A Surprise!

We came home from Dublin on Sunday evening last week (sorry Edda it has taken me so long to post this – I know I’m very naughty!) – we’d been to see H’s family and help his brother celebrate his 30th birthday. I was very tired and…maybe even a bit cranky…until I found that a mysterious package had been delivered over the weekend. I wasn’t expecting anything, so was delighted to find this:

Edda had sent me a Crazy Exchange, and I love the bourse that she sent – it’s a lovely pattern (it’s Three Emblems freebie by Papillon Designs which can be found here if you're interested!) and Edda’s stitching and finishing is really lovely. Thanks to Edda also for including some lovely well-chosen extras for me. Now to get my head down and work out what to stitch back for Edda – by the Crazy Exchange rules, I have 30 days to ponder, stitch, finish and send something back to her. Needle to the ready!

I’ve also been busy with Paradigm Lost – my new plan of leaving it on the frame seems to be paying off as I’m really rattling forward with it. I am a lazy so-and-so, and often when PL is off the frame, I can’t be bothered to do all the set up and pull out all the bits and pieces I need to start stitching, and instead just pick up something small and easy. So on the upside, I’m stitching more on PL and really hope to meet my goal of finishing it this year. On the downside, my stitching chair and stool are now never tidy because I never put PL away, and I am not getting as many photos, because I can’t get a good shot when it’s on the frame. And which is also why I have no photo update for you...

And, finally, thanks have to go to Angela who nominated me for an award:

According to the rules of the award, I need to name 5 things I’m addicted to, so here goes:

- Acquiring stash – I just can’t seem to help myself. Now, I know I'm not alone in this one...
- Cigarettes – it’s up in the air whether this truly belongs on the list, as I gave up on Sunday evening a week ago, but I’d still LOVE to have one. Or two. Or…
- Driving – preferably with my iPod cranked up.
- Chocolate – yes, another obvious choice, but the truth is that I send H out for chocolate most evenings, and I just can’t seem to get by without at least a tiny taste. Dark for preference, and never Cadbury.
- Me time – I’m a social creature, but only up to a point, and after that I need some space, so ‘me time’ is definitely on my list of must-haves.

I’m very naughty about passing on awards. This one I think has been around and around, so I think it’s safe for me to not pass it on – although thank you to Angela for thinking of me in relation to it, and if you haven’t had it yet, and want to, then by all means consider yourself awarded – if you’ve managed to stick with me this far, you definitely deserve an award!

Happy stitching!