The Arm Pit Of Canada

Where's that you ask? Here. Right here. I've always joked that we lived in the arm pit of the country but after this week, I KNOW we do!

Now don't get me wrong, this city has a low crime rate, it's easy to get around and it's the most beautiful city in the province. But as far as variety goes, it...SUCKS! You go out to buy clothes; every store has the same thing. If there's something specific you're looking for, you're never going to find it. Want something different or unique? If you're lucky, you 'might' find it but that's after spending approximately five hours of shopping from one end of the city to the other.

DH and I decided to install a closet organizer in the extra bedroom to...well, organize it ;o) Everything had been so difficult to get to. My books were beneath heavy boxes or high up on the shelf. Our box full of wrapping paper, bows and tags had been buried under anything that was thrown into the closet. Not the easiest thing to get to. Items I had picked up for finishing projects were all over the place!

So my idea was to find some magazine holders, boxes or baskets to make the space on the new shelves more efficient. Sounds easy doesn't it? HA! Over the past week, DH and I, together or separately, have been to FIVE of the bigger stores in the city. You would 'think' that after seeing all these great products by Debbie Travis or House & Home that it would be a piece of cake to pick up these items. I'd rather gouge out my eyes!

Why does something so easy end up being so difficult? It's because of where we live. This city dislikes change. Why have five McDonald's, only two kinds of grocery stores, more dollar stores than you can shake a stick at and so many Tim Horton's that it's like they multiply overnight? It's because they're the same and they're safe. The city threw a hissy fit when Winners wanted to open a store here and we're almost one of the last major cities to 'finally' get a Home Depot, Michael's, and Eastside Mario's.

The new stores are still under construction and whether they will last or not remains to be seen. It's about time that this city grew up and grew some balls though! Unfortunately that does not fix my current situation but at least it gave me a chance to rant ;o)

Uh-Oh!

Pumpkin Patch & Co

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She's Back!

Finally! I think Stargazer was beginning to think I had forgotten about her :o( I lost at least a whole week of stitching and as much as I love this relaxing pastime, I had a really hard time getting back into it. Every night I was just SO tired that all I wanted to do was just lay on the couch and act like a dead log. What does a dead log act like you ask? Well...dead I guess. LOL!

So here is my progress as of today -

I love her. I just love, love, love her. I'm going to switch colors a bit and work on the ribbons at the back of her dress next. I am debating what to do with the beading though. Do I bead her dress as I go or wait until the end? Part of me wants to bead it now but all the beading will have to be done in the daylight hours because I'll be using the Wonder Invisible Thread and that stuff is hard to see! Part of me is afraid I might end up hating her because of that :oS Oh the dilemma!

I'm not sure if you remember but I had a root canal back in December because my tooth had abscessed. Well guess what? That same tooth has abscessed again :o( I went back to the dentist and she took x-rays. Nothing there. Her answer? She has no idea what's going on and that it's probably just me. And she's probably right. If anything weird is going to happen health wise, I'm your gal ;o) The first antibiotics were a nightmare and probably part of the reason I didn't feel like stitching. Now I'm back on the original antibiotics I had before but I'm still sceptical whether it will completely get rid of the abscess or not.

I had my doctor's appointment on Monday and I voiced my concern about my MVP (mitral valve prolapse) and my weight. My heart has been doing the funky chicken again so he's going to order another Echo and Cardiogram. Oh, the fun! As for my weight, even though I lost ten pounds since my last visit on December 5, he didn't seem too concerned about it. I, on the other hand, am wondering what is going on. I'm not sure I can afford to keep buying new clothes. As it is, I have four different sizes in my closet. Years ago I would have done a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g to lose that much weight but now it's wreaking havoc with my wardrobe! LOL!

I want to thank 'everyone' that has left comments on my Blog because some days, your comments are even funnier than what I've written! LOL! You may think I keep you in stitches but sometimes, it's the other way around :o) I truly appreciate it. You guys are the best!

That's it for today but I will leave you with this parting shot -

I Wonder...

...if rabbits can get car sick.

...why glue doesn't stick to the bottle.

...if a fart has ever ripped out the back of someone's pants.

...if dogs dream happy dreams.

...why no piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven times.

...why Brie's front end smells worse than her back end.

...if you fart into a glass jar, close it up and store it for five years, will you still be able to smell it when the jar is opened again ;o)

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Did you know that only 2% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful and that only 13% are very satisfied with the weight and shape of their bodies? Those are very alarming statistics! But whoever determined what beautiful is? If you expand on that, whoever determined what perfection is?

I will be the first to admit that I was never satisfied with my body. In elementary school, I developed so early that I tried to hide the fact that my breasts were growing. Then in junior high, I thought I had huge feet and large thighs. By the time I reached high school, I was anorexic, weighing no more than 110 pounds and wearing a size two. Being thin brought with it popularity though.

After I was diagnosed with Fibro in late 1996, I put on a few pounds. That was 'okay'. Plus, I was married by then ;o) But it was after my breast cancer in 2000 that the weight really piled on. That became my worst time. I literally 'hated' my body and what I looked like. Do you know what's ironic? I spent most of my years of puberty trying the hide the fact that I had breasts and then seventeen years later; I had one taken away from me.

This hatred continued for seven years. It seemed like every time I turned around my clothes went up in size. I would look into the mirror and see this familiar stranger looking back at me. Women would joke about themselves being similar to the Pillsbury Doughboy but with all my rolls of fat, I was more like the Michelin Man. LOL!

Seven years of living like this did nothing for my self esteem or confidence. I hid my body more and more. Watching these beautiful, thin actresses on television or on the front of magazines was like a stab in the heart. In the words of Stephanie Plum "I was looking out at the ducks, thinking there were times in history when fat rolls were considered sexy, and wasn't it too bad I didn't live during one of those times."

But over the past five months, that extra weight has been coming off (I believe due to a change in my medications) and now I see 'myself' in that mirror again. Now don't get me wrong, my body is not flawless! I still have some rolls, parts of me still jiggle and I still have one boob ;o) What I'm learning though is to accept the body that was given to me. I'm learning to embrace the fact that I am beautiful, in my own way. I can challenge anyone who wants to dispute this because as I stated above, who determined what beautiful is.

It's a shame to see the road that our society has taken. We've become "The bigger, the better" world as far as food and objects go but when it comes to bodies, slim and taunt is being forced upon us. How are we to fight this? We see it every day on television, magazines and flyers. Just watch a few hours of television at night and count the number of commercials that are trying to force products on us that will make us slim, prettier and more beautiful to the world.

My challenge to you is to find something about yourself that you love and work from there. We could list pages of what we don't like about our bodies but listing what we love is much harder. Learn to love what you have because you are beautiful no matter what the advertising world is trying to tell you. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder and YOU are the beholder ;o)

Let The Games Begin!

It's that time of year again :o) You're probably wondering what I'm talking about since there are no holidays in sight. LOL! In case you didn't know, it's the release of the Cadbury Easter Cream Eggs!!!! WOOHOO!

For those of you who are new to my Blog, it's simple, I absolutely LOVE them! I could eat them morning, noon AND night ;o) Last year I wrote the post on How To Properly Eat A Cadbury Easter Cream Egg. If you are a fan of these treats, it's well worth the read.

What I didn't count on was the attraction of other connoisseurs, namely Karen. LOL! Suddenly I realized that we were engrossed in a competition of who could eat the most eggs before they were gone. This was a friendly competition. Actually, it wasn't really a competition but we had fun anyway :o)

Today I finally tracked down the little pleasures of delight so keep watching my side bar to see my progress over the next few months. It seems that this year, Karen and I have sucked in another Easter Cream Egg lover, Lori-Ann. This just adds interest so if there is anyone else out there that loves these sinful pleasures, let us know :o)

So what could be better than a Cadbury Easter Cream Egg? A ginormous Cadbury Easter Cream Egg!

Can you imagine if this was real! I'd have to eat it from the inside out! ROFL!

And by the way, I hold the record of 40 from last year. But as I said before, this is not really a competition ;o)

What Is THAT?

Oh where, oh where,
did you come from,
little grey hair

Top of my head
should be your home,
not there, instead

Little grey hair
inside my nose,
I see you there.

So there I was, looking in the mirror and I see this long grey hair sticking out from inside my nose! I must have missed that topic in Health Class because no one told me that nose hairs could turn grey.

At first I'm curious about my new visitor and wonder how it got that long before I even noticed it. Who looks inside their nose every day? Then I become a little grossed out and want to eliminate it from its new home.

Does everyone know what happens when you pull out nose hairs???? ACHOO! After sneezing a dozen times, I come to find out that I pulled the wrong hair! If hairs had personality, I know it was laughing at me ;o) A few more attempts and sneeze attacks later and I've extracted the little bugger!

I turn it over between the tweezers and I can't believe how long and thick it is. My goodness! It's the thickness of a horse hair! I thought you found hairs like that on your head, not in your nose. Luckily, after a quick inspection, I breathe a sigh of relief as my head is grey hair free :o)

Could it be that all this stress is turning my nose hairs grey? If my head hairs are spared, then ACHOO I say! ;o)

She Rises Again!

For three days, she lay untouched so it was a joy to pick up Stargazer again :o) This is my progress to date -

I wish I was further along but I'm glad I didn't touch her when I wasn't in the mood to. That's when I find that I'm apt to make mistakes and the love affair quickly ends. To answer Faith Ann's question about the fabric, there are 'very' slight differences in shade. If you know what Bluebell looks like, I consider that a harsh variation but with Blue Clouds, it's very soft and delicate. That's the look I wanted for her though because she looks so serene and at peace.

Unfortunately I cannot say the same for myself :o( Last week was not a good one and I really appreciate all the suggestions that you gave me for keeping myself busy when DH is not around :o) Usually, I don't have a problem. I've been by myself many times before and I tend to get more things done when DH is gone. LOL! I still don't feel 100% myself but its coming. I think it may be time for some laughter therapy ;o)

I am proud to say that my weight loss has brought me down even further. I went out with my parents on Thursday to exchange the pair of pants they got me for Christmas and I wound up with a size 8 :o) WOOHOO! Please don't take this the wrong way. I don't mean to brag but after ten years of looking in a mirror at someone that 'looks' like me, it feels so great to see my original self again! I'm happy with this size but it seems that the weight is still coming off. My doctor has been keeping track so we'll see what he says in another week and a half. All I can say is, this better be the end of it because I can't afford to buy another size of clothing! LOL!

Finish Fifty-Three And The Final Finish From 2007!

Voila! Here's the f-i-n-a-l-e -

Isn't he just the cutest! This is Chilly's Gift by Stitchy Kitty. The pattern was part of a freebie package from The Busy Needle. It's part of an annual program to raise money for diabetes. When you make a donation, you get a package containing freebies from different designers plus a handmade stitched ornament :o) He's still not finished finished yet but I imagine he'll turn into an ornament.

I'm not a happy camper. I've lost about three days on Stargazer :o( I hope to get back to her today. I'm working on her upper body now but there's not enough difference to post a picture yet.

DH got home last night! Thank goodness! It's a good thing because I think I lost a bit more weight ;o) It's sad, I know. LOL! But he's such a good cook and I just can't be bothered. I'm going to have to come up with something though because he'll be on the road quite frequently with his new job. This ended up being a very bad week for me to begin with but yesterday I got out of the house and I finally started to feel better. It's amazing what a few nights of sound sleeping will do as well ;o) I'm so anxious when DH is gone that I can't seem to relax. What do you do to keep busy when your SO is gone? Do you have any great ideas for me?

Finish Fifty-Two From 2007

The last ornament has landed so now I can post pictures! The final pair of mittens went to my Ta-Ta Twin, Katie. I wonder if she had figured things out long before they arrived ;o) Anyway, Katie's favourite color is red -

I had quite a time with these because, as I have come to realize, DMC does not have a great selection of reds :o( I was even more limited due to the red color of my ribbon. In the end I had to do a switch-a-roo but I still think they came out looking pretty cute :o)

Last night I finally came to the realization that I cannot take care of myself by myself. If I were single, I'd be in a real bind! Most likely starving to death. LOL! I don't cook. DH does all the cooking and he's a great cook too :o) On the way home last night I stopped by the grocery store and picked up a frozen meal that I thought looked pretty good. When I got home I realized that it was microwavable only. Drat! So I nuke it for the specified time. Nope, had to nuke it again. And again. Needless to say, it was not as good as I 'thought' it would be :o( Hence, supper consisted of toast with peanut butter and jam and a piece of Faith Ann's birthday cake :o)

Brie was excited last night because she got to sleep with mommy :o) How, HOW, does a ten pound loaf of bread take up 3/4 of a queen sized bed???? The extra warmth was nice considering she's just like a toaster oven but talk about restless. And I thought DH was bad! I think it was around 3 am when I finally took her out to her own bed so I could 'try' and get a decent sleep. And drool! Well, I know where she got that from... ;o)

Croak...Croaked

Guess who came to visit me on the weekend... Yes, that's right - The Frog! And we all know how we feel about the little bugger don't we ;o) Well, at this house I'm 'very' serious about my stitching and there are serious consequences for interrupting it. So beware! If you are a frog, this is what can happen to you -

ROFL! Can you believe that Shannon actually sent him into my house? Sabotage maybe? ;o) In truth, I really think it was my own fault for being such a tease. I would have had a picture of Stargazer for you yesterday but as you can see, that didn't happen because of a certain green amphibian. Would you believe that I had to frog ALL the stitching that I had done on her ribbon? Sniff.

Anyway, without further ado, I present the first sneak peak of my Stargazer -

I'm stitching her on 28 count Blue Clouds by Heaven Lee Creations. You may wait a bit of time for their fabric but it is SO worth it. It's been 'heaven' to work with :o)

I just can't express how much I love this project and I'm really taking my time with it. I want to put that love into every stitch. I'm not a fast stitcher or at least I don't think I am. I just might have more time than others ;o) The serenity that I see in her face is that same feeling that I want for myself but cannot seem to find. Maybe she is to become part of my journey...

Finish Fifty-One From 2007

Ornament number two arrived at its destination so now I can share those pictures with you :o) Since one of Faith Ann's favourite colors is burgundy, she got a pair of burgundy and white mittens -

I saw THE-COLEST-THING today! As I was driving home, I drove by this place that has some big fields and of course, they are full of snow. When I looked over, I expected to see their horses out there but what I saw were three deer W-A-D-I-N-G through the snow in the middle of the field. Yes, I did say WADING! The snow was so deep it came up to the middle of their chests so that you could just see the top line of their backs. The one in front was doing all the work of course because the other two (the smarter ones in my book) where following the path in behind ;o)

You know...it would figure...I didn't have my camera with me :o( That would have been 'the' perfect picture. Would someone please send me a digital camera that I can stash away in my purse!!!! This is about the third or fourth great photo I could have captured if I only had a darn camera with me. Grrrrr!

Stargazer has most of her hair now and I'm working on the ribbon. Again, you'll have to wait for a picture. Maybe over the weekend I'll post one ;o)

She's A Picasso!

When we arrived home from the ocean, I literally had a bag of mail waiting for me :o) I LOVE mail! Just ask DH. He thinks I'm nuts :oP Is it not normal to pace in front of the window with your eyes glued to the mailbox????

Anyway, one of the items in there was from a 'very' talented friend, Nancy -

I've been looking at all of her creations for the past few months and now I actually have one of them :o) Nancy is an artist. She's got great attention to detail and the projects she puts together are just gorgeous. Brie's mini photo album is proudly displayed on top of the television where I can see it every day. Thank you so much Nancy, I love it :o)

I'm going to tease you a bit more ;o) I am having SO much fun stitching Stargazer. She's so pretty. I'm working on her hair now. So until I post a progress picture, everything will remain top secret ;o)

She's ALIVE!

Yup, Stargazer has been officially started! She's been kitted up for about a year now and I think she's happy to finally make an appearance ;o) I was busy today doing some things around the house when I thought that I should iron the fabric and that way it would be all ready to go. Well...once it was ironed, I thought I should do my counting and have it all ready for my needle. Well...then I had to put it into my Q-Snaps. Well...you guessed it...I started stitching! LOL! I sat for about an hour, pushing my shower aside (and believe me, this was a big deal) and now she has a face that is starting to take shape. Sigh. That's a happy sigh :o) I think I'm really going to enjoy stitching her.

I still have three finishes from 2007 that I have to post but I'm still waiting for things to be received. You're going to LOVE the finale ;o)

Today I didn't have an option of leaving the house because we were...SNOWED IN! Overnight we got about 14-16 inches. Now this was 'on top of' the other snow we already had. We've had FOUR storms in a week. I'm going to say it, I'm sick of winter! LOL! Remember my BBQ from December 4? This is the then and now -

And somewhere under that pile of snow, there's a car -

DH has been so busy snow blowing. The snowbanks are so high now. The last time we had this much snow was back about 4-5 years ago. We had horses back then and they probably could have walked over the fence if they had wanted to -

That year, DH had to snow blow the paddock because there wasn't any room for the horses to move around. Now, anyone that is familiar with horses knows that they can spook quite easily. Because of this, we figured they would stay away from the snow blower. Well, DH let the snow settle after blowing and low and behold, there was our mare Princess with her nose just feet away from the blower. She was a nosy nut ;o)

We still have to cater to critters but at least we don't need a huge area for Brie. LOL! The thing we really have to worry about is her freezing up. If it's really cold and she takes too long to do her 'business', she literally becomes a statue. That's when we have to run out and collect her :o) Yes, we have tried booties but that's a whole other story...

New Year, New Resolutions

What a beautiful day to start off 2008! We might as well enjoy it now because they're calling for more...snow :o( That's right! Another storm. Argh! Seriously, how much more do we need????

We have packed up and it's back to the real world. DH had to leave two hours ahead of me so that he could clean out our driveway before I got home. I don't think Pickles would have been too happy to stay out in the cold car for an hour or so ;o)

You may have noticed some changes on my Blog :o) There are going to be quite a few this year. Since my stitching numbers were a success in 2007, I have decided to slow down for 2008 and make it my 'year of leisure'. LOL! The large project bug has bitten and my goal for this year is to finish one for the fair in September. I'm giving you plenty of warning Katie ;o)

So what's my first start for 2008? Stargazer! Yay! I am finally bringing her to life :o) I've added a ticker to the top of my Blog so I can see how long it's going to take me to stitch her. I can't see it being too long although all that beading will slow me down.

I have also amended my list of stitching goals. Instead of listing the 'actual' projects that I want to stitch, I'm breaking things down into four categories - large, medium, small and ornament size. This is what I would like to accomplish for 2008 -

• one large project (this would include L&L, Mirabilia, Lanarte, etc.)
• three medium projects (this would include Sam Sarah Designs, Imaginating, some LHN, etc.)
• four small projects (this would include Bent Creek, HIH, Dragon Dreams, etc.)
• five ornament size projects (this would include anything from the JCS Ornament Issues, LK, San Man Originals, etc.)

You can see my 2007 finishes and my 2008 goals in The Graveyard :o)

As far as non-stitchy stuff goes, I am going to continue on my better 'lifestyle' although I will have to rein things in now that the holidays are over with. I've also gotten a hold of the book You On A Diet by Dr. Oz so I plan on reading that through and getting some new ideas.

I'm going to keep a list of all the new (to me) movies and books that I watch and read throughout the year. I'll be keeping track of them on the right hand side of my Blog so you can check that out from time to time if that interests you :o)

Finally, I want to continue with my writing. Blogging has allowed me to open myself up in a whole new way and I love it. I also love it that I have met so many wonderful and kind people this way. I want those friendships to continue and possibly even evolve :o)

I want to thank everyone who does come and visit my Blog, as wacky as it is sometimes. LOL! This year may have been crappy on most levels but the ones that matter the most (family and friends) made up for all of that :o) Thank you.