2019 review and 2020 plans

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.  It's feeling more like Columbus Day than Christmas here weather-wise.  It is almost 60 F right now, which is significantly warmer than normal.  I was very comfortable without a coat when I went to the grocery this morning.

With the whirlwind that is Christmas over, I'm ready to settle in, welcome the New Year and enjoy winter.  But before I move too far past Christmas, I did get some crafty things as gifts.  DSon gave me several bottles of Lineco glue and a tube of Tombo MonoAqua glue.  I use a lot of glue in my papercrafting and these will definitely be used.  Here's this years card (which used up a lot of my glue inventory):

Lots of cutting out on this one.  Each color is a different layer.  The ornament and pine bough stamps are from Outlines Rubber Stamp Company (unfortunately they closed several years ago).  The glue and CD (The Great British Carol Collection by The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge) were gift-bagged by Amazon.  I highly recommend ordering yourself a gift just for the bag - very nice quality.  I'm going to use mine for crocheting projects.

Mom stitched me a sweatshirt:

Her white stitches are always so nice, I have no idea how she does it.  No, I don't know which lighthouse it is, but I love it.

And my sister gave me a yarn winder.  I've been making yarn cakes left and right.  Here's my first one:

They really do store more easily than skeins and they're fun to make.

In a previous post, I mentioned a new door decoration.  I got it all put together and hanging:

The bow is a bit squished as it was all a bit to thick for the space between the door and the storm door.  The snowflakes keep moving around, so I need to figure out a way to keep them in place, but other than that, I'm pleased with it.

So my review and plans...

2019 was not the best year.  My great-nephew Jack was a bright, shining spot, but the year was colored by my dad's death in January as well as the stress of being furloughed from work for 36 days and the ultra-stress associated with being the acting branch chief.  I mentioned it in an earlier post, but I will say again that I am just now really recovering from it all.

Speaking of Jack:

He made sure to go straight to the gift source!

Stitching wise, 2019 was a slow year.  I had the fewest finishes that I can remember - 4.  The biggest difference from previous years is that I didn't have any smalls finishes and those always bump up the numbers.  You can see my 2019 finishes in the tab up top imaginatively called "Finishes".

I have one piece that might, possibly, be finished by the end of the year:

I need to finish the wreath, the female cardinal and a bit inside the wreath, but I have all this weekend for stitching, so will see how far I get.  I am really enjoying this piece, especially now that I have a new magnifier/light.  I have been using a Mighty Bright magnifier/lamp for years but recently I started having problems with the plug at the lamp.  I've had a Brightech LED magnifier/lamp on my wish list for a while and for Christmas, I got one.  I thought the Mighty Bright was bright, but compared to the Brightech, it was like stitching in the dark.  I really am amazed at how much of a difference the lamp has made to my stitching.  If it's not done by the 31st, it will be my first finish for 2020.

I am looking forward to 2020 - a new decade, a new job, and two new babies in the family.  It all sounds like a huge reset to "happy" or at least, "content". 

My stitching plans for 2020 revolve around those two new babies.  As soon as Forever and Ever is off the frame, Baby W's Magic Dream. Boy is going on.  As soon as that's done, Candy Nutcracker will go on.  We should be finding out soon what Baby L is going to be and will be able to plan the next birth sampler/notice and stocking.  On the off chance that I finish all of that before the end of the year, I will start my rotation again and get some stitches into Goldie and Zen Garden.  To see pictures of all my WIPs and my stitching plans, see the tab "WIPocalypse Project List and 2020 Stitching Plans" up top there.

My one-hour-rotation on Sunday mornings seems to be working and I will continue that into 2020.  The three pieces that I'm working on are:

J by Nora Corbett

I'm stitching this on 32-count Summer Sky jobelan with a conversion to Christmas colors.  There's not too much more of this one left - arms, face, wings and back-stitching.  There's a bit of beading to do also.  Once this one is finished, O will take it's place.

The second one is:

Temperature Tree from Stitchin' Mommy's Etsy shop.  I would like to finish the tree part, but will be happy if I can keep just ahead of each month's leaves.

And the third piece is:

Time for Seasons from By the Bay Needlearts.  This is one of the alternate corner designs.  The second part has been released so I'm very far behind, but I really didn't think I could keep up with it.

I did a little bit more on Gingerbread Lighthouse from Shannon Christine Designs:

I am thinking of adding this to the Sunday morning decision wheel, but may add it when I finish one of the others.

I think I will, at least, unofficially keep on with the SALs that I thought I was going to do this year.  If not, I am definitely planning to keep up with my blog more than I did in 2020.  

And one last picture.  I've mentioned that I work in Washington, DC.  Because I see the Capitol, Washington Monument, Smithsonian "Castle" and the Arts and Industries building all the time, I pretty much take them for granted; however, bit back, on my way to the train station, the full moon caught my eye:

That's the US Capitol from the corner of 7th and Maryland Street, SW (DC is designed on a grid and the areas are Southwest, Northwest, Southeast and Northeast - there are lots of neighborhoods but every street has a SW, NW, SE, or NE location identifier).  This is the side facing the Mall - it has a really grand staircase and is the ceremonial side of the building.  If you're entering the building you do it from the other side as that's the ground level entrance.  The Statute of Freedom on the top of the dome faces that entrance.  If you're interested in reading more about it, check out the Architect of the Capitol's site. I have yet to get the picture of the Washington Monument and full moon, but I've got a few years yet.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year's Eve and a healthy and happy New Year.