Christmas Rules SAL Block One

Yes! Yes, yes, YES! I did it! I met my January goals :o) I know it's not the end of the month yet but I doubt I'll complete another project in the next few days. LOL!

Here is block one of Christmas Rules by LK -

I love the little cardinal :o)

So here's what the whole thing looks like so far -

I apologize for the terrible pictures. You really can't see just how warm that Light Mocha fabric is.

Not only did I finish a WIP but I managed to squeeze in my SAL AND an ornament sized project during the month of January. I'm very pleased :o) Next month I'll tackle block two of Christmas Rules and start my SAL with Jenn. Sabrina is also going to be coming back out. I see there were some worries out there that Lady Of The Mist might take over but I'm a one woman girl ;o) "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" ~ Seinfeld.

On Friday I had another good mail day when a package arrived from Nia :o) We did a swap and this is what she sent to me -

I wanted one of the gorgeous table runners that she had on her Blog and I wasn't disappointed! Nia snuck in some lovely ribbons and those can always be used :o) Hopefully my package will get to her just as quickly. Thank you Nia!

It's Raining...

AGAIN...but I'm making snow angels in silk ;o)

LOL! There you have it, my total winnings from Dinky Dyes :o) The package arrived yesterday but I never got it until close to 10 pm when DH got home from work. He just looked at me and said "There's $700 worth of silk in that padded envelope?" Yup, and it's all MINE >;o)

I still haven't had a chance to really go through it all. Don't worry though, I'll have to catalogue it so that will take me a day, or two, or three...

I had another parcel arrive yesterday as well and it was a complete surprise! This box full of goodies came from Donna (no Blog) -

It seems that my Mr. Potato Head family has just grown so I'll have to take a family picture soon ;o) DH was sulking until I told him The Musical Ride and Trees book were for him. That sure perked him up. Thank you SO much Donna! You spoiled us WAY more than you should have!

On Friday I received a package all the way from Russia! Tatyana and I did a small exchange and this is what she sent me -

I coveted the Blue Violets pattern that she stitched and was so pleased when she said she would send it to me :o) Look at the teeny tiny Lanarte kit! I've never seen one so small. LOL! Thank you Tatyana and I can't wait for our next exchange.

DH and I had a nice visit with my parents. Luckily we had a beautiful long weekend with them. On Saturday it got up to 15 C! We're talking the middle of November! We didn't do too much but Dad helped DH in the garage and I introduced Mom to a couple new computer games ;o) On Sunday morning we hit the beach in search of sea glass but it was tough going. The last storm pushed up the rock and made it a compacted wall. I came home with some good finds though.

It was sad to see them go on Monday morning :o( As long as the weather cooperates, we hope to see them after Christmas when we run up to see my Gram :o) Thank you for everything Mom and Dad! It was a delight having you. But remember, play nice or else I take the games back. LOL!

Corn Boil

Thanks to my DSIL, C, DH and I ate in style last night...hydro cooled, peaches n' cream corn on the cob and LOBSTER! Mmmmm-mmmmm! It seems like forever since we've taken a trip down to Maine so this was definitely a nice treat :o) I can't remember the last time I had lobbies. The corn is awesome too but that has to come from the Saturday market and we don't get there very often. Apparently, I sleep in too late for DH :oP

My four legged friend seems to be quite the popular little girl lately! Not only did TC send her a toy made by Shannon but she also received another package in the mail yesterday. This time it was a pink toy purse (with squeaker) from Daisy, Tammy's little one :o)

Brie absolutely LOVES it! I made the huge mistake of squeezing it while Brie was sleeping. LOL! I swear, sometimes she can sleep through an earthquake but squeeze a toy or open the freezer door and the next thing you know, you have two beady eyes looking right at you.

Brie is now walking 100% on her own as of this past weekend. She is learning to sit properly by using the muscles in her haunches and she can now do her 'business' unassisted :o) The number of accidents is zero since the end of last week too. We 'may' have finally figured out her new schedule! It's bad enough trying to keep track of one's own. LOL!

My exchange with Sonda arrived yesterday as well and she surprised me with some adorable doggy fabric -

This will definitely get used :o) Thanks so much for the great exchange Sonda! We'll have to do it again sometime.

I'm really enjoying stitching Herb Garden -

It's such a change to actually be cross stitching again! This piece is being stitched on the recommended 32 count Lilac linen and I almost dropped when I actually had that in my fabric stash. It's such a pretty shade. I had bought a piece about a meter long when a LNS closed.

I came up against a snag with my Christmas ornament exchange idea. I know I have the fabric but...I can't find it! My computer/craft room really needs to be organized again. I've got a backup color and I'm hoping it will work out much better anyway.

Have you seen the contents of the JCS Halloween Issue yet? If not, check out their site where they have a little slideshow. I'm really loving some of those Halloween ornaments, especially the one by La-D-Da ;o)

I want to thank everyone for all the nice comments that they left regarding Stargazer. You all are too kind! I hate to say it but she will be going into storage for the time being :o( She was supposed to be framed and ready for the fair in September but that's not going to happen. Oh well. There's always next year!

Fourth Finish For 2008

Stitching? What's that? LOL! Somehow, I've managed to fit a bit of it in this month. Stargazer has been put on the shelf but I dug out a small project, something that I didn't really have to concentrate on and that was easily transported. This is The Crab Is In by Waxing Moon Designs -

I've always LOVED this pattern and it's SO appropriate for me :o) I think it should be hung up on the door to my computer/craft room. Okay, okay, it should just be hung around my neck. LOL! This will be the second completed small project that will go towards my goal for the year.

I thought it was about time that I got back to stitchy talk before I lost all my readers. I see most of us are (im)patiently waiting for the September issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework to come out ;o) When I first saw Nora's Halloween fairy, I wasn't that impressed but then I saw a better picture of it and I think she's adorable. I'm not sure what to do because I will want to stitch her but I haven't even started the Vicki SAL yet and so far only two out of the four of us have finished her :oS

Speaking of the four of us, Katie, Faith Ann, Shannon and I have decided to do a Christmas ornament exchange. We each have the name of our secret person and now the challenge is to decide what to stitch! At first I thought it would be a breeze but the more I looked through my stash, the more ideas started to swirl around in my head. It is NOT a good idea to go stash diving when you're in a vulnerable state. LOL!

Brie is still doing well. She's one happy puppy to be home. On Tuesday I take her in to have her stitches taken out. Her bandage is still on so I haven't even seen what it looks like underneath. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to hurt her because we've seen her sleeping on her back and she still enjoys rolling around on the carpet :o)

I really don't know how I can thank everyone for their wonderful emails and comments that have been full of support and kind words. I do know that by reading them, they have given me that extra strength that I needed. So...I'm going to do the next best thing that I can think about...I'm going to hold a giveaway! What's the prize you ask? It's a surprise but I know it's something any of you will enjoy :o)

There are a few rules though. This drawing is a way of thanking all my friends that have been there to support me during this time so rule number one...you must have left at least TWO comments from July 1 to 17, 2008. Your name will not be accepted if this step has not been done. I will ship anywhere. You have up until July 23, 2008 to leave a comment on this post and enter your name. Please leave a way to contact you should you be the lucky name drawn. The winner will be announced the next day :o) Good luck!

Has It Really Been A Week?

Yup. It's been one week today since we brought Brie to PEI :o( To be honest, it feels like a month. Last night the new student (Jane had to do her rotation to radiology) looking after Brie called to let us know that the results were in but the doctor would call us first thing in the morning to discuss them with us. Huh? She stated she couldn't tell us what the results were because she wasn't qualified. Rrrrrright.

Do you know what that does to someone's imagination when left to fester? Uh-huh, it hit right about midnight and that's when I had my meltdown and everything finally came out. It's one of those cries where it feels like your heart is literally breaking and you think you'll never stop the tears. DH felt so terrible because he has to be away tonight and I felt so bad because I wasn't being strong enough. Sigh! What a vicious circle.

As soon as I could, I called the college this morning but the doctor was busy :o( I called a couple of hours later but he still didn't pick up his page. As soon as I set the phone down it rang and it was him. He confirmed that what they found was a compressed lesion outside of the spinal cord. They took an MRI of her whole spine so they would have good reference as to the location. He was still waiting for the images of the pelvis area though but would have them by this afternoon. So as of right now, Brie will be heading to surgery tomorrow. The doctor is still going to call later today to confirm this is the plan.

So...no surprises! Whew! That was my worst fear. I know the worrying is far from over but I'm trying to deal with one thing at a time. Brie has a lot of good things going for her. She's got good pain sensory, good muscle tone in her back end and she's not overweight. To me and the doctor, those are big pluses. I don't care if she's not 100%, just as long as she can walk again and have quality of life. I can see it now, there's going to be 'two' invalids on the couch now ;o)

I had to leave the house this morning and take Duncan to the vet to have his final shot. That boy never fails to embarrass DH or myself. Three weeks ago when he was there, he pooped in the examination room. Yea. Well today it was even better. While waiting for the woman to do up the paperwork (and I have to note that she was taking her grand ol time) Duncan lets out a wallop of a fart! By the smell and the way he was holding his tail to his ass, I knew he had to go. Luckily I got him outside in time but do you know WHERE he decides to poop? Right ON their signpost :oS The solid turds hit the ground but the nice, soft, smelly poo landed dead on. What a mess I had to clean up. LOL!

When I arrived home, the mail was here and what a surprise to see a package there waiting for me! Irene sent me this gorgeous breast cancer pashmina from Avon and a tin of Purdy's Chocolates -

THANK YOU IRENE! The pashmina is so soft and beautiful. The chocolates went right into the fridge since it's supposed to be 43 C here today with the humidex :oP That's okay because they won't last long anyway. LOL! If you've never experienced Purdy's Chocolates before then you've never lived a full life ;o)

On the stitchy front, I figured I had better share some recently acquired stash with you :o)

Drema sent me the JCS magazine, the two Dear Diary patterns by LHN (I now have them all!), three charts from The Red Thread by BC (along with the button pack and border chart), a skein of WDW and a lovely piece of 30 count French Vanilla Linen :o) Ranae and I did a pattern swap and I received my Shepherd's Eve by SB. Thank you again Ranae :o) That was fun!

Because I enjoyed doing this so much, I have added two posts to the Pumpkin Patch & Co. Market Blog. One contains all the items I have up for trade at the moment and the other lists some of the patterns that I am looking for. If anyone is interested in doing a swap, plmk either by making a comment on one of those posts or you can send me an email :o)

Before I close, I just have to thank everyone again for all your wonderful comments full of encouragement and support. I don't think I can ever thank you enough. You've all been so kind but that doesn't surprise me when it comes to stitchers. We definitely are a special bunch :o)