Back in the Saddle Again

I must admit, last month I almost gave up on this old blog.  Initially, I thought it was something I had done that was preventing me from posting.  After returning from Amsterdam I had to make a day trip down to Atlanta and on that late night flight home I was tired.  I did something I’ve never done before - I left my iPad on the plane in the seat pocket.  Anticipating that I would never get it back, I changed passwords on everything - iTunes, Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, etc.  I thought this was somehow related to my issues with Blogpress.  After several frustrating attempts to resolve and with help from a couple of other bloggers who also used Blogpress, I realized that theyjust ceased to exist!

So then I had to find another posting service.  I think I used Blogger a long time ago when I first started this blog.  Something happened and I transitioned to Blogsy and then Blogpress.  So now I am back with Blogger.  I had some issues posting photos, but I finally had time to figure that out.  So here we go again - fingers crossed!  By the way, I did eventually get my iPad back.

So what have I been stitching?  Most of November and December were spent stitching ornaments.   I probably stitched close to two dozen of the Hardanger ornament in the photo below.  I made eight sleds.  All have been gifted already.  The little Raggedy Ann ornament was made for my niece, June.

Last night I wanted to work on something different and pulled out a Blackbird piece that I started Thanksgiving weekend.  It’s called Feliz Navidad.  I’m stitching it on 40 count Legacy, but last night I was struggling with the linen.  My eyes have been changing; I have never needed magnification, but I think that a good quality magnifier is in my future!

Anyway, I thought that stitching on 36 count linen might work better and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I pulled out this Prairie Schooler chart which I have wanted to stitch for years. I had a piece of 35 count Antique Lambswool in my stash that fit the bill.  Hee is my stitching progress from last night and tonight.

It’s been quite cold hee in Minnesota and my hands have been extremely dry.  This is what I use to keep my hands in shape for stitching.  These Burt’s Bees products work wonders overnight.  I also included my new favorite EOS lip balm.  It’s called Holiday Peppermint.

That’s all I’ve got for tonight.  Tomorrow we will have a rather low key Christmas Eve celebration.  We will be preparing for Christmas dinner on Monday.

Thanks for stopping!  Merry Christmas!