The Halloween Stitching Project

No matter what happens from this point on, I can proudly announce that this year, I am ready for Halloween. At least in the stitching sense.  My Halloween project - "The Spells' Store" - is finished! (Drum Roll, Happy Dance, etc., etc.... )

Design by The Primitive Hare
Published in Just Cross Stitch 2013 Halloween
Stitched on 28 ct Antique White Evenweave
DMC Floss

I have been looking at this pattern for the past two years. Finally, this year I had a spare moment (several of them) - and here's the result....
I think, the first thing in the project that grabbed my attention were the boots- their shape, the socks in them - or are they actually "booted" feet on the shelf? The question opens up so many topics - and suddenly you are visiting a store somewhere in Diagon Alley - or is it Knockturn? I guess that would depend on the answer about the boots.

I noticed that many Halloween and Witch patterns have the years 1692 and 1861 featured in them... I know the significance of the year 1692 - Salem Witch Trials - but what about year 1861? I know it's the time of  the Confederacy-  the secession of the Southern states, and the beginning of the American Civil war, - but what does it have to do with witchcraft?

I also made a short video on the "Spells' Store" progress and wanted to post it on Facebook, but, unfortunately, it was deleted. The Facebook administration sited the concern that "not all parts of the video belong to me." They were probably referring to the music. Then again, I would never try to claim the authorship of "Don't Fear the Reaper." I just want to use the song in my video.

So, here it is...

I hope you like it...

Happy Halloween - and happy stitching.

A Bit of Stitching, High Anxiety, and Instruments of Medieval Torture

Hello, dear friends!
First of all, I want to share some stitching I have done over the past three weeks...

First, I thought of posting five or six progress pictures, but then, feeling brave(r) than usual, I decided to make it into a movie. This is still work in progress - desperately needing a broom and a header (where the huge brown circle is) - but, overall, I am happy with the result. Now to see if Blogger is able to play this... Keep your fingers crossed for me! 

Other than stitching, I am still dedicated to the gym, although in my mind I now refer to it as "medieval torture chamber." I am sure many of you can relate: when you are on the machine, everything hurts, and afterwords, everything hurts even more. The look of the machine, with all of its gadgets, screws and adjustment levers, strongly reminds me of the medieval torture device. In my case, the personal trainer (a.k.a. "the torture master") adjusts the devices and makes me go through the routine, assuring me the whole time that it's good for me. Finally, the screams, moans and groans of people around me (mostly males lifting weights) add the final touch and make the experience of the torture chamber complete.

A separate word about the moaning and groaning fellow sufferers... Mostly, they are men, and they lift weights, and they tend to drop and smash those weights all over the place. From a distance, it sounds something like this: "Arrrrgh! - Boom! - Clang... - Oooh... " The sound sequence is repeated over and over, with the "arrrgh"'s getting louder and more painful, and booms and clangs more loud. I don't know why these men do it this way - maybe, they think it sounds macho, attractive, like "look at me, I am so strong"? For me, at its loudest/dramatic it sounded like the guy was having a heart attack. Otherwise, it seemed like he was taking a painful dump. So, in conclusion: gentlemen, stop showing off! If you have to scream lifting the weight, that means you need to switch to a lighter weight. Making scary near-death-like noises only intensifies the "torture chamber" effect I talked about earlier.

To be fair, going to the gym does make me feel better overall, and I also lost a little weight - five pounds, to be exact, - thanks mostly to following the "torture master"'s routine. So, although I do call her that (in my mind), I am actually grateful to her.

Until next time - happy everything!

Time to Brag!

Hello again, dear friends!

Remember the stick that I posted a couple of weeks ago - part of BRD ornament? Well, it got stitched into this...

"Silent Night" by Blue Ribbon Designs
stitched on Linen with DMC Floss

I always recognize a BRD pattern by the "signature" trees and branches. It was a pleasure to stitch, with, perhaps, the caption being the most tricky part - one over one, with 2 strands.

Now I will have to mobilize my decor stash to turn it into an actual ornament. I will do it, just don't know when exactly - some time before Christmas.

That concludes the cross stitch bragging.... Now - on to the family!

My dear daughter Vera, who is now 12 and is going to the 8th grade this year, went to Tech Trek Science Camp at University of Santa Barbara last week!

She participated in a competition and was selected to attend the Science Camp on a scholarship: study math and physics, perform hands on experiments, and live like a college student - for a whole week.

About two days before we dropped her off, I asked her if she was excited. She answered, "I guess... I did not realize that I signed myself up for one extra week of school." I could see she was nervous and self-conscious, unsure of how she was going to be accepted. She does not feel "popular" at her regular school, and I could see the old fears creeping in.

Vera and her roommate on the first day

I kept telling Vera (and myself) that this was a new experience, that things were going to be great, that she was going to - finally - find people to connect with. My DH was apprehensive - with teachers and leaders - and students - being entirely girls, a few over eager matrons shot an eagle eye in his direction every time he hugged our daughter. One of them even tried to say he was not allowed to be there - until he said his daughter was there and he just wanted to say good bye before taking off. Generally, my being a woman helped ease the moving around process - no suspicious looks, no restrictions. Finally, we hugged our daughter good bye and drove away - to our own mini vacation.

Six days later, we were there 30 minutes early to pick her up....

Our daughter has transformed. From all the things described above and a couple more - she came to greet us - happy, confident and focused. She did find friends - the whole time we were there, Vera was hugging girls that were running to her, or hugged by girls that she ran to - and we took pictures. She introduced us to them and vise versa, laughed, talked, smiled.... She was in her element. She was among friends.

Vera with a new friend.

For the first time in years, I saw my daughter just as she was - no makeup, no cover up, no glitter - just herself, beautiful and confident. She found her team, her group, of like minded individuals - and they turned out to be - young scientists...just as herself.

Thank you, Tech Trek!

Vacation: When Time Stood Still

Hello, dear friends,
Did I mention my DH and I were planning a vacation? Probably not - because we have been planning it year after year, on and on, and something always came up.
But this time, it did happen! Taking advantage of the kids being away and the vacation time, we packed the car and went...

We stayed at the Bed and Breakfast we "discovered" for ourselves about 6 months ago. Our room had a private patio with a hot tub, and I took full advantage of it, starting and ending my day with hot bubbles...

It felt like someone had turned back the clock, and we arrived... thirty years ago. Everybody's polite, the view is beautiful, the food is delicious, and - the time is all ours...

Water Mill at Apple Farm

One of the features of the garden at Apple Farm (the name of the place we stayed at) is the Water Mill. I know it is decorative, but it was so pleasant hearing the sound of running water every night falling asleep. There were sounds of frogs, too - I still don't know if the frogs are real... Joe really hoped they were.

Every day there was a complementary wine tasting - hosted at the patio. I have never seen so many flowers in one place - that was not a garden.

Grapevines....

The most  amazing thing about our vacation was that - for the first time, we did not have to do anything - unless we wanted to. Joe and I consciously gave up planning and cramming "experiences" into our schedule and just went along with what felt right. If we wanted to go to the beach - we did...

When we felt like sleeping in - we slept... We even ordered breakfast in bed one morning - and when it arrived, all the things in it could feed a small army... I did it just to see what would happen - for having the experience. My first room service ever. I can now check that off my "bucket list."

Now, after three days of soaking in the tub, smelling flowers and drinking wine, we are back. Thankfully, we have time to gradually get back into the rhythm of things, one or two adjustments at at a time...

It was nice to do things at our own pace, on our own time. No rush, no stress. This part, we'll have to do more often.

A Stick... And a Workout Update

Hello, dear friends!

With my projects on time, I've decided to give myself a couple of days off and - yes, stitch again. The difference is - this time I am stitching for myself and for my family. I have looked at several projects and decided on a new Christmas ornament by Blue Ribbon Designs from the most recent Just Cross Stitch magazine.

Here's the start of it....

"Silent Night" progress

It's a stick! At the time I am typing this, it has actually grown into the full blown tree, with one (of two) owls to boot. Hopefully, I will complete it by tomorrow, and then do the finishing. I still am not sure whether to use stuffing and make it into a soft ornament, or cut a mounting board and make it into a "firm" type. The other BRD ornament I had has turned out to be a soft one. 

In addition to some stitching, I have been working out. Those who have read my previous post know that I joined the gym about six weeks ago, and since then I have been going regularly, three times a week. After working out on my own for the first two weeks, I've joined a group workout two days a week, and then, on the third day, I go in for the swimming exercises. 

All this effort brought results - some good, some... not so good. The good news is - I lost 6 % body fat (hooray!), the not so good news is - I gained 3 pounds. Now, I remember the trainer telling me that for the first six weeks I will be gaining muscle mass, and that will result in some weight gain. In fact, he even suggested I did not weigh myself for the first 5 weeks at all. So, maybe, it's all good news? I will try to look at it so.

Right now, I am going back to stitching. Until next time...

Happy 4th of July!

My dear friends,
Happy Independence Day!

Design by Nancy Turner

I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends. Originally, I had big plans about cooking- and eating, but my DH has to work all day, so- instead I will just go to the gym, then stitch and cook dinner. Oh, and hide my cats away from the fireworks.

Still, even with my children away (girls are visiting family) and having to work, it's a special day. A day when the colonies decided to do "their own thing" and declared their independence from England. Ever since I came here - about 20 years ago - I felt that doing one's own thing is the main theme, the corner stone of this society. Becoming independent and making one's own decisions, becoming an adult is what the colonists have done as a country, and now perhaps it's their spirit that calls each one of us to do the same thing - on an individual level.

So, barbecues and fireworks aside, today I will be thinking about - what it means to be independent.

Have a wonderful holiday! 

A Little Self Love...

Hello, dear friends,

This will not be a stitching post... Not that I have not stitched - in fact, it's what I have been doing most of the time, - but... there is something else on my mind today: my own needs...

To begin: with all the non-stop stitching, my bum has taken over. It has been growing exponentially, and no matter how I tried to curb my eating habits, it did not seem to make any difference. It was growing, and growing, and nothing would stop it - while I at the same time was feeling more and more tired, getting dizzy spells every time I left the house.

The situation forced me to look at myself - and sign up for a gym membership. For the past three weeks, I have been going to the gym - three times a week: walking on the treadmill, exercising on the bike, swimming in the pool - among other things.

Now, exercising in the gym when you are thirty six is a different experience from when you are, say, eighteen or twenty five. When you are eighteen, exercising is more of a "pleasant distraction", it seems. You are naturally graceful - at least on the outside - and slender; working out is done "just for upkeep" or "just to gain some extra strength", - or, in my case, just because I liked swimming. Mirrors are your friends: every time you look at yourself, you think, "I look all right!"

Not the same when you are thirty six, after giving birth to three kids... All the marks life has imprinted on your body - stretch marks, saggy boobs, "love handles" (why the hell are they called that? there's not much to love there), extended stomach - all that is there for you to see in every mirror you pass by - so, you avoid mirrors.

Exercising is no longer "just for fun" - you came with a purpose: to lose weight, to lose the gut, to get healthy, - however you phrase it, the goal really is to both look and feel better.. So, you focus on the exercises, on strengthening proper muscles, on increasing resistance, - instead of "just doing stuff". This time, you know what you want. Consequently, this is no longer a social get together with friends - it's a place of sweating and pain. You do not expect to look "sexy" or "attractive" during these times - you just want, mostly, to be left alone, and occasionally for someone to let you know if you are doing something wrong- and correct you.

My personal goal is to lose 20 pounds (about 9 kilograms) in the next six months. It is a long road, and I even had a meeting with a personal trainer, who assured me that my goal was entirely reachable - provided I exercised regularly and ate right. He took my measurements, gave me an outline of cardio and workout exercises, showed me a couple of machines I could start on - and I went to work.

For the first two weeks, I worked out entirely by myself: walking on the treadmill and riding a bike for cardio, doing sets on the machines the trainer showed, and swimming in the pool. By the end of the second week, I noticed that walking no longer pushed the wind out of me, and I could increase the speed on the treadmill. The bike became more familiar, and as far as stomach crunches - I could now do three sets of 20 (up from 15) and not feel like I needed to lie down.

I have obviously been getting stronger. So, feeling brave and certain that I was ready for the "next step", I decided to go to one of the group lessons... Oh boy was I humbled! Every time I jumped, my boobs were flying everywhere... When the trainer said to the group, "Drop it, push-up!" - I could only think, "If I drop it, I won't be able to get up." Some exercises - designed to be "funny" or "sexy" in addition to working out the muscles, perhaps - made my inner voice state with dignity to me, "There are things I just will not do!" So - I was able to last about 40 minutes out of an hour workout.. I am not giving up, and will try again tomorrow. Maybe bring a longer shirt, hehe...

This is my third week at the gym. I know I am getting stronger: I can walk longer distances without getting dizzy, I don't have to catch my breath going up and down the stairs... I have been sleeping better and not feeling as tired. Also, I can better concentrate when stitching, so - it's an improvement. I have not bothered weighing myself - the trainer said that, most likely, I am not to lose weight during the first 4 to 5 weeks, and I may even gain a couple of pounds - because of gaining muscle mass.

Back to the gym tomorrow morning... wish me luck!