Incoherent Scribblings

Old and New

Today’s entry features a little something old and a little something new.

The little something old is the wedding sampler that I stitched for my mom and step-dad’s wedding back in 1999. After learning to stitch a mere three months earlier, I stitched this for their June wedding and I believe this is probably the third piece that I ever stitched. It was a Wal-Mart kit and is stitched on 18 count White Aida cloth.

Though I am sure it wouldn’t take me too long now, I remember thinking that it was fairly detailed and I was really worried that I wouldn’t finish it in time for the wedding. If I remember correctly, I finished the stitching the day before the wedding and then I framed it the morning of the ceremony.

I have been trying to photograph some of my early works that were gifts to my family since I arrived two weeks ago and only today did I finally get a decent picture of Mom’s wedding sampler. I am still working on getting good photos of the other early pieces (which includes my niece’s baby sampler) so stay tuned.

Anyway, speaking of baby samplers…

I have been watching my new nephew this week (my sister went back to school Monday) and since he doesn’t do much more than eat and sleep right now, I have also been stitching. Today I worked on my “Catch the Wind” SAL with Cathy, but over the weekend I started the baby’s sampler and I am already about 50% done with it.

As I mentioned a while back, I am using the same pattern that I used when I stitched my niece’s sampler, but I am making some minor variations. I am planning on finishing and framing this piece before I leave in February and when I do, I will post a picture it with the one I did for my niece… provided that I can get a good photo.

The Baby Book

Last Monday afternoon my sister called to tell us that she was going to have her labor induced on Wednesday. However, at 9:00 Tuesday morning we got a call from my brother-in-law telling us that Sis had gone to the hospital because apparently the threat of inducement (is that a word?) had encouraged the baby get a move on and he was on his way. I decided there was really no sense in hanging out at the hospital for who-knew how long, so I stayed at Mom’s and waited to hear the news.

A little after 2:00 pm I had to run an errand and as soon as I got home Mom was just getting off the phone. (Of course!) She told me to leave my coat on because it was time for us to go to the hospital. My nephew had arrived! (You can read his stats in the previous entry.) Mom and I then spent the rest of the evening running all over town spreading the word and basically acting like the crazy grandma and aunt we were.

However, before Mom and I left the hospital there was an “episode” involving the acquisition of a baby book.

Apparently the hospital used to present each newborn with a baby book, but unbeknownst to my sister, it seems that they stopped this practice sometime in the past few years. Because she expected to receive a baby book from the hospital, my sister hadn’t purchased one. When she learned that the hospital no longer provided baby books, she was understandably upset because she wanted the baby’s footprints in the baby book.

Everyone (meaning my family) then started offering to go get her a baby book and there was a heated discussion as to who should buy said baby book, but at the same time no on could agree on exactly who should buy it. These sorts of “discussions” always irritate me because no one can ever seem to make a decision, so I did what I always do: I made the decision. I said that I would acquire the baby book and I would have it there before they were released from the hospital.

It wasn’t until later that I realized I had sort of put my foot in my mouth. As most of my readers probably know, in America if Mom and baby have no complications and are healthy, they are released from the hospital in approximately 24 hours. This meant that they would be released from the hospital sometime around 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon and in order for me to deliver the baby book to the hospital in time for the nurses to put the baby’s footprints in the book before he was released, I really needed to get the baby book to the hospital before noon.

Now I am sure my friends and family can see what is coming next… this meant that I had to get up and be ready to face the day before noon! And I think even casual readers of the blog probably know that I don’t do that very well.

Nevertheless, I took my commitment to the baby book seriously and was up, dressed, and ready to go by 9:00 Wednesday morning. I found a really cute little baby book and delivered it in plenty of time to get the baby’s footprints in it before he was released from the hospital.

Since I hadn’t gotten anything for the baby yet anyway it was my present to her. And as I told her… you definitely know how much you mean to me when I get up before noon to do something for you!

First 2006 Happy Dance

I just realized it was Wednesday (already!) and since I promised an SBQ this week, here goes:

Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that talks about it.) If not, when do you predict it will be?

With all that has been going on during the month of January for me, I haven’t had a happy dance yet. However, I am almost finished with the stitching on Melissa’s birthday exchange and think that I will have it done by the end of the week. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to show it until after she receives in February though…

* * Edited at 9:02 pm to add… * *

I just finished up the backstitching on Melissa’s birthday exchange piece this evening. So today is my first official happy dance of 2006! Check back in February for pics.

Welcome Baby!

My nephew was born today at 2:31pm. He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20 and ¾ inches long. Mom (as in my sister) and baby are doing fine. And what’s more, my nephew was born on what would have been my paternal grandfather’s 83rd birthday. How cool is that?

P.S. Cathy — As you can imagine, I didn’t have time to work on our “Catch the Wind” SAL today, but I promise next week I will be there!

The Week in Review

I have been back to the States for almost a week and even though it doesn’t seem like I have been that busy, I have barely had time to sit down long enough to write. But since I just know that all five of my readers are dying to know what I have been doing, here is a quick run-down:

Tuesday: I had a long, if uneventful, plane ride from Munich to Philadelphia. I then had about an hour and a half layover in Philly and by the time that I got through Immigration, re-checked my luggage, went through security for the fourth or fifth time, and caught a shuttle bus to my terminal, I would have just made it before boarding began.

However, the plane to Kansas City ended up being delayed for about an hour because we didn’t have a crew! I thought about offering to fly the plane, but since I don’t know how and I know they don’t take that sort of talk lightly anymore, I thought it might be wiser if I didn’t.

My mom, step-dad, and aunt met me at the airport and then I had an approximate three-hour car ride to Small Town, Iowa. By the time I made it to bed at 12:30 am Iowa time I had been up for a little over 24 hours. I actually got my second wind about that time and probably could have stayed up for a while, but I decided to go to bed and as soon as I hit the pillow I was out like a light!

Read the rest…