Vacation Memories.....

So this is how things looked as we prepared to leave on Aug. 16:


I started wondering just how long we were going away for..... But apparently that was everything we needed to spend a week camping..... I was worried that at some point we'd hear a big 'bang' as we were driving along, but we did make it to our campground in once piece.

We were camping at a place called The Pinery. It rests on the shores of Lake Huron and is a fabulous campground for kids. There are tons of manicured bike trails to ride bikes on safely. There are hiking trails to wander through (mind the poison ivy though!) and if you're lucky, deer to see. And best of all, in the kids' opinion - a wonderful beach with great sand for digging in and shallow water to play in.


We also celebrated some birthdays - one of my nephews turned 8 and my FIL turned *ahem* well, we won't say how old he turned. He had a birthday though! :-)


It was neat to actually get a picture of all 8 of my IL's grandchildren - it's hard to get them all in one place at one time and many are still too young to really pose well for the camera. They range in age from 2 & 1/2 up to 12. They're all growing up so fast!

We were lucky that the weather held for the most part - it rained twice and of course one time was the night before we were packing to leave.... So, I'm still finding dirt, mud, muck and mess just about everywhere. The tent has to be set up to dry out, every dish, pot & pan has had to be washed and my house still vaguely resembles a camping store explosion. Thankfully I've got a DH who has pitched in sooooo much - he's managed to do almost all the laundry, put a good portion of crap away and scrub out the van carpeting (we had a little cooler leakage...). I'm sure there's more he's done too but I've gone and forgotten already. He's a good guy.

Oh, and last night I finally managed to sit down and finish (yes finish) Poppy:

Poppy by Nora Corbett
Stitched on 32-count Antique White Linen from Zweigart
using DMC, Kreinik and Mill Hill Beads

I so loved stitching this piece - it was an absolute obsession to get her done. She still needs a bath and some ironing but I couldn't wait to take a picture. Isn't she pretty? I just wish I was a better photographer so I could more accurately capture the colours and sparklies.... Oh well, you get the idea, right?

I'm still waiting on my models - I know one had fabric issues and I think the other is still in transit. I'm kinda glad nothing was waiting for me when we got home so I could finish Poppy. Maybe I can squeeze in a little time on my double flips before they arrive. :-)

Time to drag the kidlets out for some back-to-school shopping. I'm going to brave The Mall. I hate malls. They're full of people. *sigh*

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Back and packing to leave again....

Well, I'm back in my little corner of the world, but we leave again on Saturday. I'm squeezing this post in between laundry and preparing food for camping and packing and wondering where the blinking tent has got to and..... You get the idea.

I have managed to stitch a fair bit since I last posted, although not nearly as much as I'd like. We did get a lot of rain up at the cottage last week, but I spent much of that indoor time playing games with the boys. We had a lovely time in between when the rain let up too.

While rummaging in my stitching bag, I uncovered this little kit. I have no idea where it came from or when I purchased it, but it appeared and I thought its sentiment appropriate at the cottage as it seems at times that all we do is work! I started and finished this in just 2 hours. It now rests proudly on the cottage fridge (which is really, really shiny, so sorry for the glare!)....


The picture is dark because the lighting at the cottage is the pits in the best circumstances and IIRC, it was raining when I took this. You get the idea though....

I managed to squeak out another Double Flip - I'm down to the final four now:



I'm sure I pulled out and re-stitched that flippin' E at least 4 times before I finally got it right. I'm having trouble following the pattern because the symbol for the navy colour is a / and for reasons that make no sense, I can't seem to see them all. I've got it figured out now though and I'm sure the rest of the word will flow better. At least, that's what I'm hoping!

Oh, and then there's Poppy. She's been coming along just perfectly. I finished all the cross-stitch and gaily embarked upon the backstitch and beading. Here's where I am right now:


All that's left is to backstitch her wings and some curlicues around her wings and add the beads. Why haven't I finished it yet??? Here's why:

Having the intelligence of a gnat, I failed to realize that I needed to backstitch the wings and the curlicues in the silver metallic. So, I've run out. I just about pulled my hair out when I realized how badly I messed up, especially this close to the end.

One mad dash through my stash later, I realized I had no more of it. Then I realized it was Sunday. My LNS is closed on Sunday. And on Monday. Now on the verge of tears I realized it would be almost 2 whole days until I could get fibre. Then I realized Tuesday was jam-packed with obligations. So Wednesday found me haunting the door of the LNS, praying desperately that they had metallic braid (despite being a large LNS, they just don't *do* inventory, so at any given time they have no idea what they do or don't have!).....

....and the stitching gods were smiling. I have my metallic. I just have no time to stitch. *sigh*

(BTW, the solid white line on Poppy's right is just my Q-snap - I didn't unmount her for the picture....)

Now, if you're still with me here.......

I was beyond floored to receive this from Jade. I've never received a blog award before. I don't quite know what to do with it.


Of course, such an honour does have some strings attached, but ones I'm not sorry are there:

1. Put the logo on your blog;
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;
4. Add links to those blogs on yours;
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Let's see, 1 & 2 are covered. On to 3. I'm sure these folks have already received this award as I'm coming late to the party, as usual, but I'll nominate them again (in no particular order). Sorry to be boring about it!

1. The Sparklie Things Blog
2. Rebel in Ontario
3. Just Another Flamingo On The Lawn
4. Ladyhawke's Tales
5. Wendy ~ Home at Work
6. The Twisted Stitcher
7. Arthemise's (Mostly) Stitching Blog

Now to run through folks' comment boxes. :-)

Finally, I found this picture of my 3 guys hiding in my camera. They all look so good, I have to post it, so please forgive the gratuitous family shot!



I'm really hoping to finish Poppy before we leave on Saturday as once we return, I've got one model to start and soon after another one will appear.... They're both such scrumptious projects though, I can't wait to start. But I'm not telling who they're for or what they are. :-)

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