We have had rain, rain, and more rain it seems like. I'm running out of things to do! My dad is here visiting from the US, which is great, but my imagination is running out of bright ideas of things to do that are interesting and will keep three busy kids happily engaged for awhile. Today we went to Ikea for lunch - and we found a frame for Max's dragon (hooray!). Yesterday we went to Naturalis, a very cool museum in Leiden that is a real eye-opener for young & old alike. The day before that we hung out at home because Rowen was supposed to have a checkup at the pediatrician (that the doctor forgot about...) and the day before that we went to the zoo in Amersfoort. Fortunately that was a dry day, or at least mostly.

In between catching up with my dad and trying to keep the kids happy, I haven't actually found much time for stitching, but I have managed to finish off this adorable train for Pelle. He's a great little guy who will soon be turning 1. I haven't actually met Pelle yet, but his mom has been a wonderful source of encouragement regarding my own cross stitching, so a special little gift was in order. This chart is a freebie if you're interested! I stitched it on Silkweaver Solos using Needle Necessities and Caron Wildflowers. The alphabet is one from SanMan Originals I had laying about.

Tonight I put a few more stitches in "Peacock Repose" by the Workbasket - a sweet little design, but for some reason it's driving me nuts. I blame the fabric, which is a 32 ct Permin linen that simply refuses to stay in the hoop. I've tried 3 different hoops, but within seconds the darn stuff works itself loose. It has a slippery feel and it's quite unpleasant to stitch on. Anyone else ever encountered this? I've had stubborn linen before, but nothing like this. Anyway, I am nearing the final stitches and hopefully I'll post it soon.

On a personal note, I am still waiting for Jim to contact me if/when he reads this.

Thanks for reading! If you still have time and want a bit of a laugh, check out Strange Things You Likely Didn't Know.