It's alive!

And I haven't even been sick or anything, just really, really busy. Mostly I'm just suffering under the typical Spring-overload. Work is busy in its own way. In stitching, I'm trying to wrap up stitching on a new design (yes, I'm still stitching on the dolphins) and I still need to do the finishing work on another model. I've started another design, a little fun fob! I've also just found out that I did get a space in the big summer trade show, so I need to shift into overdrive to get some new stuff ready for that. (Yikes!) There's also been a bunch of discussion in the designing world about copyright lately as another pattern-sharing site was uncovered. It was very sad to see there for all to download full patterns in blatant copyright infringment of some of my favorite designers/friends.

In other overload areas, DH is still getting ready for the big bike ride. I still have to do some dress shopping as DBIL's wedding is soon. I didn't get my plane ticket booked in time, so I won't be able to get to Memphis for my grandmother's birthday, but that may be good. Things are just too busy right now and I wouldn't be able to go for very long. Still...I probably should've booked the ticket a month ago.

My bluebonnets are still growing! We had a week of cold weather (no more cold weather from Canada, please!), well I guess the right term would be chilly weather. I really need some time to get out and weed the flower beds again, but who knows when that will happen?

I'm happy to see that there are some new additions to the frapper map of Cross Eyed Kat stitchers! Pretty cool. If you ever want to see if there is a store that carries Cross Eyed Kat designs near you, you can check out the map on the Cross Eyed Kat web site.

It's not easy being green

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's day, and on a whim, I decided to wear green all week. Today, I had a co-worker say, "Hey it's March - when are we supposed to wear green?" That's right, four days of wearing green and nobody really notices. I will admit that today I was wearing a REALLY BRIGHT green as opposed to Tuesday's pastel green, but still. And these aren't shirts with just one green stripe - these are all solid green shirts (I don't own green pants). It really isn't easy being green.

The bluebonnets are coming, the bluebonnets are coming!

The calendar on my wall says something about the first day of spring being next Monday, but it lies. Spring has been here for at least a week and the bluebonnets know it. They're starting to show up in great, lush, blue-white carpets along the highways. I actually planted some bluebonnet seeds in my porch planters last weekend and already I have three (three!) sprouts! All of the trees are leafing out as well in that bright, kelly-spring green way as well. Just don't stand still outside too long or you might end up covered in flourescent green pine pollen.

Spring for us is invariably busy, and this year seems doubly so. DH is doing his training for the MS 150, I'm trying to get new designs ready for April and beyond, plus there's taxes, preparing for a family wedding in late April, and some other work stuff going on.

I did manage to make it to the gym yesterday. Which was a good thing, since the in-laws came in for a visit over the weekend and we did lots of eating out (including a trip out to a lovely little cafe in Round Top, Texas, which has the most decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie). I have a slight problem, though, because I'm currently watching season 3 of 24 on my iPod (which means I watch it at the gym). I'm about halfway through the season, so I worked out on the eliptical while watching one episode (about 45 minutes), then came home and watched the new episode for the new season. Keeping the plot lines straight can be a bit confusing. And who elected this President Logan? After having Palmer president? Well, I've got a trip coming up, so maybe I can plow through a bunch of season 3 while I'm travelling.

Special Kudos to the nice lady who let me go in front of her to check out at Walmart. I had so few items, I didn't even have a cart, but as usual, there weren't any short lines. This lady had a full cart and had just found a short line, but she pointed it out to me and let me go in front of her. Seems there are still kind people out in the world. Something we should all remember to be - kind people.

Weeds weeds weeds!

It is definitely spring here - and starting to get hot! The tulips are all a-bloom (pictures to come soon, I promise). I needed to replace some azaleas that had kicked the bucket last year (it was a hot, dry summer), so off I went Saturday to Home Depot for some new plants. I got the right kind of azaleas, and some color plants for our patio pots. I also went by another nursery and got some snapdragons, poppys (yay - a perennial!), alyssa for the patio pots, and some bluebonnet seeds. Sunday before lunch, I was good and dug up the dead azaleas and got all the new plants planted. In the course of doing this, I notice that the weeds were starting to make a resurgence in the backyard. Only one week after being severly beat down by the yard guys, too! After lunch, I dutifully took myself to the backyard, trowel and bag in hand and started to attack weeds. The more I dug the more I saw. Everywhere I looked there just seemed to be more weeds. Now, most of them were little, so they were just sprouting. You also have to understand that this is Texas, and our yard is Texas-sized, so there is just lots of space to do the weeding! Anyway, after a while, I had to say enough - I'm just going to dig up all the thistles and be happy with that for this week. And now, I'll be happy if I never see another thistle again (and you'll probably never see a thistle design from me).

I did get some stitching in this weekend. It feels like it has been forever since I've really stitched! The border is coming along on the dolphin design, but I did take a break to do the back stitching. While not completely done (and back stitching is not my favorite part of any design), it is so amazing to see how it makes the design really pop out and come alive.

By special request, I'm working on alternatives to the hardanger corners in the Ancient World Samplers. A Greek one is done, I should be adding it to the website soon. These additions will be available on the website for people who've already purchased the design and included in future publications of the design.

For everyone still suffering (like my brother) in snow and cold weather, just think that my blooming flowers are being balanced out by the weeds. :)

Who let March in?

Could somebody press rewind, please? I'd like about five more days back. Life is just too busy around here. First there's work life - that's just generally busy, although there are some extra things going on there for complication. Second there's cross-stitch business life - wrapping up Nashville orders, getting the website updated, getting reorders out (yay), sending catalogues out, not to mention trying to get data entry done so I can do my taxes (yikes) and registering for the next big tradeshow (should I mention how long I've been meaning to put a stamp on that envelope?). Then there's cross-stitch design life - some stitching, some doodling, some ideas noodling in the brain, some sketching on paper that really needs to get done. Then there's real life - laundry, feeding the cat, buying the groceries, feeding the husband, changing the oil in the car, keeping the lawn looking decent - and I don't even have kids! Somehow it all has to get done in the 24 hours of a day - oh, and I get pretty cranky when I don't get 8 hours of sleep. :) So we prioritize around here and loose a few days occasionally, then play catchup, which is what I think I'll be doing this weekend. Oh, and planting some flowers before spring entirely passes me by. Hopefully, I'll get the camera out while my tulips are all blooming right now and post a picture soon!