Progress, A New Start and A Plan!

I'm sorry I haven't been around lately.  Let me catch you up. 

DS had strep throat when I last posted.  Just when I thought he was well, he relapsed!  He's doing better now and almost back to normal.

A family member needed help on a project that has kept us busy the last two weekends. 

Recently I had a doctor's appointment and he suggested a "lifestyle" change.  My bad cholesterol was just a little high and my good cholesterol was just a little low.  He suggested some changes in diet and exercise to see if this would help.  Of  course, that has meant juggling my time and change is not easy for me.  I go back in March for a retest.  Hopefully the changes I've made will be enough.  If not, I may have to look at medication.  It's not that bad yet, but he really wants to address the issue now.

All that to say, there really hasn't been a lot of stitching time for me.  I do have some progress to show on the Santa Bellpull.

Progress?  Really?  I don't see any progress you may be saying.....

O.K.  I hear you.  There isn't a lot.  The bottom of the robe and up the middle of the robe is a mixture of white and off white stitches.  They are really hard to see.  That's the progress.  Why did I stop?  I ran out of the off white!  A trip to Hobby Lobby just hasn't happened yet.  But it's in the plan for this weekend.

There was a question about the size of the bellpull and I thought you might like to see a picture of the finished piece from the magazine.  The magazine says the finished piece is 3 1/2 X 11 1/2 inches.  Here's the picture:

Really, I don't have a lot more to do.  The beard, face, hat and then the backstitching.  Shouldn't take long to finish up once I have the thread.

Monday was a holiday for me.  Of course, I went into my meager stash to see if I could find something else to work on.  I turned to the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments Magazine from 2009 and started "Caroline" by Miss Crescent's Crowne.  Here's the start:

Really I should be able to finish this today or tomorrow. 

I want to thank all of you for being such an inspiration and encouragement to me.  Although I haven't posted, I have been reading your blogs.  I love all the work you are doing.  It really encourages me to keep going. 

This week I discovered a new (to me) blog.  Katy at Just a Little Stitchin'.  You may know her already but she's a new friend for me.  She has several pieces she's working on that are beautiful.  And her recent finish of Tribal Penguin is awesome!  He's on my to do list.  Katy has a rotation plan that she follows.  She starts a piece on Sunday and stitches on it until Saturday.  Then she moves on to the next project.  I want to give this a try.  Honestly, I don't know how many pieces are in her plan, but for me I'm thinking about 4 projects.  Why 4?  You see there are 3 pieces I'm anxious to start and 1 UFO I need to make progress on.  At least there is a method to my madness! 

Sunday I will start the rotation so come back to see more about the plan.  I need that trip to Hobby Lobby to get some needed supplies before I can start.  I should finish "Caroline" before then.  And the Santa Bellpull will probably be my lunch time stitch.  Don't worry, I'll finish them too!

I'm off to see what you all are working on.  Happy Stitching!!!