I'm Going To Have S.E.X.!!!!

WOOHOO!!!! I can't wait :o)

I couldn't believe it when I went to read Erynne's Blog and found out that I was the winner of her contest! Thank you so much Erynne and way to go Mika, you deserve lots of doggy hugs and kisses for picking my name ;o) I now have a $50 gift certificate for Anita's Little Stitches. Anita is so wonderful to deal with and I bought one of her very first patterns, although I'm ashamed to say that I have not stitched it yet. Once SS is completed, I'll be free of any obligations. And speaking of SS, I only have the backstitching left to do! It may just get done on time :o)

While we're on the topic...I'm down to four days and then I get to see DH again... You know, the last time I was on a plane was 20 years ago? I'm a little nervous. Hopefully it all goes smoothly and they don't lose my luggage. I'm not going to carry on because I can't be bothered with all the new security issues. Did I mention that my flight leaves at 5:30...AM???? That means I have to be at the airport for 4:30am. Oye!

Yesterday, I drove to Moncton and while I was there, I stopped by the LNS and purchased a few GASTs, a skein of Threadworx and Pumpkin Patch by The Prairie Schooler. I might as well take advantage of it now because once we move, it won't be so semi-local anymore :o( Anyway, I also stopped by the Hallmark store to pick up a card. While I was there, I spotted this little guy and couldn't resist purchasing him as well. On my way home, I stopped in to see my Gram and handed my little friend over to her :o) When you lift the butterfly off his nose and replace it, he sings a song and his little tails starts wagging. LOL! She loved it and was going to show it off today.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not but my Gram was moved to a special care home back in January :o( It just got to a point where she couldn't care for herself anymore but it was hard convincing her of this. I can certainly understand why she didn't want to move but I'm glad that she has settled into her new place. It's NICE too! I would move in there if I could ;o) Here's a picture of us the day we moved her in and please note, I was REALLY tired out when this picture was taken -

One last thing before I sign off. Because I have been so blessed lately (thanks to my Secret Santa, Erynne and Anita), I want to pass some of that on to someone else as my way of thanking them :o) I have the pattern "I" is for Ice Skater by The Victoria Sampler (brand new), along with the complete accessory pack, that is looking for a new home. If you would like to adopt this pair, please leave a comment 'on this post only'. Please make sure I have a way to contact you by email if you should be the winner! On Tuesday morning, I will draw a name and post the lucky winner's name later that day. This is open to anyone, anywhere. I will allow new readers to enter and hope that maybe you'll continue to follow my Blog :o) Good luck everyone!

In PB Mourning

Please say it isn't so! PLEASE! PLEASE!

I went to get my hair done last night and this is one of the best salons in town. They make your visit worth the extra money by providing a nice calm atmosphere, including hand massages :o) So I'm sitting in the chair, all nice and relaxed when my hairdresser informs me that the word on the street is that Prison Break is being cancelled! Huh? AND...this will be their last season! WHAT?

When I got home, I did a little digging on the internet and only confirmed what my hairdresser said :o( WHERE the hell was I when this was announced back in January???? In the post, the author states "We all saw this coming..." Well I sure didn't! Or maybe I did and just didn't want to admit it. Sniff!

WHO is the idiot that decided this???? Where am I going to get my PB fix after this???? They fill television with all this reality crap and they're going to take away the one show that has kept my interest enough to want to buy the DVD sets. Where did things go wrong?

Waaaaaaaaaah :o(

So, I'm off to do a bit of mourning. I'm a little verklempt...

A Little Piece Of Paradise

We're into the countdown zone now! In approximately three and a half weeks, DH and I will be packing up the car and moving to Nova Scotia :o) No more living on my own and no more bachelorette pad. Woohoo!

Recently, I've been looking for a place for us to live. I tried working with a realtor but as usual, she didn't listen to a word of what I said. Within a period of two months, I was shown pictures of ONE apartment and it was a DIVE. So, I took it upon myself to do the leg work and I have to say, that I'm quite proud of 'my' results! What do you think of my little piece of paradise -

This will be the view that we get to wake up to every day :o) Pretty sweet huh?

For privacy purposes, I'm not going to post pictures of the actual house. We'll be renting it until June and then hopefully, we'll have found a house to buy. I've got a list of ones that I want to look at but we'll start working on that when we get down there.

I don't know if anyone has noticed my countdown ticker above, but I'm down to 10 days before I fly out to attend DH's graduation in Regina, Saskatchewan. A HUGE thanks goes out to my parents for buying me the plane ticket :o) I'll be staying for two nights and then DH and I get to fly back home together. I'm SO excited and I can't wait to see DH all dressed up in his uniform. Growl!

I want to thank everyone so much for their comments of concern. My arm is getting better, with my elbow sporting a lovely shade of purple and army green. LOL! I don't think anything is broken but I'll still go for my x-ray on Tuesday morning. I'd say I'm okay since I've been able to put in some stitches on SS this weekend :o) There may be some hope after all! You'll all just have to wait and see...

Lessons Learned...The Hard Way

Ack! I've been away from my Blog for a whole week now :o( I figured I had better get on here and update everyone as to what is going on before someone sends out a search party. LOL!

Within a two day span, I have been to the hospital three times. On Monday, I got a call from my ENT's office and they wanted me up at the DECH right away for some hearing tests. Thankfully the results were pretty much the same as before so that ruled out any possibility of an aneurysm or tumour. I think we have finally narrowed the ringing down to stress. Yes, that awful "S" word >:o( For years I have been grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw. I've broken 2-3 molars and my jaw cracks whenever I move it to the side. I've had a bite plate for a few years now but they suggested it may be time for a new one and I agree. I think it was poorly constructed to begin with.

On my way home, I stopped by the drug store and picked up some Niacin (Vitamin B3). I had spent some time researching my ear ringing on the internet and I found that Niacin was said to help in some cases. I was so desperate that I was willing to try anything and hey, it was just a vitamin. What harm could come of that? Apparently I didn't do 'enough' research ;o)

When I got back to the hotel, I took my Niacin and then sat down to eat. Within five minutes, my face started to feel flush with a burning sensation. I got up and went to the mirror. No word of a lie, it looked like I had locked myself in a tanning bed for too long. I grabbed a face cloth and put cold water on it but it wasn't doing any good and it felt like it was spreading. Sure enough, it was going down my neck! By this point, I was starting to panic so I called my parents. While I was on the phone with them, I could actually see the redness spread down my chest!

I got in the car and drove to the hospital as fast as I could. I thought for sure it was an allergic reaction. Before I had left, I had put ice cubes in the face cloth to help cool me down but they were just melting like a snowman on a summer's day. When I got in the ER, the redness had spread all the way to my feet and my whole body felt hot and sunburnt. The nurse took me right in and got my history. She figured it was an allergic reaction to the Niacin too so she was going to give me some Benadryl.

Just before she did, she spoke with another nurse about my case. "Oh, that's just a normal reaction to Niacin." Huh? Normal? I looked like a human lobster! Apparently, Niacin dilates your blood vessels AND I had taken the 'maximum' dose (500mg) recommended. Oye! Well, if I had been smart, I would have talked to my pharmacist (I usually do!) and I would have been informed of this effect and therefore, I would have spared myself this embarrassment :oS

Oh, if only I could have seen into the future... When I got back to the hotel, the weather had cooled off considerably and there was ice along the edge of the walkway. I headed towards the laundry room to pick up my clothes in the dryer and made it a point to step over the thick ice. As soon as my foot hit the walkway, I realized it was coated in a very thin layer of solid ice and WHOOOSH! My feet went flying from underneath me and I landed squarely on my back :o(

As I got up, I put my hand to my left elbow because it was hurting from having hit the walkway. When I went to dig my keys out, I looked down and there was blood...every-where! It was all over my coat, dripping on the walkway and just gushing out of my elbow! Luckily I had that pure white face cloth with me ;o)

It wasn't pretty. I had about a 3/4 inch gash at the tip of my elbow and I was having trouble moving it :o( There was no way I was going back to the ER so I bandaged myself up and topped up on pain medication. The next morning, my arm was worse so I gave in and went back to the ER while Mom came in and babysat Brie :o) The real embarrassment? The same nurse was still there! Her first words to me were "You're back again." LOL!

They took x-rays but there was too much fluid around my elbow to tell if there was a fracture. It's not broken so that's a good thing. I'm supposed to keep it in a sling for a week and return on the 24th for another x-ray. The bad thing...this has put a HUGE kink into my stitching. At this rate, I doubt SS will be done in time :o( Argh! I might have to come up with some brilliant way to support my Q-Snap so I can get back to work.

So...what have I learned from all of this? 1) If I want to be a red crayon for Halloween, take 500mg of Niacin before going out. 2) The ER should have a bed just for me. 3) It is suggested that you should have a tetanus shot every ten years so lie your pants off if one is required ;o)

Stash, Books And A Mouse

Today was a good mail day :o) Even though it was miserable out, I ventured to the post office and I'm glad I did. First off, I got part of my order from Mary Kathryn. This is what I bought with my gift certificate from my Secret Santa -

Thank you again, whoever you may be. I wish I could thank you personally but so far you've been very sneaky about your identity ;o) There is also supposed to be some 40 count fabric (I know, I think I'm going nuts) and some threads coming as well.

I had a couple of cross stitch books arrive this week -

I've always wanted one of Isabelle Vautier's books and I was not disappointed. I can't wait until her new one comes out :o) Jane Greenoff's book is quite nice for the price. It's got an excellent Stitch Library at the end.

Recently, I had someone recommend to me some new authors so I put in an order with Amazon -

I'm really looking forward to reading these books and I'm having a hard time deciding which to start with. I have read a small portion from Crossing Open Ground already and this author's writing is just beautiful. Very inspiring.

I killed a mouse today. Yup, I grabbed it by the tail and flung it across the room! It even hit the wall with a loud THUNK :o)

Whoever designed a mouse with ball for scrolling should be shot! I was going all over the place and finally got fed up enough to go out and buy a new one -

I bet some of you thought I meant a 'real' mouse ;o) You know I wouldn't be that mean! It was funny when I was reading through the 'Important Safety Instructions' though. Here are some examples -

"Do not drop or hit your mouse."
"Do not disassemble or modify your mouse in any way."
"Do not insert metal objects, such as coins or paper clips into your mouse."

Now read those again but think of a real mouse. ROFL!

Okay, I've just had TOO much time on my hands...

Any Boogers Up There?

Today started with a trip to the ENT specialist (Ear, Nose & Throat). I have a constant, and 'loud', ringing in my ears and so my doctor referred me to one of the younger ENTs that just started. I was really impressed with Dr. H. Very professional but very sneaky as well...

It's a good thing I was already in the chair when he told me he was going to shove a camera up my nose ;o) AH! Have you ever had one nostril frozen before? I can tell you that it's a really weird feeling. Anyway, it went much better than my anxious self expected and he must have had a clear path because he didn't come across any booger blockages. LOL!

While I was out, I finally got over to my jeweller to have my rings resized. Since I lost all that weight, if I'd shake my hand, my rings would go flying! So guess what? I'm not only living in a bachelorette pad but I've got a bare left handed ring finger ;o) Does that mean that I'm back on the market again? LOL! But seriously, does it ever feel weird not to have my rings there :o( Luckily they will be ready by next week.

I've been steadily working on Seaside Sweethearts and the couple is fini -

Aren't they so cute together? :o)

Now I have the sand dunes, clouds and border left to do. I'm really hoping this can be done in time. It doesn't look like a lot of stitching left but there are a lot of color changes. It looks like I had better hunker down this week and get moving!

For Jake

They have no voice. They cannot talk for themselves. They rely on us to love and take care of them. They are not given choices. Most of the decisions are made for them. They can cry out but there has to be someone there to listen so that they can be heard.

I'm not sure how far this story reached but if you've been watching or reading the news lately, you might have come across it. Believe me; you'll remember if you have. I'll warn you now that there are some strong opinions in this post!

In Minto, New Brunswick, a 73-year-old man took a 'hammer' to six Pomeranian puppies back in April 2008 when the SPCA arrived to seize his dogs. Yes, that's right...a hammer. He killed five of those puppies but somehow, one survived. Although seriously injured, Jake has now found a loving new family.

On February 3, 2009, Judge Patricia Cumming (a woman no less) found this man NOT GUILTY and he was acquitted of all animal cruelty charges in connection to the deaths of the five Pomeranian puppies. NOT GUILTY! Her reasoning? She said "the evidence showed the dogs were rendered unconscious when they were hit with Barton's carpenter's hammer and therefore they did not suffer." I'm sorry but WTF???? WTF is this crap? So if I were to go up to someone and hit them on the back of the head with a hammer, which eventually kills them, can I be found not guilty as well? I know, I know, some people will argue that animals are not humans so therefore it can't be considered the same. That's bullshit!

I was listening to the radio yesterday when I heard the news report again. I'm not sure who said this but basically they stated that the animals were Mr. Barton's 'possessions' and he could 'dispose' of them any way he wished to. Again, I have to say, WTF? What is this world coming to? When were living creatures considered possessions and deemed so little respect? Humans are responsible for domesticating these animals but somehow, we don't want to be responsible 'for' them. We've interfered with their lives, moved in on 'their' territories but we do not value them. These animals breathe the same air as we do but we do not see them as living creatures. If they become a 'problem' or get in our way, we feel we have the right to relocate or 'dispose' of them.

Ronald, one of the puppies killed.

So who is going to stand up and speak for these animals? Yes, we do have groups and organizations across Canada for this but this just goes to show you how little effect they have had so far. We are supposed to be a 'human' race so where is the 'HUMANITY'? Why do the lives of animals have to mean so little? When is the justice system going to open its eyes and make better laws? They probably won't because it's easier just to stand there with their eyes shut. We need stricter animal cruelty laws in Canada and we've been saying that for years now. When is this going to change?

If I was ever ashamed to be a Canadian, this would be the time. What am I going to do about it? I have no idea. If someone can point me in the right direction please do so and I'll do what I can. But I know one person can't change the world and what's sadder yet, what if that world just doesn't want to change?

New WIP

I guess I've made you all wait long enough ;o) Here is Seaside Sweethearts by Lanarte -

This is about two weeks worth of stitching. I can't believe how fast it's going and I'm really pleased with the results :o)

The reason I have put off posting about this project is that I'm a little worried a 'certain' someone is going to see this. I'm hoping that is not the case because from what I can gather, they haven't had time to read my Blog lately. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it will remain a surprise :o) My goal is to have it completed by March 1.

This is the second time I have started this project. Yes, I've started it twice but I'll explain why! It seems that I never actually 'read' the instructions the first time around :oS I began stitching SS on 28 count Antique White Lugana, two over two and this was the result -

It wasn't until I talked to Karen that I realized it was to be stitched on 28 count, one over two. Soooo...being the anal person that I am, I went and bought another piece of Antique White Lugana and began again. But I'm much happier this time around and it's creating the effect that it should.

The most frustrating bit? Among all the stash that I have, I'm still missing the Kreinik gold blending filament that I need to stitch the border :oS It never fails! LOL!