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No, I haven't had that happen yet. It's been the opposite lately. Every time I see the eagle I finished for DH last Christmas, I keep thinking that I want to pull one of the other two out of my stash to stitch. Of course, DS will probably go after me if I don't do his wizard first.



How many projects do you have on your wish to do list for 2010?
(I want to finish the model stitch early in the year, work on Castles in the Air, finish up the Stitch a Week Sampler, DS's wizard project, DD's Belle, and our advent calendar. Plus I've joined the free storykeep SAL with HAED. A girl can dream, right?)

Dream is about right I've actually just revised my To Do list and assuming I will by then have finished my MIL's tea tray cloth it now looks like this:

Silk Alphabet -- WIP, work on that a bit more
BoInk -- WIP likewise
Labrador Pup for Aunt's birthday
Papillon Garden Sampler
Papillon Quaker Gameboard
Alphabet afghan with floral alphabet
Royal School of Needlework goldwork kit
Stumpwork workshop kit
2 ribbon embroidery material packs bought last year
Ink Circle Cirque des Cercles/Triangles/Carreaux on 40ct silk gauze
Ink Circles anniversary sampler "I Still Do"
Something on raw linen using Dinky Dyes Natural and Pearl, and Mill Hill petite seed beads Champagne

What is your favourite finishing technique?

I don't have just one finishing that I prefer, it all depends on the project who it is for and what is tells me it wants to be.


How many presents do you have yet to get? I am very happy to say that I am all but done with the presents. I still have the 2 potholders for the daughter but I plan this weekend to get them all but done. Nothing but stitching.

Still have to get hubby's present and also my parents' present, but my parents will be a hamper of food so won't be getting it till quite close to Christmas.

Do you find yourself getting stuff for you whilst out Christmas shopping? I'm very bad at this, I got myself a lovely pair of boots whilst doing my Christmas shopping (I did get the presents too I hasten to add, and I did need the boots....)

I've tried to be good these past few months and become less of a shopaholic - it helps that I'm more interested in buying stitchy stuff than clothes and things easily accessible in shops!! Plus I only get half an hour at lunchtime so any present buying errands need to be planned in advance, I don't have time to wander anymore and I think if I did have a longer lunch break, I'd spend it stitching anyway

Have you ever been on TV/radio? In 2004 we were in the audience for a Most Haunted live in Derby and you could see us both a couple of times (during the broadcast 3-hour live programme, not the shortened DVD version!) - although OH was on an aisle seat so you could see him better than me! It was from 9pm-midnight, we taped it, got back at around 3am and went through it trying to spot ourselves!

Louise

I've been on TV a couple of times, but nothing much.

When I was 4 years old my Mum and I were on Calendar News walking through snow which was waist deep for me.

When I was about 8 I was on Calendar again singing with the Brownies in Lincoln Cathedral.

When I was about 20 I was pictured on a heavy metal music show as I'd won a competition so they showed my picture and played a video for me.

I was also invited to go on The Salon as I was there in the studio with a vaguely famous person who I was friends with who was having his hair done, but I didn't want to go on as I thought I looked rotten at the time!
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What do you plan to do for New Year's Eve/Day?

We have a party with friends of ours who live locally. They hold a massive party every year but this is the first time we've been. I suspect as a result New Year's Day will be spent recovering from the party At least there's the weekend before it's back to work time this year.

How many times are you having christmas lunch this year? (I think I'm up to 4 now, including christmas day; 1 x work, 1 x pub, 1 x restaurant treat, 1 on Christmas day)

Only once!!!!!



What are you cooking for Christmas???

I have made 2 pumpkin breads and monster cookies. I have to make my son his icebox cookies, my daughter her candy kiss cookies and I am sure I will have to make some crazy applesauce muffins.

I've made the Christmas puddings already. Then there's the mince pies and sausage rolls for next weekend. Then there's christmas day itself (my first ever attempt at cooking it). That will involve:

Turkey
Chestnut Stuffing
Sage and Onion Stuffing
Roast potatoes
Roast parsnips
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Bread Sauce
Gravy
Brandy butter (for the pudding, not the turkey!)

And I've got to make the chocolate yule log for boxing day on Christmas eve.

When do you wrap your christmas presents? (I do mine on christmas eve listening to Carols from Kings (Kings College Cambridge)).

I like to wrap them as I get them this can mean I have wrapped presents in the closet for 6 months or more.


If you have animals do you buy them Christmas presents for under the tree? Also do they buy Christmas presents?......The kids always get a gift from each of the animals. When they were little they thought it was so funny to get a present from the dog. Last year my son said it was time to stop putting the animals name on the tag. I just laughed.

at home in Mexico we have a puddle, but never we have given anything for xmas, good idea though, but every time we travel anywhere we buy to her something, no matter what it is but we buy for her something

Here in Holland right now we are -6° and its 11:30 pm

How cold or how warm it is in your place ??

Quite warm and foggy...53 degrees this morning.



Do you like Hot Apple Cider.

I love it and it takes me back to being a kid. Dad and his friend would hitch the horses up to their old hay wagons the week-end before Christmas with a load of straw and all the kids and anyone who wanted to go would pile in, we would go all over the town singing Christmas carols and goofing around for a couple hours then back to the house for cookies, cakes and Hot Apple Cider. It was so fun.

I've never had it, although I had Toffee Apple Cider at Halloween

What was the last thing you bought? I got bread buns, newspaper and American hard gums at lunchtime, have been eating them all afternoon!

Louise

The last thing I bought was the ingredients for a breakfast casserole that can be made in the crock pot (needed eggs, sausage, onion, cheese), ingredients for a cranberry salad (cranberries, apples, jello, oranges, nuts, pineapple), toothpicks, crock pot liners. The food is for my family's Christmas party Sunday (we're testing the breakfast casserole tonight to make sure it's about the same as what we normally make in the oven).

What is the most unusual/strange thing a child has said/done to you? (I had a 2 year old boy rub his hand up and down the back of my knee one summer when we were in the store. My uncle used to get his dad in trouble because he liked to touch women's pantyhose. They always thought it was my grandpa doing it. )

Somehow this got pushed back to the middle of the 3rd page.. I thought it needed to be rescued.

The funniest thing that has ever happened to me was also in a store. It was years ago but I remember as if it happened yesterday. I was at the grocery store after work. It was in the frozen food section. A little further down the aisle, a dad was shopping with his son, aged 5 or 6. Old enough to form complex thoughts, but not old enough to have developed the ability to not verbalize those thoughts. As I get closer I overhear the son telling his father.. Hey dad.. shes pretty, maybe she will date you. I could not help but crack a smile as I made eye contact with a VERY red faced father.

During this time of the winter, all I want to eat are warm comfort foods. My fridge is full of soups and stews this time of year. My favorite "warm me up meal" is beef stew with the little carrots and new potatoes. What is your comfort dish?

Ice cream with chocolate and straberry sauce. And nuts all over the top.


What is your favorite time of day? I am a morning person.

when maggie is at pre-school and its just me and shaun. I love maggie, but there never has been"mummy and shaun time"

whats your fave biscuits? me and shaun are eating chocolate malted milk

There is an Italian brand called Mulino Bianco - very rarely you can find them here and they are extremely expensive, so I only buy them once a year or so - but they are the very best!

When you are at home alone, do you prefer silence or is there something (music or TV) going on all the time?

Generally silence, although sometimes I will have some music on. DH on the other hand has the radio on in the garage (where he does part of his work) all the time, and also likes to have the radio on in the car.

If you were to stitch a sampler that had some text on it (besides your name and a date) what would it be?

" I know you believe you understand what you think I said.....
But I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. "

And yes one day it will be stitched.

Do you exercise on a regular basis or is it sporadic and not your idea of fun?