Dying to Sew

Yesterday I left work late because I was on the brink of a break through when parsing an XML response for a new line of insurance my company is going live with in the next couple of days. Stress is high and I'm just really burned out.

With that said, the need to blow off steam if evident. I started working on a small project this past weekend of embroidery because I bought a silly used "how to" book the week end before last and read through it cover to cover for one week before I actually got started. I posted a pick of one out of 4 table napkins completed. It took about an hour and 1/2 to complete the second one while watching Star Trek: Into the Darkness on Sunday night, but last night I didn't sew. 

I was home a half hour later than usual and cleaned up after teenagers who made pizza immediately after school and attempted to make muffins but gave up once they realized all the eggs in the fridge were hard boiled. Do not fear, I didn't miss the opportunity to yell about this. Once the kitchen was spotless, I began to start dinner and vacuum the bottom of the pool while waiting for the jambalaya and shrimp to heat up. Then once the food was ready to simmer, I back washed the pool pump and put fresh DE powder, stabilizer and chlorine in. The water will be sparkling tomorrow! I served the children the dinner and by the time I cleaned up afterward it was almost time for baths. I've come to realize that utilizing my time well does yield a sense of completion but doesn't do a thing for the stress.

We had about ten minutes before bedtime and I searched frantically for the periwinkle colored embroidery floss I used to hem the napkins and serve a nice "handmade" border but I couldn't find it. I looked under the coffee table and around the craft room in case it stuck to someones sock and hitched a ride into the next room from where I last left it but no luck. I can't start napkin #3 without hemming it first. I was using the hemmed corner as a guide for the "short - long" stitch design's placement.

This was adding to my stress and once I peeked at the floor, if you know me, then you can only guess that I started with the sweeping because I found lots of dust and anything else you can think of on the wood floors. (I have an obsession with sweeping: I think its a meditative mechanism)

For the next 30 minutes I used my time pushing a Swiffer around. The first time was dry the second time was wet with a lovely lavender scent. Well, the house was clean, progress reports were checked and I was too tired to do anything else but finish The Scarlet Letter - which I did - finally. 

Today is a new day and that needle and thread are still waiting for me. I plan to look for the floss again today during my lunch hour and see if my luck has changed.