Happy Sunday to everyone! It’s time for our three week update!
Here’s the before:
And here’s the after.
I stitched a little bit in all the places, her skirt, the right side of the lavendar, the left of her skirt, her right arm is about finished, and more on the sky.
That’s it for me this update. Time to blog hop the other stitchers in our group!
Thank you, Avis, for organizing this Stitch-a-Long. Please visit the other blogs to see what other fabulous stitchy projects they are stitching. We are all working on different pieces!
I didn’t get a ton done in the last 3 weeks on this project, unfortunately.
Here’s where I was last update:
And here I am now.
I stitched more on her right arm, and I stitched to the very top of the project.
I did get an old project finished, though! Remember the seat cover I stitched for my desk chair? Well, I agreed with Avis when she said it was too nice to sit on, so I quilted it (first time ever for that), and although I am not sure if I am going to hang it or use it on a table I am pretty darn proud of myself!
Thank you, Avis, for organizing this Stitch-a-Long. Please visit the other blogs to see what other fabulous stitchy projects they are stitching. We are all working on different pieces!
I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since my last official Not Impressed post.
Paying off our debt is still a struggle and sometimes I just want to give up but we have to keep at it right?
In March I came home on a Sunday after church and sat at the computer and something just gave way inside my brain. I needed to make a big move with our debt. I got on line with my credit card company and applied for a credit increase and the response was immediate. Seriously, it was!
I now had enough credit to transfer my husband’s credit card balance to my credit card. Whoa…that doesn’t sound like the greatest idea MM. I’ll admit, I have been contemplating this move for a while but when I came home that day I had had enough of fearing it. If you want results sometimes you have to make a bold move and accept the risk.
I then called my credit card company and asked the very nice woman to help me with transferring $10,000 from my husband’s credit card to mine. She said no problem she would get the process started but first he needed to put my name on his credit card account. She set everything up and she said once my name was added to his account the process of the balance transfer would happen automatically. The rate of interest would be 0% through February 2026.
I told my husband what I had done. He looked a bit concerned but he got on the phone with his CC company and added my name to his account. It took about one extra billing cycle to go through but in the end his balance was transferred to mine and I added his name to my account also.
His rate of interest was 28% and only once did they have a promotional lowering of interest. Mine on the other hand would lower the rate of interest significantly IF you called and asked. I did that also this time.
Here is the breakdown on this:
$10,000 was transferred from his to mine
I finished paying his by making one last small payment of about $130
His interest rate was 28%
After asking for a better rate mine is now 15.99% for 6 months
We were paying over $250 per month just in interest on my husband’s card!
We are now only paying about $60 a month for the balance I had on the card and zero interest on the $10,000 I transferred from his.
Doing this balance transfer and asking for a lower interest rate has saved us about $300/month!
To date I have made three $1000 payments to our combined credit card balance. It currently stands at $12,781 from $15,500.
Keep moving forward even when you have to take a step back to see your progress. Don’t give up!
This time around, I started working on the horizon line. I am pretty sure this project will fit perfectly in this frame without having to move it, which is a bonus!
Here’s where I was last update:
And here I am now.
I also did a few stitches on the skirt and on the lavendar.
Thank you, Avis, for organizing this Stitch-a-Long. Please visit the other blogs to see what other fabulous stitchy projects they are stitching. We are all working on different pieces!
My BFF reminded me at our campfire on the 4th that I hadn’t done a goals update in a while. Here’s where I am at in the goals department.
Home Repairs Professionally Done -New back door and cut down all sumac in the hedgerow.
We got a new back door installed last week! So happy!
Kitty loves the full glass view!
We went from a 50+ year old door and aluminum screen door to a brand new solid fiberglass entry door with full glass storm. Although it’s darker in the entryway when the solid door is closed the light when the door is open and it’s just the full glass/screen door open …amazing! This winter when the snow and wind are beating on that back entry we will be nice and toasty inside I tell ya. Plus I feel more secure. Our home could have easily been compromised with just one good punch of the glass. I did keep the wooden door. Not sure what I am going to do with it yet but we’ll see.
Home Projects Done By Us – Paint everything in the kitchen and revamp some of said kitchen.
Well I bought the paint! That’s about it though. I have been too busy messing up the kitchen with all of these cakes.
Learn to Sew DONE!
I took another sewing class for pillows but it was a bit of a bust. I was stressed out before I got there and right before I reached the store I caught a train and it stopped right in the middle of the tracks so I had to go around and I got there 10 mins late…the zipper gave me issues and I didn’t like the teacher as much so I went home a little frustrated. It’s OK though, I experimented with stuff on my own and made another “bag” with no straps. I practiced quilting with some random fabric I had and made a liner and boxed the corners and did a decorative stitch around the top. I was very impressed with myself and my new found sewing skills! Now I keep all of my current cross-stitch supplies in it by my living room chair. Love it!
If you are local and would like more info on sewing classes, contact Sew Creative in Fairport. They offer a ton of great classes. Tell them I sent you!
Add my husband to all of our household bills and finally change my name to my new married name instead of my old married name (it’s only been 15 years lol) DONE!
All three have been changed and I feel much better.
Try 10 of my Granny’s recipes from her stash
Still haven’t done anything yet.
Go to three cultured events this year like a concert, play, musical, etc
So far, just one event done. An afternoon with Cary Elwes and watching the Princess Bride at UB
Wear all 18 dresses I have at least once this year
I wore a dress for Easter, a dress for a funeral, and a dress for Mother’s Day so far.
Three down 15 to go!
Get my mom and son moved into their new homes and re-arrange our own home now that the kid will be on his own
Done with the kid and mom move. Still have to finish getting a couple of couches out of our house and over to the kid’s house but we did start to re-arrange our house. My husband finally has his own closet! I’ll post photos when everything is more complete.
My mom’s new development
Everyone is settled in. It was hell moving the two of them and I had to go back to therapy for it but it’s done!
Try 10 recipes off the internet
Nothing more on this.
Do some continuing education for cake decorating technique for myself
Still working on this.
Pay off $10,000 in credit card debt
I want to do a post on this, this week. Lots has been going on behind the scenes with this goal.
Get that fruit garden installed this year that I wanted last year
Well I have the ground ready but I still haven’t gotten the plants yet.
Watch Masterclass
I canceled Masterclass. I didn’t want to pay the $100+ subscription fee again this year!
That’s it for now. I am just so happy to have that back door done! Yippee!
I posted a photo of the sunshine cake I decorated for an order this Spring but I never posted about it’s construction.
I made this cake with a 12″ flower shaped cake pan. To feed the number of people needed, I did a double layer of this shape, and it was half chocolate and half white,
The filling between the layers was just the buttercream frosting
Here’s the cake frosted.
Piping the center circle, the right size is key for balancing the size of the petals. If I ever needed a sunny side up egg cake, this would be it! Lol!
Each petal was started at the very top and center of each rise and piped wider and wider until I reached the center circle.
Then I piped the smile of the sunshine and outlined each petal in black frosting. Then for an extra decorative element, I piped a few more lines for rays of sunshine.
This order was for a little one’s first birthday so a double layer 6″ baby smash cake went along with the big cake.
Such a sweet themed cake! What do you all think? -MM
I definitely needed a break from stitching the gray. So I started a bit of purple and green and now her arms are taking shape!
Here’s where I was last update:
And here I am now.
With the 95 degree temps making it our way I might just spend my spare time stitching in the air conditioning!
Thank you, Avis, for organizing this Stitch-a-Long. Please visit the other blogs to see what other fabulous stitchy projects they are stitching. We are all working on different pieces!
I am absolutely in love with stitching this project, and I have made a ton of progress!
Here I was last update
And here I am now.
I am all the way to the bottom of the chart and will be stitching up and side to side now.
Thank you, Avis, for organizing this Stitch-a-Long. Please visit the other blogs to see what other fabulous stitchy projects they are stitching. We are all working on different pieces!
I put down the Heirloom Bride ornaments for now and have been working on a new project.
Girl in Lavendar Field is a design by Hanna Levchuk, who I found from Claire.
I have already made a large dent in stitching her in the last three weeks!
Here is a timeline of photos of my progress.
The skirt of her dress takes up almost the entire bottom half, so there is a ton more to stitch there. I was trying to stitch one 10×10 square at a time, but I messed up a couple of times and had to rip out, so I decided to stick with my normal style of stitching.
It’s Mother’s Day here in the US, so I am off to spend it with my son and Mama. Also, my condolences to Claire and her family. The sudden loss of her husband has been devastating for her.
Thank you, Avis, for organizing this Stitch-a-Long. Please visit the other blogs to see what other fabulous stitchy projects they are stitching.
Join Mavis Butterfield for vegetable gardening and canning tips, easy recipes, and saving money strategies (Rug hooking, too!). Simple living at its best!
The Professional Domestic 