Cross Stitch Progress and Daily Writing Prompt

Quick pictorial update on my ongoing (aka mostly ignored) cross stitch project.  The goal now is to get it to them before their first anniversary.  Fingers crossed!  Don't worry, I bought them a real present as well.  It's not every couple that registers for a nail gun (as well as other tools I will never be qualified to use).  I couldn't resist.

Also... a new feature I like to call:

The Daily Post's 365 Days of Writing Prompts:
or how I snarked my way through 2016 in writing

At least that's my initial reaction.  I like to write, I want to write more.  That was the initial impetus for this blog, however I think we can all see how well I have been able to maintain consistency.  I've decided to make 2016 the year I really make a go of it.  In thinking of ways to get myself to buckle down and write something every day (or as close to it as possible), I googled "daily writing prompts" which led me to this pdf created in 2013 by The Daily Post.

I appreciate the effort that went into creating this list, but as I read through it all I could think was "is this for real?"  Take today's writing prompt, for example:

January 7
Helpless
Helplessness: that dull, sick feeling of not being the one at the reins.
When did you last feel like that –- and what did you do about it?

Happy New Year - let's dredge up some awful memories!  Dull sickness, that's what we want to spend time dwelling on, then, isn't it?  I suppose the idea being that you overcame that sense of helplessness and took back your power and all that.  But, yeesh, couldn't that have waited until April or something?

So my first writing exercise of the year will be to ignore my writing exercise.  I choose not to make myself sad.  Take that, The Daily Post!

**UPDATE, 7:12 pm

The kids had gone upstairs with the dad.  I had 15 minutes until I needed to leave for Mommy's Night Out.  Dishes done, laundry started.  I had just enough time to set my sewing machine, Big H, back up after her Christmas Holiday Hibernation.  I removed her cover to find this:

Broken needle: simple accident or cosmic message?

And I have no. more. needles.  Suddenly, I had that that "dull, sick feeling of not being the one at the reins."  Helplessness.  What this karma striking me down for my dismissive attitude to a good-natured writing prompt?  Whatever the cosmic cause, amazon.com has once again come to my rescue, assuring me a Sunday delivery (Free with Prime!).  Breath returns to normal, jaw unclenches, muscles relax.  Good thing I'm heading out to drink.