University Quiz

I find it a little odd that they equate being poor with being in the city and not being rural.

You're Boston College!

Deeply rooted in your stern religious upbringing, you likely grew up poor but humble. Since then, you've been able to move out of the city and into the suburbs, while managing to acquire a fair bit of funding along the way. Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps has given you more than a feeling, but all you want is to have your peace of mind. You always used to get Golden Eagle passes that enabled you to visit every National Park.

Take the University Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Motifs of Me

Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been making slow progress on my house ornament for the Bride' Tree SAL. Here's a photo taken about a week ago of the house before I started all the backstitching. I think that time-wise the amount of backstitching is going to equal to the amount of cross-stitching.

And now for the meme.

This is something I made up. Both Anna and Lee were working on Drawn Thread's Souvenir Sampler that allowed one to add personal touches of appropriate symbols. I thought, if I were to stitch a sampler about my life, what would I include? I started the list in November. It took me awhile to come up with a full list. Some letters were easy, others I had two or more options, and five had me stumped. J, L, Q, X, and Z took the longest, and I had to resort to dictionary browsing to find Q and Z words that I could use. Each motif had to be something I could represent in a very small space.

I don't know any of you well enough to tag you, so I'll just invite those of you who find this interesting to play along. Please leave me a comment if you do, so I will see your entries.

~~~~~

A - Apple (family)
B - Books (hobbies/jobs)
C - Cheerios (childhood)
D - Dutch wooden shoe (schools)
E - Electric lines and 18-wheeler (family)
F - Flags (residences)
G - Gray cats and goldfish (childhood)
H - Hollinger box (jobs)
I - I. logo (schools)
J - Jeep (family)
K - Knitting (family)
L - Lavender (residences)
M - Mountain cabin (family/childhood)
N - Naval anchor (family)
O - Olives (travel/hobbies)
P - Pioneer bonnet (schools)
Q - Quincunx (hobbies) [It was between this and Quatrefoil.]
R - Railroads (family)
S - S. logo (schools)
T - Teacup (family)
U - U. emblem (schools)
V - Virgo
W - curly W (residences/hobbies)
X - Xs (hobbies)
Y - Yellow flowers (because they make me smile, especially in spring)
Z - Zeroes (hobbies)

Book Quiz

As a librarian, I had to take this one. Especially since the Country Quiz told me I was Texas. If you know me, you know I will *never* be Texas (even if I'm married to a Cowboys fan).

You're To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Perceived as a revolutionary and groundbreaking person, you have changed the minds of many people. While questioning the authority around you, you've also taken a significant amount of flack. But you've had the admirable guts to persevere. There's a weird guy in the neighborhood using dubious means to protect you, but you're pretty sure it's worth it in the end. In the end, it remains unclear to you whether finches and mockingbirds get along in real life.

Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Pisces Pillow

Here is the pillow I made for a friend last spring, using the freebie pattern before it went missing. The sides contain the baby's middle and last names, but I redacted them to protect him. I hope you enjoy it. I plan on stitching the center part as my fish ornament in the BT-SAL.

In other news, I'm about half way done with my house ornament for the BT-SAL. I've got a little bit of cross-stitching left and a lot of backstitching. I think it's going to be a cute ornament.

Cross Stitch Designers are Wonderful People

I can hear you saying, "Tell me something that I don't know." Here's my story.

Twice in the past three weeks I've had to track down missing charts. In one case, the chart was missing from a kit. In the other, I thought I had a copy of a freebie since I stitched it last March but couldn't find it in my stash or online. In both cases, I contacted the designers asking for copies of the charts. Within 12 hours (!), I had responses. One sent me the design via email, and the other sent it through the post.

I was a little worried when I contacted them that the designs might not be available or in the case of the kit that I might have to repurchase it. I was very pleased that both designs were readily available and stunned by the rapidness of the designers' customer service. Color me a happy girl.

So if you know any cross stitch designers, thank them (as I did) for being wonderful.

Small Joys

For almost a decade now, I've been proud to call myself a Washingtonian. And, yes, I do live in DC proper. In fact, I live on Capitol Hill. DC has changed a lot in the past 20 years, and it's not the scary place it once was.

For me, one of the great joys of living on Capitol Hill is that I get to see the Capitol building on a daily basis. Nearly every day, particularly on my way home from work, as I approach the hill, I have a great view. It gives me a small thrill every time, even on days when I'm not thrilled with what our politicians are doing. To me, it's a symbol of a government that's managed to hold itself together and accomplish important things for over 200 years.

Growing up, I never thought about where I would live as an adult. I grew up in a rural area where the only large landmarks were the water and TV towers. It's surprises me still that this is where I ended up, but I'm very happy that this is where I am now.

What are the small, unexpected joys in your life?

Chart Title Quiz

In her current meme, Anna challenged those of us who hadn't to go back and take this quiz. Since I don't have a blog archives to use to play in the current meme, I thought I'd try the second one.

Using your cross stitch pattern names, you answer these questions. The only rule is you have to use patterns that you like enough that you might stitch them one day.

• Are you male or female? Girls Night Out by Just Nan
• Describe yourself: L is for Librarian by The Victoria Sampler
• How do some people feel about you? Good Friends Sampler by The Victoria Sampler
• How do you feel about yourself? Busy Bee Sampler by The Sweetheart Tree
• Describe your girlfriend/boyfriend/interest: Give Pranks by MonsterBubbles
• Where would you rather be? Woodland Garden by The Victoria Sampler
• Describe what you want to be: Trust and Contentment by Cathy Jean
• Describe how you live: I wonder as I wander by MonsterBubbles
• Describe how you love: The Red Thread by Bent Creek (you'll have to look at the sentiment on this one and the next)
• Share a few words of wisdom: Confidence by MonsterBubbles

Play along if you'd like. For those of you that don't stitch, the original quiz asked for song titles.

Pay it Forward

Geggie is offering a contest for 3 lucky folks to win a Burt's Bees giftpack. The only catch is that if you win, you need to do a similiar "pay it forward" kind of gift. I've already entered, because hubby is all about the Burt's Bees.

Even if you're not into that kind of thing, her's is a fun blog.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, all. I wish you a peaceful and healthful new year.

My stitching goals for this year are pretty mild. I'm not what you would call a focused stitcher.

1. Participate in the Bride's Tree SAL.
2. Finish the birth sampler for my niece.
3. Stitch a birth sampler for one of the three nephews for whom I haven't stitched one.
4. Stitch a big project for me.

I'll probably also stitch some additional small projects, because as I've been looking for patterns for the SAL, I've found some other ornaments that I really like. I also tend to get excited about small new projects when I'm in a stitching slump.

We'll see how I do.