Sunday, May 24, 2009

Hello. Remember me???

I can't believe that it's the end of May already. One more
week and we'll be into June. The weeks have just flown
by and I'm terribly behind in my blog posting and my
commenting. I've been visiting everyone as usual, but
that's all. I've been spending these past few weeks
adapting to the lifestyle changes that I started making
at the end of March and getting use to the shift in my
priorities and the loss of a good deal of my leisure time. I
want to get back into participation as well as observation
when it comes to blogging and that will be my next goal
in this journey. Please be patient with me.


My progress on Prairie Schooler's Prairie Birds. Strictly my
at work project so progress is slow considering the relative
simplicity of these designs. I have finished the Blue Birds
and am now making a start on the Robins. Here's a close
up first of the latest part finished and the start of the next
square.


And this is the whole project. I took these pictures outside today
but it was cloudy when I did it so these are a wee bit darker then
they are in real life. I do love this grouping and I suspect that I'm
going to find it hard to let it go when I'm done. When it comes to
this particular design grouping choosing which of the birds to
stitch is the really hard part. They are all so wonderful.


If I have the time to do so I stitch on my butterflies at night
and on weekends. The challenge of this design is of course
that first you stitch the butterfly upside down, then sideways
and then right side up, and then sideways again. Love the
Threadworx thread that I'm using for the first time on this
project. Gorgeous stuff.


Last week I was on vacation. And when you are on
vacation it's tempting to start something new and
to focus on stitching that piece during your time off.
Well, if you're me that's what you do anyways. So
here we have a little freebie that I am stitching on
a cut of Bittersweet evenweave, using Crescent
Colours Ladybug. Since taking this picture this
morning I've added another layer of branches and
have one more layer to add after that and then it
will be done. It was a lovely day to sit under a tree
in the backyard and stitch, and so that's what I
did. Hopefully I'll get this one finished this week
and can enjoy a little happy dance.


My friend Amy across the street has five kids that she
home schools. The house is full of kids and pets and
it's always fun when I go over there for tea and a visit.
There's always something going on and everyone's
going a mile a minute and doing a dozen different
activities and Amy is in the middle of it, laughing
and guiding and teaching, loving and patient.
Such a different lifestyle from ours.

Two weeks ago Amy and her family adopted a pair
of puppies and we've all fallen in love with them.
Any excuse I can find to go over there and snuggle
a puppy for a few minutes I use. So here is Biscuit,
the biggest of the two puppy brothers, and I getting
to know one another. Hmmm.... Do you think Phoebe
would let me get a puppy????

No, me neither.


A week ago the cherry trees lining our driveway were
at their peak for blossoming and all three trees were
loaded with flowers. These were planted about 11
years ago and each Spring they give us this wonderful
display. In the winter time the cherries (which are
not suitable for humans to eat) are feasted on by
various birds including Ceder Waxwings, Pine
Grosbeaks and Robins. I think these are the only
things available to the Robins to eat when they first
return here from their Winter migration.



I discovered the video making feature on my
camera last week....

I've had the durn thing for a couple of years
now and have just discovered this feature now.
A techie wiz I am not!! But I digress....

I was sitting here stitching and Rupert and
Phoebe were laying together on the pillow
next to me. Rupert's tail is always twitching
and Phoebe can't resist it. As you'll see if
I manage to get this video loaded here
correctly.

Did I mention that I'm not a techie wiz???

******************************************

During my vacation I started taking longer
walks and am now walking 50 minutes a
day. I don't know how that'll work when I
go back to work tomorrow but somehow
I want to keep doing that routine if possible.
I have been going in the morning when I
first get up, around 7:30 or 8:00, during my
vacation but will be going in the evenings on
work days.

Weight Watcher's program has been good
for me and as of last Tuesday I've gotten
rid of 14 and a half pounds!!! Considering
the food that I'm eating this amazes me.
But I've gone from a completely sedentary
lifestyle and unrestricted eating of foods
of the less then healthy variety to exercise
and healthier eating so I think that my body
is responding to those changes quicker then
it probably will as time goes further along.

Well, it's almost time for bed so I'll close
by saying thanks for dropping by and
reading my blog. I appreciate the visits
and most especially the comments.

Happy stitching! Cheers!

23 comments:

Maggie said...

Your WIP are lovely!
Well done with keeping up the walks and the weight loss. I really need to get myself focused and loose a bit of weight, i just don't get the excercise i used to and i know if i got more active it would work.
Your little video is cute and that little puppy adorable, but your right i don't think your cats would approve of you getting one!
Have a good week.

Kathy A. said...

Oh I love your new works hon.
Who is the designer of the pattern with the little birds. I love that one.
And your purple butterflies - love that thread color as well as the design.
Good for you with your weight loss. I am also going to WW and it is working one pound at a time. I fell off the wagon for a while but am now back on track. Keep it up!!!!

Gina E. said...

Awww Judy, that little video is so cute!! Phoebe is so precious, she has such a dear little face. I'm like you with techology; my camera can take little movies too, but I think I've only done it once, and that was by accident!
Keep up the walking, my dear - not only will it keep your weight down, but also your blood pressure - unseen, but VERY important! I don't have a weight problem, but I don't exercise near enough, and my BP and Cholesterol are creeping up as I get older..

Gina E. said...

I forgot to compliment you on your stitching - gorgeous as always!

Cindy F. said...

Judy, your wips are so pretty! and your neighbor's puppy is adorable!!
You sound so relaxed on your vacation:)

Congratulations on your weight loss and your daily walking!! That's so exciting!

Judy S. said...

Beautiful stitching, Judy! I agree it's hard to keep up with the blogging when it's nice outside; the garden calls. Love your kitty or is it kitties?

Andrea said...

Wonderul WIPs. The video clip had me LOL. How funny.
Well done on the weight loss, that's a terrific achievement already.

mainely stitching said...

I kept waiting for Rupert to give Phoebe a good whack, but all he did was leave - what a gentleman!

Congratulations on the weight loss and lifestyle changes. Good for you! I love your stitching projects, too, especially those PS birds.

The neighbor's puppy is adorable. That slightly scruffy fur puts me in mind of Lola when we first got her. :)

Mylene said...

Great progress on all your WIP's and congrats on the weight loss.

stitcherw said...

You're making great progress on your birds. My favorite so far is the Hummingbird, but they are all sweet. Your butterflies are looking wonderful as well, what a beautiful color. Very fun new start too, bright and cheery. I've gotten a bit of crochet done for cat mats for the humane society, but no stitching in about a month. My stitching mojo just seems to have got up and went for some reason.

What a fun picture of you and Biscuit, he's adorable. I'll bet it is such fun to watch him playing with his brother. I remember when my Jaz (and Sasha) were that small, it seems they grow up so fast. As to Phoebe and Rupert, nope somehow I don't think they'd be to thrilled with you getting a puppy, LOL.

Loved the video of Phoebe and Rupert's tail. It looked like she couldn't decide if she wanted to cuddle it or snack on it. I'm surprised he didn't say to heck with it and move sooner. :) Nice job with your camera video.

Good luck with continuing your walking and eating plan, 14 lbs is wonderful. I really need to lose some weight too, my knees would greatly appreciate it.
Sue

Beatrice said...

Oh Judy you go girl. I'm cheering you on,and walking with you all the way... only km's apart.
I too am doing the WW thing and reached my goal weight and am now a lifetime member as of 3 weeks. It certainly is an adjustment but I'm very happy to be where I am now.!!
Your stitching is wonderful. Love the butterflies.
My computer has been acting up well not the computer actually xplornet.
Finally back on track.

I've been trying to keep up the reading. I do so enjoy the friendship of the bloggers. I just get a little overwhelmed sometimes. And then I need to stitch.

I had to chuckle at the video..soooo cute!
Good for you to figure out how to put that on the blogger. I'm not there yet!

Siobhán said...

Beautiful progress on the WIPs! Congrats on the weight loss and continued progress on WW. That is wonderful!!

samplerlover said...

Hi Judy,
All your work is lovely. I love the the bird sampler. It is coming along nicely. The butterly one is beautiful. I love how it all comes together. The little bird one is also lovely. Lookin forward to seeing them all finished.
I'm not tech wiz either. I noticed that I have a video of my bedroom on my camera that I didn't realise I had made.
What a beautiful puppy. He is quite cute. I don't think you cats would be to happy either.
Good for you with the weight loss. I did WW quite a few years ago and I really need to do it again. My problem is getting motivated again.
It's always lovely to go on long walks, especially on beautiful days.
Have a good week at work. - Sandra.

Jane said...

It's hard to keep up with the blogging isn't it? I have the same problem. I love the WIP's they are all beautiful.
Good for you on the weight loss.
I found out a couple months ago that I have high blood pressure so I also have a new diet and exercise routine. Progress is being made S-L-O-W-L-Y.
Keep up the good work!

Von said...

Judy, great to read your update! Congrats on the good changes you've made in your eating and exercising. I need to get out and move more myself - of course, spring/summer gets me out in the garden digging and pulling a lot, but I should work in walking the dog more. :D

Looking forward to hearing updates on your new job and more stitching!

Dani - tkdchick said...

Wow Judy! 14lbs that's just fantastic! Yup I agree I've lost a lot of my spare stitching time to being at the gym, Takewon-Do, Cardio TaeBox, or running! But I know its for the best, and I do enjoy being active. Once you're back at work you could break up your walk into smaller portions, it all adds up in end. 2 x25 min or however works best. I do try to get out at lunch for a 35 minute power walk on nice days, that certainly helps my mental space... its not been helping at the scales much but I know I'm better for it. Keep working at it Judy you've done so well!

Your projects are looking great, and I'm jealous... vacation time! I don't have any time off for about a month and I'm so looking forward to it!

Michelle said...

Your WIPs are lovely. I am really enjoying watching you stitch on the PS Birds. And congrats on your weightloss...it is such a great thing to do for yourself. I am also doing WW and it's kind of slow going.

Maren said...

I'm speechless. Your WIPs are all so pretty, but your PS birds are just breathtaking to look on. I love all those beautiful colors. Dang it! Like I need another chart on my to-do pile! lol

Congrats on your weight loss, and keep up with those walks! Putting it on never seems so difficult, but taking 'em off again is an accomplishment to be really, really proud of!

Brigitte said...

Judy, how great to read about the success of your lifestyle changes. Such a weight loss is fantastic. I should do all that as well - eating less unhealthy food and getting more exercise done - but at the moment it's all a question of time. Maybe during my next vacation ...

I love your PS piece so much that I pulled out the chart and put it in my folder of projects that I want to start this year. All those birds are so sweet.

I'm very curious to see what your driveway looks like now. I so love to see the changes in nature with each season.

stitcherw said...

My you've certainly been quiet lately. Hopefully everything is going well for you. Looking forward to your next update, you always have such fun posts to read.
Sue

stitcherw said...

Been a while since you posted. Hope everything is going well and you're enjoying your summer. Looking forward to hearing what you've been up to.
Sue

stitcherw said...

Thanks for the complement on the framing. The mat does look deep purple in the picture, but it's actually black. It's kind of fun though as it has a texture to it so it looks a bit like black aida. As to the bunnies, nope no special treats, but they seem to like what falls from the bird feeders and some of the grasses that we have as it looks to be 2 or 3 that come to visit the yard. Not so sure I'd be happy if I had a skunk visit me like you did though. If it kept to itself, maybe not to bad, but I'd be scared Jaz would chase it and then I'd be trying to get skunk smell out of her fur. So, when are you going to post an update? I'll bet you have some fun stitchy updates and book reviews for us to read. Also, how's your mom? How did the cotton you found for her work? Was it easier on her hands? How's weight watchers coming?
Sue

monique said...

How are you doing?!