Exciting news and updates

Hi there! Well, it has been a great week. You know how a couple of months ago, I was incredibly frustrated with my job. I decided then to start looking for a new job. Over the past couple of months, I have gone on interviews sporadically. Several of the interviews were for case manager nursing positions. Most of them, you have to have your bachelor's degree or, which I don't have yet. Yet, I still did well enough at the first interviews to get called back for 2nd ones. Finally this week, I was offered a good job at the hospital my mom works at. I will be working on the cardiac floor on the weekends. 12 hour shifts, every Sat., Sun, and Mon. Then, I'm off Tues - Friday. Awesome $$$, too. I know it's every weekend, but to have 4 days off during the week is so worth it. I start on May 4th. Can't wait!!!! This is a picture of my youngest DD. She had her kindergarten music program on Monday. It was so cute! Our music teacher at the kids school does an amazing job.

There hasn't been a ton of actual stitching this week. I've been working a lot on the JCS piece. It's due back to them around the 15th. More stitching on that later today. This is what I have been working on. This is my progress on the Moda baby quilt. I think it's really turning out well. (Excuse the sleepy looking daughter, she really had been up for over an hour). This is going to be the backing for the quilt, and also the 72 prairie points that will go around the sides.

Well, after my last post, I decided, why am I torturing myself by not starting anything. So, I've decided to start a project or two. I started LK ABC lessons last Sunday. Not a lot of progress, but I don't feel so deprived anymore. I also received the threads to start either Beatrix Potter or Quaker Virtues. I think it will probably be Quaker Virtues. I received the threads from Vikki Clayton. The colors will be Old Maid of the Heart and Victorian Mint. I love those 2 colors.

Last, but now least, have you seen this new Plum Street Samplers design. It's called Still Waters. I saw it on the Shepherd's Bush blog, and just fell in love with it. It's not necessarily my type of pattern, but I do just love it. I called my new LNS yesterday, and it turned out they have it in stock, so I'm running over there today to buy it.
Well, I hope you all have a great week. The kids are off on Spring Break next week. It will tough on DH and his sleep (DH works midnight shift), but he'll do OK. He knows I'll be home with them more of summer break so he's OK with it.

Take care!

Update ...

Well, again, it's been awhile since I've posted last. Things here have been pretty busy. The new job is going really well. I really love it and have learned a lot. We have had some bad news since I posted last. My DH's dad has been diagnosed with a very aggressive leukemia. He actually has been in the hospital since Friday and was discharged today. The Dr's have only given him 3 months - 1 year to live. There has been a lot of stress and weird family dynamics that has surrounded his diagnosis.

Stitching wise, I've been working on a model stitching project for JCS. It's pretty big. I'm probably more than 1/2 of the way finished. I'm wanting to buy a new digital camera with the $$$ from it. I'm supposed to have it mailed back by 5/1. I wish I could share a picture of it. I do however have some pictures to share. This first picture is the ornament that I stitched in March. It's from the 2007 JCS Ornament Issue.

Designs by Cathy Jean "Fill with Love"

The next picture is a pinkeep that I made from one of the new LK designs called "Dream"

This is currently the WIP that I can share. It's called "Lo, how a rose" and it's from a BH&G Cross Stitch Christmas hardcover book that someone recommended. Hopefully, I accomplish quite a bit on it this month.

I hope that I can accomplish quite a bit more of this in the month of April. Lastly, one of my big accomplishments is one of the designs that I stitched for JCS is in the magazine this month.

This is the April 2008 JCS magazine.

This is the piece in the magazine.

A little touch of spring has finally touched my little corner of the world. My forsythia bush is finally blooming. After all of the 8" of rain which we received in March, I started to think that spring would never come.

My forsythia bush.

I'm going to attempt to make some goals for the month of April. They may not all be stitching goals, but they will definitely be mingled in with other goals.

1. Finish the JCS model stitching piece.

2. Paint dining room.

3. Work on Fair and Square Round 6 piece.

4. Work on the LHN RR.

5. Paint my personal family room.

6. Decorate and possibly paint playroom.

7 Plant flowers

8. Finish at least 3 scrapbook pages or cards.

9. Work on Lo, How A Rose

10. Work on BS Quaker Christmas.

Well, I'll try to write more next week. Sorry this post was so long.

Another, more determined try at blogging...

I'm bound and determined to start blogging and keep up blogging too. It may not be on a daily basis, but at least a couple of times a week.

I have been married for a little over 10 years to a wonderful man from Brooklyn, NY. We moved out here to Illinois when my son was only 6 weeks old. Ryan is now 9 years old and in 3rd grade. We've also had 2 other kids. Hanna, who is 7 and in 1st grade, and our youngest Jenna who is 5 and in pre-K. I graduated from nursing school about 1 1/2 years ago, and have been an ICU nurse since then. Right now though, I'm looking for a new job. I accepted a job at Barnes Jewish Hospital in their Surgery, Trauma, and Burns ICU, however, I'm also waiting to hear about another position at Belleville Memorial Hospital in the Cardiac Cath Lab. I interviewed for that position on Monday, and am just waiting to hear. The nurse manager said I would hear at the beginning of next week. Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer. I REALLY want the job in the cardiac cath lab. It would be 40 hours a week, Monday - Friday, and on call 12 days a month. It would be sooooo much better than my current job. Right now, I work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday every week. I'm soooo tired of that. I want to be able to spend more time with my family.

My major hobby/obsession is cross stitch. I've been stitching for about 28 years. I love to stitch almost anything except fantasy things. Some of my favorites include Little House Needleworks, Country Cottage Needleworks, Bent Creek, Lizzie Kate, quaker type samplers, Long Dog Samplers, Paula Vaughan and especially Shepherd's Bush. Honestly, I like to stitch almost anything. If something strikes my fancy, that's what I like to stitch. Here's a couple of pictures of my stitching.

Also, here's a couple of pictures from exchanges on the SBEBB that I've received. They are both so beautiful. The needlecase is stitched by Tuula, and the autumn scissor for is stitched by Judi.

Well, I think that's all for tonight. I want to do a little stitching before I go to bed for the night. Good night!