A Thursday Thought

Did you know that...

...lobsters have no vocal cords therefore they do not scream when cooked?

...the heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car?

...an elephant's trunk has over 100,000 muscles in it?

...bison are able to run up to 55 Kms per hour?

Okay, the title should have read 'Thursday Thoughts' ;o)

Fourteenth Finish For 2010

This was 'supposed' to be 'Tis Green but I think it's ended up being 'Tis Blue/or/Grey ;o) The design is by La-D-Da and is featured in the current JCS Christmas Ornament Preview Issue -

I left you hanging because I knew it wouldn't take long to finish this one. LOL!

And...TA-DA! Fini as well!

As I indicated earlier in my Blog, it was the fabric that inspired this ornament. The ornament is resting on the backing fabric that I used. Unusual colour isn't it? But oh so pretty :o) It took awhile but I finally settled on Liberty by GAST. I wish it had been a more variegated colour though but I'm still happy with the final result.

This means I have stitched eleven out of the twelve ornament sized pieces for 2010! Only one more to go :o) I figured that since I'm SO close, I might as well stitch the last one. It wasn't hard to choose the one I wanted to stitch either (it's got bunnies in it!). The design is by the talented Danybrod so keep your eyes peeled for another finish soon :o)

Monday's Photographic Memories

I finally got out of the house this past Thursday and I was able to do some photography. I didn't get anything spectacular. It had been a month since I had out my camera. I have a few things to share with you though. I'm not sure what the name of this beach is so I apologize. It's not a very popular one so it was quite peaceful :o)

The Beach


Irish Moss Collectors


Rock Art


Sand Art

Thirteenth Finish For 2010

Run! Run! Run as fast as you can! You can't catch me because I'm the Gingerbread Man :o) LOL!

The mojo must have gone into high gear yesterday because I completed Gingerbread Tree by LHN right before 11pm last night -

Again, I'm very pleased with this finish and the changes that I made. I decided against changing the DMC 221, so in the end I only made two colour changes.

Do you realize that there are TWENTY-FOUR French Knots in this teeny tiny pattern? Ugh! What scared me more was the thought that I had made a huge mistake and would have to frog the gingerbread men on the outside! Thankfully this wasn't the case. If you are going to stitch this pattern, note the extra DMC 221 stitch under the arms of the gingerbread men holding the candy canes. Maybe I'm the only one that didn't notice this ;o) Luck was on my side though because those spots were empty so I just had to go in and fill in that one stitch. Whew! That saved a lot of cursing and swearing you know ;o)

I can see this being finished as an ornament or pinkeep. Nothing extravagant. I'll probably use the same gingerbread fabric that I used for my cube.

What am I going to stitch next? Ohhhh...I have it already kitted up :o) I even have the backing fabric! Actually, this fabric is what shaped the ornament. I'll leave it at that and make you sweat it out for a few days :oP

Gingerbread Men, Mad Dog & Scared Rabbit

Gee, that's quite a title isn't it? You just KNOW that there's a story in there somewhere ;o)

Here is my progress on Gingerbread Tree by LHN -

My stitching mojo has gone out the window lately but I've been slowly plugging away. In reality, this should have been finished by now.

I did change some things with this pattern. Again, I went with the 32 count Light Mocha linen (because I had another cut piece prepared) but I also mixed up the colours a bit. Instead of DMC 712 (I thought this was a weird choice), I went with DMC B5200 and instead of DMC 937, I went with DMC 3363. I am contemplating changing the DMC 221 to DMC 3722 but I'm not 100% sure yet.

Btw, I want to thank everyone for their wonderful comments on my cube finish. It really made my day :o)

On Wednesday night I was woken up at 3:30 am by thunder and lighting. My first thought was that I had to get up and close the windows! As I ran out of the bedroom, I banged into Duncan out on the landing. He was in a state with his tongue almost hitting the floor. You see, he absolutely HATES thunder and lighthning. He was running around like a mad dog when I noticed that he had peed on the hardwood floor just inside the TV room and was tracking it all over the place :o(

Once I was able to corral him into the basement, I was hit with the lovely bouquet scent of s*$@. Yup, he had pooped on the dining room hardwood floor. This did NOT make me a very happy camper >:o( So guess what I did from 3:30-5:30 am? I scrubbed floors. Yes...I was on my hands and knees for two hours cleaning the worst areas. I figured I would deal with the rest in the morning. Well, basically later that day.

Now poor Popcorn was in her own terrible state. I can only imagine how she felt when this 55 pound mad dog came running up the stairs and up to her cage in the dark :o( She was scared stiff. Literally. I had to sit there and pet her until she calmed down enough that I could go back to bed. The poor thing. Needless to say, the three of us were quite tired the whole day.

So yesterday and today I've been hobbling along, stiffer than a wooden board. My Fibro has flared up and the pain is intense :o( Thankfully we had a break in the humidity and I was able to get out and take some photos, therefore stretching out some muscles. Now today looks like another stinker. I think I'll wait until a little later before I stick my nose out the door. It might do me some good to lay down and watch a well deserved movie ;o)

A Thursday Thought

Today you've stumbled across a genie of sorts. She is loaded with information and can tell you things that no one else can. You've been given the gift of her knowledge but there's a catch...you are only allowed to know one thing. You can only ask ONE question. ONE. Dig deep into your brain and think hard because you'll never have this opportunity again. So, if there was ONE question that you wanted an answer to and this was your ONLY chance to find out, what would that ONE thing be?

For me, there have been many questionable things that I've had in the back of my mind over the years and I'm sure they are quite common with other people as well. Things like, are there life forms on other planets, is there a heaven, does Sasquatch really exist, or how does the caramel really get in the Caramilk Bar? ;o)

But out of all the questions that I have swimming around in my head, the ONE I think I would like to know if I ever had the chance would be...when will I die? Now why in the world would I want to know something like that? Pretty gruesome huh?

Well the reason is kind of two fold...for one thing, it would give me an idea of how much longer I'd have to enjoy life :o) If I knew that (part one), then I would be able to plan how to live my life (part two). What if I had little time left to live? Then I would I have to decided what was important and cram a bunch of things into a short period of time. If I had years ahead of me, then I could pace myself and prioritize what I would want to do or see.

Money would also be an issue. With little time to live, I'd spend it all! LOL! Why not go crazy? I could do things for myself and others and not have to worry about the future. On the other hand, if I had plenty of time to live, then I would have to plan and budget for the years that I would have ahead of me.

Not so silly a question to know ;o) What question can you come up with?

Monday's Photographic Memories

I'm going back a bit in time here. These are pictures from one of my favourite beaches :o) Would you believe these pictures were taken on May 22, 2010?

Overlooking Carter's Beach


Carter's Beach


Carter's Beach


Little & Big


Teeny Tiny Crab (about the size of your top thumb joint!)

I Smell Gingerbread!

A gingerbread cube finish that is ;o)

On Tuesday I went to the Little City and bought my cube and then on Wednesday it was the trip from H*@% to the Big City and I was able to pick up the remainder of the supplies that I needed. I didn't have a lot of choice for gingerbread fabric and this isn't what I really had in mind but I think it works :o)

Working with a fabric that has straight lines in it is tricky but I really surprised myself with this finish and how happy I am with it. Btw, this is a no-sew cube.

I wasn't sure about the white ribbon but I like how it makes the white in the design pop. If I had gone with a green or burgundy it probably would have been too hard to match everything up. As it was, I had a hard enough time finding the white wired ribbon!

Since I spend part of last night and this morning finishing my cube, I haven't started my new stitchy project yet. It's still hot and humid here and my energy level is nil! Tonight I hope to sit back, watch a movie and hopefully stitch :o)

Some of you have been asking for pictures of Popcorn and lately it's been hard getting a good one of her. She's got her 'moods' now and I just hope that I did the right thing in adopting her. I've never had a pet rabbit that was this hard to bond with. Don't get me wrong, she is excellent at times and always loves to be petted but I haven't gotten the 'bunny greeting' yet :o(

The good news is Popcorn has learned to use her new glass water bottle! I was using a stainless steel dish that I used with Pickles but Popcorn is a much messier rabbit. It must be a girl thing. LOL! Now she has more room and she can 'pop' all over her cage and I don't have to worry that she'll dump water everywhere.

Here is Popcorn's parting shot for you -

This is the 'invisible bunny' pose ;o)

A Thursday Thought

I don't know about you, but to me things seem to be getting crazier and crazier when it comes to embroidery threads! When I first started stitching 20 years ago, there was just DMC, Anchor and J&P Coats. Since DMC was the most readily available brand, that's the one that I bought.

Over the 20 years, I have worked at getting all 454 colors of DMC. Almost two sets actually ;o) I have a few Anchor threads but DMC has always been my favourite when it comes to your 'typical' embroidery thread.

Now there seems to be two more on the scene; Sullivans and Presencia. It's getting rather confusing because some of the designers are changing over to these new lines. Stitchers are going to have conversion sheets galore or need a lot more storage space at this rate!

What are your thoughts on this? Which company is your favourite? Will you stick with your favourite or will you go out and buy whatever the pattern calls for?

Twelfth Finish

I'm done, I'm done, I'm done! I LOVED stitching this piece :o) Here is Season Of Love by CCN -

Aren't they such a cute couple?

After much debate, I have decided against making this one into an ornament. As I was finishing this piece, it was shouting cube to me and I think it's right :o) I'm on the lookout for some gingerbread fabric and then some perfect ribbon to top it off. I love making cubes! I have to go to the Big City on Wednesday and will hit a few places to see what I can find.

Now it's on to Gingerbread Tree by LHN...

Monday's Photographic Memories

Since it's been so stinkin' hot and now dreary, I thought I would torture you with more flower pictures in hopes of brightening your day :o)

Flowering Dogwood (my favourite!)


Fuchsia (opening)


Clematis


Fuchsia (opened)


Peony

A Thursday Thought

I'm not a sports enthusiast. Football...yawn. Baseball...double yawn. Golf...snorefest! Before I met DH, I used to watch hockey and the Montreal Canadians will always hold a place in my heart ;o) From time to time, I'll watch a bit of show jumping but that's about it.

The only time watching sports becomes a part of this household is during the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. FIFA is being held in Africa this year. DH and I have been watching since the beginning. I didn't think I had a favourite team but deep down, I guess I was hoping Germany would make it to the finals.

That was not the case yesterday after they lost to Spain :o( They played defence really well but so well that I think they forgot to score some goals during the game. So now it's Spain vs. The Netherlands in the finals on Sunday, July 11.

In a way, I would like to see Spain win since they have never gotten this far in The World Cup before. But I don't think they possess the combined talent that The Netherlands bring to the game. I've watched Spain throughout the weeks and to me, they're not consistent enough.

If I were a betting girl, I would say that The Netherlands are going to win. Have you been watching FIFA too? Who would be your pick for The World Cup?

Gingerbread & Popcorn

Hmmm...I wonder if the two really go together. It might be quite tasty :o)

After my last finish, I decided to put off going back to Sabrina due to the HEAT! Ugh! It has been HOT and MUGGY :o( Two things that do not agree with me. Since I still have four more ornament sized pieces to do, I picked one of those. Here is my progress so far on Season Of Love by Country Cottage Needleworks -

This is such a 'sweet' design. I didn't have the recommended fabric so I went with 32 count Light Mocha linen. Again, how many different shades of beige can you have?

I can't wait to see what she has for an ornament in the actual JCS Ornament Issue :o) I do plan on stitching The Gingerbread Tree by LHN. Am I starting to show a pattern here already? LOL!

This heat has been affecting the animals as well. Popcorn ends up doing her popping all night (much to our dislike) and then during the day she plays dead bunny -

Unfortunately this is the best picture I could get of her. Usually she does a huge flop on her side and then curls up in the fetal position :o) She tries her hardest to stay awake but if you watch her long enough, her eyes start to close and her head keeps falling down.

The only upside is that if the heat gets too unbearable, we can go down into the basement! Yes, I've never been so happy to have one ;o)

Monday's Photographic Memories

During my parents' visit, we stopped in at Port Medway. This is just a wee little town but it has a lovely waterfront.

Port Medway Lighthouse


Port Medway Lighthouse


More Fishing Boats


Another picture of my jellyfish :o)

Eleventh Finish For 2010

FI-NAL-LY! It was close and I probably could have had it done by the end of June (2010) if I had pulled a late night but...I didn't. So, yesterday afternoon I put in the last of the backstitching. Here is Piping Plover by Crossed Wing Collection -

I'm quite pleased with the finished piece and can picture it framed with a weathered board like wood. That probably won't happen for awhile though but it will be one that will go up on our walls :o)

The baby is so sweet -

The eggs aren't filled with stitches and I thought that to be quite odd. I didn't want to attempt to fill them myself so I just went with it and didn't change a thing. After much thought, I have decided to count this as a medium piece.

If anyone is wondering, this pattern came out of leaflet number 16...Extinct Is Forever. There are four bird patterns; Piping Plover, Golden-Cheeked Warbler, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and Kirtland's Warbler. It's a shame that we have to see these birds disappear :o(

As stated in a previous post, I was inspired to stitch this piece. The reason? Seeing one of these little guys on the beach one day :o)

They are quite the characters for such a small bird. Their eggs are SO small and SO camouflaged that known nesting areas are closed off so people walking on the beach don't accidentally walk on the eggs :o( I would hate to see the beaches void of these sweet little birds. If you see signs posted, please respect them so the next generation can enjoy seeing the plovers as well :o)