Saturday, we had several options for things to do and although Kyleigh wasn't very happy with our choice, we chose to go to the Mini Makers Fair at Barnes and Noble.  Once we got there though she changed her mind really quickly.

She got to make a card--she drew a robot and gave it light up eyes, played with some magnetic shapes to build a tower and other designs and read a story with Janice.  Me, I shopped and bought a Christmas gift.

 

 

 

We also went to Target to get Kyleigh a reward for getting four A's and an E on her report card.  She had $20 to spend and decided on Alexa, a Next Generation Doll to be a friend to her current Next Generation Doll, Jessica Ann.  Fortunately, she was on sale for $19.99.

While in the parking lot, we spotted some pigeons eating.  The pictures aren't very good, but you can see at least one pigeon enjoying his/her snack.

Fantasy SAL Update #4

Started: 10/30/2016

Finished: 11/2/2016

Lakeside Needlework/Durene Jones

I finally got the chance to work on one of the circles.  I chose August since I had the circle already stitched. 

I'm stitching it with the called for DMC on 25-count Lugana in Fairy Dance from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. 

I have one unintentional customization because I misread the upside down u for a dark gray instead of a lighter pink.  Since the dark gray didn't seem right, I stitched this symbol in medium pink so I have more medium pink than I should, but I think it looks okay.

Brave Cave

I forgot to post about this earlier, but after church on Sunday (10/30) Kyleigh and I went to the Brave Cave event in the church gym where kids were able to explore their fears.  There were "caves" for Slime, Mystery, Wild Weather, Danger, Darkness and an empty one.  Kyleigh wanted to do most of them by herself which was fine with me. 

She made slime (and kept playing with it the whole time we were there.

She posed for a picture in one of the picture spots.

She chipped away at a rock to find the gem inside.

 

She did the other caves by herself.  She even went through a second time with Janice, but that time she wore her costume.  In addition to a card for each cave, they were also giving away candy and there was a hot dog lunch when you were done with the caves.  It was a fun experience.

Happy Dance - Sheila Sheep

 Started: 10/19/2016

Finished: 10/29/2016

Brooke's Books' Advent Animals

This whole set is being stitched on one piece of 14-count Misty Blue Aida with the called for DMC.  I really love the details in these designs.


This is my 61st finish of the year.  Many of these are small ornaments and/or quilt squares, but there are a few medium sized ones mixed in.

Happy Halloween

 I'm a day late, but I didn't get the pictures until late.  Janice and Devin dressed up as a doctor and operation.

 

Here's a closeup of Janice's costume.  She found the idea on Pinterest.

And here's Cat Woman again.

We had very few trick or treaters this year so I have a whole lot of candy yet.  I will be taking it to the church tomorrow to be sent in care packages to the congregations college students who are away from home.

Cooking

Janice wasn't feeling too well so she asked Kyleigh to make dinner (with her help of course).  Kyleigh peeled and chopped the carrots all by herself.  Just look at that concentration.  They made a stir fry and other being slightly afraid of the heat given off by the stove, she did fine. 

Janice also sent me a picture of Kyleigh a few years ago, also cooking.  What a difference a couple of years make when you're young!

Another Weekend - October 21st & 22nd

David and I went back to the tractor show (AGSEM Fall Festival) again this weekend, but this time Kyleigh had other plans.  It was a much quieter weekend and even rained a little.  The only pictures I took were of some of the more unusual tractors in the parade.

While we were attending the tractor show, Kyleigh was having fun at the Fall Festival put on by our church and school.  Her costume this year is Cat Woman.  These pictures were taken at the Fall Festival.  Belle was there promoting The Beauty and the Beast play which was being put on at Lutheran High and which Kyleigh saw the day before.

Her father has a new girlfriend who is a horse trainer so Kyleigh got to ride a horse for the first time.  The horse's name is Karma.

When we got home on Monday, it was sprinkling and David spotted a double rainbow from our front yard.  We don't see too many of these in southern California.