Mystery Solved.

The beautiful owl pattern decided to reappear. It was in the "stash cabinet" amongst the big binders filled with patterns, the cardboard magazine holders and various other items. So photo and pattern are happily reunited. Thanks so much to Jean for this beautiful pattern! I can't wait to stitch a few of the individual animals. I don't think I'll take on the whole design just yet.

Another big "thank-you" goes out to the lovely Nicole in Belgium. She has graciously shared the 4 newest Prairie Schooler booklets with me. I had been dreaming of getting these and I couldn't bear to wait until July, when my New Years' Resolution expires. More then 2 1/2 months into that and I am not feeling the pain so much anymore. Well, getting big packages filled with my wished-for items certainly helps. Thanks also Nicole for the other charts you sent along with those to satisfy my new lust for all things Quaker! Speaking of Quaker...here is another forbidden new start. A freebie from Hands To Work called "Heart and Hand". I am working the entire design in Needle Necessities Mcauly Manor #127; shades of stone, gray, tan, gold and brown. Sort of like moss on an old stone manor house. Here are the few stitches I managed to put in on Friday. The rest of the weekend was a total loss. It was the District Championship competitions. Yes, two of them! The one scheduled for last Saturday was canceled because of the snow storm. Once again I was "designated sub" for other coaches who could not make it. Saturday was 6am-11:30pm and Sunday was 10am-9:30pm. The Level 4 group was 1st Place, Level 5 (Jill's group) was 4th, Level 6 (Becca's group) was 3rd. Those are the one's I coached this weekend. Then our Level 7s (Brenda's group) was 1st and Dennis's Level 8 group didn't place because only one girl showed up. The others were guests at the infamous Sweet Sixteen party and didn't make it...including Kelsey, the guest of honor and her mother Jill who bailed out of Saturdays' competition weeks ago. It was nice to be able to spend the day chatting with Brenda. We never get to talk at the gym anymore. We were both able to air a lot of our grievances to Peggy while we were driving (2 hours) on Sunday. We both feel a bit better about the situation in the gym, knowing that Peggy is a bit more aware of what has been going on.

Last week I did manage to finish three little dolly sweaters, even if not much cross-stitching went on. Right now I am melting some fat. No, unfortunately not off my own body, but in a large kettle. I am melting some fat from the grocery store to make some bird suet cakes. I need to mix in the bird seed, pour it into the plastic moulds and let it harden. By tomorrow I can put it outside for my feathered friends.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! I have not made a single green cookie or even a green iced cake for the gym tonight. Just ran out of time. I even considered boiling and dying some eggs for the girls for Easter next week.....oh wait, that is this week. I would have to make them all up and give them out Wednesday because there is no practice on Friday. Time is just moving too quickly. I did manage to get the final ingredients for my pineapple-angelfood cake and a nice turkey breast to roast for dinner on Sunday. Other then that I am not very well organized. The Springtime stitching has fallen by the wayside, as well as the one-Christmas-ornament-a-month goal I had set for myself.

The items I ordered from the garden catalogs are beginning to arrive, but it is way too cold and wet outside to do anything with them. I just received a box with my leeks in it. I have no idea when I should plant these. I imagine they are like an onion and must go out in the early Spring. Right now my vegetable garden patch looks more like a swamp.

A few hours left of happy stitching, then off to the gym for a while. I am really looking forward to the little Easter 3 day holiday.