Monday 14 March 2011

Slow progess but finished backstitching 1 house



I think I'm not in the mood for fiddly things or for undoing mistakes so that's part of my problem in getting back into stitching. I had a bit of taking out on the backstitching on this to do as I'd used the wrong color under the jade window arches. I've undone and re-done the backstitching under the ground floor window arches. For now I've left the upstairs window. Maybe when this rotation comes around again I'll decide to undo it--or not!

Anyway, I'm on to my next rotation--Verandas and have started the backstitching on that and have made a few mistakes and undone them too. I seem to be really worried about what color to backstitch where. I've started on the house on the far left--the one I just finished cross-stitching--and it's shaping up nicely so far. I really want to finish a few of my projects that are close to being done so I can move on.

Friday 11 March 2011

Still dragging my feet

This year has been a tough one as far as adjustments go and that has left little time or energy for crafting, never mind getting all the everyday things done. Both kids have had big steps up to take and I've had to spend quite a bit of my energy helping them.

My son Jarrah has changed schools, gone from a public school to a private school where academic expectations are greater and entered senior school. He's had to adjust to new travel arrangements to his new school which involve taking up to 3 buses the few times a week when we don't drive him. Initially he wasn't happy about changing schools but is now settling in well, making friends and improving his grades.

My daughter Jade has gone into Year 5 which is a big step in primary school. She has also taken a huge step up in gymnastics to the top International squad at her club, adjusting to 3 new coaches and to working along-side girls who are on the Australian national team. She's training an additional session and up to 29 hours per week. She's also started studying in an intensive scholarship test preparation class on Sunday mornings. This class gives her up to 5 hours of homework per week. So she is getting very skilled at micro-managing her time.

So for me there has been additional driving for both kids and providing much more homework help then before. So you can see where crafting time and, more particularly, available energy has gone.

As the kids are settling in I'm also potentially taking on two more part-time jobs this year. More on those in time.

It is frustrating to be so close to finishing a number of projects and to not be actually finishing them off. I think I'm backstitching 3 projects at the moment and I've never done that before.

I pulled out Cottages last night and finally worked through my backstitch problem with it. I used the wrong color to backstitch under the eaves of the windows on House #4. So I undid that stitching which was very fiddly and started to re-do it and I also stitched other areas. I just need to keep up some momentum and keep going.