Photo fatigue

Back when DH and I first got married, we both had film cameras and used them. Very quickly, we used them less and less until they grew obsolete. We had this huge Rubbermaid box full of photos from our high school days, dating era, and early marriage. We NEVER looked at them. They were not in nice albums with labels. They were still in the envelopes they came in from the film developers.

After moving into this smaller house and needing to use every inch of storage space, I decided to go through the box and ruthlessly cull. It was fairly easy as 1) I am not a photo sentimentalist in general, and 2) the photos hadn't seen the light of day in more than 20 years, so we obviously weren't missing them. So, with DH's blessing, I chucked more than 75% of them. I know, some of you are gasping in horror. Get over it. That's the now-empty box with Emma.

Of the ones I did keep, I decided to put into one album all the wedding and honeymoon related photos. I grouped them by event - bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, etc. I stuck each photo (three to a page) on the page with two mounting squares. I did not label them. I know who everyone is and I know where and when these events took place (I was there, remember?). In the event I get old and can't remember anymore, well so be it. I FINALLY got finished with all those photos yesterday. WHEE-E-O!

Now I just have some old family pictures (that I AM sentimental about) to mount into another photo album. We had all these photos framed and on the walls, but we don't have a lot of blank wall space in this house and I prefer to fill up what there is with my stitching. So we deframed them and I will put them neatly into an album. After getting that done, I am calling it quits. The few remaining photos we decided to keep will go into a much, much smaller box and get stuck in the back or bottom of a cabinet somewhere. For now.

A note from my stitching chair: I haven't been stitching. I've been photoing. I did fondle my new pirate pattern quite a bit, but of course I haven't started on it because I am not done with the pattern for my parents.

Something else to argue about

It never ceases to amaze me what a bunch of women will argue about. The latest discussion in the stitching world is over buying or not buying charts with a "real" picture on them. Geesh.

For the record, I buy charts if I like the pattern regardless of whether or not the image of the pattern is a "real" photograph or a computer-generated image. I have some freebies and small kits that didn't have any picture but the chart itself, and they stitched up fine.

Some people apparently will only buy a chart if the picture on the cover is of the real stitched item. I'm at peace with that. Some will only buy a chart if they can first see a stitched model in their local needlework shop. Okay, I'm at peace with that, too. Some, like me, don't care; we're at peace with that. But it's the arguing and snipping at designers that gets me.

There were folks on a message board I read who were actually telling designers that they won't buy their charts because the picture on the cover is computer-generated. Well, my mama raised me better. If I felt this way, I certainly would keep it to myself. There are alot of designs I like but would never stitch, but I haven't fired off an e-mail to the designer to tell him or her that. Whatever happened to manners and only saying something if it's nice and polite? Fer cryin' out loud.

Emma says, "Get a life. Nap on your male human's legs and get over it."

Stash and UBSU progress

I got stash in the mail yesterday - all the way from the UK - and it got here in less than a week! Wow! I ordered Bothy Threads "Cut Thru' Pirate Ship" from Sew and So. I couldn't find it here in the US, so I ended up ordering it from the source, so to speak.

The UBSU is coming along nicely. I anticipate that it will be mostly finished sometime this coming weekend. Whee-e-o! I'll be able to properly store some of the unhomed stuff!

Couch destroyer

Our dog, Emma, loves to sleep on our couch. She loves to sleep on all parts of the couch. On top of the back cushions. On the seat portion. All over. We keep a pet throw on it to protect it from dirt and dog hair. It looks nice and neat about once a day right after we straighten it and the couch cushions. Most other times, it looks like this (with small dog included).

House update

Several have asked how the house is coming along. In a word, SLOWLY. Winter - even in south central Texas - slows you down a lot. So does hunting season, but I digress...

DH is currently in the process of working on the UBSU and on some cabinets to go over my desk. I got all the coats of paint on the outer parts of the UBSU over the past weekend, and DH should be able to assemble it this coming weekend. I have to slap some polyurethane on a few pieces once it is assembled, and then it will be finished!

While waiting on me (and for the weather to cooperate) to get the paint on the UBSU, DH built me some cabinets to go on the wall over my desk with the leftover UBSU lumber. He's got the frames made, and hopes to get the face frames made and attached by the weekend. Then I'll have to paint them. He'll make the doors later.

In the house, I am waiting for these WIP storage units to be completed so I can move mountains of waiting-for-a-home stuff that is in assorted piles in corners about my house to their new homes. And yes, the piles of stuff are driving me crazy.

Last stitchbook page

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments about my stitchbooking pages and my bellpull finish! I appreciate it!

I finished my last stitchbook page yesterday. I'm out of small unfinished projects to put in it. This page came out the best, in my opinion. And I also spent about three bucks on it. I had to give my tightwad-self CPR.

Michael's had scrapbooking papers on sale 7/$1.00 last week. So I took the finished piece with me because I wanted to find a solid brown color that would make the colors in it really pop. Well, of course the solid colors were not on sale. But I did find the "perfect" brown, so I paid full price for it. Then I made the mistake of wandering down the sticker alphabet aisle and saw the "perfect" alphabet stickers. They were not on sale either, and I paid full price for them, too.

What do you do with the unused portions of sticker packs? They sit around like long orts in my opinion.

Anyway, here is the page. This is "Purr-turbed" by Margaret Sherry (Heritage Stitchcraft pattern). And yes, I took the picture wonky; everything on the page is straight.

Last finish of 2008

I finished my bellpull on the last day of 2008. I stitched the four seasonal patterns from Prairie Schooler #123 "Country Seasons" on a 16 count aida band. The banding had a very open weave - someone told me it was tapestry banding - so I had to fill in all the unstitched spaces with ecru DMC to make it look right.

This was one of the few pieces I've had to stretch and block as it hung wonky even after I washed and ironed it. But I finally got it all finished and here are pictures of the whole thing and of each panel individually.

A note from my stitching chair: I am now stitching on the 50th anniversary piece for my parents. I didn't stitch a lick on Sunday as I OD'd on football. I wish I had a mute button for Phil Sims as I had to put up with him commentating on the Steelers/Ravens game. He seems to blurt whatever comes to his mind regardless of the facts. At least I got my wish for a Cardinals and Steelers Superbowl!