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Unfortunately I can’t post a piccie just yet, as it’s a gift for someone – but I finally managed to kick that frog in the ribs and get the stitching finished on my latest piece … I’ve had the hardest time stitching this thing, I don’t know why – and that darned frog has shown its head on 3 separate occasions today alone, never mind the last 2-3 days … I’m gonna fry its legs with butter if it comes back this week!!! Anyway, this piece has turned out a bit bigger than I expected, so I’m a bit unsure about how to finish it … might have to make a bit-bigger-than-normal pillow as opposed to a pincushion – have to hide the back somehow … unfortunately not my best stitching effort, but the overall piece looks OK – hopefully it will be accepted by its recipient in the way it was intended anyway 🙂 So, tomorrow I will make my decision on finishing – and hopefully in a couple of weeks I can post a piccie … At least now it no longer looks like a tarantula … as a major arachnaphobe, this was creeping me out stitching it! LOL.

Managed a tiny bit of stitching today – worked on a ‘gift’ piece while I was at the hairdressers getting my hair done, and I was struggling stitching it trying to see the holes with black Wisper thread … ended up with a screaming headache again due to the hard concentration, I think … dammit! Came home and doped myself up again, and had something to eat, then sat and watched Ned Kelly on TV, and listened to a few tapes of my latest book from the library – and ended up frogging a couple of sections of Egyptian Garden due to stupid miscounting. I also noticed when I was scanning my progress tonight, that there is one bit I missed – so I’ll be frog-stitching again tomorrow night before I put it away … I can’t face that rippit rippit tonight! Oh well, at least it’s pretty easy to fix – just two stitches out on the bottom section – just need to unpick the top part of the stem and fix it, luckily it won’t take too long. I really should have just given stitching a miss tonight hmmm – oh well, at least I managed to finally finish my 10 hour rotation on EG … the next stitching session (after frogging) will be on an old UFO – not sure which one yet …

Thanks for you advice Jo … I’ve put all my piccies across to Photobucket, and changed my template lines with the new addresses … so fingers crossed the piccies will be showing now – if not, I’d appreciate a heads up again, as they’re showing fine on my screen again … Thanks guys!

Just wondering if anyone can see them … thanks for the heads up, Mel – I thought I was being so clever! If no-one can see them, is there anyone that can shed some light how to get them to show OK on other people’s browsers – they’re showing up fine on mine, but then again I’m holding the original files in ‘my pictures’ on my own PC … maybe that’s the problem … ? Help!!

Well, sorta, anyway … I just spent the last couple of hours working out how to make thumbnails of my ‘finished’ piccies – and then getting them into my template. Not sure how to get rid of the little ‘arrow’ thingies next to each line, but I don’t care about that … I have PHOTOS!!! Woohoo!!! So I went a bit mad and added quite a LOT of photos of my finished pieces this year … not the entire 20 I’ve done, but my fave pieces anyway. Crikey, you forget how much stitching you’ve managed to complete until you go back and look at the album … rightio, now I’ve gotta get away from this computer chair and get some housework done, which has been seriously neglected of late due to my headaches etc – then a bit of stitching, seeing I got nothing done yesterday. In closing, all I’ll say is “Take THAT, you pesky sidebars!!!!!”

It’s been lovely receiving such supportive comments from everyone about not getting the job … I feel fine about it overall. To be honest, the normal phone roster is better than the Hotline one, as you get days off more often – and I’ll still be getting relief work doing the same job I applied for … as long as I’m still relieving it gives me the mental challenge I need, so I don’t get braindead.

Well, I finally managed to pick up a needle today, and put the final stitches into my No Humbugs Allowed ornament … all I need now are the buttons from Just Another Button Company, and it’s all set to be made up. The buttons are coming from the US, and probably a couple of weeks away from being posted, but at least I should get this finished before Christmas. It will be nice to have my very first ornament made in time for my very first Christmas in my ‘own’ place – and the first time I’ve had Christmas with a family member since I moved to Aussie, with Mum coming for a visit yippee. Anyway, here’s the piccie. OK, now what else can I stitch today? Maybe I should bite the bullet and start my rotation … back to the dratted Dolphins ;-P

Well, I’ve decided with my weird hours at work and the ensuing flagging energy levels sometimes, that my planned rotation of having a day set aside for different projects isn’t working too well. After doing some research (web-surfing), I thought I’d try a set time rotation. I think it was Tannia early on in my first blogs that suggested a certain time frame for each project, and initially I thought it was too constrained for me – but the more I think about it, the more I think it would suit me better for my current lifestyle … so I figure I’ll stitch my projects for 10 hours each, before moving onto the next one – at least that way every project gets some stitching done on it regularly, rather than skipping days and weeks at a time. So, my first rotation plan is as follows:

1. Dolphins XS
2. Chatelaine’s Egyptian Garden
3. UFO’s (free choice or random – not sure yet)
4. Dolphins XS (wanna get this finished!)
5. Smalls/Ornaments
6. Mirabilia’s Winter Queen
7. Dolphins XS
8. Finishing items (putting needlebooks etc together)
9. Free choice

I’ve been sick all yesterday and today – so it’s been a good chance to blob out and just ‘surf’. I’ve been suffering from a migraine headache since I found out about not getting the job … I think the tension from that, plus the fact I’ve had a sore throat the last couple of days, got my immune system down – my headache was so bad I wanted to throw up, then I got the sweats followed by chills, and to top it all off I’d had chilli con carne the night before, and had excruciating pains compliments of my gallstone troubles (even though this was ‘prime’ mince, obviously I can’t eat that either!) … so, all in all I was feeling very sorry for myself – and ended up in bed almost all day … but got up at midnight after not being able to sleep, and surfed for almost 6 hours – almost like being at work on the night shift LOL. Anyway, just a bit bunged up today, and the headache is more manageable – so I might try and get a bit of stitching done today. Only one more work to go tomorrow, then I have my 5 days off – I think I need them to recuperate!

The heading says it all, really … Feel pretty flat and pretty disappointed – even though I knew it was going to tough to get it, it still kicks you when you get the news. It was especially hard ‘cos I had so many people come to me and say they were shocked as they thought I was a ‘shoe-in’ … never mind – definitely a night for stitching to take my mind off it. Better make it something simple, as I intend stitching with a glass of bourbon and lemonade in my hands in commiseration to myself …

So, it’s back to having my rosters chucked at me every few weeks, and not being able to plan much in advance, as it could all change at a fortnight’s notice (or in this week’s case, a week!) … good job I learnt to stitch for stress relief ;-P

OK, Mum, here are the chart scans for you … hope these come through OK – sorry email wasn’t working!

…for so many kind words about my canvaswork piece – really really appreciated :-)))

As for any stitching updates … there really aren’t any, which is unusual for me – haven’t put a single stitch into anything for a few days (since Dena was completed, actually). Really need to get moving, but just haven’t had the motivation – have been going for a walk before work instead (which isn’t a bad thing, considering how much weight I need to lose LOL). This week’s shifts have mucked me around a little bit physically … after doing my 6pm-2am and 9pm-5am shifts last week, it took me all weekend to get over it – and this week I’m doing 7 days straight, with 3 different shift times (2 of 3pm-11pm, 2 of 12noon-8pm, then 3 of 9am-5pm) – hard to get into a routine … but then due to a last minute bout of relieving for me, I get another week on the hotline covering someone on leave, which means I get an entire 5 days off next week … yippee!!! Will be nice to have some time off for a change, and have a full day or 3 of stitching. Was going to go home to NZ for a quick visit, but the flights are looking pretty full, and it’s not worth taking the risk trying to get there – will hold off until the next days off, I think (sorry Mum!).

Well, today was my interview day – I felt it went pretty well, but there are certainly no guarantees, and the competition is the toughest there has ever been, in my eyes … it’d be nice to get the job, so I’m on a permanent roster and not having everything changed on me every month when I’m asked to do relieving – makes it so hard to plan anything in advance! But if I don’t get it, at least I can say the person who does get it is of a fine calibre and deserves it 🙂 Anyway, hopefully we’ll all be put out of our miseries by Friday this week – otherwise I’ll be glued to the phone on Monday, as it’s my first day off of five … I think it had been getting to me a bit, and I was feeling anxious about it all deep down, as I felt a huge weight had been lifted off me after the interview …

On a happy note I am overjoyed to announce that my 2004 JCS ornament issue FINALLY arrived at my PO Box today – can’t believe it … I had literally just given up hope of ever receiving it, and placed an order for one online, and the little slip arrived saying “you have mail” … yippee! And I LOVE loads of the designs, even more than the 2005 one, I think … yet more and more to drool over for a few days – and I still haven’t finished drooling over the last lot!

Rightio, off to bed early tonight – I might have to put a couple of stitches into something before I go to bed, though – I feel a bad not doing any stitching at all … maybe I’ll just finish the Wisper beard on my no humbugs allowed ornament … that should just about take me no longer than an hour to finish – right, get off the computer Anne, and get moving with that needle!!! ;-P