New Year's Eve!

Can't be! Where has this year gone?
I've never known a year to go so fast. It's been a big one for us; what with having Patrick and all. He's growing sooooo fast! He's seven and a half months old, has two teeth, and can roll _ on to his front. Can't roll back yet, but I'm sure he will one of these days.
Apart from that, I'm not sure I could tell you much of anything else that happened this year.
Oh! Leo went missing in March and never came back :(
It's awful not to have closure because I keep expecting to see him, or hear his grinchy wee meow when he wants attention.
It's my day off today, but we don't really have any plans. I'm probably going to watch some Stargate (I rented some DVDs on Saturday) or watch a movie or two in between Patrick-wrangling. We may throw cautioin to the wind and go to the library, but that's up in the air at the moment.
Not much else going on around these parts. Nothing wrong with a quiet life!

So that's Christmas for another year

Done and dusted. I worked Christmas night, so we didn't really do anything special here, apart from open the presents in the morning. My mother and sister went out to my other sister's place for Christmas dinner, so it was just the three of us.

Patrick did the best, getting toys, including a very cool red VW Bug car cushion. We got him books and a couple of toys. I got Jeremy a book he wanted and a Bon Jovi concert DVD. We can't afford to go see them when they play in Christchurch here at the end of January, so this is the next best thing. He got me Good Omens, which I asked for, and a DVD. I said "get me this book and then a wee surprise." One of the bookstores had DVDs for under $15 _ some good ones, too. Unfortunately he went shopping on Christmas Eve and they were basically out. So I ended up with Date Movie. Which I've seen, and I thought it was okay, but ... I was takne aback. So much so that I couldn't hide it and he was gutted to see me disappointed. However, it was a minor glitch really.

Well, The Boss is expressing an interest in breakfast (ie: crying) so I should go.

Christmas Eve ...

... and it's raining. It was sooooooooo hot yesterday; today, not so much. Go figure.
I'm finally going to put the tree up today. I've either been too tired/busy/grumpy to do it before. But at least it'll be up before Christmas! I have today off, working tomorrow, then I have Wednesday off. So we're having our Christmas dinner on Boxing Day because we'll both be home.
Patrick is doing well, apart from a habit of waking up at 5.30am lately. 5.30am!!!! That's just ... uncivilised! It's the teeth and the heat, I guess. But sometimes it's hard to be patient, you know?
Jeremy's not home from work yet, but I think he's out braving the crowds to get the rest of my Christmas present. I know what part of it is, but I want a surprise as well. I'm a very recent convert to Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors. I happened to see Good Omens in hardback in one of the bookstores, pointed it out, and that's my main present. Heh ... I predict much reading tomorrow. Well. Before I have to go to work, anyway.
We set a limit of about $50 on each other and his is all wrapped up and ready to go, as is Patrick's. At least his was easy _ some books and a couple of toys. I have a feeling he'll be more interested in the wrapping paper!
Not sure if I"ll get much stitching done today, after having such an early start, but I'm working on Circe by Jill Oxton. Well. Right now I am anyway!
Merry Christmas!

Somebody Stop Me!!!!!!!!

I had a rare domestic-goddess moment today. I cooked and moulied food for Patrick; folded washing, hung out washing, took care of baby and did dishes. Well. Baby bottles. :p
It's my day off and for some reason, energy reserves leapt up out of nowhere to attack. I"m hoping they're done now, because I'm kind of over the whole thing. I much prefer my lazy self who just works and takes care of baby.

I do have a couple more things I want to do, but they're for me rather than family or anything else. I need to sort through some books, and some projects. I finished a small one for Jeremy last night, so one more down ... heh.

Patrick seems to be coping pretty well with the whole teething thing; he's a mite grumpier than usual and seems surgically attached to his left thumb, but other than that, he's himself.

I like to start a new project at the start of the New Year, and I do have that sorted out already. So along with reading Rebecca, I'll be working on a companion piece to an orchid I stitched a couple of years ago. It's not a large project, which is good, because my mother is also expecting star sign charts for a niece and nephew who are both turning 13 next year. Apart from that, just WIPs, I think, unless something really catches my eye. It'll have to be fairly spectacular, though.

A little rambly, because I'm tired!!!!!

Tune in next time ...

Too darn hot!

We had a couple of days of rain, and the weather co-operatively cooled down. Until today. Going outside is like being smothered lovingly in a warm, wet blanket. It's Saturday, so we're going to wrangle Patrick, then go visit Mother. Exciting stuff, yup yup yup.
I told Mum we might come visit today, and her face lit up. Patrick is just pure joy to her, which is just lovely to see. He's her eighth grandchild too, but the excitement hasn't diminshed. And he really responds to that level of joy; its so nice to see.
What else. I thought of something, but it's gone looking for more interesting pastures than my brain. Oh! Right! Neighbours.
Now, there's nothing I can do if the neighbours choose to thudthudthud music at 11.30am on a Saturday. But at 7.15am? That's rude! I'd had a whole four hours sleep (woo hoo!) So I'd gone back to bed to try and catch up, but nothing doing. And I swear they know; because as soon as I was up and dressed, it stopped!
I'm sure blog topics have wandered into my brain to do some sightseeing this week. Unfortunately, it was usually when I was at work, and they wandered off again to look for better, prettier sites.
Fickle!

Stitching photos

The two things I've finished this year:

Some photos

No words. Too hot for words.

Rollin rollin rollin ....

Patrick:

Patrick can now roll on to his front. Unfortunately, he can't roll back the other way So it's all fun and games for about a minute, sometimes two, then the parent-in-residence has to go and roll him back. Which is fun. The first hundred times. The second ... eh. He also appears to be cutting his first tooth, the poor wee boy. He seems to be coping with it all right at the moment; just a bit more grizzly than usual. But aw ............ his first tooth!

Stitching:

I was working on a butterfly for my sister for Christmas, stitched with DMC Light Effects. That stuff, however, is the Devil's Candy. So I abandoned it. I'm going to start it over with normal DMC and give it to her for her birthday. I have some little bitty projects dotted among the large projects and I want to clear those up. Partly because I still want to do my traditional new-start for the year (not sure what yet) and partly because my mother wants me to stitch a couple of birth sign charts for a niece and nephew who are both turning 13 next year. So I'm going to go through all of my projects (yet again!) and sort out what I really want to do, and what I really feel I need to do. I'm working on a very cute cat design for Jeremy for his birthday at the moment; we'll see how that goes.

Reading:

I'm picking away at Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough, the last in her Masters of Rome series. It's very good, but very detailed, so I've started The Mesmerist by Barbara Ewing as light relief; and have some Star Trek: Voyager novels as well, for when my brain is *really* tired. I seem to be getting past the chick-lit as escapism stage, and moving on to things like Voyager and CSI novels. Hrm ...

I'm also planning to start another blog next year; for reading. Well, specific reading. I have a list of 12 classic novels _ in a variety of genres _ and my plan/hope/goal is to read one a month. I haven't set the blog up yet, but I'm thinking of calling it book zoo, to tie in with this place. I'm starting the year with Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. It's an idea I've been kicking around for a while, and now I've finally decided to do it.

Life/weight/writing:

The what now?

That's all I have.

Maintenance

Just a quick one, because I'm going back to bed soon for a sleep. Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!!
Things are ticking over here. Baby well, hubby well, cats well, work good. Me? Tired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!