Help Me, Somebody Help Me*

Major case of startitis going on here. After rootaling through the stash I've decided to start Midsummer Night Designs-Monkey Sampler-yes, it reads, "Monkeys steal my underwear at night". Found a piece of fabric large enough, not the 28ct Sandstone linen called for in the chart but a piece that seems to work ok with the DMC colors in the design. I think it's the same thing I stitched "Needlewoman" on, the autumn blush lugana--at least I think it's lugana.

I also have Midsummer Night Designs-Mideval Mermaid and House By the Sea in the stash, just no fabric appropriate for either design. Love the House by the Sea.

Other projects that need some attention:

By the Bay-13th Colony Bay Parts 1-3. I love this so much and had hoped to have it finished by the end of the summer but it's so honkin' big. I hate the awkwardness of my 11x14 Qsnaps. Just makes my hands hurt thinking about it. The stitching is really fast, big blocks of color nothing too challenging. I'm considering taking it out of the Qsnaps and using my hoop. Yes, my hoop, I love my hoop. I always have. I stitch much faster using a hoop than any size of Qsnaps. It's just a lot of fabric to try to control because Parts 1-3 are all on the same piece of fabric so it's very long.

Good Huswife's With My Needle-Love this design, just haven't felt like working on it lately.

Mouline Rouge-My friend Sharon has finished this-there's a pic on her blog, just scroll down if you can get past the absolutely adorable pictures of her granddaughter playing in the rain. I have this started, haven't even completed one motif and I know it's because I'm using 40ct fabric. My eyes aren't bad, yet, but egads those holes are small! Takes all the fun out of stitching it.

Anyone other than me addicted to Project Runway? I'd never watched this before the other night and I watched three straight hours of it. I couldn't stop. It's great! I'd been reading about it on other blogs but never gave in to the curiousity and after having a couple of bad days last week it was a nice bit of brain candy. Just what I needed to lift my spirits. I'm not sure what that says about me, but I'm hooked.

I want to thank everyone for the compliments on Needlewoman and the work area. The spousal unit is quite pleased with himself and he's been using it more than me due to the fact that he's been drawing logos for his fantasy football league. Yes, I'm married to one of "those" guys.

While wandering some blogs, I ran across a phrase that I've been pondering ever since. Someone wrote that they went into "Walmart, even though it made them uncomfortable". (Yes, I did just type out the name of the store who shall not be named). At first I didn't think too much about it and then I started dwelling on it. Has Walmart been villianized so much that people feel uncomfortable when they shop there? What is there about a Walmart that makes anyone uncomfortable unless it's in a bad neighborhood? I find it fascinating that people are so torn about their feelings regarding this company. I'm not anti-Walmart by any means. I think it's crazy that certain areas of the country are forcing them to pay higher salaries or contribute more to people's insurance plans if they aren't making all the other companies who hire people at minimum wage follow the same policies(McD's, KFC, et al). Especially since our Congress couldn't see fit to raise the minimum wage but turned around and gave themselves a pay raise. Why isn't that on the news every day? I was upset when Walmart decided to invade my area. They are building the biggest Walmart in the history of the world only five minutes from my house. I didn't want one that close, not because I don't shop there, let's face it, if you're near a Walmart and need toilet paper, cat food, laundry detergent, hot dogs and DMC well you have to go to Walmart because Target and Kmart don't carry DMC. Sure I could go Target for the necessities and then JoAnn's for DMC but one stop shopping, with gas prices what they are, it makes more sense. But I don't feel guilty shopping at Walmart. I love my Publix, I shop at Winn-Dixie, and believe me I support them, but I'm not going to apologise for shopping at Walmart once or twice a month(at the moment the closest Walmarts are 20 mins in either direction) and I won't abandon them when the new Walmart opens. Yes, I go to Bed, Bath and Beyond, look at the comforters and then pray I find something close to that at Walmart in my price range, does that make me a horrible person? Am I supposed to apologise that while I'd love to buy the $450 comforter at Bed, Bath & Beyond, I have to be realistic and purchase the one very similar to it at Walmart for $99(or less). Now if I win the lotto, Bed, Bath & Beyond here I come! I just find it interesting that people have a love/hate relationship with Walmart. Ok, so you walked through the doors of a Walmart, I promise no one will ever know unless you tell them or run into your neighbors(who also hate to admit they shop there on occaision). I don't love Walmart, but I don't mind shopping there either. I know people who have worked for them and didn't hate the company like you hear on the news, at the same time it was always a transitional job, they knew they wouldn't be there forever. I'm not defending Walmart, don't get me wrong, I do believe they probably could pay people more, but couldn't just about every other company on the face of the earth, and yes they do underprice everyone else, but so does Dollar General and boy, those are popping up as fast as Walmarts down here. Anyway, I just thought the words, "made me uncomfortable" were interesting. Then again maybe I was just trying to avoid thinking about icky things like laundry or scrubbing the toilet.

*don't you just love Little Richard on that Geico commercial?