What I've been up to on the stitching front

These are three of Dragon Dream's Christmyth series. The ornaments are just so small that I hate to waste space by taking a photo of them individually. (this is due more to the webshots site since I have the freebie bit) The are from top left: Mermaid, Hippocampus and Salamander.

This came from a magazine (don't ask which please I made my working copy and put the mag up. I'm too lazy at the moment to see if the name is there) It's from a Pansy alphabet. I'm not going to apologize for not ironing it first. I'm slowly working on the Pansy B.

I know I shouldn't start new big projects without first finishing the ones I have that are rapidly turning into UFOs. But unfortuneately......while traveling with my mother in law to a concert earlier this year we stopped into ABC Stitch in New Hampshire and she found Kustom Craft's Spring Break and asked if I could stitch it for her for Christmas. She doesn't ask for much so the next thing I hear coming from my mouth is ...... yes, I could stitch that, there's not that many colours, not sure if it would be in time for christmas but maybe a combined christmas/birthday gift. (Her birthday is in January). I had DH make a working copy at work since the chart's in black and white and no enlarging was necessary. It wasn't till I started picking up the floss at AC Moore when I realized what I'd gotten myself into. Somewhere between the 11th and 12th level of Hades! That's where! Haven't heard of any other levels....but I'm begining to wonder is there is. Does Hades have a basement? Storage facilites?

This is a nine page wolf that is all shades of grey and green, stitched on 36ct Edinbourgh "Rue Green". The middle is on page 5. Almost two weeks and I have've just barely gotten a third of the page solidified in stitches. Still can't tell what I'm stitching without putting pages together. It probably isn't helping that the floor frame I have (cheap, cheap) refuses to hold the scroll frame at my comfort spot for stitching so it's getting even less than I'm willing to spend on it. Horrible isn't it? I finally want to spend time on a big piece and the frame is giving me nothing but tempertantrums. As if the cats aren't giving me enough as it is.

BTW...... while I'm thinking of it. Not sure if any of you remember back in Feb/March I was working on a NeedleBook SAL from DragonFly Stitches. The stitching is done, the thing is almost put together. I made a boo-boo..... the twisted tye didn't go where is was supposed to so I had to cut it. I still need to take it in a little on the bottom, but does anyone have any suggestions as to making a closing thingy for the needlebook at the stage in the process? (I'm not ripping out seams to put things in mind you)

I've not gone back to review the comments from the last post. But here's a few I remeber. Stitch you're very welcome about the pictures. I do have a few more if you'd like to see a second post of pictures from the Native American museum. Barbara, I saw more things on the New England Native Americans when I went to the museum in New York City. Didn't learn much about them in school come to think of it. Most of what we learned were of the Plains Indians and all the trouble they gave our fore-fathers. (add in government tripe here) My step-father was a bit MicMac, a friend of mine is a bit Abnaki (sp?). I knew someone else was part Native but he never admitted to it. Actually found out after his death. He grew up on the rez up here in Maine, but he grew up during a time when anytype of native blood made you unhireable. Just like with my Mother's father's family.....with all those signs in the windows.... "Irish Need Not Apply"

A peek at the Native American Museum DC

I ment to do this earlier, but other things got in the way. Stitch asked about the Native American Museum in Washington DC. The set up was nice. It has three floors and two stores (one is just for books), a cafe. My only problem with it was that there were no exhibits for the Northeastern tribes. There was a little on some of the plains tribes I knew a little about but most were tribes I was unfamiliar with. Most were Northwestern, Canadian, Alaskan, and not sure of others. The few places I did see names of the tribes here in New England were imprinted on the wall outside the ladies room. I was afraid after the second one what the male side would say. (the names were mentioned as having helped with the funding of the building) So Stitch it's a little late but here's some pictures.

It's over, her pain has ended

For those of you who have been following what remains of this blog, June Hayes (the wonderful lady I made the Praying for a Cure pocket for) past away. Her only son was lucky enough to have been at her bedside at the time of her death. I wasn't able to go to the funeral, but was told that the church was over flowing. Her pain has finally ended. The good Lord had deceided that she had done enough here and took her home. Apparently she was ready to go until almost the end when she thought of quite a few people who still needed her. She never did much for herself, and actually made herself sick a few times tending to others. May the angels in Heaven make sure that for once she is taken care of and only has to worry about watching her loved ones from the window beside her mother. (who died while i was in Jr. High. She had Lupus before they really knew much about it and battled it more or less on her own)

I also found out this afternoon that a former co-worker of mine from a few years back passed away almost a month ago. I'm not sure which is worse.....knowing someone is dying, finding out in the paper or from a friend about a recent passing or finding out years later that someone you knew is gone. I've been through them all.

Love and Hugs to you all! I may not be around the blogs as much as I'd like, but I do think of you all. Ask my DH .I will see something or hear something and it will remind me of one or more of you. Wether it be a favorite sports team, a new design memo I get, group or what not. And I will tell him that so and so likes this designer, or I can just imagine what so and so thinks of how this game turned out etc. I haven't forgotten any of you, it's just my visits at the moment are very few and far between. Keep safe.

Healing and more Pictures

I believe this was taken outside the treasury. Announcing what the new ten dollar bill will look like. Took this while resting on a bench.
Mommy duckie herding her little ducklings. This was taken in the reserve (?) just behind Jefferson Memorial. This was fairly early in the morning and boy mommy didn't want anyone taking photos. As soon as DH had the camera out and aiming, she herded them right up by the wall. When she thought it was safe we got this.
Photos from a BBQ at a member's friends house.
Here's the line of bikes outside the host's house for the BBQ. I belive there are also a few more bikes just before Don.
This is me before the burns and no there is no photos of me during. At the moment the burn itself has tamed out and is peeling. At the moment and not sure how long...I'll be healing from the early skin peel and the burn blisters. My calves look horrible at the moment. Still hurting but not to the extent when the burn was still in full force. Won't be wearing shorts for some time to come. My Rolling Thunder Chapter didn't know I'd burnt myself, the president was told by DH Friday and tricked me into letting the rest of the group know who'd been to DC with us and explain to the ones who weren't. That vest I'm wearing is what saved my back and shoulders from getting the same treatment as my legs or to the lesser degree that my arms and shoulder cuffs got it. The shirt is similar to the type I had on as well.
Since DH took two photos of me in front of the Native American Museum I'm not sure if I'm squinting due to the sun, boredom, or both. I hate photos of me, but this one didn't seem half bad. Some of the other members have gotten some half decent ones of me as well.

Some Pictures from the trip

This statue is inside the Native American Museum.
Of Course Washington Monument....Looks better than it did two years ago. It was surrounded by scaffolding and barricades.
From the rally at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. The man in the cage represents the POW. These are the types of cages the Vietenamse(sp) kept the prisoners.
Jefferson Memorial

DC burns

I ment to post after I got back from Washinton DC. Unfortunately I played a few stupid cards while down there and came back with second degree sunburn over the fronts of both legs, burnt both knees right around, both calves front and back. Both arms from the socket down and part of my face. Later in the week one burn for some reason peeled early and am now dealing with some very raw skin and some burn blisters. So my stitching has suffered, or what little I was accomplishing as it was. That over with.

DC was a good outing again. Went two years ago and hope to go again in another two. Got to go to a few things we couldn't before, including the new Native American Museum, Jefferson Memorial (couldn't see the statue, I was already burnt at this point and didn't want to try and climb the stairs before the 9 hour drive home.) Actually got to see the statue of Lincoln this time round. Found the train station while lost.

Points of note: When we got to the turn off to our hotel we were told that we couldn't go up on the hill. Apparently a few hours before we arrived a congressmen had called the police about a gunman on Capital Hill. I know it made the news , but for those of you who hadn't heard, there was no gunman, the noise the congressman heard was the noise from a workman's staple/nail gun.
After the candle light vigil DH and I walked back to hotel, boy do things look differant at night. Some of the buildings have spot-lights on them and they look wonderful. Anywho, next morning on the news we hear that there had been a few muggings the past few days and the latest had been the night before and they said and showed the exact same area DH and I had walked the night before.

The rally went well, don't know how many bikes we ended up with but the Lincoln Memoral steps and surrounding areas were packed with people. I finally got the last of the 8 Deck the Halls done while sitting on the steps waiting for the rally to begin.

Perhaps a little later this week I'll post some pictures from DC and the rally, but right now I'm going to go tend to some wounds.