I wish I could say that things are back to normal but I confess I have no idea what that looks like anymore.  Things seems to change at a pretty fast clip here lately and I feel like I am spinning in circles most of the time.  Thank goodness for stitching or I think I might be in the loony bin!
  I spent the first 2 weeks in NOVA babysitting for my granddaughter as planned.  It was a wonderful time and I am so glad I was able to spend those precious days with her.  But the day I was to leave for home for a brief respite, they found a sitter near their home that they all seemed comfortable with and my return wasn't necessary.
  I had mixed feelings about that.  I was not looking forward to the drive back and forth each week for the next few months.  DC traffic is horrific no matter when you try to tackle it!  Leaving town anytime after 3pm is always a nightmare and there's no guarantee the weekend will be any better.  But I was really looking forward to spending that time with the baby.  My attachment certainly grew although I'm not sure she recognizes me when I see her now.  I really miss her and wish we lived closer so I could see her more often.
  But have no fear, things did not go back to normal when I returned. The Hubs and I have been talking about moving for some time now.  We love it here in Williamsburg and I really love my house but we have been discussing the future need to move into something with the master on the main floor.  Both of us suffer from knee issues and climbing up and down the stairs has become a real pain! We both agreed that this would be our last move (stop me if you've heard that before!) so my list of requirements for a new house looked like an episode of Love It or List It!  It was going to have to be just about perfect for me to move and that started with the location.  I didn't have to be in my same neighborhood but I wanted to be on my current side of town.
  I have been monitoring my Zillow feed for several years now and nothing fit the bill.  So, we decided we needed to look at new construction.  Luckily, there is a lot of that around here.  So,  now we are building a new home and trying to get our current house ready to put on the market.  Reserve my room in the loony bin now please!!
  So I have been going through my house by day and watching baseball and stitching at night.  Trying to stay sane although I must confess The Hubs took me away to the beach for a few days to keep the meltdowns to a minimum.  We are ex-military and they always packed and moved us.  I didn't realize until now what a gift that was!!  Having to handle every single thing you own and make a decision about its future is exhausting!!  I will be so happy when this part is over!!
  I have been stitching.  Would have probably killed someone by now if I wasn't!  I was working on Merry Hart last time I posted I believe.  I did manage to finish that and gave it to my good friend Tommye for her birthday this year.  Here is that lovely finish:

I was so unhappy with the difference in the picture and the real thing that I spent a lot of time trying to 'fix' it.  In the end, I just used all the called for threads and fabric and in the end I really liked it.  And so did she!
   I have also finished a Facebook SAL of Heartstring Samplery's Coffee Quaker.  I always love a good Quaker and I enjoyed stitching this so much.

I only changed out 1 color ( shocking, I know) to accommodate the color of the fabric.  I did, however, take a few liberties with color placement.  That red flower looking thing isn't supposed to be red!
  I am currently working on a loose rotation of several things that include a birth sampler for the princess, 3 Things by Moira Blackburn, and a Scarlett House piece that will be a birthday gift later in the year.  Pictures to follow in  my next post.
  I hope to be able to get on a more regular schedule with my poor neglected blog but who can say what will happen next?!  I will do my best, that's all I can promise.

Hope you are all enjoying your stitching as much as I am,  Laura

Behind Already!

  So, I missed posting last week.  Thought I would  be able to maintain a schedule for longer than that but I guess that's just the way it goes.  Life certainly does seem to get in the way.  And today isn't supposed to be my posting day either but I won't be home tomorrow to do it and I'm not brave enough to try to post from my phone.
  Not posting but always stitching!  I started 2 new pieces after I finished Merry Christmas Ella Vaughn.  The first is a Plum Street that I have been chomping at the bit to get my hands on since I first saw it.  Tons of people posted pics of it from whichever retreat it was first offered at and it was love at first sight.  Too bad the rest of us have to wait so long to be able to get the chart!  So this is my meager start on Merry Hart.

36 ct PTP Ale
 with listed colors

This piece would have been much further along but I was so unsure about the linen and the colors.  Another case of the actual supplies look nothing like the picture on the chart. My pet peeve!!  I polled my stitch group ladies about the linen.  Then went insane with the red since it really looks red in the picture but is more pinkie/blue in real life.  Finally decided to ignore the picture and just see if I liked it for itself and it appears that so far, I do.
   While all the craziness was going on with the above piece, I had to have something to work on that brought me actual peace.  Stitching is my de-stressing device so when the stitching is causing stress that is a real problem!  Anyway, I have several SAL pieces that were supposed to be started in January that I haven't touched yet so I decided to get on one of those.  This is where I got with it before going back to Merry Hart.

40 ct. Lakeside pecan butter
with listed DMC

This is 3 Things by Moira Blackburn.  I have had this in my stash forever and it is nice to finally see it come to life.  It will go into the rotation now and be introduced to a few other SAL friends later.  I anticipate having quite the rotation going very soon!
   I don't think I will be doing any stitching for the next few days.  We are going to see the little princess and since I didn't even get the stitching out of the bag the last few times we visited, I don't think I will even bother to take it.  Who has time to stitch when you're kissing this sweet little face?

See you again soon,  Laura