News and views on a Friday....

(apologies in advance for the super-heavy picture load!)

It has been a super busy week in this neck of the woods. Most notably I helped put on a Teacher Appreciation Luncheon at DS#2's school. This year we went Italian and had lasagna, a tomato cream pasta and a fettuccine alfredo. I made 3 lasagnas, a double batch of cookies (Teresa Wentzler's Frosted Lime Cookies, no less) and 10 flower arrangements for the tables. At the moment, the teachers love me and all the rest of the parents who put this luncheon on. It's a lot of work, but it sure is fun. I've hardly stitched at all this week because of the lunch and the fact that I'm also spending time helping one Grade 3 class make a quilt out of old blue jeans.

But! I do have pictures to show off. And they're all finishes too. Scary, eh?

#1:

Fairy Celebration III by Passione Ricamo
Stitched on 28-count Lilac Dream Lugana
with Rainbow Gallery's Petite Treasure Braid PB-66

One of my nieces is mad for purple anything (she's 4, what else would you expect?) and I was looking for an excuse to stitch this. I found the fabric in a stash dive but have no idea where it came from or who dyed the linen. The tag was hand-written (not by me) and carries no manufacturer. So, it's really pretty fabric. That's about all I can tell you about it. As for the stitching - I think I stitched this in hyper-speed. It went super, super fast and I hardly wanted to put it down. She's so sparkly and pretty. I've yet to decide whether I'll frame her or make her into some kind of pinkeep. She's pretty big, so it might be off to framing, but we'll see.

#2:

Dragon's Lullaby by Dragon Dreams
Stitched on 28-count White Lugana
with recommended DMC, Kreinik and Caron Waterlilies

Another class piece came out to play and got stitched in quick time. I had a bit of a debate with myself as to whether or not I wanted to stitch this as a model for the CreativFestival this year, but just knew I'd want the finished product for myself. So, I stitched First Dragon Encounter instead for Jennifer and took Dragon's Lullaby as a class. I'm not sorry either. It's so beautiful when it's stitched up.

#3:


Well, okay, this isn't so much of a finish as it is playtime..... I purchased a kumihimo plate a few months ago and never really got up the courage to play with it until now. You see, the instructions are all in Japanese and I can't read Japanese. Thankfully when I actually sat down and looked at the instructions, I realized that anyone smarter than an ant could figure it out from the pictures. A little while later and I finished the braid on the left with the provided yarn. The urge to play was strong enough that I did some stash diving and came up with my own combination of crochet cottons and started to play. The results are on the right. I'm enjoying this immensely and desperately want a kumihimo disc now so I can make round cords. It's downright addictive this kumihimo thing. Beware!

#4:

This next thing is something that I stitched, but didn't actually finish myself. I was asked to stitch a model for Enchanting Lair - 'A Stitching Companion'. Laura (the designer) wanted an alternate version stitched and even allowed me to choose my own colours and personalize it to my tastes. I've never had the opportunity to do that on a model before, so I was quite excited to say the least. Even better, once finished and returned to Laura, she finished my stitching into a book and returned the finished-finished piece to me. I couldn't be more excited! I've never had a model come back to me - ever, let alone finished and useable! I'm so excited it's stupid. So, here are some pictures of my finished book. (my apologies for the crappy lighting - the weather is the pits here so no decent light to be had anywhere, nevermind the inevitable battle with the camera!)

Front Cover

Page One

Page Two

Page Three

Page Four

Outside Spine

If you're wondering, the whole thing was stitched with Dinky-Dyes Silk (yay! my favourite!) in Yallingup, Hyacinth and Kakadu. I'm so pleased with this piece. I feel very lucky that I was able to personalize this piece and even better, keep it.

Congratulations if you're still reading this. You've got stamina!

I'm off to go rent some movies for DH and I to watch tomorrow. Both DS' are off to Scout camp for the weekend, so DH and I get a rare Valentine's Day without kids.

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!

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And the winner is................

(Thanks to random.org for it's random help!)


If you can't read who won, I'm happy to say the winner is Silverlotus! Go visit her blog. She's got the cutest little boy and some wonderful stitching and knitting too. I've even had the pleasure of meeting her in person. So, Heather, please e-mail me at (you'll need to remove spaces) e k i l l i n s @ r o g e r s . c o m . Congratulations!

I'm terribly sorry I can't give *everyone* a prize, but my resources are limited and so is my time, unfortunately.

I've got some finishes to share (2, in fact), but I'll save those for another day!

Off to rummage through my stash for the perfect project!

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100th Post Party!

Never in a million years did I think this blogging thing would stick. And yet, here I am today writing my 100th post.

First off - whether this is your first time here or your 5th, I want to say thank you for staying with me. I know I'm not the most exciting blogger on the planet. I appreciate you spending any time here at all. There are just so many great blogs out there. I think most of them are linked in my sidebar to the left. :-)

Secondly, I'm going to celebrate a bit. If you leave a comment on this post (and only this post), I will enter your name into a draw. I will give you something. I will stitch you something. And, with a bit of luck, I might even make you smile a bit. I have to admit, I don't know exactly what I'll be doing yet, but that's just going to be part of the fun. And, you'll just have to be surprised!

I will close entries to this draw on Friday, February 6, 2009. Please, just one comment per person.

Let the party begin!

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Am I a *real* Scientist?

That seems to have been the top question I've been asked this past week. You might remember that I'm a presenter with Scientists in School - a company that brings science workshops to children in Kindergarten through Grade 8. I present a workshop on Force to Grade 3 students. I think last week set a record for how many times I was asked if I was a real Scientist. Then I was asked if I have a lab (ummmm, does my kitchen count?), then I was asked if I could make a potion that would make all the kids laugh (I'm a physicist, not a chemist!).... It was funny and sweet and I enjoyed busting some gender biases. Girls can be scientists too! :-)

I've been giving a good number of presentations this month (in fact, I'm doing another one this afternoon, two more tomorrow and a third on Wednesday), so my time at the computer to do stuff for me is limited, to say the least!

My stitching is suffering a bit, but needle is still being put to fabric. I even have a finish for 2009. I think I finished it very early in January, but time has gotten away from me again.

Jingle Sparkle Joy
by Midsummer Night Designs
Stitched on 28-count Lugana - "Metallic" in gold/mushroom by Zweigart
with recommended fibres (DMC)
Find it here.

I saw this freebie floating around the web-world for a while before Christmas and I couldn't resist any longer. Something about it was just too attractive to leave behind! It looks so pretty on the sparkly fabric!

Next up - a progress pic on Nantucket Rose. I would like to try and get as much done as possible on this during 2009. We'll see how I make out:

Despite it's size, this is a fun, easy stitch. Large blocks of one colour make it motor along at a good pace. Hopefully it'll keep moving.

Lastly, I've picked up another CreativFestival class piece. I think I'm going to try to always have at least one class piece in my active stitching pile at all times this year. I've got so many pretty class pieces that just have a little bit done on them. They deserve more of my time, so they're gonna get it this year! :-)



This is Dragon's Lullaby by Dragon Dreams - a class piece from this past year's CreativFestival. It hasn't yet been released to the public, but I believe it will be on patternsonline.com at some point. This piece is nice because I keep feeling like I'm accomplishing something every time I finish a band. I think I'm pretty much at the halfway point on this now. I don't think it'll take too much longer to finish either. Maybe it'll be my next happy dance!

Well, I'd better be off to get ready for work. I can't appear in jeans, much as I'd like to. Maybe I can squeeze out 10 minutes to stitch too.

Keep watching this space - this is post #99. Something interesting might happen next post. Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?

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Looking back and looking forward

I've done a little blog-surfing today and seem to have gotten caught up in the idea of a yearly review or recap. I've dug through my computer and realized, I've had a pretty busy year in the stitching world....

Let's see, what did I finish?

- 7 models stitched (5 for ANPT, 1 for Enchanting Lair & 1 for Dragon Dreams)
- Christmas Biscornu (freebie from Aurelle)
- Bouquet for Cheryl
- Britty Kitty's cat on a pumpkin
- Christmas Biscornu (a different freebie from Aurelle)
- Easter Dragonlet from Dragon Dreams
- Health and Happiness ornament from Blue Ribbon Designs
- Lizzie*Kate Double Flip - Living with Charm Series
- Needle Wizard Needlecase from Dragon Dreams
- Poppy from Nora Corbett
- 'Take a Break' kit found at the Cottage
- The Decorator - ornie from JCS
- Sun/Moon Scissor Fob from Teresa Wentzler & Jennifer Aikman-Smith
- Sleeping Dragon Ornament from Dragon Dreams
- Snowflake Ornament from Anna-Marie Winter

(you might need to scroll a bit to see the pictures!)

Not too shabby overall. I rarely stop to think about just how many things I actually finish in a year and reading others' blog posts made me stop and wonder just what I did. I'm actually somewhat impressed. I know the models took up most of my time this last year, especially because I don't work on other projects when I have a model in hand.

As for the year coming - I don't really want to set any goals, other than to stitch. I have tried to promise myself that I'll work on old class projects this year and I want to see if by some force of needle I can finish Nantucket Rose too. Of course, having said that, a bazillion models will appear all at once and stitching for myself will be a distant memory!

If you've been reading my blog, whether this is your first time here or your 5th (I don't flatter myself that anyone has read this more than that!), THANK YOU.

Happy New Year to one and all!

(Hmmmmm - I just noticed that this is my 98th post since I started to blog with some seriousness..... Wonder what might happen when I hit 100........)

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Happy Holidays!

I've finally found a moment to pop over here and wish any and all a Happy Holidays! Whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate it, I hope it is happy and filled with those you love and those who love you.

Our Christmas has been pretty quiet, but not in a lonely way. We spent Christmas Eve with my parents and had such a nice quiet evening together. It was the first time I think I've relaxed in weeks. Christmas Day dawned with both my boys jumping on the bed - but they did wait until 9AM, so I can't complain too much. One large flurry of wrapping paper later and we all spent the day playing games together (video & board), reading, building (K'Nex's Icoaster, most notably) and just being together. I roasted a turkey breast for the 4 of us last night (no point in a whole turkey with just 4 of us to actually eat it!). Yummy!

I have had a case of finish-itis in the last few weeks, but haven't taken the time to take pictures before today. It's strange - I usually have startitis quite badly but in the last month I've had a really strong urge to finish things. So, here's what I've finished in the last month:

Lizzie*Kate Double Flips
Stitched on recommended fabric with recommended fibres

I loved, loved, loved this project. It was fast (when I actually put needle to fabric) and is full of words that need to be seen and heard regularly. With a bit of luck this will get framed someday. Sorry for the wrinkles - I neglected to iron before photographing!

Next in the finishing hit-list:

Sun and Moon Scissor Fob
by Teresa Wentzler of TW Designworks and Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams
CreativFestival Class - 2006 (?)

These two pieces have been languishing in my stash for far too long. I had finished the moon shortly after I attended the class, but for some reason I was dragging my feet on the sun. I finally sat down and finished it off in no time at all. It will be made into a scissor fob, just as soon as I convince my sewing maching that it won't hurt a bit for it to sew a straight line.

Not too bad, right? Well, believe it or not, that isn't everything! (You can pick yourself up off the floor now.....)

Sleeping Dragon Ornament
by Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams
CreativFestival Class - 2007 (?)

Here's another piece that falls into the 'why didn't I finish this sooner?' category. I fell in love with the little dude at the class, but for unknown reasons I never finished him off. I still need to sew together his little bed so he can hang on the tree, but the stitching is finished. He's such a little cutie.

Hold onto your hats folks - there's one more:

Snowflake Ornament
by Anna Marie Winter
Creativ Festival Class - 2008

This was one of the most interesting classes I've yet taken. We actually fused a piece of Organza to the mono canvas first and then stitched this little snowflake on top of the whole thing. It's very pretty and sparkly with some pretty beads too. I will make this into a Christmas ornament eventually, but it's doubtful it'll happen this Christmas!

I've developed a strange urge to work on old CreativFestival class pieces all of a sudden. I've gother another one in progress right now, but I'm not showing it off until it's done.

Hope everyone has had a great holiday season!

Off to stitch!

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Celebrating a Miracle....

Today is a special day in our household. Nine years ago today, this little person entered our world:


To say his entry into this world was a challenge would be an understatement. We were told to plan a funeral. We were told to not expect much if by some chance he did survive.

He's had his challenges:

No, he's not in jail - but he is in hospital, recovering from surgery #1, at about 13 months old.


And here he is again, recovering from surgery #6, shortly before his 6th birthday.

But despite the hospital stays, the surgeries, the worry and the fear, today, we're celebrating this:

Because today, we can celebrate Bryce turning 9. We can celebrate putting 7 surgeries behind us. We can celebrate proving all those nay-sayers wrong and showing them perfection.

Happy Birthday little B. Mommy loves you.

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Little Happy Dance....

Despite feeling vaguely like my head is submerged in a bucket of water, I managed to accomplish what I thought wasn't going to happen. I finished my little biscornu that will be given away in a gift exchange tomorrow. I'm finished a whole 24 hours ahead of time. That never happens.

Before they were whip stitched together:


Side view:


Top view:

Freebie from Aurelle can be found here.
Stitched on 32-count opalescent Belfast, over two
with Dinky-Dyes Pilbara, beads by Gecko beads

I'm so happy I managed to finish this. I always give something stitched each year and I'd be very sorry if I hadn't managed something this year.

Now I just need to finish baking cookies - 6 dozen down, 4 to go. I'm making Chocolate Pinwheel cookies - the same recipe that my mother made when I was a little girl. And my kids fight over who gets to eat the ends of the dough (you roll up the dough jelly-roll style then slice & bake) just like my brother and I did as kids. :-)

Off to drain the sinuses.....

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Things I've Learned.....

1. Having two part-time jobs and a bad case of over-volunteerism leads to illness. I've got a nasty cold and am really not feeling up to snuff. Hopefully this will pass soon.

2. Going to the Needlework Festival is mucho fun. I had tons of fun hanging out with old and new friends and stitching my little fingers off. Here's a couple of projects I've got underway or finished since the show:

This is Jennifer Aikman-Smith's Needle Wizard Needlecase. Isn't he darling? Hopefully I'll get him made into a needlecase soon. Maybe I'll finish up TW's needlecase from 2 years ago at the same time. Two for the price of one! :-)

Next up:



This is TW's 'Delightful Dragon Scissor Fob'. The border is stitched over 2, but the inside is stitched over 1. I still have to backstitch this little guy and finish up the back, then he'll be fob-ized. Eventually.....

There are more projects that I haven't gotten back around to just yet, but they're all sitting next to my stitching chair just waiting to be picked up and stitched. So many pretty projects!

3. Halloween came up much too fast after the festival and I barely got the decorations up before the trick or treaters came.... We did manage to get our annual Pumpkin picture of the boys though. They each designed and carved their own pumpkin:

They're growing up so fast!

4. Just because I kit up a pattern and *know* just how I'm going to stitch it, it doesn't mean I'll *remember* when the time comes. Case in point:


This is that really cute kitty asleep on a pumpkin from the JCS Hallowe'en issue. I fell in love at first sight. Kitted it all up and then left it for a couple of weeks as I was busy with the Festival. It was only after I stitched it (over 2 on 25 ct.) that I realized it was big. Really big. Much too big for an ornament, as I had originally intended. So, where had I gone wrong? Oh, that's right. I was supposed to stitch this over 1, not over 2. Of course, I realized this once I was over half done. So, now I've got one big honking cat on a pumpkin. Don't quite know yet what I'll do with it, but I'm sure I'll think of something. It's disappointing when my memory doesn't function. *sigh*

5. I learned that just because everyone thinks it'll take 3 *years* of fundraising to get enough money to build a play structure, it doesn't make it true. In 2 years about 530 families have raised enough money to build a play structure. Construction will start soon. Way to go kids! (And as an aside, I'm sooooooo glad I don't have to spend another year raising money for the bloody thing! I've spent the last 2 & 1/2 months working on this project - day in and day out. I'm not sorry I did it, but am looking forward to not having to do it again next fall!)

6. I've learned that the house is cold and my kitties are finding their own solution to keeping warm:

They rarely cuddle up together, but in the last couple of weeks I keep finding them snuggled up to one another. Of course, every time I sit down I have an instant cat blanket too.

7. I've learned that I can no longer say that I never win anything. I've been winning way too much and it's time for me to stop entering contests of any kind. It's getting downright embarassing. Here's my latest win:


It's a gorgeous Swarovski crystal spray of orchids. I won this at the banquet during the CreativFestival. It's beautiful and sparkly and I still can't believe I won it. It doesn't yet have a permanent home in my house, but I'm working on it. When the sun shines on it, it's simply dazzling.

8. Just because I have less than a week to stitch a present, it doesn't stop me from trying. Never mind the fact that I'm also trying to bake about 12 dozen cookies at the same time. The proof of this:




It's a freebie from Aurelle. I'm just stitching a bottom for this now and then it'll get made into a biscornu. Good thing I can stitch fast. Now if only I could bake cookies as fast.....

9. Remembering why I fell in love with a project in the first place often leads to some progress:


I've finally gotten myself back to work on my Lizzie*Kate double flips. Only two more words to go and it'll be finished. I'm enjoying this piece immensely, again. Hopefully there will be a finish in the next little while. I just need to get some other stitching finished *first*.....

10. Stitching models on tight deadlines is fun - despite a little stress. Here's one I stitched for Dragon Dreams for the Festival:

AFAIK, this will be released in the new year over on Patterns On Line, but don't quote me on that - I'm just the model stitcher. :-)

I did stitch another model for the show, but as far as I can tell, I didn't take a picture of it. Clearly deadlines turn my brain to mush.

11. Lastly, I've learned that I really need to post more often so I don't leave them with the world's longest post. If you've stayed with me for this long, thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

I'm going to lay down now. I'm not feeling too hot.

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Tippity, tappity, skippity, hoppity....

Model #2 done and dusted (actually done a week ago, but life interferes). Pattern notes and corrections sent. I'm wiping my hands of this one.

The only down side?

I'm sorry it's over. It's so pretty. I want to keep it. Can't I keep it???? Guess not. The students in the class would miss the model.

But, I'm happy to return to some stitching for me and I can finally relax and look forward to the CreativFestival coming up in a week. 5 days of no kids, a needle in my hand and some very good friends to hang out with. Doesn't it sound like heaven?

I still need to get ready for Thanksgiving this weekend (for us Canadians, that is). I need to make buns (from scratch), pumpkin pie and who knows what else I'll decide upon... At least I don't have to make turkey this year. Don't be surprised if I start gobbling come Tuesday, though!

Hopefully there'll be some pictures next post - I'm working on something small (well, kind of small) but I'll wait 'till it's finished to show.

I think it's past my bedtime. *yawn*

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I got nuthin'...

I'm working madly on models at the moment so I've got nothing of stitchy-interest to share. I'm happy to report that one of two models has returned to the designer and she's busy doing the finishing. I can't wait to see the finished product on that one. It'll be beautiful. The second model is coming along swimmingly - it'll be a fast finish. I'm hopeful to finish it in the next week. Cross your fingers in the meantime!

Here's some random entertainment, just to fill the space:

Your Psyche is Violet

You are spiritual, intuitive, and serene. People trust you to rescue them from bad situations, and you usually come through. While you are quite enlightened, you find that your path is very lonely. When you are too violet: you can't connect to ordinary life or ordinary people When you don't have enough violet: you lack wisdom and can't learn from the past

What Color Is Your Psyche?

And just for a giggle:

Your Autumn Test Results

You are a dynamic, vibrant person. You aren't afraid to pursue your passions. When you're happiest, you are outgoing and expressive . You love celebrations, and you enjoy showing off a little. You tend to be afraid of change. You are never ready for things to be different. You find love to be the most comforting thing in the world. You feel at peace when you're with your loved ones. Your ideal day is active and full. You like to keep busy with your favorite things, and you appreciate a routine. You are very impatient. You spend more time waiting for something than actually enjoying it.

The Autumn Test

Enough silliness for today! Off to stitch.

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Pardon the dust....

...just that time of year to renovate the template....

Will be back with something far more interesting soon.....

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Life, Interrupted

Somehow that just about describes how I'm feeling right now.... Ever since the boys headed back to school I feel like I've been running non-stop. My friend and I started asking/collecting prizes for the school's chocolate fundraiser the day after school started. We're very lucky that the retailers in our city are so generous. We haven't counted up the tally yet, but I'm sure we're closing in on 50 or 60 different small prizes for our students. We try to do a daily draw once the kids start selling chocolate in order to get them to bring the money back sooner. We're hoping to end up with around 200 prizes (there are about 650 students in the school, from JK to Grade 5) so that the kids have a pretty good chance of winning something. Last year we were able to get donations of 205 prizes. This year we've started earlier, hit more retailers and are getting a lot more interest. It's a lot of work, but it's fun work and heck, who doesn't like spending someone else's money??? (most retailers are giving us a small gift card that we use in the store to purchase prizes).

Then just to throw a wrench into the works, I had quite a surprise the first week back to school. I had applied to be a Presenter with a group called Scientists in School quite a long time ago. At the time that I applied, I got a politely worded 'we're not hiring now' letter and figured that was the end of it. Last week they called for an interview and I got the job! It's perfect for me right now as it's only part-time with such flexible hours it's amazing. I get to go into schools and present a wide range of science-based topics that are tightly tied to the school curriculum. It's perfect for me and going to be a ton of fun! We're still working out just who my team leader will be and what workshop I'll be learning to present first and I have to get another criminal record check done too, but it's all in motion! I'm excited and can't wait to get started. It'll be perfect to show my inner geek (whoops, is that my Math degree showing????). :-)

So, when I haven't been at an interview or running around town spending other folks' money, I've been working on the two models I've got on the go right now. I had expected to be completely done one of them by now, but some small problems have slowed me down. I should finish this weekend, especially since the weather is supposed to be crappy! Then I get to do the fun model (although truth be told, they're both fun!). :-)

However, I *do* have something stitchy to show. I was very fortunate to win a blog drawing over at inside number twenty back in August. The postman finally agreed that I could have it last week, and I'm finally getting around to showing the kindness I've been given:


I actually won the Lizzie*Kate Snippet "Praise Your Children", but when I opened the envelope, the JBW design "The Singing Bird" also dropped out. Aren't I just the luckiest thing? Thank you so much Monique! I can't wait until I have time to stitch them both.

We're off to spend a little time at our local fall fair today - hopefully the rain will hold off until at least we've managed a bumper car ride!

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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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I'm still here!

Since my last post it's been a busy 3 and a half weeks. We first went up to my parent's cottage to spend a week working on a variety of DIY projects. We painted the living area and the upper cupboards in the kitchen. It took the better part of the week to accomplish (we had to prep, sand, prime and paint everything), but I'm glad we did it. My parent's summer home now looks much more attractive and up-to-date. Since we left my parents have had a new kitchen installed (lower cabinets) and a new floor put down. We return to the cottage later this week and I'm looking forward to seeing all the changes.

It wasn't all work and no play though - we did spend time on the nearby beach and paddling around in the kayak. The boys had some fun with sparklers and I played with the camera and got these neat shots of the kids:


After the cottage we had a quick 3-day stop at home to do laundry and prepare and pack up for a camping trip. In the middle of that we had DH's annual family golf tournament - it's comprised of DH's father and his 5 brothers and all of their respective families. Not everyone manages to attend each year, but we do get most of the crew out - I think we had at least 35 or 40 people here this year. DS#1 decided to play regular golf this year (most kids just play a round of mini-golf) and won the award for Most Honest Golfer:


There is a trophy for the mini-golf winners too, but neither DS#2 nor I qualified this year. We had fun playing mini-golf anyway.

We left for camping two days after the golf tournament and had a relaxing time of it. We mostly stayed at the campground and had fun playing ping pong, tennis, basketball, horseshoes, shuffleboard and bingo. We sunned ourselves liberally on the beach and just generally enjoyed hanging out together. On the way home from camping we stopped at a museum that was having an Egyptian themed Lego exhibit. There were all kinds of different Egyptian images made out of Lego - they were stunning:


I believe the Sphinx took almost 24,000 Lego bricks to build. There was an enormous re-created of King Tut's burial mask, another large copy of his sarcophagus and lots of scenes depicting Egyptian life and belief systems. The boys got a free Egyptian education along with looking at the cool Lego.

In between all the fun, I have done a little stitching. Here's an update on Poppy - I'm just working on her wings, then it'll be time for beads and backstitch:


I wish I had more hours in the day to spend with Poppy. She's just so darned pretty!

I've been working on an ornament too, but had to stop for a while - stitching over one in a moving vehicle isn't the brightest idea I've ever had..... But now that we're home for a few days maybe I can polish it off.....


No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - I've just got the ornie mounted in the Q-snap funny. It really is straight. Really. I mean it. :-)

Well, I think I'd better go battle the laundry demon and try to find the kitchen again - I think it got buried under camping stuff when we got home yesterday!

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Happy Canada Day!


Go read the Yarn Harlot's post about Canada - I could never say it as well:

Oh Canada

Off to see my yearly quota of fireworks...

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