Monday's Photographic Memories

DH has been working so hard these past few weeks so we haven't had as much time to travel around. Last weekend I did twist his arm and asked him to take me to Rissers Beach. I hadn't been there yet and wanted to explore before all the tourists arrived.

Rissers Beach


The Boardwalk


Paradise

Seeing Double?

I'm in love with my sewing machine
'Cause it hasn't let me down
And I fall in love with the thread that's seen
Whenever the bobbin is wound
Whenever the bobbin is wound
Whenever the bobbin is wound
(sung to Radio by Beyonce)

My sewing mojo is back and yes you are seeing double! Well, somewhat ;o) Back in February, I had stitched Dogs Leave Paw Prints by Lizzie Kate and made it into a pillow for our neighbour. Shortly afterwards, I stitched the same piece for myself with the same idea for finishing. Unfortunately that's when my sewing machine demon became apparent and it never got done >:o(

So here it is, finally finished -

I've got it sitting on the bed in the extra bedroom :o)

Now off to finish another sewing project that I had planned but for pictures of that, you'll have to wait until next time.

A Thursday Thought

Do you remember the scene in Die Hard With A Vengeance when John McClane and Zeus had to diffuse a bomb by solving a mathematical puzzle? If not, here's the situation...see if you can solve it :o)

At a fountain there is a five gallon jug and a three gallon jug. In order to diffuse the bomb, the weight of a jug with only four gallons of water must be placed on the scale. How will you go about this in under 30 seconds?

There are actually two solutions to this problem but remember, the final jug must only have four gallons of water in it! Can you come up with one or both solutions? :o)

Tenth Finish For 2010

As I stated, a bunny would be my next stitching project so here is A Bunny For Baby by JBW Designs -

The kit came with DMC but of course I couldn't just use regular old thread with this sweet design so I sifted through my stash and came up with Collard Greens Belle Soie by Crescent Colours :o) I just LOVE this color and it makes the stitches so shiny and rich looking.

By some miracle, either that or the demon that was lurking left; my sewing machine decided to cooperate and let me do some sewing! I had never done a flange pillow before so I was a bit anxious that I would screw things up :o( I took my time though and I even used two different coloured threads! This is the result of my labour -

The fabric I used for the back -

I even sewed my own insert pillow too :o)

There is one mistake in the instructions so beware or else your pillow won't come out to the right size. The biggest problem I had was the feckin bow! Argh! I tied and I tied and I tied until I couldn't tie anymore. Finally I went online and got a video tutorial. Who would have thought that a simple bow could cause so much mental anguish? ;o)

Surprisingly I do intend to stitch this pattern again but in pink! I've got the thread, backing material, buttons and ribbon. When that will happen, I don't know. I guess we'll see just how long my sewing machine stays demon free...

Monday's Photographic Memories

Last weekend DH and I went for another drive and went down the South Shore. Along the way, we came across this mill on the side of the road -

It proved to be an excellent photographic opportunity!

We eventually landed in Lockeport. No, this isn't the tropics ;o)

Crescent Beach


Fishing Boat


Carter Island Lighthouse


Dinosaur Remains

The Birds And The Bee

About a month ago, DH and I bought a suet birdfeeder especially for the woodpeckers that we have around our house. I've been so entertained by their calls and antics that I wanted to attract them to a certain spot in order to photograph them :o)

We placed the feeder on the dead tree at the back of the property just for now. It proved to be an ideal site, until the other morning when I found it on the ground :o( I'm thinking raccoons.

The salesman at the bird store suggested this type of suet feeder because there are only certain birds that can feed upside down. I never knew this! It didn't take long before my little guys started arriving :o)

At first I thought we were only getting the Downy Woodpeckers -

But after much observation, we realized that we were getting the Hairy Woodpeckers as well -

They look the same don't they? Apparently they are hard to tell apart but the Hairy is somewhat bigger than the Downy.

What we NEVER expected was this visitor -

That's a Pileated Woodpecker, the biggest of their species! It's an absolutely beautiful and incredible bird. Excuse the poor quality but when you only have seconds to take a shot, sometimes you don't always get the best pictures.

Since this was his second visit and the birdfeeder was down, we're going to have to quickly come up with another spot and some more peanut butter suet :o)

On Friday I was pleasantly surprised to see this in my mailbox -

I won the pattern off of Erynne's new site! If you haven't seen her new designs, head on over to the Red House. Thanks so much Erynne! I'm really going to enjoy stitching this one :o)

A Thursday Thought

Ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face he doesn't like it, yet when you take him for a car ride he sticks his head out the window?

Side One...DONE!

I guess you could say that I'm doing a HHD!!!! That's a half happy dance for those that didn't get it ;o) LOL! Last night I put on the last of the beads to side one of Sabrina. What a great feeling!

Technically, based on the center of the pattern, I'm half done :o) I imagine it will get a little tough once I dive back into her because it's basically all the same colors and A LOT of beading. Oye! There are a lot of white blocks and teeny tiny black beads. It might send me over the edge... Okay, I might go over the edge 'a little further'!

I've decided to take a short break from Sabrina and stitch up A Bunny For Baby. That definitely won't take long so I might slip another project in there as well. We'll see what happens ;o)

I've got the sewing bug again but I just haven't had the heart to tackle that stupid sewing machine :o( With the warmer weather coming on, the basement isn't as cold so I just need to pump myself up, dive in and just go for it. The worst that could happen is that the sewing machine would be pitched out the tiny basement window...

Monday's Photographic Memories

Three weekends ago, DH and I went for a drive and ended up in Chester.

Beautiful View

Fishing Boats

Coastline

Rock Head

Things You Never Wanted To Know Q & A

I just got done reading Parsley's Blog and had a good laugh at her attempt at interviewing herself ;o) I thought it was a great idea and decided to play along. Those of you who have known me for some time are aware of my twisted sense of humour but this will open me up for any newcomers to my Blog I'm sure! LOL!

1. If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

Hands down...a BUNNY!

I'd get to hop around all day and stretch out in the sun. Since they're herbivores (is this the correct terminology?), I'd get to eat grass and clover; not to mention raiding gardens for carrots and lettuce. The only downside that I can see is that rabbits eat their own poop...I don't think I'd be too keen on that idea ;oP

2. Which food type do you crave...salty, sweet, hearty, carby, greasy?

Sweet, definitely sweet. In fact I love the good stuff so much that I've got one sweet tooth less in my mouth ;o)

3. Someone just put a post-it note on your forehead. What does it say?

Stop passing gas!

4. Have you ever smelled your own feet? If so, describe how they smelled?

Who hasn't? LOL! Of course I have. On a good day there's no smell but on a bad day...whoa! At least mine don't smell as bad as DH's ;o)

5. If you could own any pet other than a dog or a cat, what would it be?

If we're going for normal it would be a bunny but if we're going beyond sensible it would have to be a giraffe!

I saw a show on television called Animal Autopsy and they were studying a dead giraffe from the inside out. They're pretty incredible animals considering their oddities and everyone knows what an odd duck I am ;o)

A Thursday Thought

Okay, how CUTE is this? :o)

Stash, Stash, Stash

Stash, stash, stash
We like fabrics and threads
Stash, stash, stash
Patterns, beads and magazines
Stash, stash, stash
Linen, silks and cotton
Stash, stash, stash
We love them!
We love them!
(sung to Boys, Boys, Boys by Lady Gaga)

It's been awhile since I've posted about stash so grab a cup of tea and get comfortable because I've got some eye candy ready and waiting for you ;o)

First off, after hearing that Carriage House Samplings was no longer going to be producing patterns, I immediately knew I had better get Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow. There was no way I was going to pay OPP prices later on. Luckily ABC Stitch had their charts on for 20% off so as you can see, the rest is history ;o)

Since I have all the silks for the Shores at Hawk Run Hollow, I knew I had better start accumulating for AaHRH. Drema has her NPI on sale for $2.90 each so I added a handful to my existing thread order. Okay, so they just jumped in there...

Just recently, Theresa sent me two Pine Mountain kits -

The pillow covers are so cute and well made but I might use a different pattern for the August one. I don't see why not!

If you haven't heard yet, fellow Blogger, Erynne, has officially started her cross stitch designing career! Check out her current patterns on her new website called Red House Crafts. The following is what Erynne sent to me -

I was so excited to go through it all! She even threw in all those fibers as a bonus :o) Thanks so much Erynne!

Last but not least, Karen sent me the A Bunny For Baby Kit by JBW Designs -

This is just TOOOOOO adorable for words and I know what my in-between project is going to be now. I guess my mind was made up for me ;o)

Monday's Photographic Memories

It's that time of year again when the beautiful Magnolia trees are in bloom. On April 22, I did my rounds and had lots of great pictures as a result :o)

Pink Magnolia

White Magnolia

Red Squirrel

Song Sparrow

Duck Butt :o)

Back From The Brink

Sabrina is still here :o) I've been in a bit of a stitching slump lately but I have made a bit of progress on her -

Thankfully, her dress DID cover that spot on the fabric. Whew!

I just have a small portion of her dress and the roses on her bum left to go and them I'm done side one of the pattern. I've been seriously thinking about taking a break from Sabrina for awhile and stitching something else. What? I'm not sure. I would like to get Gentleman Quaker by Jardin Prive done and then that way, I can have both framed at the same time (when I get some extra money that is).

Then there's Dog Lessons For People by Lizzie Kate. I think I have everything I need to stitch this one too. Or do I just dig out an ornament sized project just to give me a quick change of scenery? Argh! My mind just won't settle! What to do...what to do...

I want to thank everyone for their wonderful comments lately! I see that my Stalker list has increased so I want to welcome all my new readers and hope that you'll stitch around :o) I hope all the moms out there have a very Happy Mother's Day weekend.