A little finish, a little gratitude and a little start....

Life has been incredibly busy these last two weeks. I've hardly had time to sit at the computer, let alone compose a coherent blog post. Between the physio for my knee (which will end early next week - yay!) and volunteer commitments (I'm overdoing it in that area), my days are extraordinarily full!

But, I have been stitching when I can. Most of my energy is focused on my model. It is just about finished now - just some backstitch and a bit of some nasty DMC gold left and then it'll be dropped in the mail. Dani beat me by a long shot, but that's okay. She has the pressure of having to finish 2 models while I'm just tottering along with one.

I did finish my January ornament though!

The Decorator by Full Circle Designs
From the 2007 JCS ornament issue
Stitched on 28 ct. Cashel in Silvery Moon with DMC

I'm happy with the finished product, but I should have chosen a darker linen. The white shows up (better IRL than in the photo), but it's not as obvious as I'd like. I may end up backstitching around the snowman with a grey tone at some point, or I may not.....

Now, on to gratitude. I have been reminded recently of a quote I really like:

' Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it ' -- William Arthur Ward

I realized that I haven't followed this quote lately. So, to everyone who reads my little blog and to everyone who has commented on my little blog- THANK YOU. It's nice to know I'm not alone here. :-)

I also need to express special gratitude to two very special people, who I won't mention by name, but who should know who you are, as I've expressed my gratitude in person (to one person) and by e-mail to the other. I'm still grateful in this public place too and glad you're part of my life. I'm lucky and blessed to know you both.

As for the little start...... A friend and I are getting together once a week to work on a project together. I am really enjoying this time, even though it is limited. Here's what we're working on:


This is the 20th Anniversary commemorative sampler created by Jeanette Douglas for the CreativFestival. I have been an attendee for over 10 of the 20 years and do, in fact, have the 10th Anniversary sampler in my UFO pile (must retrieve and finish that!). My friend and I decided we'd work on this one together and so far, we're enjoying it immensely. I'll share a progress pic when I can.

Off to another volunteer commitment!

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Oh Dear.....

I'm not sure if this is good or bad..... Sadly, I'd say it's mostly accurate....

What Erica Means

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

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The Art Show

This past week, DS#2's school held an art show at a local gallery. It featured art from all grades - JK through to Grade 5 (ages 4 to 11, approximately). Parents and teachers were also invited to submit pieces for display.

I had no idea of the level of talent of these kids and it was so exciting to see their work displayed in a professional setting! And I was pleasantly surprised at how much talent the teachers have at our school as well. Many of the parents who displayed work I was already aware of their tremendous talent, but what they submitted for display was above and beyond!

The school hosted an open house this past Thursday night and at a rough guess we think we had about 300 parents, students and teachers attend. It was a wonderful evening and I really enjoyed seeing kids drag their parents over to their art and point it out with such pride!

Without further ado, here are a few pictures of our little art show:

The title of our show was 'Buds to Blooms'. (note I've blurred out the name of our school - it isn't just my bad photography skills!)

These are some charcoal drawings done by some of our Grade 4 and 5 students.


This quilt was made by some teachers at the school for another teacher who wasn't well. The drawings in the window were done by a teacher.


This is another art piece put together by a Grade 3 class.


This is a shot out the front window. On the easel is a piece done by a Grade 2 student (top), one of my needlework pieces at the bottom. On the left is a watercolour done by a teacher. On the right is a picture painted by a Grade 4 student and laying on the floor is a Rememberance Day wreath made by a Grade 5 class.

Yes, after much encouragement, I submitted 3 of my needlework pieces for display. While my work isn't what most consider to be traditional art, people seemed to enjoy seeing my work.

Off to work on my latest model. Dani and I are racing (she and I are both working on different pieces for the same series). I think she'll beat me. :-)

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Which way did it go?

Meaning my blog..... I think it fell overboard once the holidays hit full force! I'm still here, really. We had a relatively busy holiday in between my physio appointments. Sometimes I feel like I live there - I'm there 3 times a week for 2 & 1/2 hours each time. I think I'm getting better - I can almost go down stairs like a normal person. It's hard to tell for sure how I'm doing because the kind of pain I'm having keeps changing both location and intensity. I saw my surgeon today and he seemed to think I was doing really well and with a bit of luck I should be able to be paroled from physio in another 3 - 4 weeks. Yay! Physio seems to kill my whole day somehow....

Anyhow - on to more pleasant topics! While taking some stitchy pictures, I discovered that my DH took some pictures of a recent snowfall we had and with the house all prettied up for Christmas too.... So, here's a picture of the front of the house and the view out my kitchen patio door (you can see my sons' treehouse in the backyard shot - they just built it this past summer!):
We've had a good amount of snow, but not nearly as much as some. Now it's warming up to the point where there's rain in the forecast tomorrow and it's supposed to go to about 9C (48F) next week. Usually our temps are around -12C (10F) with windchills in the -25C (-13F) range. I'll take a balmy (!) 9C anyday.

Look at that - I've fallen into the Canadian obsession - talking about the weather! :-)

Stitching! Stitching! Stitching!

I knew there was something I was supposed to talk about here! I took some pictures of my last 2 finishes of 2007. I made my first biscornu ever. I can't believe I was hesitating to make one of these darling little cushions. It was so easy and fast.

Biscornu de Noël by Aurelle (freebie)
Stitched on 32-count Silkweaver solo with GAST in cranberry

My last finish for 2007 was an ornament for Bryce's teacher. She loves blue, I had a mostly finished blue ornament, so, I finished it and attached it to the basket of goodies I gave her for Christmas (I'm showing it without the benefit of the basket!):

Sapphire Star from an old JCS ornie issue
Stitched on recommended fabric with recommended fibres

I made the cording and tassel myself as well. I kinda like how it turned out and Bryce's teacher seemed to like it too.

Next up I need to catch up on some SBQs *and* show off the SAL I'll be starting with a friend in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned................ :-)

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