Happy Easter!

Dear Easter Bunny,

You know that your arrival each year is my very favourite time of year. What could be better than a combination of bunnies and chocolate? Okay, well maybe peanut butter and chocolate but that's beside the point.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE getting chocolate at Easter but I'm thinking we need to step it up a notch and get a little more creative. As we already know, giving live bunnies at Easter is not a good thing so I've done some looking around and let me know what you think about these ideas...

I realize that chocolate is your typical Easter treat but what about a Giant Gummy Bunny -

Seven inches of gooey goodness! I just won't think about the calories ;o)

What about Rabbit Ears Salad Servers -

Unlike a lucky rabbit's foot, no bunnies were harmed in making these!

It seems that like real bunnies, dust bunnies multiply like...rabbits! I turn my head and the next thing I know, there are three or four scampering across the floor. I think it would be in everyone's interest if you gave me a Dust Bunny Duster -

I'm not saying I'll actually 'use' it but it's the thought that counts, right?

Speaking of multiplying like rabbits...it seems these Bunny Salt & Pepper Shakers really know how to shake things up -

Do the babies come out black and white or white and black?

Finally, I think that I need one of these -

What bunny lover wouldn't want this? I might have to kick DH out of the bed though and I'm not sure how well that will go over ;o)

So for next year, just keep these ideas in mind. Of course a case or two of ECEs would be nice as well :o)

A Few More Of My Favourite Things

It's been awhile since I've shared some of my favourite things with you. Why not spread the word when you've come across something great? These things are just too awesome to keep secret! Lmk if you agree ;o)

Sophie Conran Dishes -

Omigosh, it took YEARS for us to find dishes that we liked! Either the colour, shape, size or feel was never right. When we moved to NS, we left behind all our old dishes so we had no choice but to find something new ;o)

One day DH and I were in a shop in Lunenburg and shezam...there they were! Sophie Conran's designs are beautiful for everyday use and also elegant enough for that special dinner party. The lines and shapes of her pieces are fluent. The dishes are light but heavy enough not to be too delicate and easily broken.

Her collection has expanded quite a bit over the past few years. All her pieces come in the white (that's what we finally decided on) but there are some (if not all but I don't think so) that also come in a Celadon green or Forget-Me-Not blue. She's expanded into glassware now. Maybe someday we'll add some of those pieces :o)

Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha -

The minute my lips hit this warm, delicious mix, I was hooked! The funny thing is, I was introduced to it in the most unlikely of places :o) When DH and I took the Digby ferry, I was looking for a white hot chocolate to warm me up. What I didn't know was that this little cafe sold drinks by Starbucks!

The other funny thing is I had NEVER had a beverage from Starbucks, let alone stepped foot into one of their stores. I 'can' tell you that that has definitely changed now ;o) OMG! Every time I taste that sweet chocolate taste mixed with mocha, I just want MORE...and MORE...and MORE!

Lampe Berger -

If you've never seen or heard of these before, I highly recommend that you look into one. DH saw them advertised in a magazine about a year ago and luckily enough, there was a dealer in the 'little city' and we immediately purchased one :o)

The Lampe Berger (I call it my Lampe Burger) originated in Paris, France in 1898. It's an oil lamp that cleans and purifies the air. Just fried some fish and have that fishy smell throughout the house? Light your Lampe Berger and within 20 minutes, the smell is gone! Originally the oil was not meant to contain perfume but now you can get different scents. Since I'm quite sensitive to strong smells, we purchased the non-scented oil plus one called Linen. We combine the two so it's diluted. The scent doesn't stay around like those sprays that you get in the grocery store.

How does it work? Here is what they say "Thanks to a unique process, high temperature catalytic combustion, the Lampe Berger is able to destroy the molecules behind unpleasant odors, halt the proliferation of bacteria (scientifically proven effective), and pleasantly perfumes the air." You didn't think they'd reveal the true secret of how it works did you? ;o)

How Twisted Am I Really?

To those who know me, obviously quite ;o) But I think I'm even more twisted than I thought! Look what I found -

If you're wondering if that's a Cadbury Easter Creme Egg in a chocolate bar form, you ARE right! This is their new Twisted bar now available in Canada :o)

I think I may have a problem...since these are available year round and the ECEs from January to Easter...do you see where I'm going with this? Eep! I thought about keeping track of how many of these I've eaten so far but after I started thinking about it, I realized it might not be such a good idea. LOL!

Going Postal

That's the way I feel right about now! LOL!

Although I could go for a ride in a USPS truck ;o) This picture was taken when we were in Camden, Maine. Since stealing a postal truck is a federal offence, I figured this was the closest I would ever get to one. Call me weird but this has always been a dream of mine. Driving the truck, not stealing it!

The day is finally here and I bet you are all on the edge of your seats just waiting to hear the names of the winners. Am I right? ;o) I used the randomizer and the Pumpkin Day winner is...CAROLYN!!!!

I also used the randomizer for the Jack-O-Lantern contest because there were just too many great pumpkins to choose from :o) The lucky winner is...TINA!!!!

Congratulations girls! I will be emailing you both :o)

I want to thank everyone for making Pumpkin Day 2010 a great success. This was the best one to date! I hope everyone had fun and learned something new. I know I did ;o) I 'think' I sent everyone the free chart but there were a few that didn't put down their email address :o( So if you didn't receive the chart, please email me and I will send it right out. If anyone 'does' stitch the pattern, can you plmk because I'd love to see it :o)

Happy Pumpkin Day!

Woohoo! The day is finally here :o) Welcome to the third annual Pumpkin Day festivities! Are you ready to have some fun? I SAID...are you ready to have some fun???? Good because today is all about having a good time!

Did you know that...?

- pumpkins originated in Central America.
- the word 'pumpkin' comes from the Greek word 'pepon' which means large melon.
- Illinois grows more pumpkins than any other state in the US.
- pumpkins were once used for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

Pumpkin Carving -

How many of you are decorating pumpkins for Halloween this year? If you're in need of some ideas, you might want to check out Pumpkin Masters and Hershey's for some really neat (and free) stencils! And if you want to practice beforehand, why not try your hand at Pumpkin Carve, Jack-O-Lantern Creator or Halloween Pumpkin Carve :o)

Recipes -

A party isn't a party without food! Here are some recipes that you might want to try while pumpkins are still in season. Let's begin with some munchies :o) Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are perfect for that. While you're snaking on that, whip up a batch of Pumpkin Apple Soup! Pumpkin Risotto will make a fine entree and for dessert? How about Pumpkin Cremes Brulees! That's definitely one recipe I want to try :o) If you're not a pumpkin fan but still want a fall atmosphere, try Kraft's Great Pumpkin Cake (btw, a Comet Cup is an ice cream cone).

Games -

Who's up for some games???? I've got some new ones this year :o)

Catch as many pumpkins as you can in Halloween Pumpkin Catch.

Pumpkin Patch Blast is pretty much that as well as addicting. LOL!

Squash ghosts and monsters in Pumpkin Push.

Contests -

How good are you at making a Jack-O-Lantern? Are you ready to be put to the test? In order to enter this contest, leave a comment (on THIS post only) with a link to your entry :o) Be creative! Carve a real pumpkin, draw a picture or just take a picture of a stitched pumpkin. Let's see what you've got!

Want to be entered into the second giveaway? It's simple! Either be or become a Pumpkin Stalker :o) Just remember, leave a separate comment (on THIS post only) saying that you are a follower.

In order to give everyone a fair chance, these contests will be open until Monday, October 25 at midnight EST. You can enter one or both contest and I will ship anywhere. PLEASE provide me a way to contact you through you comment. If I cannot, another name will be drawn from the hat.

Prizes?

Of course! A treat bag will be awarded to the winner of each contest :o) What's in them you ask? HA! That's a surprise. Let's just say it's pumpkin themed and will contain stitchy stuff...

Unfortunately there can only be two winners but since this is a party and I feel that everyone 'should' go home with something, I have a cross stitch design by moi for you to take home :o) Just make sure you leave me a way to email it to you.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the day and I want to thank you for coming :o) If you didn't make it over, you still have until October 25 to participate so don't forget! Have fun and good luck!

Week Three

I can't believe I am three weeks into Sabrina already! As promised, here is a picture update -

See, I told you I was bad ;o) I just couldn't resist putting some bling on her! And I did all the backstitching except for her gloves. In the chart, it says to backstitch her eyelashes with three stands of DMC 3371. I have to say, I tried doing her whole eye in two strands and she came out looking like a skank! Sabrina is no skank ;o) So, I outlined her eye in one strand and what I considered her eyelashes in two. What do you think?

I see her as much more sophisticated this way :o) I'm curious to hear how others have done her eye. To me, that is one of the more important areas to get right. When I was stitching Stargazer, I saw some finishes that made her look so angry. I made sure my Stargazer looked serene because that's how I want to feel when I look at her. Did I just share too much of my demented thinking with you? LOL!

There were a few people who were curious to see a picture of my wedding dress :o) I was cleaning out the Tickle Trunk the other day and so I knew exactly where to get my little hands on the picture of it -

Gotcha! This is the actual magazine page but just imagine me in the dress ;o) To be honest, I'm not 100% sure where our wedding photos are at the moment so it was easier this way. I even have the receipt for the dress buried somewhere in the TT. It's kind of funny because I was away with my HTB and my in-lawsTB when I found my dress. We were in Truro, NS and we went into this little bridal shop and there it was! I felt really bad that my mom wasn't there so I called her to make sure it was okay that I bought it without her :o)

As already mentioned, I'm not a froufrou girl but this is one dress that I would love to still wear again. DH asks me why I'm keeping it but I just can't let it go. My mother still has hers. Do you still have yours? I'm curious to know how women view their wedding dresses now :o)

Weird Wieners!

Yesterday I was surfing the Net trying to find something and I ended up at this neat website called Pop Deluxe. As I was checking out their site, I came across this Dachshund Salt & Pepper Set -

ROFL! This lead to another -

They also carry an Oil & Vinegar Set -

By this time I was chuckling to myself and wondered what other weird wiener things were out there. Okay, so I had nothing better to do ;o) How about some Dachshund Earbuds from Doxieholic -

Can you imagine seeing someone with those sticking out of their ears! LOL!

I really liked this Doxie Lamp at Urban Outfitters -

But BY FAR, the top spot goes to the Halloweiner Pumpkin T-Shirt from Dachshund Gifts!!!!

Okay, does this have my name all over it or what? I have two beer bottles with pumpkins on them but I've never seen one with a Dachshund AND a pumpkin combined! There is an actual III Dachshunds Beer Co.! How cool is that? :o)

Pumpkin Day Winners!

Where have I been? To be honest, I'm not sure. I've been here in body but definitely not in mind. I've been desperately trying to crawl out from this funk I've been in but it's been quite difficult. I apologize for making everyone wait :o(

Well I'm here now so let's get on with it! Even though there were some good entries, the winner of the Jack-O-Lantern contest was hands down and went to Cindy for her brilliant design -

Cindy knows I'm a huge Bon Jovi fan and added the BA smiley face from their Have A Nice Day CD onto her pumpkin. Sigh! Maybe this is what our children would look like ;o)

There seemed to be a decrease in numbers this year but that was good for Nia because her name was drawn as the winner of the Pumpkin Stalker contest :o) Congrats Nia!

Prizes will be mailed out next week so keep your eyes peeled for the mailman!

I want to thank everyone who joined in on the fun last week and I hope everyone got their copy of the Happy Pumpkin Day freebie that I sent out. It seems that Irene used her smokin' needles because she finished it already! It was so exciting to see so check out her Blog for a picture :o)

Happy, Happy Pumpkin Day!

Welcome to the second annual Pumpkin Day festivities! I hope you're ready for some fun because there's a wide range of activities to take part in. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back and most of all...enjoy :o)

Did you know?

- that pumpkins are 90% water.
- that pumpkin flowers are edible.
- that six of the seven continents can grow pumpkins (can you guess which one can't?).
- that pumpkins are actually a fruit.

Recipes -

Besides being used for the classic Pumpkin Pie, pumpkins are versatile in so many other ways. Maybe give one of these recipes a try for yourself :o)

Baked Harvest Pumpkin & Sage Risotto is one dish I've been anxious to try. DH makes a mean risotto so I figure this new twist could prove to be quite delicious!

I have personally tried this recipe - Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. When I say 'tried', I mean eaten ;o) My SIL made it one year and it was fan-tas-tique.

When it comes to pumpkin, the fruit is not the only thing you can eat! The seeds are just as yummy and how good does Coriander & Pumpkin Seed Crusted Scallops sound? Mmmmmm...

Games -

Okay, maybe not the most highly entertaining but hey, what's a party without games? LOL!

In Pumpkin Run, the aim of the game is to gather as much candy as you can without the bats and ghosts interfering.

This is by far my favourite! As The Pumpkin, it's your job to scare the kiddies and grab their candy :o) Am I evil or what?

Pumpkin Carving -

Try out your carving skills either here or here. How good are you at making a Jack-O-Lantern?

Contests -

How good are you at making a Jack-O-Lantern? Are you ready to be put to the test? In order to enter this contest, leave a comment (on this post only) with a link to your entry :o) Be creative! Carve a real pumpkin, draw a picture or just take a picture of a stitched pumpkin. Let's see what you've got!

Want to be entered into the second giveaway? It's simple! Either be or become a Pumpkin Stalker :o) Don't know how? Visit your Blogger Dashboard page and at the bottom it gives you a chance to add the address of the Blog you want to follow. Just remember, leave a separate comment (on this post only) saying that you've done this!

In order to give everyone a fair chance, these contests will be open until Friday, October 23 at midnight EST.

Prizes?

A treat bag will be awarded to the winner of each contest :o) What's in them you ask? HA! That's a surprise. Let's just say there will be sweets, smiles and stitchy stuff. Have fun and good luck!

"Useful" Dribble

Have you ever been to a party or function and felt that you had nothing to say? Well let me help you! Here is some useful dribble that you can spew the next time you find yourself in such a position, plus, it might make you look smart too ;o)

- "stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

- "lollipop" is the longest word typed with your right hand.

- "typewriter" is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

- no word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

- "dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

- the sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

- the words "racecar", "kayak" and "level" are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).

- there are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous.

- there are only two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious".

Some Of My Favourite Things

I thought that I would share with you some of the things that I CANNOT live without. Okay, I 'can' live without them but I really don't want to ;o)

First up, and high on the list, is my new iron. This puppy is FANTASTIC! I never thought that I would love an iron as much as I love this one. And it even changes colors! I shit you not. LOL!

Isn't it pretty? This is Thermocolour by Russell Hobbs. I was quite surprised at the decent price considering how nice this iron is. It's got a ceramic plate and it glides oh so effortlessly over fabric :o) Check out their website to see the colors in action and if you live in the UK, you can enter to win one!

Having a bad day? You've come home from work and you just want to drink your sorrows away but you don't want after effects of a hangover? Well I've got just the thing :o) Why not kick back a few Mocktail Mojitos -

These are so yummy! A refreshing lime taste that goes down so easy on a hot summer day. Ahhhhh!

Okay, next up, it's that time of the month and you're craving...something. You just can't put your finger on it. I found, well Ben & Jerry's found 'the' perfect solution with their new ice cream Everything But The... -

OMG! This is like at least five ice cream flavours in one. How could you not go wrong with that?

So those are some of my favourite things. Have you found something that's so awesome that you want to share it? Love to hear about it :o)

We Wish You A...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It seemed that Santa arrived again while we were sleeping. I guess that must have meant that I was a really good girl this year ;o) DH, in an attempt to make my Christmas perfect, had stuffed my stocking full of goodies, placed a card on the tree and prepared a scrumptious breakfast by candlelight. I was so touched that he did this considering we had agreed no to do anything for each other this year but then again, we never listen to each other ;o) My sweetie got me all of my favorite things - a box of chocolate covered cherries (Lowney's of course), four delectable truffles by Godiva, a pack of Scratch & Win tickets (in which I won $10 from!), a CD (Matt Dusk ~ swoon!), fuzzy socks (to match my pajamas) and a book (Nobody's Mother, Life Without Kids by Lynne Van Luven). Am I spoiled or what! :o) The "kids" each got their own gift. Pickles got a package of Carrot Slims and unbelievably he loves them! Do you know how hard it is to buy for a rabbit???? Brie got a stuffed toy with TWO squeakers in it and Duncan got a nice big doggy bone :o)

After breakfast we packed up the car, with both dogs in tow, and headed down to the ocean to spend Christmas with DH's family. It was a beautiful day, with no snow in sight, and we could have swore it was early fall. Once everyone arrived and we were somewhat settled in, the gift opening began! With eight adults, one baby and SIX dogs, you can just imagine what kind of madhouse we had going :o) All the gifts were wonderful and well thought out. My MIL loved the Flower Lady that I stitched for her -

Our nephew, and his parents, was pleasantly surprised by his new Dory Rocker that my FIL made -

I was very touched by the lovely cabinet that I received from my in-laws :o) DH put it up in the living room for me and it now holds a few of my special horse models -

In all the giving and receiving, the dogs were not forgotten in the least! While we had hors d'oeuvres, the dogs got biscuits and dip (I kid you not!). Each dog received a bag of handmade cookies by my MIL, a special Christmas hanky from my SIL/SO, and a toy from my other SIL/BIL. Brie decided to pose with her hanky on but the way DH took the picture, it looks like she is sporting a pair of bunny ears :o)

We "attempted" to take a picture of all the dogs together but this was the best we could do -

From left to right we have Misha (Burmese Mountain Dog), Duncan (Australian Cattle Dog), Samson (a mix of Jack Russell and Lhasa Apso), Brie (Miniature Dachshund), Briar (Boxer) and Buddy (a Terrier mix). You try to arrange a picture with six unruly dogs and see how easy it is ;o)

My MIL put on a wonderful Christmas dinner as always. Everything was delicious and again, I behaved myself :o) While we waited for dessert and for our supper to settle, we decided to put on a fire...OUTSIDE! Yes, it was THAT nice that the boys went out and built a small campfire overlooking the ocean. I can't tell you how peaceful and tranquil it is down there. My MIL figures this should be our new Christmas tradition and I for one agree, just as long as we have the same nice weather year after year ;o) Instead of marshmallows, we snacked on a Chocolate Explosion Lava Cake for dessert and was it ever yummy! I will see about getting the recipe from my MIL if anyone is interested.

For our evening finale, we all participated in a rip roaring IQ game :o) I have come through it knowing that I am just as smart, or dumb, as those around me. LOL! It really is a neat game though so I will leave you with another brainteaser -

How many times does the digit 3 show up between the number 1 and 50?

For the one person that guessed and guessed correctly, 15 it is!

If you think you know the answer, post it in the comment section :o)

I hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas as I had!

Happy Birthday To...

My MIL! Luckily she has been having one of those extended celebrations as it has been spanning out for almost a couple of weeks now :o) I imagine she is probably out again today as well!

DH and I went down to the ocean this past Saturday to have our own birthday party for her and we had a wonderful visit. It was nice and relaxing with lots of yummy food and DH even made creme brule instead of a traditional birthday cake. I think it went over rather well ;o) Brie got to play with Cousin Buddy and Cousin Samson. We were a little appalled at her "flirty" behavior though :-o

I was finally able to give my MIL her gift that has been done for a few months now! The pattern is called Spring Garden and it's by Hob Nobb Designs -

I tried a few new camera angles and I love the way it picks up the details of the stitching -

During our visit, my MIL got out a new IQ game that they had bought for Christmas. I can't remember the name of it but it had a number of cards and as the difficulty of each IQ puzzle got harder, the higher the points. We went through a few of them just for fun and it really is an interesting game. One question I remember was for 12 points, I think, so it was one of the harder problems. Here's what it said -

A man gets into a waiting taxi. He tells the driver the address of where he wants to go. The two exchange no other conversation and have never met before. Along the way, the taxi driver stops and is able to lure the man out of the car and kills him. The taxi driver has never done anything like this before and it's completely out of his character. What made him kill the other man?

If you think you know the answer, let me know :o)

Boy, I'm a little disappointed in you guys! I only got one guess :o( The answer to the above problem is - the taxi driver had found out that his wife was having an affair but he had no idea who the man was. When the man got into his taxi and gave the destination address as the taxi driver's home, the driver knew it was the man his wife was having an affair with so he killed him.

Can A Man (Er, Woman) Really Be An Island?

What a day! It was officially my second day back at work after being on LTD for two years. Yes, two years of sitting on the sofa, watching movies and stitching! What could be sweeter ;o) It's nice being around humans again but to be brutally honest, I can do without the socialization. Now it's back to the real world, just like every other sap out there and it stinks. I like my pretend world much better, LOL!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on an island? Would you want to live on one year round or just in the summer? What items would you most like to have with you? A number of years ago, I traveled up to 1000 Islands where my relatives have a cottage. As the name would suggest, there are thousands of island that dot the water. Some are a fair size and then there are ones that are so tiny.... Well, you can see what I mean :o)

Believe it or not, but that whole house is basically it's own island! How would you like to walk out your front door one morning while you were still half asleep? LOL!

I've always said I would have no problem living on an island and I believe I would be happy with the peace and tranquility that solitude would provide. On my island I would want the following -

• my husband (you know I have to put this one first ;o) )
• my animals
• a humble but cute/quaint house
• a fireplace
• solar electricity
• lots, and I mean LOTS, of cross stitching supplies
• a camera
• a computer with internet access
• a good supply of chocolate, dark of course
• and last, but not least, a Coke slushy machine!

As our society progresses, it's all about possessions. What you have and how much you have of it. It's sad really but we all get sucked in. DH and I go through the house almost every year and end up with a pile of stuff that we don't like or need anymore. Why do we buy it in the first place? Why can't we say no to buying that cute little something that we don't know what to do with but it's just too good to pass up?

The girls have been talking about cutting back on their stash buying and I think that really makes sense. I know for me, I have my own personal store at home and enough projects to last my next ten lives! I want to jump on that bandwagon as well so here is what I propose.... I will not buy any stash from October 1 until retreat weekend which starts on November 3. This is my promise and you have it in writing girls :o)