Good News

Yes! I finished the Old Sturbridge Village cross-stitch. Putting those two borders on took so long for something so simple. I worked on it in Texas and I worked on it with the Girl Scout Sewing Circle. But it's finished! Finished! Ooh, that's a fun word to type.

Now it gets to sit in my drawer until I can get it to the framers. I refuse to sign it until just before that happens. (Sometimes things wait a while.)
In other news, I got my confirmation for the Long Beach International Quilt Festival. I am taking two classes and I get to be the teacher's pet (tee-hee!) for one of them! (That means I pick up supplies and help at the door and stuff.) Also, I found a hotel two miles away for $80/night less! I could have gotten a room on the Queen Mary and I was tempted, (talk about history!) but TripAdvisor said the beds were terrible--maybe they're historic.

If you come and play, let me know!

Gotta Owie

I suppose I should share this: I was in a MINOR car accident last Friday. The damage, as you can see, was minimal. My tail light cover was broken and there's a skid along the fender. But the psychic damage was considerable. I'm having nightmares and driving anxiety. This woouldn't be a problem if I lived in an area with great public transportation, but San Diego kinda sucks in that arena. San Diegans drive... a lot! Drive the kid to school, to the gym, to the grocery store... even my church is 22 miles away! Don't even ask how far away my stitchery stores and quilt shops are.
This is rough, but I think I'll get through it. DH says that exercise will really help with the anxiety. He's probably right. (Irritatingly, he usually is.) However, when I'm anxious, I just want to hide out in my studio.
...Which means I have gotten some sewing done:

Presenting Sturbridge Village (almost done)

Things to Do While You're Sick

1. Balance the checkbook
2. Eat crackers
3. Put away the Christmas decor--s-l-o-w-l-y
4. Take a walk. A short walk
5. Finish up cross-stitch projects, even if you're not mad about them anymore
6. Wait for someone to come home and make soup
7. Finish reading books that you began a while ago and don't really remember how they went but don't want to start over
8. Leave messages on friends' answering machines

If this is my checklist, I can say with certainty that I've done it all. While it's nice not being expected to cook, being barred from the kitchen for fear of spreading germs is a little weird.
As you can see, I've finished--and hung!--my country heart project. It's not really my style, but it's up high enough that it looks nice without taking over.

And Sturbridge is moving right along. Excluding the very simple border, I can say that I've finished 2/3 of the piece. That is, I've completed 4 of the 6 pages in the pattern. And I'm not stoppin'! In fact, when I finish this, I'm heading back to it. I really like the church. I had to substitute in another color when I didn't like ecru, but I managed. It reminds me of the serenity I felt when last I entered that little church. It may be part of a museum now, but it's still a good place to pray!

Vacation Memories in Stitches!

Old Sturbridge Village is moving along. After frogging a bunch of green shadows that should have been gold (aargh!), I focused on the house and it shows. Nothing like sittin in the air-conditioned splendor of Starbucks and stitching! The stitched piece will be a diagram of this living history museum in Massachusetts. (link)I've visited twice and would happily go back. It's set in the 1830's and people dressed in period costume talk about the history of the place and do the work of the townsfolk. From the banker to the country housewife, there are wonderful conversations to be had and activities to enjoy. I, of course, love the handwork and learning about women's roles in history; my beloved really enjoys getting into intellectual conversations with the historians on-site; and our daughter played rounders (kind of a proto-baseball) on the green and helped the housewife in her baking.