and I haven't posted since January. We went to Vegas in January and there were several days that were fun. I knew I would be alone and had made plans but those plans got changed several times and I ended up waiting in the hotel room for longer than anticipated. When you are irritated and alone you tend to reflect on the choices you've made in your life. I am not sure how I got here to this spot but it is clearly due to choices I made and I can't undo them. I want to change things - it's a slow process - and I am still in a strange limbo. I start school on Monday (yes, again) we really can't afford for me to go to school but it appears that finding a job is harder when you are uneducated. Even with 6 years of dispatch experience I am apparently unemployable. This next statement will make me seem old but - remember when you had to get dressed and go to a place and fill out an application? Well, now anybody can do it from their couch in their pajamas because everything is online. This means companies get hundreds of applications and I am sure they don't look through all of them - and even if they did look at mine - I have a spotty employment history and lots of moves under my belt and again - uneducated. So all the jobs I applied for I either get rejection emails or never hear anything. I applied to three dispatch centers (takes 6-12 months to go through the process) and all but one has turned me down so far. While I am unemployed I might as well be going to school even though it is financially irresponsible. My kids are a giant mess.One doesn't want anything to do with us and the other can barely take care of himself. One good thing - my husband is happy - he loves the area, he loves his job and the people he works with. So, I just have to get myself together - find something that I like so I am not always expecting him to make me happy. I am done whining (one can hope) - I was at the grocery store and I said to the checker "I don't mind the rain but if it could stop long enough so my groceries aren't wet" and she replies, "at least you're not homeless" she has a point (even if it's a weird stretch from wet groceries to homelessness...)
Here are some of the highlights from Vegas
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| Mystere Cirque de Soleil |
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| petroglyphs Valley of Fire National Park |
Yes, that is my husband with a group of Vietnamese tourist - he was waiting to take a picture of the rock (you can't see) and they told him to come be in the picture - it was hilarious!!
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| Seven Magic Mountains by Ugo Rondinone |
art installment in the desert - crazy!!
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| Springs Preserve |
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| Bliss Dance by Marco Cochrane |
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| Bellagio - year of the rooster exhibit |
We stayed at The Mirage for a few days and then at the Bellagio - beautiful hotel!!
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| Pinball Hall of Fame |
We had so much fun playing the pinbal machines at the hall of fame - they have some fantastic old ones!!
These two adorable statues were at the Clark County WetlandsPark
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| Valley of Fire - what an amazing park. The desert is flat and then there is all this red rock - very cool place!! |
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| this is the Mirage - see the wall all the way at the end of the hall? Our room was there - it was like an Alice in Wonderland trek to our room!! |
I went back to my rotation in January but didn't have a finish until the end of February - then I had five in a row! I have some fun new starts - ones that will take me forever to finish which is good because every time we talk about what I have finished my husband uses the words "cranked out" guess it's the curse/benefit of being unemployed.
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| Teresa Wentzler Fantasy Sampler |
I only have one more WIP by Teresa Wentlzer and it was suppose to go in the rotation in the Fantasy Sampler spot but damn it I am tired of TW so I will put it in when I finish Red Velvet Cake.
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| Mad Hatter's Tea Party Bothy Threads |
The Mad Hatter fabric looks so washed out - in person it is much brighter - I love it!
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| Love Blossoms Bothy Threads |
I will post this again after it has been given to the recipients - I know they don't read my blog but why take chances.... I changed a lot of things on this pattern - the fabric was supposed to be white aida. The trunk was supposed to be silver metallic thread and there was also gold metallic thread. There were larger crocheted pieces on it but they looked weird so I switched to some lace daisies. I like the changes - much prettier.
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| Christmas at Winterberry Cabin With Thy Needle and Thread |
I changed the color of Santa to from Classic Colorworks chili pepper - too orange - to GA mulberry and I changed the leaves to Classic Colorworks weeping willow.
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| Sampler Berry Erica Michaels |
This pattern..... luckily it was small. Mine doesn't look like the picture on the pattern - three of the symbols have the threads mixed up which I didn't catch until I had done all of one of the colors and I was disinclined to rip it out. Also, there was no template for the top and no instructions on how to add ribbon. I suck at free hand leaves so mine isn't great but cute enough and it only took 3 days.
Last December I also finished Nora Corbet's Halloween Fairy but it didn't end up on the blog - don't know why. Scott framed a few pieces for me so I will put it here
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| before |
I really love the gold showing through - brilliant!!
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| before |
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| look closely and you can see some glitter!! Shepherd's Bush Joy to Ewe |
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| before |
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| Patriotic Poppies With Thy Needle |
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| Pomegranate Santa Plum Street |
no before pics for these two pictures but he did change them from the original frames!
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| Jingle Bells With thy Needle |
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| one of my favorites!! Gardner Goode Witch With Thy Needle |
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| Little House Needlework |
Scott mounted this on a burlap covered frame.
Scott really has a knack for this framing thing - his choices are all perfect!! He pins the pictures to foam board - it's great!!
My quilt is coming along sloooowly
I almost have one row done - just need to finish that last flower!!
I am making a jean rag quilt for one of my brothers. I just need to take it to the laundromat and wash it - it is 15x16 6 inch squares. My thumb and fingers were swollen for three days after clipping all those seams - still feel weird when I touch things - yikes!! I am making a flannel Christmas rag quilt too for us - much easier!!
My new starts are
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| Autumn at Hawk run by Carriage Samplings 1 over 2 40 ct |
and
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| Prairie Schooler Alphabet 1 over 1 28ct |
Both Scott and my mom think the Autumn Run is an uncommon choice for me - I think the colors are a little weird. I actually like the witch and the cemetery and those are the two squares that made me want to stitch this. Not sure I like the one over two though - kind of washes the color out but it's too late to change that. I really love the alphabet - the full picture is kind of loud but I really love each piece. I enjoy the one over one on this one - so tiny!!
I started the
Linen and Threads Mystery SAL I fretted about what color and what fabric to use - I looked at their facebook page to see what others had done. I copied someone else's choice - 32 count Belfast linen - antique ivory and DMC 53 and black for the birds. I thought I could bump a rotation project and catch up to everyone but no - everybody posting on instagram goes so quick and I am a fast stitcher but I didn't even get January done - dang it. so now I have two WIPS - Teresa Wentzler the Story teller and this monster.
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| St Johns Bridge |
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| Forest Park |
We went to Forest Park for hiking and letterboxing and I picked up a shell. Well after a week in the house he decided it was spring and woke up. He was fascinating and I kept him for a week - I felt bad about it and we drove all the way back to the park to put him back! Very interesting creature.
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| Gary |
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| Cherry blossoms Portland |
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| tulip tree - I think |
We went to Ikea for the first time ever - it was great!! they have good prices and fun things!! I saw two things I had to add to my Christmas wish list - a
night light that changes colors and a
utility cart - they are all the rage with stitchers on Instagram!! I wish we had gone sooner - we have lived in three states that have an Ikea!!
Scott and I have been doing
Whole 30 and are feeling good and losing weight. We took the weekend off and ate what we wanted and we both feel terrible. When we started this change of lifestyle I never thought it would point to Scott having gluten intolerance issues and me having problems with dairy. Tomorrow we go back on Whole 30 - My triglycerides have dropped from over 350 to 220 - pretty impressive. The change in my bloodwork means I will always be on Whole30 with some breaks for special occasions. I did just get bloodwork done and I am waiting to talk to a hematologist because of some bad numbers in platelet production- hopefully nothing bad but the wheels of medicine do move painfully slow.
Okay I am done - lots to say when you wait three months to post!! Just under the blah lately - with school starting I will feel better - like I am doing something! Losing weight has helped my self esteem. I am on the way up!! To quote Stuart Smalley, "
I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!" Haa!
I did add a sale tab to my blog - just some patterns I am done with. If you see something you like - let me know.
I hope you are having a nice Spring - thanks for stopping by!!
Great catch up post, my dear. Good luck with going back to school and honestly, you never know when that perfect job will turn up for you. Love, love, love all of your stitching and Scott's framing is indeed fantastic. Great pics of your trip to Vegas, too. Enjoy the rest of your week. xxxx
ReplyDeleteSo great to see your blog post Jamie, as you know I'm still awol!!I was totally impressed with all the stitching. You have accomplished a great deal. Scott's framing is awesome. As for you feelings, I hope school will help. From the little I know of you from the blog, you are a very nice and special person. I think winter in the NW plays with your head a bit. Our cherry trees aren't even blooming yet. Plus I feel cold all the time and that is so rare for me. I enjoyed the Vegas photos. That's a place I have never visited. Your pictures make it look like a fun place. Kids can add stress. I now live about 1/2 hour from my DD. I used to hear from her more often when we lived in Louisville-go figure! Well take care maybe you have inspired me. I just finished those houses so a post is due!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with school. I know how it feels to not find a job right away. I'm also contemplating going back to school. I wish I had my head screwed on right when I was younger and took care of this school thing. Nice finishes as always and your husband is quite the framer! I've seen that Linen and Threads in all sorts of colors but I like your choice. That's funny about the snail! Yup, people do like you! Don't stay away too long now.
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to read you again!
ReplyDeleteI am wishing you all the best with school, I'm sure you'll do really well and the perfect job will turn up eventually :)
Beautiful stitching & fabulous framing too. What a pair!!!
So sweet to take Gary back to its home ;) Take care x
Wow, you have been so busy. I think you are doing the right thing going back to school. I have been dispatching for 14 years now and worry what will happen when I get a little older and my speed and my hearing aren't what they used to be. I loved all your finishes, but must say Bothy Threads Tea Party is my favorite, the fabric you chose is so pretty against the black. Reading this I wanted to share a quote/poem that often plays in my head when I find myself worried. It's by Maria Rilke: “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” I hope things come together for you soon, but for now be patient with yourself!
ReplyDeleteSo much to comment on...
ReplyDeleteFirst, I can totally relate to your job search woes. About 8 years ago, my employer at the time had cut my hours to part time after I'd been with them about 13 years. At the time, I didn't have even my associates degree but did have quite a few classes under my belt. I had seen a flyer at the college listing wages with various degrees and saw that in my field I was already at the top of the scale WITHOUT a degree. With the economy going in the crapper and me only working part time, it was an eye opener that I'd better get my butt in gear and finish my education... no more playin' around. I finished two associates degrees and went on to get my bachelors. Meantime, my employer was merged into a larger firm and I was told on more than one occasion how great of an opportunity it would be for me since I was finishing my bachelors. I gave them a year more after I graduated - nothing ever happened. After 5 interviews on two different application processes, I finally landed a full time job 45 minutes from home. The first interview process, I was two classes from getting my degree. After I was hired, they told me they wouldn't hire anyone without a degree. I thought WOW - I'm the same person with the same employment experience! It was one of the best places I've ever worked at, though. Hang in there. Get your degree. I ended up taking out student loans to finish my bachelors, but it has been worth it. Btw, I have 25 years experience in my field and have only had my bachelors for 6 years now. Hang in there!
Now... your stitching finishes are awesome. I love the framing and that you've been repurposing quite a bit. I love doing that.