April Stitchin Fool

My cross stitch productivity has been pretty good so far this April!  

I fucked around and found out how cute this pattern is by  MisanthropicStitch.

I finished this one I've been wanting to do from SonOfACrossStitch on Etsy.  I love offensive Scottish phrases. 

I framed up my sweet little bathroom stitch, and will be hanging it up later today.  

This morning was nice and cool- 44 degrees!  I love cold weather and I cannot wait to be cold in Colorado!  I got an email about a new limited edition Pez dispensers.  It's ugly as hell, just a clear glitter egg but I still have to have it. ALSO Rebecca sent me a vintage fireman pez dispenser!  AMAZING!  I didn't have it and she was thrilled to finally find one I don't have.  

This weekend, we are returning to Hutto to do a few more things.  Ughhh when will it end?  I'm going to meet some friends for brunch- Amber and Sherry.  They are old coworkers from Sears and I love hanging out with them.  They want to go to this place I hate called Whiskey Cake.  Amber obsessed with that place for some reason.  It's way too expensive, there is hardly anything I can eat there... so I have no idea why she wants to go.  They do have avocado toast there, though, so I guess that's what I'll be having!  It will be great seeing them anyway.  

OH!  And it's Rex Manning Day!

The Witchy Stitcher Cryptid Stitch-Along: The Flatwoods Monster

We had a cold front come in on Saturday so it was nice and cool this morning and will only get up into the 60s this afternoon.  How nice!

This past weekend, my parents had their annual Big Bash.  It's a joint birthday party for my mom and a couple of her friends who have birthdays around the first of April.  They have it catered and hire a band and people also bring food, potluck style, and booze.  It's always great fun!  My friends from childhood Chris and Brandy  came, and my sister's child hood best friend Becca also joined us.  I think we came home around 9:30  because we're old lol.  

 I finished another cryptid from The Witchy Stitcher's Cryptid Stitch-along. The Flatwoods Monster is "a cryptid from a widely-known encounter in Flatwoods, VA where seven residents claimed to see a 10-foot-tall creature with a spade-shaped, red head, glowing green eyes, and a dark, metallic suit after a bright object streaked across the sky and landed on a nearby hill. Witnesses reported the creature hissed, moved erratically, and caused a foul, sulfuric smell, along with nausea and other symptoms. While the incident is a famous piece of West Virginia folklore and attracts tourists to the Flatwoods Monster Museum, scientific explanations for the sightings suggest it was likely a misidentified object, such as a meteor, and a common barn owl."

What??  BARN OWL?  I... don't think so.

I Must Stitch!

It's already April!  Time has really flown this  year.  I've been doing a little better mentally, and have actually been cleaning up the patio so I can spend more time out there now that it's warming up.  I love Springtime!  

This past weekend, I got to spend with my sister from another mister.  Her name is Adrianne but everyone calls her Anan.  I went to pick her up in Huntsville and we hung out with my parents all day on Saturday up into the night, just talking!  My dad built a fire and we sat around it for a few but it made me sleeeeeeepies so we went back home and Anan stayed the night at Mom and Dad's.  I took her back to Huntsville on Sunday and then we spent Sunday doing adulting- grocery shopping, laundry, etc.  It rained this weekend, which was nice.  I just love rainy weather and there isn't much like a nice spring rainstorm in the woods!  

I saw this pattern on Instagram, and knew I had to do it.  It's so cute, and so true- stitching makes the horrors go away temporarily.  The pattern is by Beetleandthreads on Etsy.

And just look at this herb harvest!!  They are so happy out here.  

Val Kilmer and my Uncle Leon died last night. My dad’s cousin Lori’s birthday was also yesterday so that means her dad died on her birthday which is terrible. :( I always loved Uncle Leon when I was a little kid. He was fun. As I got older, I didn’t see him as much but I always thought it was cool how much he and Grandad looked alike. I think Uncle Leon was just a little older than Grandad, maybe a year or two. Granny dated him before she got with Grandad. He was in pretty bad shape. :(  

When I went out to have coffee with Mom and Dad this morning, every single cow was out there, and they were ALL laying down. It was so weird, I have never, ever seen all the cows laying down. Some were just relaxing and others you could tell were OUT, because their heads were on the ground. The tiny baby one was snuggled up to his mommy. He is the cutest little guy and I wish I could go pet him and give him love. He is timid, though. They are not petting cows. Ah well...

Probably...

I don't have a lot to say about this one, but I thought it was cute.  Patten is by BananyaStand on Etsy.

It WILL be fine once I can jump into this...

It's still a little cool for swimming, but this is my parents' pool.  They have had a pool (This one is newer, because you have to replace above-grounds every few years) for the past 9 years or so, and it's always so nice to float in there with them, chat, and have a couple of drinks.  I can't wait for pool days this year!  It's one of the things I was really looking forward to when we figured out we were moving here temporarily.  My dad built the deck around it and so there are places to sit and my mom likes to lay out in the sun so she has some lounge chairs she's going to put there.  She's also gonna put an umbrella up so there is more shade.  They really know how to elevate the above-ground pool.  

TOmorrow, I'm supposed to go get Anan and then go to the Polk County Pagan Market.  One of those things will probably not happen... guess which one.  

That's all for now!

True Crime Junkie

 After my Stay Joyful pattern, I was at a loss at which pattern to start next.  I started one and decided I didn't wanna, so I'm not gonna for now.  So I put it aside and looked through the hoard I have and found this one by LevelThreaded on Etsy.  I am a True Crime junkie.  I call it "Murder Porn", which probably isn't the best way to refer to it, but oh well.  

I have always been interested in true crime, even before it became huge with the ID channel and podcasts.  I read true crime books like crazy an amassed quite a collection of anthologies about true crime.  I do not have the library I used to have (the ex kept it, and it was worth it to get rid of him), but I can now watch it whenever I want to on streaming platforms and I have a few podcasts I love to listen to, but my favorite thing is to watch it while cross stitching.  So this was perfect!  I actually finished it on my lunch break today.

We have been working on the outside here.  All of our stuff was haphazardly thrown onto the platforms in the carport, but Allen and I have been working on cleaning up, putting shelves together, and making it look nicer.  Today I think we're working on it some more and I want to clean the patio so I can create a magical space there again.  Most of my faerie garden stuff is in storage, but I can still make it a nice little witchy spot.  It'll be nice to sit out there, have a beer, and just be outside.  It's so beautiful here, especially in the spring.  The few weeks of spring we get before it's summer in fucking April, that is... 

It's a Meh Time for sure...

I finished this piece at the hotel when I was in Round Rock... whenever it was.  Gosh, time is weird... was it last week?  Week before?  My mom loves it and wanted to know if I could do one for her in the same colors.  So I'm gonna frame this one up for her and she can have it!  I was just gonna put it in a portfolio anyway.  It really meant a lot to me that she liked it so much.  Pattern by The Gloomy Gremlin.

Stay Fucking Joyful

Things in our country are rough.  There is so much arguing and hate being slung around.  I have been really good about ignoring it and not watching the news, despite one of my friends who is constantly sending me links and inundating my messages with YouTube videos of people spouting opinions like they're facts and news.  "They're canceling elections!"  shit like that... makes it hard to protect one's peace and find the joy in everyday life.  

Julie Jackson over there at Subversive Cross Stitch releases patterns sometimes that feel like they are directed straight at me.  I know that's not the case- we don't know each other!  But I saw this one and found lots of joy stitching it up!

It can be hard to stay joyful, but we have to try.  xo

I started watching I Love the 90s, the VH1 series they made in the early 2000s. It’s okay. A lot of it is making fun of the 90s, or making jokes about stuff. They’re stupid jokes but also kind of funny. I really want to watch more of The Dark Side of the 90s, but that’s more for the weekends, I think, when we can binge a few episodes.

I’m kind of missing my Austin area peeps. It was nice to be able to hang out with witchy friends or just go to dinner with friends. Out here I don’t really have that. It’s not making me sad or anything, because I’m not a super social person, but it’s something I really do miss. When we have more Fridays free, I’ll probably go with my parents to Karaoke more often so that will let me get out more. There aren’t a lot of places for us to go that are vegan out here, so Allen and I don’t really go out much, and again, it’s okay, but I am missing having that to do now and then. Allen wants to dress up and go out soon but I don’t really know where we can go. Maybe we can do that on a Saturday night and find a place in Houston.  We shall see!

 

The Witchy Stitcher Cryptid Stitch-Along: The Kraken

 I finished another one from The Witchy Stitcher's Cryptid Stitch-along.  These little guys stitch up so fast!

I think most are familiar with The Kraken. My favorite rum is named after The Kraken…it is a colossal legendary sea monster said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland.  Sightings date back to the 12^th century.  Thought to be the scariest, most feared sea beast ever to inhabit our planet’s waters, the Kraken was said to be more than 100 feet long and weighed 4000 lbs. Tales of these creatures describe them as being giant cephalopods (like octopi) having giant tentacles that would envelope and capsize ships.  As the ships would sink to their demise, the beast was said to eat those on board or let them drown in the ship’s wake.  Studies by various sources deem it possible that the Kraken could have been early sightings of a colossal squid. - The Witchy Stitcher, Cryptid Wiki, The Conversation

How cute is this guy??

The painters have finished the house and it looks amazing! I had some great time off last week.  I went to Round Rock and stayed in a hotel for a few nights, and got some stuff done.  I got to hang out with friends and eat all the good food.  I ran the handfasting I wrote for Anja by her and John and got approval, and then grabbed Taco Bell and headed home!  It was nice to come back to my little husband.  I missed him!

Love Potion

I have had this pattern for a while.  It's by Haunted Frames.  I don't know why I was so intimidated by it, and then I started stitching it up and it's not really hard... I just kept messing it up.  I think the outline for some reason was tripping me up and I still think I may have messed it up.  The lighter pink thread that I have must be old or just not a very good quality (although it is DMC and I never have issues with their thread), because it kept snagging and fraying.  I finally finished this one, though.  It's on glittery aida, but I don't think it really picked up the sparkle in the picture.  

I bought this blue aida years ago and have barely used it.  I love the color but didn't really know what I wanted to use it for.  Then I was inspired.  I love this color combo.  The pattern is by CryBabyCrossStitch on Etsy.  I LOVE LOVE her patterns and have several in my dragon hoard of cross stitch patterns.

Right now, I don't have anywhere to put my finished pieces.  I thought about framing them all and putting them in some boxes.  I also thought about photographing them all.  Then I thought... I have all of these unfinished pieces I need to do something with and many of them will not fit into a frame.  Then it dawned on me... I need to get an art portfolio and that way I can put these in and they will be safe until I can frame them!  I just need to find one I like... 

Poop and Painting

Well, it's March.  This year has gone by kind of fast in spite of the horrors!  

We are finally all moved out and we cleaned the house and painted the first coat on the walls.  It looks HORRIBLE... so we thought maybe another coat of primer and then paint.  Allen put some more primer on, and then we went to paint over that... it still looks like shit.  UGH.  Frustrated, we decided to get an estimate on house painters and we are going forward with that.  One of us will have to be there to let them in, but that's okay.  I feel like we have already sunk so much money into this move, and we wasted time and paint and money but... what else are we gonna do??  So that really lifted some stress off of me and Allen.

So, I'm taking some time off next week after we get the painters scheduled.  I'll go to Hutto, spend some time with friends, and then let the painters in and lock up after they're gone.  Then I can do some other stuff out there that needs to be done and come home Saturday.  I'm looking forward to hotel time and time with friends!!

I am super proud of myself- I got all my health stuff scheduled today! Dentist later this month, mammogram in April on a day I already took off, and then doctor in June. I'm glad I got that all taken care of because I didn't want to keep putting it off and then eventually wait too late.

I have been pretty good about keeping up on my Stitch-A-Day project.  I did something to my wrist and it hurt to stitch for about a week and so I had to to some mad catching up.  

I made one of these long ago for the bathroom at our house in Hutto, but I really like this simpler design, so I stitched it up for the bathroom here in Coldspring.  When I leave, it shall be my gift to the house!  This pattern is from EmbroideryByZeze on Etsy.

We Will Serve The Lord of the Rings

 Monday Monday...

I started working on this a couple of weeks ago, I think, but my wrist started hurting randomly and it hurt to cross stitch anything so I had to take a break and let me tell you how I was Jonesin' for doing something crafty... so I did diamond painting for a little while.  It didn't bother my wrist as much.  

But I got back on it and finished this lovely this past weekend!  I can't wait to frame this and put it in our new house when we get one!  Pattern is from TinyCatPatterns on Etsy.

The Rest of February's Stitches

I have been cross stitching like crazy, and also distracting myself with other things.  I've been hanging out with my parents a lot and then every damned weekend, we have been going back to Hutto (3 hours there and back driving) for something or another.  UGH.  I will be glad when we don't have to spend the weekends out there and can chill and have free weekends!

I love the show Ozark, and like most people, Ruthie Langmore is my favorite character.  She is so cute and fiesty and damn, the potty mouth on her... I love it because I also have a potty mouth.  I got this pattern on Etsy from Shirleysstitcheryco.  I like the weird designs on the top and bottom.  I stitched it on some horrible fabric that I will never buy again and I actually threw the rest away.  It's some aida from Amazon (probably a bad idea but in the middle of nowhere, there aren't a lot of options), and it's almost like a plastic canvas, but it's not.  It's horrible to stitch on. 

I memorialized my love for Judge Judy.  I have watched Judge Judy since she started in the 90s and now I watch her channel on Pluto all the time if I just need something in the background.  Judge Judy on demand... living on this timeline does have its teeny tiny privileges I guess.  Pattern partially by BusyNothingStitchery and by Me.  

I started a "Stitch a Day" project and I fully intend to do a tiny pattern every day.  We'll see how that goes.  This is my progress so far.  

So.. see ya in March!

Back in Perler Action

 My wrist started randomly hurting and it was bothering me too much to do cross stitching.  I was like... well what the fuck am I gonna do with my hands?? 

I did a little diamond painting, but kind of wanted to get back into Perler Beads, so my sweet husband went to our storage space and brought me some of my Perler bead stuff like pegboards and tweezers!  Here are the froo-eets of my labor so far:

I found this on Pinterest and thought it was super cute, so I re-created it using mini beads.

And here are some random ones.  I have tons of designs and sometimes get overwhelmed and don't know what I wanna do, so this happens.  Just little random shit I don't even know what I'll do with!

Cemetery Visit

Last night, we went to Magnolia Cemetery near Cleveland. It's off of 2025. It's in a cool area, you go a few miles down a winding wooded road and it's a small cemetery on the left. Right across from it are two huge gorgeous houses and a huge pond. We decided to try to find some memorials requested on FindAGrave. I found two! I couldn't believe it. We couldn't find the other 7, sadly. Getting outside, walking around and spending time with Allen was just what I needed! I felt great last night. We came home and I made a really good grilled cheese sandwich and then I finished a couple of small diamond paintings while watching The Sopranos and The Office. I read more of my Israel Keyes book and I actually remember what I read last night!

Here is a cute headstone we saw last night... Goober and Peanut!

My wrist is still hurting but it's not hurting to type today like it was yesterday. I am gonna try to finish a cross stitch and then try to make up my Stitch A Day project. I have like 4 days to catch up on. If it starts to hurt, then I'll stop. But I really want to cross stitch. I may have to start back on diamond painting or perler beads until my wrist feels better.

The Witchy Stitcher Cryptid Stitch-Along: Dover Demon

 Friday at laaaast!  

I finished another cryptid from the Witchy Stitcher.  According to Wikipedia, The Dover Demon is a creature reportedly sighted on April 21–22, 1977 in Dover, MA.  17-year-old William "Bill" Bartlett claimed that while driving on April 21, 1977, he saw a creature "about 4 feet tall with glowing orange eyes and no nose or mouth in a watermelon-shaped head" on top of a broken stone wall on Farm Street in Dover.  15-year-old John Baxter reported seeing a similar creature on Miller Hill Road the same evening. Another 15-year-old, Abby Brabham, claimed to have seen the creature the following night on Springdale Avenue. It's believed that it may have actually been a snowy owl, which would have reflected in the yellow headlights of older cars as the peach color described by Bartlett. In addition, the "long spindly arms" and fingers of the supposed creature could be the partially opened wings and the splayed feathers at the wingtips of a snowy owl.

2-19-25

It's pretty cold today. It was 35 when I went up to Mom and Dad's and it's 31 now. It's grey and windy. I love it! We covered my plants last night and I'm hoping it was enough. I don't know how it is, but it worked last time so...

I have been working on a lot of cross stitching lately. It's like I finish one and pick up the next. I hope I don't burn myself out. I really shouldn't have packed up my knitting because that would be something cool to do while we are out here. I wish I could really knit, like using needles and stuff. I want to make stuff but I'm just not good at it. I am finishing up the Dover Demon Cryptid from the Witchy Stitcher SAL.

I am also on day 7 of my Stitch-A-Day project...can she keep this up??? Doubtful. But it's worth a shot, right??

Let's Talk About Love

 ... and nice things.  I'm actually feeling a bit better, on and off.  I find that staying off social media and away from the news helps.  

I gush about my husband a lot, but he really deserves it.  He is happy if I am happy.  He was happy in Hutto (but really did want to move from Texas because he hates Texas so much now), and he's not into cold weather like I am, but he was 100% happy and up for moving to Colorado.  He has done so much- looking for houses to get an idea of what we will be able to afford, researching good areas and areas to avoid, researching living in CO in general, and being there for me when I break down in an anxious mess.  I have done a Valentine's Cross Stitch piece for him for almost every year we have been together (2025 makes it 19 years total!), and he used to have a little wall of them at our old house.  He has created a wall in his new office of them, which I think is just the sweetest.

I have been seeing a lot of "Until we're ghosts" patterns, but some are so big and big ones take me FOREVER because I am easily distracted, so I created my own more simple one using ghosts from a pattern I purchased from AlliePaigeEmbroidery on Etsy.  I added the rest myself.  This is his 2025 Valentine's Stitch!    I took him to pick out the frame and I think it fits really well!  I dyed this fabric myself.

Does anyone know...?

Living in the woods has been so nice so far. It's quiet.  I see my parents every day almost.  It smells lovely.  And it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL out here.  It's very conducive to crafting.  It's really cozy and being cozy is my goal in life.  

This is how I have been feeling since November 5th, 2024, but ESPECIALLY since January 21st, 2025.  Like.. .WHAT THE FUCK is going on???  Is this real life?  Are these things really happening?  Did people really say these terrible things?  Are they really trying to do other horrible things?  Are people actually believing what is being said?  Did Elon Musk really do a nazi salute at the inauguration (yes he did, I saw it unfolding on national TV) and people are defending it???  LIKE WHAT IN THE GODDAMNED ACTUAL FUCK????  I created this pattern myself  and I dyed the fabric as well :)  Well, kind of.  The flowers are from another pattern I have and the alphabet is one I purchased a while back and I don't remember who created either of them.  I just put them together.

And now, I have to....

This pattern is from Alexsitchinstuff on Etsy.  Aida dyed by me!

A slightly new direction

Well, Happy Monday!

I have decided that along with craft things, I sort of need a place to get my thoughts out so that I don't explode, so this may be boring. I am feeling a wee bit homesick for Hutto. I kind of miss my old office. I like my office now here at the house in Coldspring- it has a nice window, it's bigger... but I do miss my other one. I miss being happy in our Hutto house, without a lot of concerns about what's going on in the country and about money (we are fine now, but will we be in Colorado??). I am trying to keep away from social media and news as much as I can but still sort of stay informed, but every day, something horrible is happening. I miss when I didn’t have to worry about things. I miss being proud to be Texan and loving it here. Those days are gone.  It's not the HOUSE we are trying to leave, it's life in this state. I was happy in the house, not happy in the city, not happy in the state. Right now, everything seems so chaotic and up in the air and I don't deal well with that.

When we have gone back to the house in Hutto to work on getting it ready to sell, I have gotten really sad and cried every time except for this past weekend. I don’t know why… maybe I’m finally getting better. I will miss that place so much, but I know we will find another place we love too. We just have to get out of Texas. Will I be happier in CO? I don’t know, but we have to try. I have wanted to live there my whole life... so I am cautiously optimistic right now.

Anyway, good things... Friday, I went to karaoke with my parents. None of their friends were there and there seemed to be some sort of issue with the karaoke machine because the song I was doing kept messing up and the beat was way off and you could barely hear it. So they just played a bunch of shitty country music and everyone was line dancing. I can't really join in on that and so I was just kind of sitting there, so luckily I took my car and I was able to just leave. I took the car because I wanted to go but I didn’t wanna stay all night. I needed to get up early on Saturday to go to Hutto. 

I have a lovely witch friend group back in Central Texas and we have been trying to get together when we can, since we are moving, and also my friends Jennifer and Steven, who are part of the group, are ALSO moving to CO (whaaaaaat??? They will be in Denver for a while so we plan to get together when we can!) It was lovely to see my witchy friends and to spend time with them.

We stayed over at the Hutto house on Saturday Allen did a great job spackling the million little holes in the walls.

I went outside in the back and saw that despite the cold, my hyacinths have returned!!

We also brought some more stuff that we didn't really have a place for when we moved our stuff to Coldspring. We came home on Sunday and I finished a cross stitch piece, which I will post in a separate post.

I am enjoying living in the house I grew up in again it so far overall. I do miss my friends, but I am really enjoying the quiet out here. There isn’t a ton of crazy traffic every time I want to go somewhere. There aren’t dogs barking all night, people shouting, or our neighbors' idiot son revving his motorcycle at all hours of the night. I haven’t yet hung out on the patio out here but I think it will be nice to do some cross stitching out there at some point. I think my plants are okay out there, I guess we’ll see how they hold up. I have unpacked enough things to make it really feel a bit more like home.  

The Witchy Stitcher Cryptid Stitch-Along: Nessie

A cryptid that needs no introduction… The Loch Ness Monster, or as her friends call her, Nessie.  I don’t think she’s a monster at all.   Nessie is my FAVORITE cryptid other than Sasquatch.  In 2023, when the world wasn't as scary and I was a happier person (that will change, I know, but right now... I'm honestly barely holding it together some days), we went to Scotland for our wedding anniversary and we went to the Loch Ness Center, where we did a little tour narrated by David Tenant about the legends, history, and hoaxes of The Loch Ness Monster.  That was the trip of a lifetime, and it was so cool to see some of the history.  Sidenote:  Scotland, to me, is a faerie tale dream world and I didn’t wanted to leave.  I have never been anywhere so beautiful.

 

Nessie is said to inhabit Loch Ness, the biggest lake in Scotland, located in the Scottish Highlands.  She was first reported on August 22, 564.  She was reportedly seen in Drumnadrochit by a hotel manager in the 1930s, and that’s when all the fanfare happened.  There are groups in Scotland dedicated to finding her and proving she exists.  She is an animal with sleek, rubbery black skin, about 20 feet long.  She may be a very old Plesiosaurus.  I often wonder if there has been more than one of her over the years. 

That's What She Said

 Well!  It's been a minute but we are moved in and somewhat settled.  I think that it'll take a little while to get everything situated how we want.  But we already moved our great big TV in, of course we have our offices set up, and I have my craft stuff out, so we are set!

It's finally feeling like winter in Texas, and it's been so cozy stitching in front of the TV.  Here  is the first piece I've finished out here!  The pattern is by Jennyslittleartshop on Etsy.  

I have a feeling I will be getting A LOT of cross stitching done out here in the middle of the woods...

The Witchy Stitcher Cryptid Stitch-Along: Ahool

We moved out to Coldspring this weekend.  My parents are so fucking amazing, I can't even tell you.  They were such a huge help in getting us loaded and moved, and partially unloaded.  I hate moving and do not want to do this again.  Well, I DO want to do it again because I want to move to CO, but ugghhh not looking forward to it.

We are in the house I grew up in, which is both very cozy and very weird.  Allen's office is in my old bedroom.  My office is in the laundry/computer room.  I am really looking forward to spending all the time with my parents and seeing my sister more often before we move 13 hours away to Colorado.  

Anyway, on with the cross stitch.  I finished this one last Thursday.  It's the last cross stitch I did in our house in Hutto, which makes me a little sad when I think about it, so I won't think about it.  This is my latest installment of The Witchy Stitcher's Cryptid Stitch-Along.  I must have bought this Stitch-Along two or three years ago.  I rarely keep up with them because I just may not be in the mood to stitch a specific thing when they come out.  I also have her Supernatural one that I will start on after I get through these.  I'm thinking I may do a few of them on one piece of Aida rather than do them all separately.  You're meant to do the entire Stitch-Along on one piece of Aida but... I don't like stitching the big frame because one stitch off and you're fucked and I cant' handle that.  LOL Anyway, here is the Ahool.  

The Ahool is "a flying cryptid, supposedly a giant bat, or by other accounts, a living pterosaur or flying primate.  Named for its distinctive call A-hool (other sources render it ahOOOooool), it is said to live in the deepest rainforests of Java. It is described as having a monkey/ape-like head with large dark eyes, large claws on its forearms (approximately the size of an infant), and a body covered in gray fur. Possibly the most intriguing and astounding feature is that it is said to have a wingspan of 3 m (10 ft). This is almost twice as long as the largest (known) bat in the world, the common flying fox."

Happy New Year!

 I'm back at work after my holiday break.  Happy New Year!  

This year, we didn't really do much for New Year's, because we are packing our final things to move to Coldspring.  This decision has been extremely difficult for me.  I am deeply connected to our home in Hutto.  I have put so much magic and energy into this space and I feel very attached.  I have cried almost daily having to say goodbye, and honestly, sometimes I doubt our decision to do this.  But on the other hand, we feel like a move to a state that isn't so.... REPUBLICAN... is a good move.  I think we will be happy.  And we will also have seasons!  I am sick to death of wearing shorts in December!

Anyway, here are my final stitches of 2024!

I found this pattern ages ago, I think on the now defunct Feeling Stitchy blog.  My dear friend Haylan has a book of people's art she's collected over the years.  I did a horrible self-portrait in it almost 20 years ago, and she asked me to do another page, so I stitched this up and added it!!  She absolutely loved it.

I am a huge Smiths fan and the end of last year was rough for me.  I stitched this one up in hopes of good times... for a change.  I got this pattern from Follow the White Bunny.

I am a huge fan of The Office, and I really need more cross stitch pieces from that show.  

I love this one by ShirleyStitcheryCo.

And finally, this one.  I had no plans for it, and my friend Cristina asked me how much I'd sell it for.  Well, I normally wouldn't sell it and I'd have just sent it, but since we're moving... I gave her a good price and this is her picture of it after she got it. 

Here's to a happy and prosperous 2025!

Ornament Action Shots

 I can't remember if I have posted these, but I can't find them, so if I did, you get reminded of them!  

I love how my friend Heidi added my snowflake one to her Yule altar.

This pattern is from Stitch_X_Love on Etsy.  I made it for my sister.  

And everyone's favorite (Again for my sister)- Ernamernts!  Pattern by Steotch

DNHTNS

 I do love cross stitching on colored fabric.  I got this aida on Amazon, and have had it sitting just waiting for the right pattern.  I found it!  I think I'm gonna take this one as my "white elephant" gift for our Yule ritual!  

Pattern is by CryBabyCrossStitches on Etsy. I love love this color of aida.  I think I got it from Amazon.  

Our house is a mess right now and it's making me crazy.  But at least I have all my Christmas shopping and stuff done.  I wasn't able to do as much this year as we normally do, since we're moving and now trying to save money for a move, but I was able to do enough :)  I'm really looking forward to going out to Coldspring and spending some time with my family.  I feel like I'm really gonna be needing them over the next year with how stressful everything may be.  I'm very lucky to have them in my life!  

Anyway... post again soon!

Come and Get It!

I don't really have a lot to write about right now, but I am happy to have finished this cute little piece for my 50s aesthetic friend Anja!

I believe this is from a vintage pattern I found online.  

I'm getting both excited, anxious, and really sad for Christmas and our move.  I love Christmas and I'm really sad that this year, I don't have a tree up, and I didn't even decorate.  I haven't felt like it's Christmastime at all.  It's unseasonably warm, and I haven't seen a bunch of Christmas ads on TV.  I have only seen my favorite one a couple of times and it seems like I've seen one version that's updated and not the same.  It's the one with the Hershey's kisses where they ring the kisses like bells to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  It's my favorite Christmas commercial and has been since I was a kid.  I love that it's one of the older ones they still air.  I really like Christmas commercials (although by the middle of January, it's time to retire them, folks...).  It's almost as if the world is "Meh" about Christmas this year.  And that makes me sad, but in the US, I get it because we're scared of what's gonna happen when what's gonna happen on January 21st happens.  I can't even speak it's name.  

Another reason I haven't decorated, of course, is that we are packing up our house to move, and so there is really no place to put a tree or decorations.  But I'm really looking forward to seeing the tree and Mom and Dad's, and they also have a tree at the "old house", which is sweet.  So, I'll have a tree at some point at least anyway, and then next year, I am confident we will have a home and I can put up decorations and my tree again in 2025!

Stitching Christmas

I love to make cross stitch gifts for Christmas.  I have a few friends who really appreciate them, and so they get these from me.  

I made this one for my friend Leslie.  She is amazing AND... she loves her margaritas.  So I thought this was appropriate.  It was really fun to stitch up.  I can't wait to give it to her!

Pattern by StephXStitch on Etsy.

I did this one for one of my witchy friends.  Stitches are a little wonky but... oh well.  Pattern by MiNiceStitch on Etsy.

This one is for my friend who is a huge Swiftie.  Pattern by mirrorballxstitches.

I made this one for my absolutely magical friend Donna.  Pattern is by CrybabyCrossStitch on Etsy.  I love the fabric- I dyed it myself!

This one's for another witchy friend.  Pattern is by The Embroidery Place AU. 

And as it's Thanksgiving and I finished my stitches at my parents' house, here is the charcuterie board I put together, and I don't even eat meat and cheese! I'm quite proud of this.  We had a LOVELY Thanksgiving.  Lots of food, my sister's BFF from high school was there, I got to see my silly nephew, and it was just nice to not think about everything that is stressing me out and making me sad.  I was too busy to be sad, with the stitching, cooking, eating, and hanging out with friends and family.