America is being called stingy! We open our doors to billions of people every year! If there is a disaster in another nation, we are the first to respond! The first to give aid, financial, food, medical, and yet the UN calls us Stingy! Millions of jobs went to Asia and India this year, millions of people are still jobless, and yet when help is needed we give until we can’t give any more. And we are stingy! Private citizens in the form of aid workers and missionaries go to hundreds of countries around the world to help because they believe that all people have a right to be free and to live decently and are killed for being American. When our own country was attacked we didn’t ask for help nor did we get it. We have fought wars from the beginning of the last century in order to give other nations a chance to be free. To have the same freedoms we have. We have rebuilt entire countries across Asia and Europe, forgiven billions of dollars in debt owed to us, and America is stingy! We, as a country, allow all peoples and all religions into our country, and as a melting pot of all peoples, human and other wise, we help those in need, no matter what. But yet, America is stingy. Not everyone in America has food, clothing, medical, or shelter. Our elderly can barely afford their medications. Our streets are not paved with gold, but yet we will help out even after other nations pull out. And yet the UN calls us stingy.

1.  Finish the patchwork quilts for DD, DNiece#1, and DNephew #3.  Yes!.  Barely.  No more procrastination.    I didn't find the Marine Corps Emblem fabric I wanted to use, so I used some patriotic fabric.  (DNephew got it for Christmas  -- he loved it!)  I did find some non-cheesy non cartoonish dinosaur print.  I found this nearly realistic dinosaur cotton print on green grassy background for my niece's quilt. (DNiece also got it for Christmas, she wasn't nearly as excited).  DD's quilt was backed with jungle animals. She liked it.  She received hers Christmas Morning.  I machine quilted them along the squares and tied them with muliti colored varigated yarn at the corners.  Each quilt has a different patch on the top.  A dinosaur for my DNiece, a Flag for my DNephew, and a tiger on DD.

2.  Start (and hopefully finish) the patchwork quilts for DNiece #2, DNiece #3, DNephew #4. Nope.  Due to some time management issues, these are being held off until next year.  Which means I'll start them in January.  Hopefully before school starts again.

3.  Finish scrap Split Rail Fence quilt for mom Nope.  Pieces, fabric, and template, along with one rotary cutter are still missing.  Not where they were suppose to be.

4.  Finish Dutchman's Puzzle quilt for dad  Nope.  Pieces and fabric are lost in the boxes from the move.  Still.  Found most of the fabric for my dad's quilt, but not all.

5.  Pick out pattern for my Dragon quilt (cutting out the fabric -- already purchased -- would be wonderful)  Yes.  I have started to cut out the hundreds of triangles and squares that are needed.

6.  Complete cross stitch gift for DD teacher.  (She picked out a design with the teachers name on it and the words "teaching is like touching the future") Nope.  I decided against the hand dyed fabric.  (I'm not liking my new budget. )  Still have to get the specialty thread still -  a multicolor from Glissengloss.

7.  Finish sewing cloths for DD and DNiece #1 that are already cut out. DNiece#1 is done for now, DD did get her skirt and jumper, the other shirt and skirt didn't get done. 

8.  Finish 3 Halloween costumes (mine, DD, and SIL) -- by Halloween  Yes.  Barely.  Sil was finished Thursday the 28th, DD was finished the 28th, and mine was finished the 29th.  New goal - never wait that long again. Sil got a ton of compliments on her dress.  So did I.  I'm hoping to up load some pics of it soon.  Pictures are still forthcoming...this century I hope.

9.  Send out four proposals to either editors or agents. Nope, not yet, but I'm close.

10.  Finish WW (approx 350 pages left).  No, but I'm getting close.  I've got about 10-13 chapters to go. 

11.  Complete 100 pages or 5 chapters which ever comes first in draggie story.  Still on chaper 3, not sure what the death defying mission is yet.  No amount of brainstorming has fixed this problem.  Yet.  Still working on it.

12.  Finish TW Storyteller (1/2 way done) No, but I've worked on it.  It's looking nice. I've started on the border and started outlining some of the areas already stitched.

13.  Finish "The Lord's Prayer" (3/4 way done) No, but I'm on the last part, the ornate 'O' that starts it off.  I'm about 1/2 way done with the 'O'

14.  Get the cross done on TW's Celtic Cross No more stitched on this one yet. 

15.  Pick out background fabric for Stretch, Futurecast, and Tempest. No, not yet, but I'm considering some hand-dyed fabric. 

16.  Personal goals.  Still working on them. 

Today was the stress buster sponsered by the campus actitivy board in preperation for finals.   I talked my friend into getting a massage with me.  15 minutes.  Free.  (they get students from Olympia in)  The woman giving me my massage didn't apply a lot of pressure, and afterward I did feel some of the tension return.  -- I know it didn't help that the music played, I didn't find relaxing, nor did I find the sound of her voice relaxing. -- I did pick up a brochure for their hours.  Good prices.  They offer quite a bit, including Reiki.  Which interests me.  But what I found particularly interesting, is my body's response to texture.  After a shower, which felt unusually hot, the towels, which I've never had a problem with until now, felt stiff and scratchy as though I was drying off with sand paper.  And I found myself wondering if there was a connection.

I enjoyed the message, and will definitely get more.  I think once a month is a good idea.  Even though some of the tension returned...not all of it did.

1.  Finish the patchwork quilts for DD, DNiece#1, and DNephew #3.  Nope.  I can't find any more Marine Corps Emblem fabric (I knew I should have gotten it when I saw it...darn budget :( ).  My niece recieved dinosaur print sheets and comforter set...I think they're cheesy and not really what I want, so I'm still looking.  DD fabric is found and bought... she gets jungle animals.  All I need now is the batting.  And time.

2.  Start (and hopefully finish) the patchwork quilts for DNiece #2, DNiece #3, DNephew #4. Nope.  Due to some time management issues, these are being held off until next year.  Which means I'll start them in January.  Hopefully before school starts again.

3.  Finish scrap Split Rail Fence quilt for mom Nope.  Pieces, fabric, and template, along with one rotary cutter are still missing.  Not where they were suppose to be.

4.  Finish Dutchman's Puzzle quilt for dad  Nope.  Pieces and fabric are lost in the boxes from the move.  Still.

5.  Pick out pattern for my Dragon quilt (cutting out the fabric -- already purchased -- would be wonderful)  Yes.  I have started to cut out the hundreds of triangles and squares that are needed.

6.  Complete cross stitch gift for DD teacher.  (She picked out a design with the teachers name on it and the words "teaching is like touching the future") Nope.  I decided against the hand dyed fabric.  (I'm not liking my new budget. :( )  Still have to get the specialty thread still -  a multicolor from Glissengloss.

7.  Finish sewing cloths for DD and DNiece #1 that are already cut out. Two skirts and a blouse for my niece are finished.  A skirt for my DD is done, and the jumper is almost finished.  Just waiting on me to get a zipper for it. At least one skirt left.  And maybe some new pj's

8.  Finish 3 Halloween costumes (mine, DD, and SIL) -- by Halloween  Yes.  Barely.  Sil was finished Thursday the 28th, DD was finished the 28th, and mine was finished the 29th.  New goal - never wait that long again. Sil got a ton of compliments on her dress.  So did I.  I'm hoping to up load some pics of it soon.  Pictures are still forthcoming...this century I hope.

9.  Send out four proposals to either editors or agents. Nope, not yet, but I'm close.

10.  Finish WW (approx 350 pages left).  No, but I'm getting close.  I've got about 10-13 chapters to go. 

11.  Complete 100 pages or 5 chapters which ever comes first in draggie story.  Still on chaper 3, not sure what the death defying mission is yet.  No amount of brainstorming has fixed this problem.  Yet.  Still working on it.

12.  Finish TW Storyteller (1/2 way done) No, but I've worked on it.  It's looking nice. I've started on the border and started outlining some of the areas already stitched.

13.  Finish "The Lord's Prayer" (3/4 way done) No, but I'm on the last part, the ornate 'O' that starts it off.  I'm about 1/2 way done with the 'O'

14.  Get the cross done on TW's Celtic Cross No more stitched on this one yet. 

15.  Pick out background fabric for Stretch, Futurecast, and Tempest. No, not yet, but I'm considering some hand-dyed fabric. 

16.  Personal goals.  Still working on them.