So many thoughts are going through my head, we just returned from a 2 week trip to Europe! We visited my friend Hania in France, Alex in Germany and went for K's doctor and physio appointments in Milan, we had time for tours too this trip! Then I came down sick. Not fun. I managed to tick off 6 more 101 list items this trip! Details to follow. I'm ready to get back to work, though I was off sick today. I could have stayed in any of the above places much longer. I miss rural France, there is so much more of it I want to explore. I miss spending time with Alex, I loved that we laughed so hard we cried! She inspires me in so many ways... and Italy, for an unknown reason there will always be a place in my heart for Italy, I really do want to master the language... it's rough only being able to ask for a cappuchino and a toilet! I am starting to understand more of it, this trip we watched a lot of Italian tv :)

Oh I have a list already! And I have tickets booked to see some of these in May!

Ireland
Rome
other parts of Italy (the Tuscany region and Venice)
Bahamas
Greece
Scotland (again, I really loved Scotland!)
South Africa
China
Canada (again)
Alaska
Vanuatu
Portugal
South America (not sure which country exactly...)
Arctic
Antarctica
Netherlands
Norway
Japan
and the list keeps going, but I'll stop here!

Definately to be a paid photographer for National Geographic! However I must add that this isn't just a dream, I intend to get a grant from them to go travel and take photos for them the year after Kaite finishes secondary school! In the meantime I am working to improve my photography skills, learn the ins and outs of winning grants and trying to determine just what it is I want to photograph for them!

I haven't been on here in a while, partly because our family took a 24 day, almost 10,000 km trip and just got back a week ago. The good news is that I finished a fairly large (to me) project on the trip! It's a Christmas project, so I'm well and truely ahead for the year! Let's see, what else has been going on... I read 4 & 1/2 novels on the trip, since finished the half finished one, started finishing my own novel that I began in November... goal is to be done with writing and editing by my birthday in late March. I am back to the Christmas project that I started in September, hope to be done with that in a month or so too. Friends are keeping me encouraged to stitch (thanks Alex!), and there is a design going through my head that I will need to put on paper at some point...

I did it! I have finished 3 more small Christmas cross-stitch projects! That brings my total to 8 for the month. My goal is 10, so I'm well on the way to reaching that goal. November is basically out though, except for a little bit of time waiting for the kids to finish sports. Just over 2 hours til November, and I will be starting on my Novel! 50,000+ words in 30 days, I'm excited. I spent most of today getting the house sparkling... the kitchen now sparkles, I cleaned all the small appliances and the counters. Figured it was the least I could do before I abandon them for a month! LOL I almost got the desk clean... might work on it a bit more tomorrow if I need a break from writing.
Cheers! Bonnie

I had hoped to finish another Christmas cross-stitch today... but I didn't think to stitch the white (on white) during daylight hours when I had good light. Now it will have to wait til tomorrow. I also realised why I haven't managed to finish anymore this week... all the rest of the projects I'm working on, have too many colours... lol. Next time I post I'll have something finished!
Cheers!

It's Sunday night already... where has the past week gone? I can't complain, I finished the stitching on 5 ornaments, have another 4 started, and I'm very motivated to stitch atm! I am a bit sad that a dear friend of mine has now moved overseas... happy for her, she's got some exciting adventures ahead of her! But sad that we never met face to face. We will someday, I know we will. Who knows, it might just be the push I need to go exploring another part of the world, since I now have two friends living in Germany! Only a week and a day to go til NaNoWriMo... that's National Novel Writers Month for those who don't know. It will be my second year to participate. I am excited, I have the title and a basic outline of this years novel already!

Cross-stitch goals for this week: Finish the 4 ornaments that are started, start another 1.

Other goals: Finish sealing a woven mat (it's one that i helped make from coconut palm leaves at a workshop, we want to hang it in the livingroom, but i want it sealed first - only one coat to go!); start wet/dry sanding a winerack I bought that is made of zebra rock, so that I can get it polished and start using it!

House goals: Find the desk again... why do things always end up on the desk? I actually know the answer to that, it's because it's right by the front door (sigh)... then, find the table (not too bad atm... but needs a good 15 minutes). Soon it will be time to clean out my closet- yep, the one with all my clothes hanging in it... and the clothes folded on the shelf above the ones hanging, and the heaps of stuff behind and under those clothes, and on the shelf above the first one... Don't know if I'll get the closet done this week or not, but I will try.

So, that's last week and next week in a nutshell. :)

Well well well, I can't remember when I started on these ornaments... maybe a week ago? I now have 5 finished! Well, the stitching part is done, I will still need to do the finishing bit. So, I'm ahead of schedule, and am now hoping I can get more than my goal of 10 done! I will wait until I reach that goal though, before I reset it. I would have gotten more done today, if I hadn't slept in, then went into town to go shopping, then napped... lol. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

It's a lovely day... a bit hot in the top end, but I'm at work (break atm) and we have aircon, so it's not bad! I am finally part of the Cross stitch and fly lady community, although I can't get 'into' them at home for some reason. hmmmmm

So, now I'm seeing if my update here, is posted there. Hi everyone if it is!

I've been cross-stitching off an on for 24 years. I've been a flybaby for over 4 years. Love em both! When I'm not stitching or decluttering, I'm either taking photos, writing, or with my family (dd18 at uni, ds12 and dd8 keep me busy though) and dh puts up with it all.

I'm currently working on some small Christmas ornament x-stitchs. When I figure out how to post a photo I will!

Cheers to all.

It was a long day today, but there's something to be said for long periods of time with nothing else to do... STITCH! So, I stitched while the kids went swimming in the hot springs, I stitched again while Katie had gymnastics, and I stitched again while Justin had tennis!
What am I stitching now you wonder? Another Christmas ornament, this one is an angel... she's very cute too! I didn't think this one would take very long, but it looks like it will take longer than I thought. I'll let ya know!

Oh, and last night, when I was getting some other small ornament projects together, I found 2 that are almost finished that I started last year! How lucky is that?

I still haven't been able to get into the cross stitch communtiy, but a friend of mine may have worked it out! Thanks!

Cheers, Bonnie