It truly was a moment of pure astonishment when I went to my blog yesterday and discovered that the last time I posted was exactly two years ago to the day. I think 2020 and 2021 were the years the Earth stood still.

Major milestones for 2020:

• February/March – Flew to the east coast to celebrate my mother’s 70th birthday
• March –
  • Our last dog, Abby, died a couple of days after we returned from the east coast.
  • Days later, we went into lockdown.
  • A week later, Terry’s paternal grandmother passed away (not COVID-19 related).
• July – Terry’s dad suddenly and unexpectedly passed away (also not COVID-19 related).
• August – Started the cleanup and disposition of Dad’s estate.
• September – Left The Walt Disney Company and started a new job at Discovery Communications.

2021 was a little calmer, but still pretty chaotic:

• March – Finally sold Dad’s house in Maine and finished closing out the estate.
• March/April – Started dealing with some health issues with my mom.
• June – Mom moved into an assisted living facility.
• November – Left Discovery Communications and started a new job at Momentive AI (formerly SurveyMonkey).

All of this time, we have stayed in relative lockdown, seeing friends rarely, going out only to pick up orders or attend necessary appointments required to stay healthy. Terry still has to handle some work in person infrequently, so he has the most exposure to actual humans at this point.

I’ve found that one of the kindest things one can do for oneself in times of stress like this is to not set goals, so I have not set any specific goals of any sort for myself for two years. I think surviving counts as a significant win, at this point.

I completed an edit pass during NaNoWriMo 2020, but ended up abandoning another edit pass during NaNoWriMo 2021 after the first week. And I’m okay with that. Maybe. In early July 2021, I took a 5-day class on how to create a fabric journal. And proceed to dive in head-first into the world of handmade books.

In the meantime, I’m still crafting.

2020 Crafting Accomplishments:

• Stitched 10 bookmarks based on various weeks from the 2020 Blackwork SAL by Peppermint Purple
• Completed 24 cross stitch pieces:
  1. Gingerbread Angel Mouse by Just Nan
  2. Gingerbread Jingle Mouse by Just Nan
  3. Valentine Snowglobe by Victoria Sampler
  4. Water Wonderland by Joan Elliott
  5. Santa Claus from the Charmed Santa Face collection by Mill Hill
  6. Midnight Meow by Nora Corbett
  7. March Scissors Fob by Cherished Stitches
  8. Gingerbread Mrs. Santa Mouse by Just Nan
  9. Gingerbread Santa Mouse by Just Nan
  10. Blackwork Firefly by LooseThreadStitchery
  11. Glorious Morning by Linen Flowers Designs
  12. Oi Spaceman Blackwork by Highland Murr Stitches
  13. (secret project) by Peppermint Purple
  14. Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. by Beta Stitches on Etsy
  15. Stay Home and Stitch, a free design by Linda Stolz for Erica Michaels Designs
  16. 2020 Blackwork SAL by Peppermint Purple – an abbreviated version stitched on banding
  17. Taboo Kitty from the Autumn Harvest collection by Mill Hill
  18. Evergreen Sleigh from the Charmed Ornaments collection by Mill Hill
  19. 2020 Hindsight by Jenna Magee (proof of concept)
  20. 2020 Hindsight by Jenna Magee
  21. The Child by Highland Murr Stitches
  22. The Child with Frog by Highland Murr Stitches – 1
  23. The Child with Frog by Highland Murr Stitches – 2
  24. The Child with Frog by Highland Murr Stitches – 3

2021 Crafting Accomplishments:

• Took 18 pieces on which I had previously finished the stitching and sewed, framed, or otherwise put them into their final form.
• Sewed at least 10 project bags.
• Created over 24 journals, including 13 commissioned books.
• Completed 20 cross stitch pieces:
  1. The Cat by Minasyan Yana
  2. Patchwork Stars Stocking from the Charmed Stocking Ornaments collection by Mill Hill
  3. Heart Stocking from the Charmed Stocking Ornaments collection by Mill Hill
  4. Here Comes Treble by Ink Circles
  5. Stitch with a Little Heart by Crossing Curiosity
  6. Bargello Stocking from the Charmed Stocking Ornaments collection by Mill Hill
  7. Failte (Welcome) by A. Fox Originals
  8. Portrait of Antique Vines by Mirabilia
  9. Free Dutch Tile by Peppermint Purple
  10. Snowman Stocking from the Charmed Stocking Ornaments collection by Mill Hill
  11. Single motif from Nine Lives by Ink Circles – 1
  12. Single motif from Nine Lives by Ink Circles – 2
  13. To the Beach & Back by Needle Bling Designs
  14. Tree Stocking from the Charmed Stocking Ornaments collection by Mill Hill
  15. Dove from the Tiny Treasured Diamonds collection by Mill Hill
  16. 2020 Blackwork SAL by Peppermint Purple
  17. Autumn Key from the Antique Keys Trilogy by Mill Hill
  18. Christmas 2021 Vaccine by Beverly Ellis
  19. “Fluffy Joy” from Firebird
  20. Mermaid Heart by Just Nan

While life has not even remotely begun to get back to normal (what even is “normal” anymore?), I may be ready to set some goals for myself for this year. Soft, squishy goals.

As usual, this year’s goal is to stitch from stash, with minimal outlay for new designs and DMC that needs to be replenished, with the exception of Just Nan releases and any Mirabilia/Nora Corbett designs that may be discontinued that I don’t already have. Otherwise, I want to avoid buying fabric, specialty fibers and embellishments, where possible.

———————

Water Wonderland by Joan Elliott — Complete stitching and present to recipient.
Success! Completed, framed and presented to my mom for her 70th birthday.

Bonsai and Buddha by Dimensions — Make significant progress on stitching.
** Failure. Didn’t touch it.

Fairy Moon by Mirabilia — Make some progress on stitching. (Another long-standing WIP.)
** Failure. Didn’t touch it.

Arezzo by Nora Corbett — Make some progress on stitching.
** Partial success? Touched it once.

Complete stitching on at least 6 Just Nan designs in my stash. This should help me to work through my extensive Just Nan stash.
** Partial Success – Four designs completed **
– Gingerbread Angel Mouse
– Gingerbread Jingle Mouse
– Gingerbread Mrs. Santa Mouse
– Gingerbread Santa Mouse

Knock out some other WIPs, if possible, like:
– Daydreams Petite in Glass – Crystal Creation
– Hermanson Hardanger – Russian Inspired Ornament #2
** Failure. Didn’t touch either or any other WIPs

I did pretty well last year, all things considered. No big finishes, but that’s fairly standard at this point.

1. Yellow Penguin by Casey Buonaugurio Designs – Finished January 13, 2019
2. Evergreen (2015 Ornament) by Tor Rhuann Designs – Finished January 21, 2019
3. Meow Blocks by Lizzie*Kate – Finished February 16, 2019
4. Star Reindeer by Sharon Bennett of Daffy Cat Designs – Finished February 23, 2019
5. Snowflake Reindeer by Sharon Bennett of Daffy Cat Designs – Finished March 23, 2019
6. Lights Reindeer by Sharon Bennett of Daffy Cat Designs – Finished August 18, 2019
7. Minerva Mouse by Just Nan – Finished August 19, 2019
8. Romeo the Groom Mouse by Just Nan – Finished August 31, 2019
9. Witchy’s Sister Mouse by Just Nan – Finished September 8, 2019
10. Hazel Fun Witch Mouse by Just Nan – Finished September 8, 2019
11. Black Dagger Brotherhood Hardanger Bookmark (Wrath) by Jenna Magee – Finished October 29, 2019
12. Truly Endless Knot II by Ink Circles – Finished December 1, 2019
13. Silver & Gold (Silver Front) by Blackwork Journey – Finished December 7, 2019
14. Silver & Gold (Silver Back) by Blackwork Journey – Finished December 7, 2019
15. Silver & Gold (Gold Front) by Blackwork Journey – Finished December 7, 2019
16. Silver & Gold (Gold Back) by Blackwork Journey – Finished December 9, 2019
17. BB-8 Snowman by RainbowStitchCross – Finished December 22, 2019

Once again, this year’s goal is to stitch from stash, with minimal outlay for new designs and DMC that needs to be replenished, with the exception of Just Nan releases and any Mirabilia/Nora Corbett designs that may be discontinued that I don’t already have. Otherwise, I want to avoid buying fabric, specialty fibers and embellishments, where possible.

———————

Water Wonderland by Joan Elliott — Make significant progress on, if not complete, stitching. (This gift is so long overdue that I’m sure the recipient has completely forgotten about it.)

Bonsai and Buddha by Dimensions — Make significant progress on stitching. (I like this piece and would like to rescue it from my long-standing WIP pile.)

Fairy Moon by Mirabilia — Make some progress on stitching. (Another long-standing WIP.)

Arezzo by Nora Corbett — Make significant progress on stitching.

Teresa Wentzler – Sun Dragon (Turquoise) — Send to Jill Rensel, along with his purple brother, for framing in 2019?

Complete stitching on at least 6 Just Nan designs in my stash. This should help me to work through my extensive Just Nan stash.

Knock out some other WIPs, if possible, like:
– Daydreams Petite in Glass – Crystal Creation
– Hermanson Hardanger – Russian Inspired Ornament #2