Mid Year resolutions.

I am not a great believer in New Year Resolutions. I figure if you make up your mind to do something, it really doesn't have to be at a certain time of the year. Still, if setting a goal in a time frame like that suits you, who am I to disagree? My style is more of a sudden decision to do something that I have been thinking about, or putting off, for some time - even a few years! And when I make that decision, I have to go for it there and then, otherwise the project or whatever it is that I have decided, will go on to the back burner yet again. In the past two weeks, I have made two momentous decisions...well, for me anyway.
The first one was to cull my stitching stash. I mentioned it on Patra's Other Place, but as the subject is about my stitching, I decided to mention here as well, for reasons which will become obvious. While I had everything on the floor sorting it out, I came to terms with the fact that I will never in a million years stitch all this stuff, and while I am keeping a lot of the kits and UFOs with the intention of at least having a go at them, the rest has to go. I now have a cardboard box full of UFOs and other assorted embroidered items to get rid of one way or another, and have already showed two friends the contents. The next thing will be to list them on eBay, or sell them at the Embroiderer's Guild Paddy's Market Day, which is later in the year. Either way, they've all gotta go!
My next major decision was concerning what I will concentrate on stitching next. Those of you who have been reading this Blog since its birth last year, may remember my references to an Indian Chief Cross stitch UFO. I was given this kit about 20 years ago, by an American friend who stayed with us for two weeks. She sent it to me when she got back home, having got to know our interest in Native Americans while she was here. I started on it with great enthusiasm, which gradually waned over the years when life got in the way, as it often does. Ken has nagged me to finish it, but when he took my framed embroideries off the wall to hang a movie poster, I told him he could forget about the Indian being finished, if that was how he was going to treat my work! In the past few months, his Mum has asked me about the Indian, and I told her I would rather finish some of the tablecloths she has given me. She replied that she would much rather see the Indian finished, and as her health is failing, I have decided that I will retrieve it from the back of the cupboard and get moving on it.
Today, I visited Sharon - to give her my box of UFOs to go through, and to see what she is working on at the moment. While I was there, she showed me a wooden frame she had picked up in an opshop for a few dollars, thinking it might come in handy. It was the perfect size for my Indian, so she has kindly lent it to me for that purpose. When I got home I promptly attached the Aida to the frame, and did a few rows of stitching. What a difference it makes when you have something in the right holder! With a bit of luck and dedication, I may just be able to give it to Ken for Christmas this year...and more importantly, make his Mum a happy lady.