So much...

When last I posted I was at the beginning of my vacation, today I'm at the end of it and have so much to post.

The trip to Michigan was wonderful.  It was great being with my family again, but the highlight was my DNiece's wedding.  Here's the new family:

And here's a photo so you can see her dress (everybody asks about the dress - the pearls are from my mother and are her something borrowed):

The new Mr. & Mrs. and a more experienced pair (DSis and DBIL)

Lots of smiles and laughter at the service and the reception afterwards.  In this post, I showed a piece of the pies that we were making for the table and thank yous.  Here's a picture of the front table with all of them:

Everyone got a lottery ticket and a lucky penny.  Didn't hear of anyone winning big, but everyone did go home at least a penny richer.  Here is my favorite picture of the entire day:

My father and my niece

I took a Dimensions plastic canvas kit with me in case there was stitching time.  I did get a bit of time and here's my start:

You can see the package photo through the canvas. 

And while I was in Michigan, I saw the handiwork of someone who was much more ambitious than I:

Yes, that's a crocheted tire cover.  It's done with, as best I could tell, rip cord.

For the first time in months (about four) I'm posting for .  WIPocalypse is hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings.  It's an easy SAL, work on a WIP during the month and post about it on the last Sunday of each month.  It definitely has kept me focused over the years and she just announced that she's going to continue into 2018 - Yaaaaaa!!!!!!!  Mel gives us questions each month to help to get to know the other posters.  This month's question is:  How did you begin stitching?  That is easy - my Mom.  My first exposure to stitching was with those stitching cards that some of us of a certain age will remember.  When I was 5 or 6, Mom started me on stamped cross stitch and taught me surface embroidery.  Forward a number of years and while talking Mom mentioned that she'd tried counted cross stitch and thought that I might like it - the rest, as they say, is history. 

The only piece I'm working on from my WIPocalypse list is A Glimpse of Santa.  It was here on my last post:

Today it's here:

I didn't really settle in to stitching until Wednesday, so I'm very happy with the progress. A bit upset with myself for not settling in sooner, but I did identify the block to my stitching when I do finally sit down - my phone.  I didn't realize how much stitching time I was losing until I left my phone in the kitchen one afternoon.  I figured out I would stitch a bit, pick up my phone and play through my five lives on Candy Crush and Bubble Witch (yes I'm still playing them), then do a quick email check, then look something up on the internet, and then back to the games and pretty soon hours had passed and nothing, stitching or otherwise, accomplished.  I have left my phone in another room the last two days and haven't really missed it.

I let the housework slide the last couple weeks, so today has been housework, laundry, banking book updating and blogging.  Once dinner is finished and the kitchen cleaned up, I plan to sit and stitch.  Back to work tomorrow, but I am working from home, so I get a chance to ease back into it.  In all honesty, there won't be a lot of actual work happening tomorrow as I will have two weeks of emails to sort and respond to. 

 

I haven't stopped

I haven't stopped blogging, although it may seem like it.  The last month has been a whirlwind.  In my last post, I mentioned one more work trip to Michigan.  That's been and gone (the training went well and I had a wonderful time visiting my family afterwards).  There was a long weekend in there somewhere - The Hubs and I went to Virginia Beach, took the boat out and visited his dad.  And when I logged off my computer Friday afternoon, I was officially on vacation for two weeks!  I went to the grocery store to pick up things to get through the weekend and a bit and then spent the next two days working on DNiece's wedding card.   Yep, on Wednesday I'm packing the car up again and heading back to Michigan to attend my niece's wedding on Friday.  The bones of the card were done on Saturday and all the decorating finished on Sunday.

I decided on a modified exploding box.  It is fairly plain on the outside:

because the inside isn't:

From above.  Heart idea from http://paperfirefly.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/ruby-wedding-anniversary.html

As with my nephew's card, I used bits and pieces from the bouquet I carried at my sister's wedding  (Yes, DSis and DBIL had two weddings within 3-1/2 months of each other - I'm sure they'll be glad to be done and dusted with weddings) to add a little "something old" for good luck   DSis and DBIL have been married for 30 years this December, so there must be some good vibes associated with it all.  

With the wedding things done, I am focusing on  A Glimpse of  Santa for the remainder of my vacation.  This is a gift for my new niece (wife of DNephew) and fits perfectly into .  Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and is designed to showcase projects that are gifts to someone or projects that were gifts to us (or anything else you can shoehorn into the SAL theme). 

Here's where it was last month  

And here's where it is today:  

More of the tree, finished off the window casing, some of the wallpaper design and a start to the little boy's head.  My goal for today and tomorrow is to get to the halfway mark so I can roll it up and move into the foot and toe area.