2023 Year in Review

It’s time for the 2023 year in review!

From a life standpoint, we had a lot of major happenings.

In April, we finally took the RV for her maiden voyage, with nearly disastrous results when the tow hitch failed. We ended up having a custom hitch fabricated and made another attempt in late May that was far more successful.

In June, I had a gum graft across my front two lower teeth. The same month, we discovered a litter of five black kittens in our backyard (four girls we named Dahlia, Iris, Rose, Spice, and a boy who was named Theo by his adopter) along with their beautiful silver mom (Sylvie). The ensuing process of trapping, spaying, fostering and adopting out all of them was quite chaotic. Ultimately, my lovely boss in Portland offered to foster the four girls until they could be adopted out up there. They stood a much better chance of being safely adopted in Portland than Los Angeles.

In August, we took our longest RV trip to date up to Portland with our two cats and the four kittens in tow. I’m happy to report that the last two girls were adopted out just a few weeks ago. My boss was determined to find them the best homes possible and she did!

We returned home from that trip to a letter from our homeowners insurance company that they were going to be ceasing operations in California, so we needed to secure a new policy with another company by the end of November. We reached out and found another company that would insure the house for roughly the same amount we had been paying (which is a minor miracle in and of itself), but we had to submit photos of the house for a virtual inspection and there could be no construction projects in process. So, we had to make a mad dash to finish our master bathroom renovation which had been at a complete standstill for nearly 8 years. It took us several months to do all of the remaining work to show that it is functional.

Immediately following all of that came the holidays. Whew! A busy second half of the year it was!

I somehow managed a lot of crafting this year, though perhaps not as much as in previous years. Given the amount of life drama we experienced this year, though, it’s a good couple of lists.

For starters, let’s take a walk through my 2023 Stitching Goals and see how we did, shall we?

2023 Stitching Goals

Arezzo by Nora Corbett — Complete stitching. (In progress)
Nope nope nope!

Complete stitching on at least 4 Just Nan designs.
– Gingerbread Peace Mouse and tin
– Candy Corn Ghost Mouse
– Crystal Snowlady Mouse
– Frosty Chillingsworth Mouse
– Blitzen Glistens
– Winter Mouse Scissor Roll (In progress)
– Twilight Pearls Leaf Ball
** Success! **

Complete stitching on at least 2 Mill Hill kits.
– Sea Turtle
– Gnome Holding Gifts
Violin
** Success! **

Pick 1 long-standing WIP and make significant progress on it.
Sadly, no.

Knock out some other small WIPs, if possible, like:
– Daydreams Petite in Glass – Crystal Creation
– Hermanson Hardanger – Russian Inspired Ornament #2 (in progress)
– Leisure Arts – R is for Reading Vinyl Bookmark
** Success! **

As an added bonus, I also finished these old projects:
– Artist Chick from Valerie Pfeiffer’s Chickadees series
– The Courtyard of Alhambra by Periphaeria Designs
– Tribe #1 by Periphaeria Designs
– Ring of Roses #1 by Periphaeria Designs
** Success! **

Not bad at all, especially considering the circumstances.

Next are all of my crafting finishes. I managed more crochet finishes than cross stitch, not surprisingly.

2023 Stitching Finishes

1. Gingerbread Peace Mouse and tin from the Mouse on a tin series by Just Nan – January 8, 2023
2. Candy Corn Ghost Mouse by Just Nan – January 7, 2023
3. Crystal Snowlady Mouse by Just Nan – January 14, 2023
4. Frosty Chillingsworth Mouse by Just Nan – January 15, 2023
5. Freezia Mouse from the Winter Mouse Scissor Roll by Just Nan – January 17, 2203
6. Grow pincushion from the Over the Top Tin series by Just Nan – January 28, 2023
7. Honey Bunny by Just Nan – January 29, 2023
8. Blitzen Glistens by Just Nan – February 3, 2023
9. Sunflower Scissor Case (including scissor fob) by Durene Jones – February 12, 2023
10. Artist Chick from Valerie Pfeiffer’s Chickadees series – February 17, 2023
11. The Courtyard of Alhambra by Periphaeria Designs – February 18, 2023
12. Tribe #1 by Periphaeria Designs – February 22, 2023
13. Ring of Roses #1 by Periphaeria Designs – February 25, 2023
14. R is for Reading by Leisure Arts – March 25, 2023
15. Crystal Creation from the Daydreams collection by Dimensions – April 30, 2023
16. 2022 Blackwork SAL by Peppermint Purple – June 24, 2023
17. Sea Turtle from the Sprint Bouquet Collection by Mill Hill – August 20, 2023
18. Blackwork Bookmark using select motifs from the 2023 Blackwork SAL by Peppermint Purple – November 19, 2023
19. Gnome Holding Gifts a Jim Shore Design by Mill Hill – December 21, 2023
20. Violin from the Holiday Harmony collection by Mill Hill – December 29, 2023

2023 Crochet Finishes

1. One Stitch Mug Cozy by Lion Brand Yarn – January 6, 2023
2. One Stitch Mug Cozy by Lion Brand Yarn – January 12, 2023
3. Blanket/Bed for Trixie – March 5, 2023
4. Scrubby Washcloth by Lily – March 15, 2023
5. Kima Cardi by Toni Lipsey TL Yarn Crafts – completed construction on April 11, 2023
6. Amigurumi Potion Bottle of Magic Dice Bag by Fablecrochet on Etsy – April 5, 2023
7. Amigurumi Potion Bottle of Magic Dice Bag by Fablecrochet on Etsy – April 16, 2023
8. Amigurumi Potion Bottle of Magic Dice Bag by Fablecrochet on Etsy – April 19, 2023
9. Amigurumi Potion Bottle of Magic Dice Bag by Fablecrochet on Etsy – April 27, 2023
10. Amigurumi Potion Bottle of Magic Dice Bag by Fablecrochet on Etsy – April 27, 2023
11. Amigurumi Potion Bottle of Magic Dice Bag by Fablecrochet on Etsy – April 28, 2023
12. Amigurumi Potion Bottle of Magic Dice Bag by Fablecrochet on Etsy – April 28, 2023
13. One Stitch Mug Cozy by Lion Brand Yarn – May 2, 2023
14. Amigurumi Grizzly Bear by AsmiHandmade on Etsy – May 5, 2023
15. Clint the Cactus #1 by The Woobles – May 10, 2023
16. Clyde the Octopus by On a Whim Crochet – May 18, 2023
17. Sunrise Coaster in teal (four) by Toni Lipsey of TL Yarn Crafts – June 2, 2023
18. Evan’s 8 Pocket Dice Bag by Green Fox Farms Design – June 16, 2023
19. Amigurumi Potion Bottle of Magic Dice Bag by Fablecrochet on Etsy – July 2, 2023
20. Washcloth – July 14, 2023
21. Nico the Cat by The Woobles – July 23, 2023
22. Easy Crochet Dishcloth by My Hobby is Crochet – October 15, 2023
23. Clint the Cactus #2 by The Woobles – October 17, 2023
24. Mushroom Dice Bag by Green Fox Farms Design – November 9, 2023
25. Salem the Purple Cat by The Woobles – November 11, 2023
26. Cloak, Hat, and Broom Accessories by The Woobles – November 11, 2023
27. Tiny Pumpkin by The Woobles – November 11, 2023
28. Tiny Cauldron by The Woobles – November 11, 2023
29. Mushroom Dice Bag by Green Fox Farms Design – November 17, 2023
30. Mushroom Dice Bag by Green Fox Farms Design – November 17, 2023
31. Mini Rainbow Chubby Penguin by Tanya Lee – December 26, 2023
32. Mini Rainbow Chubby Penguin by Tanya Lee – December 26, 2023
33. Bubbalub by Megan Lapp of Crafty Intentions – December 28, 2023
34. Mini Rainbow Chubby Penguin by Tanya Lee – December 31, 2023

All in all, we survived the year with a lot to be proud of!