Some enabling per request of joannahurley

My favourite designs in the Myth & Magic:

The sunny summer evenings... look at the balcony behind Neko. The picture was taken yesterday after 9 pm.

Stash, stash, stash!

All (but my Cross My Heart order - I just hope they haven't send it as surface mail O_o), parcels are now landed.

Debbie had a stash sale and I couldn't resist...

I paid only $20 with the postages of the whole set: the Myth & Magic was only $5 when it's retail in USD is $24.99 - and if I had bought from here it would have been more than that, in euros.
It has couple of nice designs (two PINN designs, one TW etc.) so it was a real bargain.

In addition to my new stash I received my EMS Staff's Stitch N*Stash Exchange item from Maite in Spain.

I already have plans for the towel - it would make a great gift for my mother when stitched up - when ever I have time... (Actually I found some nice motifs for the M&M to use for the border. )

Long time, no goals: July

I decided to start goaling again so here's a short list for July:

1. Stitch another 'Autumn' in my colour scheme (my excuse is that I promised Linda to get her a better picture ).
2. Stitch monochromatic version of the 'Spanish Sampler' before 15th of July.
3. Stitch models.
4. Participate July Stitch-a-Thon.

SAT: The End

I didn't achieve much, but noticing that I was away during the SAT and had things to do, people to meet and places to go I got some progress and that's great - and I did stitch the models a bit.

From this to this:

The next project on my list, for today, is sympathy ornament for a friend who has suffered a great loss recently.

Back

I could have stayed week or two, but the car was rented and so forth so here I am again, as promised. (I may go back there with my mother in August.)

Pictures can be found from here - as you probably guess those are mostly kitties.

This is indecent... i.e. Happy Birthday Dear Me, part II

Well... my first ever order from 1-2-3 Stitch! arrived today! (It won't be my last one as they shipped very fast. )

The seasonal cats and Mild Menagerie are something I have drooled after for years (I actually have the Fall Cat in one old JCS, but I like to have the whole set *grin*).

SAT: Goals

It's that time of the month again!

My intention is to count whole Thursday- Sunday period to SAT as I am away those days and I may not want to wait.

This is what I have now:

My goal is to finish page four (bush area) and work on mother's face - and work on few small models in between everything.

The beauty of stash i.e. Happy Birthday Dear Me, part I

My latest order, from Sewandso (it was placed in Friday), arrived today!

 
 

Some Cross My Heart's I think I haven't ordered from them (I know I will have some duplicates when the other two orders arrive, but I have already found loving home for them *evil grin*) and The Goblin Market by Counted Illuminations.
If you are considering to purchase The Goblin Market note that the chart is hand-drawn and therefore not very clear.

I have been stitching, but as they are models I can't show you anything, except the regular teaser.

As I have been commuting around lately they have been great projects to take with me as they are small and monochromatic - though I have to get another needle minder, I managed to lose yet another needle while I was sitting in the bus in Thursday.

My brother and his kids (they had been travelling all around Southern Finland to see both our parents' cabins, see some relatives etc. - obviously he's enjoying his life now that they are separated with his soon-to-be-ex-wife) came to visit my parents this week and when they came to my mother (in Wednesday) I decided to go to see them (it was also a great excuse to go to Helsinki and find myself new cafetiére (I broke the jug of the old one)). Surprisingly it was not a disaster so I ended up staying over night at my mother's.

And in coming week we'll head to our mother's cabin with bits_2_whole, our mother and our altogether nine cats.
This means that there will be pictures after that and also short gap in blogging - one of those I have had lately - between 19th and 22nd of June.
It's Midsummer weekend and in here people often run away from the life to their cabins (or rented ones).

Before that I see some incoming stash and entries about that... I have three stash-y parcels on their way... as a birthday gift from myself for myself (aren't I so thoughtful? *grin*).

Oh, the temptation

I got to hear that Cross My Heart Inc. is closing down and having -50% sale...

You know where this leads to...

Yes, more stash on its way... because "it was SO cheap and I have to get all my favourites while I can!"

To dream, to sleep

First time in almost two months my dreams are rather logical (I have to say that sertraline has very entertaining effect on one's dreams), but I am not completely sure is it a good thing.
Because the dreams are so logical, you live them more and when you wake up you fall off of your cloud.

It makes me moody. To be dragged off from the place I was happy at.

Though, I believe that this was yet another sign of progress.

Basically the dream went like this:

I had just had a home warming party. (Silly thing was that I know it was my own apartment, even it looked different inside (the front door and the like were the same).)
One of my guests hadn't left yet. I didn't know the guy, but I didn't mind him being around because I felt comfortable with him. The previous residents had left the place dusty and some of their belongings in the kitchen: there were glasses in the cupboards and the fridge was filled with food, food I couldn't eat (marinated meat) - this we found out when we went to check is there any food for us (it was Saturday evening and all the stores were closed until Monday) and I recall myself explaining to him (his arm around my waist) that I can't eat any of the stuff in the fridge as they have MSG in them and it gives me migraine.

"Well, I can always eat you though..." was my last comment on the fridge issue.
You can deduce from this that even we didn't knew each other we had a thing growing between us, making us us.

I woke up when we were walking to somewhere and he hugged me...

Firstly: getting over one's past, obviously. Leaving the people who I can't find nutrition from any more in the cold fridge and concentrating on finer things of life.
Cleaning the apartment and enjoying the finer things of life with someone I feel comfortable with. Maybe there was also a realization that such a person can be found only accidentally.

Still, I am rather blue because I was taken away from that dream by alarm clock.

Well, at least I am not completely blunt emotionally like I have been last two months - I am adjusting to the medication, finally.

A happy dance!

Finally, after ages and ages and some shaking issues of few days (I upped the dosage and suffered few days of various symptoms, one of them being uncontrollable shaking in my limbs (hands mostly)) it's done!

The darker greens ARE of different shade, it just doesn't show too well on the stitched piece.

Butterflies everywhere!

I just heard that my Secret Postcard Pal exchange receiver has received her package and loved it.

The theme was chosen from her username, I bet you can't figure out what it is. *insane giggling*

Yes, her username is Butterfly. How obvious of me.
The parcel contained:

• A local postcard (as required)
• Stoney Creek's Butterflies & Blossoms booklet
• Butterfly Morning kit by Serendipity Designs
• Kelmscott Designs' Butterfly needle minder. (click the image on Ovi and you'll see the big image where you can see the needle minder better - it's really beautiful!)

As you have figured out by now the exchange rules required a local post card and some nice stash (at least $10, I think I went closer to $18 - 20... *whistles innocently*)

Few bits

Still alive, nothing much to tell, only few interesting tidbits:

1. I filled the follow-up forms for depression and anxiety day before yesterday. My BDI score has plummeted from 15 to 7 in about 1½ months.
2. I was visiting my mother yesterday and after taking bronchodilator (it was an extremely dry day, very bad for my lungs) I decided to use her meter and measure my peak flow. It was majestic 700 litres/ minute! Remember that I have an obstructive, chronic lung disease and the median for a woman of my age and height is 440.
   Therefore my lung capacity is 159%. (This probably means that my lung function is recovering.)
3. I have found an excellent combination for workout: goth metal and Stephen King's books.
   If I only watch DVDs or listen only music I can't train more than 20- 30 minutes because I begin to feel too exhausted... when I listen to goth metal and read I can do as much as 64 minutes.
4. My pulse rate bothers me: it seems to be almost impossible to keep it over 140, even less at 160 which should be the best pulse rate for excercise.
5. It seems that caffeine blocks the effect of sertraline: when I drink decaf I am much more energetic than when I drink regular coffee and the meds seem to work better.

The blue scheme? I noticed one day that eLJay's trademark colour scheme was quite nice and soothing so I figured out the colour codes and edited my template.

Floss p0rn!

While I was shopping at Sewadso for stuff for my Secret Postcard Pal I decided to justify the postages *ahem* and try some Painter's Threads flosses... I was in awe when I opened the envelope - and after seeing the floss you will know why!

Yummy, eh? And also rather inexpensive noticing that one skein of cotton is 10 or 20 metres of six stranded floss (the size seems to vary between the colours).
The separate smaller skeins are PT's silks.

The parcel contained also, of course, things for my SPP, but as she would be easily identifiable based on the things I bought I won't show them yet (I can say one thing though: she's going to love the goodies!), beading needles (as I have lost all my old ones) and two 50 cm x 70 cm cuts of 32 counts: Wild Raspberry linen and Ice Blue Murano.

On other happy news I finally got my sickness allowance and I celebrate getting rid of most of my hair: I have a hairdresser tomorrow! (And I found my favourite hair dye from store - that shade hasn't been available for over a year in there!)

*gasp* A happy dance

Noticing how small the piece is it's amazing how many days I stitched it, but it's finally stitched, now I only need to finish it, which will be rather quick (and remember to add the ribbon to it as one of the definitions of the piece was that it has to be "hangable").
As you know I am not huge fan of pink, but these dusky rose shades looked quite lovely together so I went with the colour scheme.

Teaser, of course, as you never know who reads your blog, right?