Peacock WIP

I figured I'd better post this before the inevitable power outage that's going to happen here.  There's a flash flood warning for where I'm at.  Yes, it DOES flood here in the middle of the desert!

So without further ado, here's a WIP on my gigantic peacock kit!

Doesn't look like much, but I'm about an 8th of the way done with my second page.  So that's great!

My daughter got a hold of my pattern book for this kit and decided it needed a makeover.  In other words she tore it up.  So my poor book is all Frankensteined.  Ah well, that's what I get for leaving it within reach of a one year old.

Better get off in case of power outage, so Happy Stitching, everyone!

Loot Crate July 2014

Loot Crate time!  I actually got it yesterday, but by the time I checked my mail, it was pretty late and with my ear infection I just...I didn't want to stay up any later than I had to, so forgive me for being a day late!

This month's theme was Villains.  So here we go!

I rearranged everything so you could see what was in it.  This month's haul is probably my favorite so far.  Previously it was the Heroes box, but this Villains box was way more fun.

Don't mind the diaper box in the background, everything was so heavy that I needed extra support to prop the loot up.

When all the stuff was removed from the box, this is what the inside of my box looked like.  Different than normal.  I kind of wish that ore boxes came doodled in like that.  Pretty clever!

This month's haul included a Rocket Racoon comic, 2 8x10 posters, a t-shirt, a pair of socks, a keychain, a DVD, and a magnet.  First up, the Rocket Racoon comic!

Ugh, the flash of my camera ruins everything, but if I don't use it, my pictures are blurry.  I need a better camera!  This is a Loot Crate exclusive and I think I'll keep it in the plastic and put it with my other comics.  Yeah, I have a small comic book collection...mostly DC, but Marvel's good, too!

Next up:

I'm buying two thin black frames for these and they are going in my hallway with my random nerdy stitchings.  The Joker, oh my GOODNESS, the Joker looks so cool!

I am ever the sucker for keychains, so this Darth Vader immediately joined Sailor Moon and my Triforce on my purse.  The Bowser magnet is on my fridge holding up some of my son's artwork.

This is the t-shirt that came in this month's crate.  "Joki."  Get it?  Like Loki and the Joker?  I thought it was clever...a DC, Marvel mash up in the best way possible.  Funny story:  I wore this shirt today to go to the doctor, and the receptionist there is a really nerdy guy.  He asked me where I got my shirt and when I told him it's from Loot Crate, he asked how he could sign up.  So I gave him my member number and he signed up!  Now I have a dollar off my next crate!  Nice.  I will have to thank him next time I see him (probably for my appointment in two days).

Deadpool socks.  DEADPOOL SOCKS.  I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to see this.  That adorable pair of socks is the first thing I saw.  The blue "Necessary Evil" thing is a DVD.  I believe it said that it's about the rise of the super villains in pop culture.  I haven't watched it yet as my husband has been playing video games all day.  The little circle that is pretty much all camera flash is my Loot Crate monthly button.  Added to my lanyard with the rest of 'em.

This month is the coolest month so far.  So much villainy in one little box!  If you would like your own Loot Crate, you can sign up HERE!

Now I'm off to go pack my swap partner's stuff in a box.  I'm mailing it out on the 1st!  Happy stitching, everyone!

Pain, pain, go away...

I called the military clinic's nurse advice line last night when I suspected my medicine wasn't working.  My ear infection was way worse and when I told her my symptoms she asked me, "Why didn't you get an appointment with your primary care physician?"  My response:  They told me that they were booked so far out that they couldn't even schedule me an appointment.

So she tried to pull her nurse magic and see if a doctor would be willing to see me after hours.  No such luck.  I understand that.  The doctors' time is valuable, too, and they're not obligated.  However, we have no urgent care here.  The nearest urgent care is more than a 40 mile drive.  We DO have an ER here.  The nurse told me that I needed to see someone within the next few hours.

Apparently my ear infection symptoms weren't normal.

I went to the ER and I was there for almost 3 hours as they tried to get the swelling in my face and neck down.  No such luck, of course.  So now I'm on a super potent antibiotic and an ear drop antibiotic.  They also gave me a numbing ear drop, but I think I'm allergic to it because using that feels like I'm dumping hot oil into my head.  And the pain is NOT temporary.  It lasts for hours, so I am not using it.

There is no improvement from yesterday even with taking the medicine, but I do know that it will take a couple days.  I just wish my swelling would go away.  No amount of Motrin, hot packs, or cold packs has helped, and the numbing ear drops make it worse.  I miss being able to drink from a cup or even eat.  My face is so swollen that my jaw doesn't line up anymore.  I can't move too fast or my head feels like it's being ripped apart.  My head, oh, my goodness, the headache.  I haven't slept more than a couple hours in the last three days because night time is the worst.

Did you know that the barometric pressure changes at night?  Did you know that it makes an ear infection feel like someone's stabbing you in the head with a fire poker!?  Every night from about 8 to midnight I feel like my whole head is just going to pop.

I just don't understand why this had to happen now and not when my husband was on leave and would have been able to help me watch the kids.  Holy run on sentence, Batman!  Sorry, I needed to vent.  I've been running to the bathroom to cry periodically throughout the day because I hurt so much.  My kids aren't much conversation.

I'm off to go load up on Motrin again.

How it all started.

I saw a really adorable baby shower gift someone made this morning and I thought, "Wow, I would have LOVED that as a present!"  It was a gigantic mason jar (the gallon sized one) and someone had stitched a little blue teddy bear for the lid.  Inside it was baby necessities like a onesie, a bib, some baby powder, some Desitin, a thermometer, a nose sucker, and a baby sized nail clipper.  It was very, very cute.  I think whenever my friend and her man-friend (I wish he would just pop the question already!) start thinking about kids, I'm going to borrow that idea for her.

It's funny, I was thinking earlier about how I came into cross stitching.  My mother was always stitching on something when I was growing up and she tried to teach me.  I was interested, but I think she started me too young as I had a hard time understanding.  So, I dropped it.  I was 10 or so.

When I was 14, we were at a Michael's store in Great Falls, Montana (my hometown) and even though I didn't stitch, I still wanted to learn, so I looked at the kits they had.  When I asked my mother if I could get the Oriental Butterfly, she said, "No.  I tried to teach you and you didn't want to learn."  She was right.  At the time she was trying to teach me, I really didn't want to learn because I was too confused by what she was trying to show me.  Again, I believe I was too young.

I pined after that Oriental Butterfly for years.

When I moved to California, I was at Michael's because I wanted to see if they had any latch hook kits.  I wasn't a stitcher, but boy did I love to do latch hook.  I still have the kit I bought that day, unopened.  This kit, that someday I WILL do:
6+

While looking for this kit, I happened by the cross stitch stuff.  I remembered all the times as a kid going with my mom to the craft stores and picking up different colored threads and pattern books.  So I thought, What the heck, I'll check it out.

There it was.  Right in the middle.  That Oriental Butterfly I had wanted to stitch almost ten years ago.  I tossed it in my shopping basket.  When I got home, I opened it up immediately and observed my threads, my painted aida, and looked over the pattern.  I remembered the basics from when my mom tried to teach me, so I got started.  

Now, I've only been stitching actively for 3 years.  I have a three drawer plastic bin, a big one, full of cross stitch kits, various sizes, counts, and colors of aida, linen, various sized hoops and scroll frames, almost a complete collection of threads, and patterns galore.  All it took was that one kit.  It's probably a good thing my mom didn't let me get it when I was younger as I'd have broken the bank.

My mother doesn't stitch anymore.  She stopped when she went to school and started working as a nurse.  I hope she picks it back up one day because I remember how much she enjoyed it.  I remember hoping that I too would one day have a hobby I loved like that.  Who knew it would turn out to be cross stitching?

I thought I would share this, it was just something I was thinking about today for some reason.  

I need to go do something with my day as I have a pretty severe ear infection and have been nothing more than a lump on the couch the last couple days.  My home made heating pad, Tylenol, and antibiotics have been my friends, not to mention my good friend Remy from SpriteStitch (she's such a sweetheart <3).

Rambling again...Happy stitching, everyone!  

Thank God

All's well that ends well.  We finally heard from my friend.

Forgive Me

This is going to probably be riddled with errors, but I'm trying to keep my hands busy and to keep myself from crying.

I got an interesting few texts from a friend that is very dear to me.  I mean, he's the reason I have everything I have.  He's the one who introduced me to my husband.  He was at my wedding, he was even there when my husband and I went on our first official DATE.  He was our room mate when my husband and I moved out on our own for the first time.  He has been there through everything.

Tonight I had this text conversation:

Him:  What it do....
          That's slang for hey, how's it going lol?

Me:  Hey.  And...I don't know.  I usually say, "Oye como va?" Like the Santana song lol

Him:  Haha oh wodie....much to learn.. how's it going?

Me:  Pretty good.  Nothing new, though lol
        How have you been?

Him:  Don't mean to sound weird but on my way out actually.... I just wanted to touch base actually

Me:  Where you going?

Him:  I've held you and Corry dear to my heart and I just wanted to say good bye

Then I called him and he pressed the ignore button (rang twice and went to voicemail, you know).  So I called him again.  This time it rang like 8 times before going to voicemail.  So I sent him another text.

Me:  J* answer the damn phone!

Him: Kari...... if you knew half the things I've done, you wouldn't want to be my friend

Me:  So what?  Don't do anything stupid.

Then after the LONGEST 15 minutes of my life, my husband finally got him to answer the phone again.  The conversation was very strained because he sounded extremely drunk.  He was definitely on something.  He kept saying that he was going away for a little while and that he was so proud of us and...ugh...

I wish I could have gotten an answer out of him when I asked him what he was planning.  I am hoping that I can text him in the morning and get an answer.  My husband is at the local police station now trying to get something done.  We've been in contact with AT&T (his phone service) and they weren't willing to give us any information.  I've messaged the only two friends I know that he kept after college.  I called my mom in tears because she and my step dad work for the sheriff's office in the state he lives in.  I'm just scared

I'm trying to keep my hands busy and I think posting this is helping me to not freak out even more.  I have never prayed so hard in my life.  I'm really really really REALLY hoping everything ends up being okay and that this is just a drunken depression and that when he's sober he's feeling better.

Please, pray for him, and if you don't believe in God, at least keep him in your thoughts :(

It's killing me!

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!  I just want to share what I've made for my swap partner!  It's killing me to not be able to!  Only a day or so before I send it out, so here's to hoping!

Pointless post is pointless.  Happy stitching, everyone.

Almost Done!

I have to finish stitching on my swap partner's gift, then...I'M DONE!  I've already made everything else, and I will be posting pictures after I'm sure that my partner has got it.  I'm dying to share it!

I AM a bit nervous about one item in particular because it's kind of fragrant and I don't know if they'll like it or not.  Plus, it's inspired by something instead of being the actual character they like.  This is also something I haven't made since I was in high school, so my recipe skills may be a bit rusty.  I tested it out and it seems to work well, so here's to hoping!

Pointless post is pointless, just an update to say I'm still alive lol  Happy stitching, everyone!

Happy Post!

Day 24 - Favorite Moment
Chibi Moon's fall

Such a great part!  I loved how suspenseful this whole scene was.  The fall, to the catch, to Princess Serenity trying to wake Chibi Moon before they both fall to their deaths.  Even though I knew they'd be okay because it's Sailor Moon and there's another season after this one, I still sit on edge every time I watch this scene.

Day 25 - Least Favorite Moment

Esmeraude's transformation

I just thought this was way too much like a certain Disney movie.  Sleeping Beauty, anyone?  It was anticlimactic and just too familiar for me.  I wasn't happy with it.

ON TO HAPPY THINGS!

I got stuff in the mail today!  I live as a shut in most days, so when I get stuff in the mail, it's super exciting.  Here's what I got:  A locket, my Graze Nibble Box, and a new cross stitch kit! 

My locket:

Don't mind the fingerprints on it, I was trying to figure out how to put a picture in it.  I figured it out, but it's going to take some time before I have a picture.  I was thinking that since it's a book, I might actually put a saying into it.  I haven't decided yet.  I have a n anklet coming from the same guy that is just a chain with a small bell on it.  I love jewelry lol

I got my "Nibble Box" today as well!

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a sucker for sample boxes (see: ALL my Loot Crate posts).  I signed up for this one because I got the first box free.  After this one, it's roughly $12 a month and I get one every two weeks.  This is my first one.  I opened it up to see this:

The goal with these is to replace one snack a day with one of the Graze snacks.  There are only 4 snack sized packages, so I'll have to figure out which ones I'm going to replace.  Today my son and I tried "The Cheese Board" and while my son didn't like it, I really did.  It was like those spicy trail mixes you get with the chili powder crescent shaped pieces.  That's what it tasted like.  The texture was a little odd as it had the cracker pieces and then the cashews.  I think tomorrow, we'll try the Chili and Lime Pistachio pack.

I got a new cross stitch kit the other day because it went on sale on Amazon.  It's a little 5x7 kit with a violin and some roses that says, "In music there is harmony, in harmony there is peace."  I thought it was really pretty and it would look good hanging in our hallway here.  

Last, but not least...we got HER today:

This is Punk.  She's the newest addition to our little family.  She has already beat the dogs up twice and is currently sleeping underneath the entertainment center JUST out of reach.  I only got this picture because I caught her smacking around our vertical blinds.  She's just 8 weeks old, born on May 2nd :)

ALRIGHTY, I've been stitching furiously on my swap project, taking WIP pictures and the like so that whenever my partner receives it, I can post the pictures.  So I'm off to go continue that.  Happy stitching, everyone!

No stitching updates for a bit. This post's a doozy.

Day 21 - Anime or Manga
Anime

The anime started it all for me.  Sailor Moon was actually the first anime I had ever watched and the first manga I had ever read, but it all started with that singular episode "A Moon Star is Born."  I guess it was something like "Crybaby Usagi's Beautiful Transformation" or something like that in Japanese, but I watched the dub before I ever saw anything else.

Day 22 - Favorite Merchandise Item
DVD's!

That's an actual picture of my DVD shelf that's sitting next to me as I type right now.  That collection is my pride and JOY.  I have every single episode (except the one missing episode from R for whatever reason) and all three movies.  My, oh, my how I've spent hours with those DVD's.  In fact, right now I've got Stars running in the background as I'm typing!

Day 23 - Favorite Song

Watashi-tachi ni Naritakute

In the English dub, I believe this song was called Baby Love.  It's the song that plays whenever Small Lady (Chibi Usa) and Pegasus are together.  Now...the reasoning for this is a very personal reason.  This is a long one and likely the rest of my update for today.  This is about to get REALLY personal, so here goes:

I had just given birth to my son.  We were still in the hospital and I was having trouble getting him to nurse.  He was screaming his head off and wouldn't eat.  He hadn't eaten since he was born and it had already been several hours.  I paged a nurse to come help me.  She said to me, "I'm going to check his blood sugar."  So she did.  She then says to me, "His sugar is low, you either need to give him a bottle or we're taking him to the NICU and you WILL be having a CPS investigation."

Just like that.  That's what she told me.  I said, "I'm having trouble getting him to latch."  She handed me a bottle and said, "Feed him this."

No help, nothing.  I kept trying that day to get him to latch and nothing.  Every time I would try, I was met with frustration and a screaming, red little minion that wanted nothing to do with me.  Feeling defeated, I gave him a bottle.

We were discharged from the hospital a day later, having still not been able to get him to latch.  Him only eating once in a while from a bottle.  Putting up a fight every time.  I hadn't slept since I'd given birth to him (it had been roughly 38 hours).  I was exhausted.

We got home and I was so happy to be in my own room with my newborn son.  In my own room.   In my own bed.  I didn't get to sleep, still.  We struggled all day to have my son eat.  Throughout the day, my mom would come take him off my hands.  I kept trying to nurse and eventually I just caved and gave him a bottle.

That night I was alone.  Everyone had gone to bed.  I was alone.  Alone with this tiny human that I felt way under qualified to look after.  My son was screaming.

Above my room was an upstairs bedroom that my mother used for a computer and video game room.  I remembered that there was an old rocking chair up there.  So I took my screaming minion (and a bottle, just in case) and we went upstairs into the quietest part of the house and we sat there in that rocking chair.  Him screaming and crying.  Me trying to get him to nurse.  Eventually, it all became too much for me and I started crying and whispering, "Please, please stop."  

I held him close and we rocked, him still screaming.  I kept trying to nurse and he screamed harder.  I tried the bottle and he screamed still.  He was miserable.  I was miserable.  We sat there rocking, my fight or flight response was triggered.  I couldn't think of anything to do.  I was full of anxiety and I still hadn't slept yet.  Going on 48 hours.

I was panicking and all I could think was, "A lullaby.  Maybe if I sing him a lullaby he'll settle down."  Then, because of my frazzled state, I couldn't think of anything.  It was almost like when you're put on stage and all you can think is, "LINE!"  The only song I could think of in my hormone, exhaustion, and screaming newborn state of mind was "Watachi-tashi ni Naritakute."  So I started to hum a little from the song.

He calmed down.

I don't know if it was that he, too was exhausted or if maybe the song soothed him.  I didn't care.  I started to silently cry while humming this song to him.  He yawned and taking a risk, I popped the bottle into his mouth, realizing that breastfeeding just wasn't going to be his thing.  We sat there, me humming and rocking him, and him staring at me while eating from his bottle.  Eventually, we snuck back downstairs to our room and snuggled until we both fell asleep.

To this day, whenever either of my children are fussy or inconsolable, I hum that song.  Silly, I know.

Okay, thinking about this and typing up this story kind of made me want to cry because I remember so vividly how I felt that night.  How miserable I was.  It's funny how as a first time mom you let everything freak you out, but when my daughter came along I was able to relax a bit more.

On to other stuff, well, one thing.

No progress updates for a while as I'm focusing solely on what I'm stitching for my swap partner.  So I'll probably have some updates in a few weeks, but nothing immediately.  Alright, I'm leaving you with my deeply, deeply personal attachment to a song from an ANIME of all things, and I'm going to go stitch for my swappie.  Happy stitching, everyone.

Elmo's Done!

Day 20 - Dub or Sub
Sub

Growing up, I had the dub.  I got to see everything "Americanized" for television.  I saw a different story line than what was actually created.  When I was 14 or so, I got my first Sailor Moon DVD's from a local movie store.  They were in Japanese with no option for English dialogue, only subtitles.  I watched it and have never been able to watch the dub since.  The story was so much more intriguing to me in the subtitled version!

Today I finished Elmo!

Okay, technically he's not done yet.  He still needs to be washed, ironed, and framed, but the stitching part is done.  Now I get to work on my peacock one again.  Time for page two!

I wanted to stitch tonight, but my husband is playing his video game right now and I really just can't concentrate when he's yelling at the TV.  I am thinking I'll buy some noise cancelling headphones and a few audiobooks.  I'm just so tired of hearing it.

My stuff for my swap partner FINALLY shipped.  I should have it by the end of next week and I'll be able to work on it, finally!  I created a pattern specifically for my swappie and I really hope it's good.  I can't afford to buy frames, so I'll just frame the one, but not the other.  Hopefully it won't take too long to make so I can send it out on time.

Off to go...I don't know.  Sulk?  Probably sulk.  I hate when my husband plays video games.  Happy stitching, everyone.

I Really Overestimate My Stitching Speed

Day 19 - Luna, Artemis, or Diana
Artemis

I relate so much to Artemis.  He is kind of a goof ball and he is largely ignored when he has ideas.  He's kind of that background person who gets pushed aside because no one takes him seriously.  I know I definitely feel that way very often.


Anyway, I have a WIP tonight!

So close!  I have to get a frame for this.  I will probably do black because it'll match all my son's other decorations in his room.  Once this is done, I'll be stitching another page of my peacock kit.  Then...I think I'll finally do my daughter's birth record.

Anyway, I'm off to bed, my stomach hurts and it's also midnight...so happy stitching, everyone!

Baby''s First Perler

Day 18 - Mamoru or Seiya?
Seiya

Seiya.  Look at how adorable she is!  She had a better fashion sense than Mamoru, she didn't seem to be as big of an idiot as Mamoru, and uh...she was never the Moonlight Knight.  Seriously, what was up with that?

My son and I were playing with his new perler bead set today.  He made his first sculpture:

I'm not sure what it is, but he was really proud of it.  When I asked him what it was, he said, "Oh, wow!  I made dis!  Dis, I made dis!"  So...I don't know.  I have been calling it MissingNo.

That aside, I finished my daughter's tutu today.  I started it over a month ago and then I set it aside and forgot about it.  Here is where I was at a month ago:

You can't really tell from the picture, but the colors are baby pink and a glittery silver tulle.  It took me only a few hours, but I set it aside because it shed so much glitter that it got everywhere.  My daughter made me put it on her as soon as it was done, so the "finished" picture looks a little more like this:

She's been wearing it around the house all day and she loves to "jump" with it because it swishes around.  It's roughly floor length on her.

I just had to rescue my dog from a tarantula hawk.  Yay.  The pain of their sting is equivalent to a gun shot wound.  Glad she didn't get stung since I never even saw it come into the house.  It was hanging out in my little herb garden, so he must have been looking for some water.

I should (in theory) be done with Elmo tonight or tomorrow.  I'm sure I've said that before, though.  Off to go stitch and bead with my son...who keeps hitting my CAPS Lock on me wHILE I Type.

HappY STitching evERYONE!

Diamond Painting

Sailor Moon challenge Day 17 - Neo Queen Serenity or Princess Serenity

Neo Queen

Neo Queen.  Now hear me out, I have always thought that Neo Queen seemed so much wiser.  I suppose that makes sense as she's been around much longer.  She was always so beautiful and her eyes were so sad.  She was one of those characters that I wish had been in the anime a little more than she was.

On to the day.  

I've been seeing this thing called a diamond painting.  It's a craft where you place these little resin "diamonds" (rhinestones?) onto a canvas.  It looks to be a lot like pixel hobby (something I would LOVE to do), but it's not anywhere near as expensive.  I'm thinking about getting a small diamond painting kit just to see if I like it.  

Today we ended up going into town and we went to the mall.  We actually went to Hobby Lobby first where I picked up my very first perler beads set.  Woohoo!  I haven't done this ever and I'm hoping to make some stuff for my son's room.  I would start small of course, but eventually I would love to make something really great.

Anyway, so after Hobby Lobby we went to the mall where I used my Barnes and Noble gift card to buy Divergent.  I was going to buy Game of Thrones, but when I was getting my manicure, my husband had already purchased it for me as a surprise.

Oh yeah, I forgot, I got a new Sailor Moon wallet and a Sailor Moon key chain as well!  My husband bought them for me from the little anime store when I was wandering around looking for something for my daughter.

No Elmo WIP, I haven't been home, but I'm working on him now, so maybe there will be an edit later :)  Happy stitching, everyone!