November 20, 2008

First off, it is official: Ebb Tide is completed! I put the last bead on just before 6:00am, and I mean JUST! Then I looked at it around 6:30 and saw that the five beads inside the metallic Jessicas faced the opposite direction from all the others so I had to take them out and re-do them. It was going to bug me too much if I didn't. I know it sounds like I had alot to do if I was finishing up ET at 6am, but I didn't get started on my stitching until after 3:30. I was watching DVR recordings and got caught up in that, rather than stitching as I watched.

Ebb Tide, by Northern Pine Designs, is my 44th stitching finish of 2008. I have 42 cross stitch finishes, two needlepoint finishes (my only two ever), and eight sewing finishes this year, for a total of (drum roll, please) 52 completions for 2008!

Amy Miller is my partner for the Chatty Stitching Exchangers' Advent Exchange this year. The box arrived today and my jaw hit the ground. It was HUGE! This is what was in it!
Amy told me that there was a card in the box that I needed to open immediately and something for "before." This is what I found. It's the 2008 JCS Christmas Ornament Issue. I've already found a couple specialty stitch ornies that are calling my name. I will probably pull the fabric and fibers for at least one of them late tonight (as in after midnight, so you have to wait til tomorrow's update to see what I choose). I got a couple peeks because things had slipped out of their bags, so I know that Amy really did her homework on me. Unfortunately the Yankee Candle is broken so we are working on getting a refund for it and having it replaced. Amy, you absolutely humble me with these wonderful packages. I can't wait to open them all!

Amy told me there were cookies in the tin, which is Package #1, so I was allowed to open that up today, too. She said that the cookies were probably stale, but I took a bite of a broken one and it was delicious! I'm not sure exactly what's in Oatmeal Scotchies, but I thought it was great! I'm not really big into chocolate and sweet stuff so these are perfect! Thank you, Amy!

I have to wait until December 2nd to open any more packages. There is one for each day in December, up to and including Christmas Day. There is an envelope for that day, so I'm really curious to see what Amy has come up with for my "big gift."

I didn't do any stitching after waking up. I just can't decide what I want to work on. I pulled out the Purple Passion Butterfly by Northern Pine Designs and A Stitcher's Companion by Enchanting Lair once again, but I didn't touch either of them after that. I spent the afternoon watching DVR recordings, taking pictures, and looking at the ornie issue. I just wasn't motivated to do much today. Maybe it's still a carry-over of my fluid retention yesterday.