Whew....made it through Christmas, but I'm exhausted.from sitting on the sofa stitching...

And I didn't stitch for about a week, (before Christmas and a couple of days after) I mean not once, not one cross, I didn't even pick up a needle and I think of all the wasted hours where I could have been creating something fabulous and I'm mad at myself, but honestly, my house hasn't been this straightened up since last December and I'm loving it.  I didn't think I'd care about a new dishwasher, not having used one for the last 11 years, but I've been getting clean up done a lot faster so my kitchen is cleaned up most of the time now...win win, with no dishes in the sink.   And this year I was really organized and had a schedule which I kept for 3 days of prep for the  Christmas dinner.  I was on it and it showed.  But we opened the shop Friday after Christmas and tried to get back to our normal routine, however,  with wind chill factor of 8 it was hard to even sit in the shop.  My feet were frozen even though Sara had little heaters put in for our feet and I put heat packs in my shoes on Friday but on Saturday I just wore my Ugg slippers and frankly I was fine.  By Monday I was bored stiff and due to the extreme cold there weren't many walking on the boardwalk so at 3 p.m. Monday we said the hell with it and closed.  Then the following Thursday was the big snow so we were closed all last weekend and it was still cold so I stay bundled up in p.j.'s and quilts and ran the heat like it was free.  I'm not proud of this but I actually never got out of P.J.'s for 9 days I never left the house.  But no  one was coming in so I just enjoyed myself sitting on the sofa, stitching, watching t.v. and living life.  Michael came over Wednesday night and asked how I was doing and I had to admit even I had enough of sitting on the sofa and staying home.  I needed out....which of course would require a shower and a change of clothes.  But it took me 2 more days  before I took the corrective steps and Friday got up at 5:00 a.m., showered and got dressed.  The good thing was I had done all the laundry while I was at home so I have no problem finding something to wear.  And that brings you up to date on me.  I did finish the ABC de la Brodeuse, which I love, love, love.  It was such a fabulous stitch and the amazing finish to this is...I had my banding cut extra long just in case and when I was done I really wanted to back it so the backside of the stitching wouldn't be visible.  I had started and stopped threads carefully so I could leave it and it would be fine, but I just wanted the back to be finished as well.  While I was going through piles of fabric for that perfect piece, I unrolled the banding and discovered we had cut it long enough that I could just use it to cover the back just doubling the banding over and backstitching it to the front banding...you can't even see where it is backstitched together.  Perfect.  Then I was searching through my boxes for little hangers which I thought I had run across and found a bag of 4 and one of them fit this bellpull, but it was just a small gold hanger..  While I was walking up the hall to the living room I happened to see the Just Nan Lady Scarlet bellpull I did years ago and it's hanger was designed for that bellpull, however, it was perfect for my ABC bellpull.  Just the right colors in the flowers used as a header on the metal piece.  So I undid the banding, took that bellpull finding off my Lady Scarlet and put it on my ABC...perfection I tell you.  OMG, I loved it before but now I want to do another one. 

 But since I think of January as my snowman month I thought I should do at least one new snowman piece and of course I picked out Brenda Gervais Snow Birds.  I picked 18 count linen and used Weeks Dye Works Pearl Cottons and a DMC.  It was a race to get it done by Friday since Camp Wannastitch is here this weekend.  By Wednesday I informed Sara that I was out of the Whitewash, so she sent Michael over with 4 skeins and I moved on.  By Thursday I had everything done except I ran out of Oscar before finishing 3 leaves.  So I brought it in today minus the 3 leaves...darn it.  (It's now Sunday and the leaves are done, but I had already taken the picture.  I hope to have the finishing done by next weekend so I'll post another picture at that time. 

 It was a fun stitch, except I was in a race against time and that's never that much fun for me.  I'm also a little stuck on finishing.  I am thinking pillow but if we have a table banner hanger that goes with it I might use it.  And with that done, and a Hoffman order here with Whittaker, well the new project just showed up.  Of course then it's fabric selection which has taken me all weekend as I went back and forth.  And..add to the confusion I've decided to stitch it not only on 36 ct, but to do an oversized larger Whittaker on 18 ct. using pearl cottom.  I am leary with only 2 colors that I have the  patience to do this twice, but here's hoping.  I've driven Stasi Buhrman nuts pulling fabrics which she then takes pity on me and puts them away for me.  Thank God for Stasi...she offered to come down to cut fabric for the Camp Wannastitch weekend and needless to say Sara and I both screamed with joy.  OMG, she has spent 3 days on her feet helping stitchers pick their fabrics and cutting the fabrics for them.  Thank you Stasi so much.  We couldn't have done this without you, and I really mean that.  This is an exhausting weekend, in a good, way,  and it's a wonderful weekend.  This year the Camp had 175 stitchers attend.  You can just imagine what it was like at times in the shop.  But we see several of the stitchers other times of the year so some have become friends and it's always good to see returning stitchers, see what everyone is working on, hear their stories about their pieces, etc.  But I sure am ready for a nap by the end of the day.  Anyway, we are about to wrap it up