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Not literally, although the plumbing is working again. LOL! Nope, this is me swearing because I just realizing that I DO NOT have enough Chimney Dust to finish My Lady's Quaker >:o( Argh! How can I have gone through 11 yards of thread???? HOW? When I look at the piece and compare the three colors used, it looks as if the Old Rose and Green Olives have been used more than the Chimney Dust. Is it just me or do you see that as well? Anyway, I have ordered two extras skeins so I will definitely have enough to finish the Gentleman Quaker and not have to worry. Sigh!
Sorry I have been absent but I meant to tell you that my parents have come down for a visit :o) They arrived on Wednesday, staying until Monday and I've been going out straight since they got here. Yesterday we went to the next town over and we did some shopping. I found THE cutest rustic snowman to place outside on our front porch but haven't bought it yet. I think I'll be going back to get him though ;o)
Today we went into Halifax and Dartmouth. I was only able to pick up one Christmas gift but at least that's one more off my list. DH and I bought Duncan another bed from Costco. These dog beds are only $23.99. They're huge, VERY cushy and nicely made. So now he's got one upstairs AND downstairs. Is he spoiled or what? Costco is not one of my favourite places to go because there are so many people but I do love going around to all the food sample stations. LOL!
Mom gave me some very sad and absolutely shocking news from home :o( Some of you in the US may have heard about it already. A friend of mine, Andrew Reid, from High School was shot dead in Texas after an altercation with police. All I know is what I can read through the newspapers so if you want to find out more about the story, you can check it out here. Please don't misunderstand anything I'm going to say because this was a VERY serious situation. I'm not making excuses for what Andrew did but I will state that this was not the guy I knew. Andrew was so laid back and easy going. I just can't get my head wrapped around how and why this happened. My heart goes out to his family. I know they are having a very difficult time understanding this themselves. Unfortunately there will probably remain many unanswered questions. 
I've had this little gem for awhile now but DH just put it up over the weekend -
I now have my own pumpkin sign :o) It's designed to be put outside but I don't want it ruined so we've mounted it right inside the door as you come in the house. DH asked if it was time to put my pumpkin light away. What? I-don't-think-so. This is a pumpkin house after all ;o)
What's great about this sign is that you can buy other shapes and therefore you can change them as the seasons or holidays change. I don't have a manufacturer's name but I found a site that carries some of the other shapes so you can check them out. While I was searching, I found this sign. I think it would make a perfect addition ;o)
Today I went to the doctor and got the H1N1 shot. I was really up in the air about it but after thinking back to last Christmas, there was no way I wanted to end up in the hospital again :o( So far the only side effects I've noticed have been a runny nose and sneezing. At least I think they are associated with the shot but maybe they're not. If that's as bad as it gets then I'll be happy.
I've really been motoring along with My Lady's Quaker and I 'think' I may have (just) enough Chimney Dust to get me to the end of this project -
I filled in two different motifs on either side of the bunny and I have stitched my initials in Old Rose instead of Chimney Dust. That way it's even more personalized :o)
I'm so excited because I'm getting closer to being done! Weeeeeeeee!!!!
How's that for a title? LOL! I want to thank everyone for their helpful hints but after two more Ex-Lax pills and a bucket of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), we had movement :o) Feeling more relieved although the problem has not gone away entirely. Don't worry, I don't believe there is anything seriously wrong other than stress and probably the fact that I'm getting up there in age ;o) I'm going to town today so I might look into a few of your suggestions.
For those of you who are new to my Blog, please don't feel that I am being crude; I'm just blessed with a twisted sense of humour ;o) I don't mind putting myself out there and feel free to laugh at these situations because that's what they are, humorous. I tend to go over the edge when I'm stressed out and poop is usually the best subject to bring comical relief. You may see yourself in these situations and feel that you would never talk about them in public. That's okay because you can live them through me! LOL! I have quite a history of embarrassing myself :oP
I'm still plugging away on My Lady's Quaker and here is my latest progress picture -
I'd say this is probably the best picture I've gotten as far as true colors are concerned. It's hard to capture this time of year. I love the richness of them although I am still loathing the threads themselves. Jenna asked where I got them and I bought mine through Anita's Little Stitches. She is wonderful to deal with and her prices are great. You can get an idea of colors through her website or through the Valdani website. Like I said before, the colors are incredible but the threads are horrible! I have found a bit of a solution though...it seems if you determine the correct grain of the thread, you tend to have less fraying and knotting. I know, technically, this should be done with all threads but the only time I've ever done it was for Hardanger. It makes sense though.
Notice something a little different -
On the original pattern, Nathalie had placed a Quaker motif and then she made an alternate chart to incorporate a cat. Since the Gentleman Quaker has a dog and we don't have a cat, I thought a little bunny wabbit would fit just nicely :o) I have to come up with a few small motifs to put on either side of him now. Once that's done, I'm off to the right hand side and then the alphabet on the bottom. Not much more to go!
Looking for some new stash? Check out Erynne's Blogoversary giveaway! Can you imagine $75 of free cross stitch stuff? What could be better :o)
P!
Give me an O!
O!
Give me an O!
O!
Give me a P!
P!
What does that spell? Poop! :o) So where is it? I don't know >:o(
That's right; I am c-o-n-s-t-i-p-a-t-e-d. Nice of me to share this with you huh?
Okay, it's been a week. It's driving me insane! A big belly full of poo and it won't come out. I've tried all of the things I can think of. I even went to McDonald's.... Shhhhh! Nope, no go, not even with all that rotten, greasy food in my stomach. Yesterday I finally broke down and told DH I was going to the grocery store to get some laxatives. Since we needed a few other things, I figured at least it wouldn't look so bad. Right? HA!
We arrive home and I start to unload the groceries, desperate to get to my Ex-Lax so I can get the balls of poop rolling. Bag one is empty. I empty bag two...no box of laxatives >:o( The ONE thing I went in town for and the gd cashier didn't even put it in the bag! I was NOT happy. So, at 4:50pm, with only ten minutes to spare, I quickly drive back in to retrieve my salvation.
The cashier is still at her station and I explain with a hushed voice that she forgot to put my Ex-Lax in the bag. "Oh, it's at the Customer Service Desk." No apology, no NOTHING! I get to the Customer Service Desk and guess what? There are THREE employees standing there talking and I have to ask for my box of laxatives. What fun! Sigh! Why me?
It says it takes 6 to 12 hours to take effect. Well, it's been well over 12 and nothing. Nada. Zilch. I guess that means dose number two. That will have to wait until I get back from town though...just in case. I don't want to be too far from home if you know what I mean ;o)
Believe it or not, I actually did that today :o) The fact that there are still roses in bloom on November 12 just blows my mind! But the weather has been so nice here this past week. I wonder if this is our Indian summer that usually takes place in October. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! I know there are others out there with snow right now and as far as I'm concerned, that awful stuff can just pass us by.
Today I went to the beach to work on a secret project. It was beautiful. The tide was coming in but the waves were lazy and just slowly rolled in. The air had a hint of ocean fragrance and the wind was light. There were only a few other people on the beach. I'm sure the man who walked by with his dog wondered if I was crazy or not. LOL!
I loved the feeling of isolation that I had while there and I found my creative mojo flame being lit again :o) I had my camera with me so I took lots of pictures. Unfortunately I'm going to have to go back because the light was not ideal for what I was doing. That's okay though because it's a work in progress!
The sale of my photography seems to have come to a standstill :o( It's the worst time of year and I keep trying to tell myself that. My aim is the tourists and there aren't many around. I did have a second order from the hotel but due to personal circumstances, the woman hasn't been there and therefore I have not been able to drop them off. At least I know someone has been able to sell my stuff :o)
While walking the beach today, I came across this message written in the sand -
A sign maybe?
The majority of you wanted to see green, so green has been added to My Lady's Quaker -
What do you think? I'm quite happy with it myself :o) This is Green Olives by Valdani threads -
She is just so lovely and I really am enjoying stitching her. I'm still worried that I won't have enough Chimney Dust but I'm trying to think positive. There are two sets of alphabets underneath her though :oS Maybe I should cross my toes too.
I'm SOOOOOO excited because I was one of the winner's of Jolene's last October giveaways :o) I really feel sorry for my post office because I'm going to be stalking them big time! DH thinks I'm nuts when it comes to mail anyway. But who doesn't like a bit of stash in the mail from time to time? Or what about a nice card or letter? It's so much better than bills :oP I'm not sure which prize I won but I'll be sure to share it with you when it arrives. Thanks again Jolene for a month of F-U-N!
And proud of it too ;o)
Well, to be honest, physically I have no ass. I have no idea why. I wouldn't mind gaining weight if some of it would venture to that area but noooooooo....it's got to settle in places that are less flattering ;o)
So what back am I talking about? My project backs :o) Today, as I was reading Daffycat's Blog entry, she reminded me about a subject that I had wanted to write about. Thanks Sharon!
In the beginning...when Pumpkin met 'the craft' it was pretty much self taught. I had found an old cross stitch kit among my mother's stuff and was curious as to what it was. You know the kits I'm talking about - a simple country pattern with threads, Aida and a plastic frame :o) I followed the instructions and the rest, shall we say, is history!
I was in my late teens when this all started. I was bitten by the stitching bug and I blossomed from there. For The Love of Cross Stitch was the first magazine I ever bought and to this day, I still believe it was the best. As most stitcher's are when they first start out, I was an Aida girl :o) Fourteen count and white to be exact. Not much imagination back then. LOL!
Because I was self taught and didn't know any other stitchers, the backs of my projects suffered the most. This is a winter wreath that I stitched back in the early 90's -
I know this is a bird's nest but it looks more like a rat's nest to me -
ROFL! Tsk, tsk, tsk! I hang my head in shame ;o)
But...slowly as my stitching technique on the front got better, so did my backs. It wasn't until I took a course in Hardanger that I really 'understood'. With Hardanger, you are taught that your back should be as good as your front. So much so, that you shouldn't be able to tell them apart. I'm proud to say that I mastered that and began applying that to my cross stitching.
Just to give you an idea of how far I've come, this is the back of a recent project -
I bet you can tell what one it is too ;o) Here is a close up -
Letters and stray stitches are the hardest for me but I've learned patience (yes Mom & Dad, it's hard to believe) and so I take my time. That's just me though; I would never criticize another stitcher. But...if you are just learning or want to improve your stitching, the best advice I can give is you've got to have patience. It might take you an extra day or week to finish a WIP but if you're learning or wanting to improve on your technique, it will be worth it in the end :o)
I've been holding out on you ;o) I was bad and started 'another' new project. Here's My Lady's Quaker by Jardin Prive -
Isn't she just lovely? I'm having so much fun stitching her! Since the majority of you preferred to see her stitched on 32 count Antique White linen, I went with that and to be honest, I'm glad that I did :o)
Although I just LOVE the colors that I picked out, I can't say that I'm as enamoured with the quality of the threads :o( The Atalie threads that I wanted were going to cost a small fortune so I went with Valdani. Yes, their colors are just gorgeous but working with their threads is a nightmare! They knot so easily and they fray. Boy, do they fray :o( I hope that I have enough grey to get me through to the end of this project. I was hoping that I would have enough to do the Quaker Gentleman too but that's not going to be the case. Grrrrr!
As of right now, I've used Old Rose and Chimney Dust. Here are my thoughts...I can continue to use just these two colors OR I can introduce a third color called Green Olives. My idea was to use Green Olives for the greenery in this piece. What do you think?
Did everyone download the new issue of The Gift of Stitching? I was really looking forward to it because it's their annual Christmas ornament issue but boy was I di-sa-ppoin-ted :o( How many snowflake ornaments can one stitch???? Is that as creative as some of those designers can get? There are a few that I just loved and I was thrilled to see Stitchy Kitty in there. Michelle and I have been exchanging emails over the past year and I told her to contact TGOS about getting an ornament put in there. She really wants to get into the JCS ornament issue and there is no reason why she should not be invited. I love Michelle's designs. They are fun, colourful and have bones to them!
I want to thank everyone for their kind words regarding my ten year anniversary :o) It really warms my heart when I read those comments. I have a few ideas in mind, for myself and for others so I'll keep you posted.
I didn't know if I was going to write about this or not but after thinking long and hard about it, I have decided to. Why? Because 1) this post has been writing itself in my head all day and 2) I want to share my good news with friends and family :o)
Remember when I said I was trying to crawl out of a funk? Well, part of it was due to my annual mammogram that I had on October 22. As desperately as I tried not to think, worry or dwell on the appointment, it still had its usual impact on me. So much so that I thought I was going to pass out as I was driving to the hospital.
DH arrived minutes after I did, even though I told him I would be okay. He knows me better than I know myself and I was so grateful that he was there to comfort me. I was quite surprised when this mammogram went smoother than most and she didn't even have to call me back in. She warned me that it might take longer than usual to get the results and so I was prepared to wait until the end of November.
Yesterday morning, DH went to work and I was working at the computer when the phone rang. It was my doctor's office calling. She wanted to let me know that my mammogram came back fine :o) Wait a minute...wasn't yesterday Sunday? Yup. She took me by such surprise that I didn't even have time to let fear enter the picture. She was short and sweet and I hung up the phone with a smile on my face :o)
So...even though, technically, my anniversary date isn't until February 4, 2010, I just had my tenth mammogram and therefore that means that I have been cancer free for nine years, eight months and twenty-nine days! At first I was really happy and then the mixed emotions started. How can I be happy when so many other women are going through what I went through and even worse? Is it right that I am happy to have made it ten years?
The doctors always said that if I made it to five years, I would be okay; that my chances of a reoccurrence would be the same as anyone else. At the time (not knowing all the facts of my situation), that wasn't good enough for me. I wanted at least ten. I prayed for ten more years and if I was lucky enough to get that far, then I believed I would be fine. But it seems that my little mind doesn't think in easy or straightforward terms.
Yes, I have been one of the lucky ones and made it ten years without a reoccurrence. But...does that mean that next year when I have my eleventh mammogram, something will go wrong? All these years I was focussing on the tenth mammogram when in reality, maybe I should really be worried about the eleventh. DH's reaction? I've over thought the situation. And he's probably right.
I've been raking my brain trying to decide what to do for my tenth anniversary. DH says it's an important one and I agree. I commemorated my fifth anniversary with a pink ribbon tattoo above my ankle. For my eighth anniversary I held a Pink Party (which was a blast btw) but this warrants something bigger and better. Do I do something for myself or do I try to come up with something to help others? Again, I was one of the lucky ones. I had two Guardian Angels on my shoulders and if it weren't for my Gram and DH, who knows if I would still be here today. I owe them everything.
What do you think I should do? Am I premature in celebrating? Is it right that I want to be happy to have gotten through one of the worst things in my life? Put yourself in my shoes and share with me what you would do. Go as far out there as you want because I'm open to ideas :o)
Yes, this is still a stitching Blog! I know there is a bunch of garble between my stitching posts but hey, I like writing garble :o)
I'm taking a small break from Birds & Berries. I quickly stitched up this little cutie the other day -
This is Purple Penguin by Casey Buonaugurio. He's in the 2009 JCS Christmas Ornament issue. I didn't have the black Petite Mill Hill beads for the eyes so I just made French Knots with DMC 310. I'm really comfortable with that ability now but just don't ask me to do too many ;o)
I'm not a huge purple fan but I've always loved how Casey puts her colors together. I might try stitching him in another color combination later on and see how I do. I was a bit disappointed in the fabric cut though because it's 'huge' for this tiny piece. Apparently I wasn't thinking straight because I could have gotten four out of the one piece of fabric :o( Oh well...lesson learned!
