Assorted bits of this and that

My creativity has abandoned me for the moment hence the rather uninspiring title…..

 

Last night I went and picked up Rebecca and I took her off for a nice dinner and some stitching.  Another friend joined us (hi Christine!) and we had a lovely evening sitting and chatting and stitching….  I really, really enjoyed the evening and the company even more.  Thanks so much Rebecca and Christine!  I had forgotten how much I enjoy hanging out with people who get what I do and don’t think I’m odd for doing it.    Silly me brought my camera to take pictures and then proceeded to forget to take it out of my bag.  Next time!

 

Earlier this week, I managed to kill off a WIP that I’ve had going since June.  I was using this as my travel project as it doesn’t require a pattern to stitch it – it’s one of those needlepoint Stitch ‘n Zip cases:

 

 

Stitch & Zip Preassembled Needlepoint

Sweet Violets Purse/Cosmetic Case

Kit – stitched on pre-printed 14-count canvas with supplied threads (cottons)

 

I plan on using this case to hold my iPod and its headphones.  The two things keep getting separated and tangled in my purse and this will be a pretty way to keep them together.  This was a very easy stitch – just basketweave and it was great to work on while we were travelling – no pattern to wrangle!

 

Once I finished that, I had a rummage about for another WIP to resurrect.  I found another one with little effort (surprise, surprise, right?) and I’m *this* close to being finished…..

 

 

This is a freebie from Pelin Tezer called Moire.   I’ve had this piece floating around for quite a while and I’ll likely finish it in another evening or two, depending on how much time I get for stitching….

 

The mailman has been very kind to me this week too.  The first thing that arrived in the box was my first lesson/ornament from the needlepoint club I joined just after Christmas:

 

This club is going to be highly interesting.  We don’t actually get a kit with everything we need to stitch the piece.  I’ve got the lesson, a piece of canvas and a bunch of sample threads (which I seem to have deleted the picture of).  Now the colours of the threads aren’t in any colour I’ll likely use to stitch the quilt block, but they’ll give me an idea of how they feel to use and how they would lay when stitched.  Now I’ll have the opportunity to either dig through my stash and pick out a monochromatic colour scheme, using what I have on hand or I can go shopping for fibres similar to my samples, but in colours that will work for me.  the lesson has some wonderful information about picking a monochromatic scheme.  I’m looking forward to getting going on this one soon.

 

The next thing the mailman dropped in my mailbox was a wee little package from Silverlotus.  I was scratching my head when I first saw it because I didn’t recall her mentioning that she was going to send me something – but then again, my memory is faulty at the best of times, so maybe I forgot…..  I opened the envelope and this is what fell out:

 

 

They’re buttons!  Aren’t they the best?  They totally made me smile.  Thanks again Heather!

 

I recently discovered that we’ve been adopted by a female cardinal (her mate hangs out too, but I think she like us more than he does)….  A couple of weeks ago the female cardinal actually bashed into one of the windows of our house.  She wasn’t hurt – but was a little stunned for a bit.  Ever since then, she spends most of her day perched on the window sill peering into the room.  She stays longer if the TV is turned on – she can see it clearly from her perch.  I managed to catch a picture of her this morning:

 

I’ve never had a bird adopt us like this before (she’s inside the red box that I drew on the picture!).  Any time I look out that particular window, she’ll be there.  Her favourite shows seem to be the Nate Berkus show and the news, but she’ll stay there for just about anything.  If the TV is off, she’ll sit there for a couple of minutes and then fly off – and she’ll return every 5 minutes or so until the TV is on again.  Never thought I’d turn a bird into a TV addict…..

 

Today I also managed to solve another mystery that has plagued us from time to time – my furniture snores.  Yes, you read that right – it snores.  Periodically as I move through the house doing this and that, I’ll notice that a chair is snoring or that the couch is snoring…..  Now I know that furniture can’t *really* snore, so today when the couch started snoring, I got down on my hands and knees and found the real culprit:

 

That would be one of my cats – Mojo.  She was all curled up under the couch (I don’t know how she fits there – she’s a big girl and it’s a small space!) and snoring like there was no tomorrow.  That’s the leg of my floor stand in front of her.  Mystery solved!  Still won’t stop the couch from snoring upon occasion, but at least I know *who* is responsible.

 

I’ve had a busy week so far.  And tomorrow I’m going for my annual hair cut and DS#1 has to write two final exams – it’s a busy day around here tomorrow!

 

I’m going to curl up and stitch a bit!

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Back to our regularly scheduled programming…..

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will thank everyone again for all their kind words and thoughts.  You’ve all been a tremendous comfort to me.  I feel lucky to know you all.

 

On a happier note……

 

For Christmas this year, my in-laws gave DH and I a little bit of money and an admonishment to use it for something other than bills.  Taking her words to heart, I decided to plan a surprise for my menfolk.  All I told them was to make no plans for Jan. 22.

 

Yesterday afternoon, we all hopped in the van and I drove them to Skydome in Toronto ( I know it has been re-named and branded with a large cable, phone & wireless provider, but I much prefer its original name!)…….

 

They figured out what we were going to see once they say the signage outside:  Monster Jam!  DH and I had talked about going to see this show in past years, but the timing just never seemed to work out.  I managed to get really great tickets that even allowed us access to the Pit Party – we got to go down to the show floor and meet some of the drivers and their vehicles…..  Here’s my three in front of one of the more recognizable vehicles:

 

Bryce had one of the drivers (not of this Grave Digger, but of Grave Digger Legend) sign his ticket *and* Mommy allowed Bryce to have the driver sign his hoodie.  In permanent ink.  What can I say?  I was intent on making a memory…..

 

It was a wonderful evening!  We ate tons of junk food, watched big trucks tear around the stadium and jump impossibly high jumps, watched a truck flip end-over-end (the driver was unhurt), saw a great demolition derby……  It was a great evening and we all enjoyed ourselves.  I didn’t think I’d really enjoy it very much (being a girly-girl has its drawbacks sometimes), but I actually had a lot of fun.

 

When not watching monster trucks do their thing, I have been stitching – but mostly on models (I made *huge* progress on one that has been lazing around here for far too long and I’m hopeful to finish it quickly now!).  I did stop for a brief bit to stitch my January ornament for my personal ornament-of-the-month club:

 

Noel by Lizzie*Kate

From Tiny Tidings XIV

Stitched on random 28-count pulled from stash

with recommended GAST & WDW

 

I have had this pattern in my stash for ages – I’m pretty sure I bought the pattern pack when it was released and it has languished in my stash since then.

 

Now I need to get back to my model and make some more progress on that.

 

I almost forgot!  If anyone lives within a reasonable distance of Brampton, I’m meeting up with Rebecca on Wednesday night for some dinner and stitching.  If you want to join us, just leave a comment or e-mail me for the details!  I’m so looking forward to spending an evening stitching with a friend – especially since stitch night at the local LNS has been made impossible for me to attend.

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Thank you

The last week has been one of the worst ever.  I really, really appreciate all the kind words that I’ve received.  I was never so glad to get to the weekend as I was this past weekend.

 

Early Monday morning, my mother-in-law called to tell us that her mother had passed away.  Grandma Tice had been suffering from dementia for many years now and didn’t recognize any of us, so it really was the second time we lost her.  She was such a kind person and always welcoming of anyone who walked through the door (me included – over 20 years ago!).  I am glad she’s not suffering any longer, but it will be hard for Grandpa Tice and my mother-in-law and the rest of her siblings to live without her.

 

Grandma and Grandpa Tice

 

The second phone call came later that same day and it left both my DH and me shaken.

 

This is Gerrit:

 

Gerrit was one of my husband’s best friends from high school.  Here’s a picture taken in 1987, when they graduated from high school:

 

Gerrit is in the middle in the back row.  My DH is on the left in the front row.

 

Gerrit married in 1993, while DH and I married in 1994.  Gerrit was one of our groomsmen.  In 1996, both Gerrit and his wife and DH and I had our first children.  Gerrit added to his family again in 1997, while DH and I waited until 1999.

 

Shortly before Christmas, Gerrit was diagnosed with glioblastoma.  He passed away on January 6.  He was 43 years old.

 

We’re heartbroken for his family – his wife, his children, his parents – everyone.

 

I guess the moral of the story is to remember that life is short – sometimes shorter than you can even begin to imagine.  Go hug your spouse/partner/SO and your children.  Then go make a memory with them.

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Um, Universe? Could you cut us some slack?

Two funerals in two days.  Please stop.

 

Thanks.

Me.

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Gifts received & more evidence….

So now that the mailman has finally gotten back to work this week (I swear between Dec. 24 and Jan. 3 he only actually delivered mail twice), something pretty amazing appeared in my mailbox – a package from Silverlotus!

 

Look what was inside:

 

Aren’t they the most adorable little creatures?  I’m going to be sorry to pack them away with the Christmas decorations….  I just love them.

 

And then there was more!  Look!

 

Isn’t that the prettiest ornament?  My large tree (I actually have 3 Christmas trees up – one large, one medium & one small one) has been undecorated and is waiting to go out on garbage day and my medium tree is in pieces awaiting to go back in the box, so my small tree got to hold this ornie for its beauty shot.  I can’t wait until next year when it can hang on the big tree – any handmade ornaments always hang on the big tree to keep them safe from marauding kitties.

 

Now feeling thoroughly spoiled, I was surprised to find this last thing in my package:

 

 

Which opened up to reveal:

 

 

Some of the prettiest notecards I’ve ever seen.  I perennially forget to buy simple notecards to include with gifts that I send to people and now that problem has been solved for me for a while.

 

Haven’t I been spoiled?  Thanks so much Heather!  I love everything!

 

As for the evidence I’ve found…..  I found more evidence that I can procrastinate until it’s stupid…..  Today, while rummaging about on my cutting table (and old desk of DS#1’s that I claimed), a couple of very old projects turned up.  These things have been stitched for ages – one since 2006 and the other since 2008 (!) but I hadn’t done one simple thing to finish-finish them – sew a single, straight line……  I even had everything pinned and ready to sew….  I just needed to put sewing machine and project together.  After giving myself a smack upside the head, I put sewing machine and project together and I’ve now got two needlecases ready to use….

 

 

I think it took all of 5 minutes to sew these up. 

 

On the up-side, they’re no longer languishing in the finishing pile and I can start using them!  ‘Tis a good day!

 

Thanks for all the comments on my TUSAL and some of my other posts.  In an effort to comment more on the blogs I read, I’ve been dashing around to many of the TUSAL participant blogs and trying to leave a comment.  It’s been wonderful ‘meeting’ some new people and finding lots of new blogs to add to my blog reader – I’m going to need to spend some time updating my blogroll too.

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TUSAL

So, since it’s fairly certain I’ll have lots more time on my hands for stitching this year, I decided to join a completely fun and a little bit silly SAL:

 

If you don’t know what the TUSAL is, basically you keep your ORTs and photograph them every new moon.  It’s being hosted by It’s Daffycat.  You can still sign up if you’re interested.  There’s even going to be prizes (talk about generous!)!

 

Today is the new moon, so I dutifully photographed my ORTs.  I originally had a really pretty container for them, but DH saw my ORTs in it and immediately threw them out.  After fishing them out of the trash, I’m hoping they can live in their new home, a basic mason jar.  Heaven only knows how long it will last.

 

Anyway, here’s the jar so far:

 

 

There’s not much in it really – a few bits of fabric cut off from finishing ornies and some sewing thread from a few pouches I managed to sew before Christmas.  There are some threads in there from both the models I’ve got on the go.  Let’s hope between now and the next new moon that there's a few more things in the jar.  And that DH doesn’t decide to throw them all out again. 

 

I wonder if I’ll fill up the whole jar over the course of a year?  Wouldn’t that be interesting to watch!

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