Word Play

Its been a long time since I've really devoted any time to this project, and even longer since I've shown any pictures.  December Word Play was completed back in 2011, I worked on November all through 2012 and finally finished it this month, along with October and a start on September.  The whole series is being stitched on one loooong piece of 40 count Flax linen, which I gave a coffee bath.  For those of you that are curious about the specifics, it will be roughly 890 stitches lone (including 5 blanks between each month) and 129 wide.

And here's a pic of the whole thing as of a few days ago (there's been some progress on September since the picture).  Please excuse the wrinkles!

Its a bit strange working backwards, but I don't trust myself to count correctly up to the top, and I'm too lazy I don't want to take the time to baste in the lines.

I'll leave you with some pictures I took while we were at Sea World last week, taking advantage of local resident Fun Passes.  Mom rode the Manta rollercoaster with me, since Dad's back is a ticking time bomb for a 3rd back surgery.

Shamu show

Falcon used to scare off snowy egrets that steal food from the seal and sea lion area

Mom (and Dad next to her, but hidden) on the whirly-gig ride.  This is actually in the children's
area, but what the heck, the park wasn't exactly swamped with kids mid-week in March.

Harbor seal clapping to get attention and hopefully fed some
mackerel (assuming the snowy egret didn't steal it first).

Pictures part 2

This isn't going to be totally stitching related.

First off, what my house looked like the 3 days before Thanksgiving.

 The living room

 My office

My bedrooom

The 3rd floor loft storage/craft area

I treated the packers well, just like mom taught me, and they treated me well.  They were told up front no cash tips, but were provided muffins for breakfast, I made a coffee run across the street as soon as they arrived each morning, and I treated them to lunch every day.  Oh, and leftover drinks and plenty of bottled water to help themselves to.  After going through 16 moves, I have it down pretty well on how to make sure those packers are happy and they pack my stuff well.

While they were packing, they let me sit in my chair downstairs, watching TV, catching up on DVR shows, and stitch.  What exactly did I stitch on?  Why the December Word Play of course!  I've actually stitched a tiny bit into November, and have my center basting line in, but its really not worth a picture at this point.

With My Needle and Thread December Word Play
stitched on 40 ct coffee-dyed Flax linen

Thanksgiving was a day to finally take a deep breath and relax a bit.  Relax I did, it started with a sleeping pill Wednesday night, and not one of those wimpy Ambiens either.  I spent the day totally in my jammies (lounge clothes I won't leave the house in) and a lot of it online gaming with some of my computer friends.  Dinner was a scrumptious seafood stuffed portabella mushroom, and some steamed veggies.  Totally yummy, and not turkey.  Call me un-American, but I really don't like turkey, and usually cook something else for Thanksgiving.  Prime rib is a popular option.

Saturday was the day to stop by some of my favorite spots in Ogden.  It was also Shepherd's Bush holiday open house.  They had their fresh garland strung up outside the store, and then the table full of yummies in the entry area.

First thing you see when you enter the store proper is the fresh tree Teri picks our every year.  As the season progresses, more and more ornaments find their way onto it.

Skipping to the back room, Kari (in the white shirt with the Santa hat) had managed to get away from baby Oliver for a long enough to lead the project the shop was hosting.  They were some really cute and easy to make tags.  Never again will I buy pre-made or printed gift tags.  Much better to make your own.  And no, Kari wasn't really wearing that Santa hat, I just had some fun in Picnik

If you want to see more about the Open House, check out the Bush website, or their Facebook page.  They actually did a cute little video showcasing all 6 of their new projects release for Christmas.  Some are absolutely adorable, and others just aren't my taste.

Final stop was an afternoon meal at Two Bit Street Cafe.  This is one of my favorite places to eat in Ogden, and was right across the street from where I lived (and 1 block from The Bush).  Nothing fancy, and it probably falls in the dive category, but Penny's food is amazing.  One word of warning, if it gets busy, you could be in for a wait.  The kitchen is tiny, and there is usually only one person acting as a waiter.  If you're lucky, James will be in and perform some magic tricks.  He totally baffled my dad with a few of them.  Not much gets by Dad, and he knows how most of the "tricks" work, but James has some that he just didn't have a clue about.  We still have the totally twisted and mangled fork from one of them.

Ok, enough for now, hopefully Part 3 will be tomorrow, and should primarily catch you up on other things I've been stitching over the last couple of weeks.