Overdue Thank Yous

Where have I been? LOL! Well, still here on earth although stretched well beyond my means. So much so that I came down with another bout of vertigo :o( At least, when I get the chance, I will have a lot of stuff to show and write about ;o)

The first thing on the list though is some much overdue thank yous! I have been the very lucky recipient of some lovely gifts from some very wonderful friends and they should be acknowledged :o)

Karen never fails to send the neatest breast cancer items to me -

My pin collection has really grown thanks to her ;o) Do you see that gorgeous fob? Karen made it with some of her hand blown glass beads!!!! I think it looks quite stunning on my Ginghers :o) Oups! I just realized there is one thing missing from the picture! Karen sent Brie a little squeaky toy in the shape of a piece of cake. Brie absolutely LOVES this toy and the squeaker still works!!!! That is totally amazing since she can kill a squeaker in five seconds flat. LOL!

The next package to arrive was from Rachael -

I had won her contest for the Shepherd's Bush charts but was totally surprised to see a little something else in the envelope :o) That lovely pin keep was made by Rachael herself and she is one beautiful stitcher when it comes to Hardanger. She is one talented gal :o)

Last, but not least, was this huge surprise from Cindy -

I couldn't believe it when Cindy told me she made the Ort Pouch herself!!!! You should see this in person...its perfect! I'm not kidding. I told her she should sell them. I LOVE the color combination and the little froggies make me chuckle. She even made a fob (seen here on my new pair of Sarah Ginghers) with a frog charm at the end (comes with matching counting pin). LOL! I finally got my Garden Stars by Ink Circles :o) This multi-talented lady even made the dishcloth that matches my kitchen perfectly!

What can I say? I have the most wonderful, talented, caring friends around me and a gal can't be thankful enough for this. I truly appreciate these wonderful gifts and there are huge thank yous going out to you all :o)

A Year Older & A Day Late

I just finished ironing my shower curtain. Sounds funny, doesn't it? Well, I've been staring at that thing for the past week now and I just couldn't stand the wrinkles anymore! Wrinkles be gone! LOL!

Whew! It's been B-U-S-Y here and no wonder my poor Blog has been so neglected. Not to mention my emails and my Blog reading :o( I really do apologize. Please bear with me; I will be back at some point, although I'm not sure when right now. I have my parents coming to visit next weekend and it looks like my in-laws might be here the first part of July. So with moving in, unpacking, more cleaning and organizing, plus decorating, I've been stretching myself quite thin. The odd thing is, I've been enjoying it :o)

It's been a week today that we've been officially living in the new house! It really does feel like home and I love watching it grow around us with all of our special touches that we've been putting in. The flooring WAS finally finished before we moved in. It was close but it got done. Our dining room furniture was delivered and I'm just enamoured with it :o) I have all of these beautiful glass pieces in my china cabinet and they look so pretty.

Speaking of loving something...I am SO IN LOVE with my new washer and dryer!!!! They are awesome! We bought new front loading ones and I used them for the first time yesterday. Washing is as easy as 1-2-3 and the clothes come out almost dried. And talk about QUIET! Oh, I love, love, love them! Who would have thought that I would enjoy washing clothes so much ;o)

We're still waiting on our other furniture to be delivered but that's okay. I'm in a cleaning frenzy and want the living room done before they arrive. My poor stitching room has been sorely neglected and will probably be the last room to get done :o( I do have my new desk in there, plus my stash, but I need a good size storage unit and I'm waiting on my new recliner :o)

I also have to apologize that the birthday girl has been late with her post. I want to thank those that sent emails, comments, e-cards and real birthday cards :o) I will get around to thanking everyone personally. My big day was just a day. I was a little blue this year because it was the first time away from family and friends. I didn't have Mom to bake me a cake but DH came through and brought me home a little chocolate one just for me (I did share it with him btw).

It's a good thing for the stash cash that I received from some very special people :o) When I'm blue, the best thing is to shop!!!! LOL! And shop I will but I want to wait until after Market to see all the new stuff that's coming out.

I had better end this post before it gets any longer. I promise I will take pictures as soon as the house is deemed clean enough ;o) I've also got some new projects on the go and I guess I'll have to share those as well. I kinda got a small case of startitis about a week ago :oS

Doggy Style!

It never ceases to amaze me the healing powers that animals hold. Whether they realize that they are a comfort or a joy to their owners, I don't know. If they don't, then their antics must be pretty coincidental.

Today, when I got home from getting groceries, it was so nice out that I told Duncan and Brie that we'd go down to the beach for a bit. Both of them LOVE the beach, especially Brie because it's one terrain that she can still tear back and forth on. Even though her front end goes one way and her ass end another, she can still run circles around us :o)

It must be the right time of year because for the past week there have been loads of gulls and cormorants out in the water fishing. When we got down to the beach, there were a flock of gulls off to the right. The tide was coming in but it's nice and shallow where we are so I told Duncan to go get them. One thing you have to know about Duncan...he doesn't 'get' anything.

I was hopeful at first though because he started running towards them! All of a sudden he stops right in the middle of the beautiful surf and...dumps a load. Yup, he decides he's going to crap far enough out in the water that I can't scoop the poop :oS It would have been a million dollar shot but guess what? That's right, no camera. HA!

So, we're on our way back when I see Duncan sniffing around one of the huge boulders. He's got his nose way up in the air and I know he's onto something. The next thing I know, he's trying to jump up the boulder that's four times his height! Nope, not even close to successful. He's got his perturbed look but he's still fascinated with the area.

Of course he has hooked my interest by this point and I join in on the search. We both start climbing up the smaller boulders covered in seaweed. The flies should have been my first clue. They should have but I ignored them... Just as I saw it, Duncan was on it...a nice gooey fish head :oP Ewwwww! Luckily I managed to get him down before he snatched it up.

I don't know if I shared this with you before or not but when Duncan was staying with my in-laws over the winter, he came home with five different deer legs over that period of time. FIVE! Don't worry, the deer were already dead but it seems that Duncan has quite a talent for sniffing out dead things. DH and I are wondering if he should be a cadaver dog as grotesque as that may be. But Duncan loves doing it and he's so proud when he finds something. He's like a cat that brings home a dead mouse to his master only we have a dog that brings home deer legs.

That's our boy though; full of personality, never boring and seems to know when I need a good laugh ;o)

Flower Power

Sweet, sweet Monday. The beginning of a new week. Actually, the beginning of a new month considering it's June 1! Unfortunately I feel like I'm still stuck in last week. My cold has gone from a sore throat to my left nostril, to my right nostril and then down into my chest where it remains, sucking the life out of me. Add to misery the fact that Aunt Flo came for a visit and there you have the ultimate torture.

DH worked all weekend and I went from the bed to the couch, from the couch to the bed, from the bed to the couch...well, you get the idea. I'm over medicated with Cold FX, Zinc tablets, PMS pills and Robitussin. Talk about a cocktail! I did manage to get out yesterday and go over to the new house but my body protested way too much after I put one of the laundry baskets together so it was back to bed for me.

Fingers crossed that the flooring comes in today. If that's the case, hopefully they will be done installing it by tomorrow and then I can get back on track. I don't appreciate it when things interfere with my plans. When body and mind don't listen to each other, this is the result. I just wish they'd take their war somewhere else!

Since I'm still basking in this miserable state, I figured I would use the power of flowers to add some cheer to this Monday and see if that changes anything ;o)

What do you think?

Speaking of Flower Power, I have a sadistic desire to stitch this pattern by The Crossed Wing Collection. Maybe that's just the cocktail talking, I don't know, but if anyone has this pattern for sale or trade, plmk. You can find my email address through my profile :o)

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Another l-o-n-g week... On Monday, DH and I got a break from everything and travelled to the 'big city' where I had an appointment with an ENT. This new doctor went over my ear ringing and he suggested a few new things. At this point, I'm willing to try anything! He's also referring me to a TMJ specialist about my jaw, which I think is a step in the right direction since I've broken 2-3 molars already :oS After the appointment, DH and I did a bit of shopping and picked up a few things for the house. Who knew that shopping for curtains could be SO exhausting!!!!

The movers arrived on Tuesday morning and all our 'junk' was delivered. DH and I are still shaking our heads wondering WHY we decided to keep so much stuff. Thankfully we have a full basement in this house but there is not as much storage space. So now we either have to be more creative or we have to de-clutter. Don't worry; my stash is not going anywhere! LOL!

Since the rest of our flooring won't be installed until the first of next week (GRRRRR!!!!), I have concentrated my cleaning, scrubbing, disinfecting and washing on the second floor. As of today, I have our bedroom and the extra bedroom complete except for making the beds. Today I plan to tackle our bathroom but I'm not sure if I'll make it...

As predicted, the exhaustion has lowered my immune system and I woke up the other night with a sore throat :o( I've been popping Cold FX and Zinc tablets in hopes that it will slow things down. I was so sore Wednesday night that it took every last bit of energy to lift my arm and feed myself. I look like I've been drug through a knothole backwards. More cuts and bruises have appeared, enough that I won't be wearing shorts for the next month...at least! LOL!

How's that for whining? Not enough? Okay, I haven't picked up a needle since May 18 :o( I miss my stitching!!!! At this point, I probably couldn't even focus on the holes. It also doesn't help that I'm ready for bed before it's even dark out. Even though I'm in one sad state, I'm SO happy about the house and getting it all fixed up :o)

I guess it's been awhile since I've posted a picture of the critter kids so here's one of The Odd Couple -

Duncan came back the end of April and Brie was ecstatic to see him :o) I haven't really written about Brie lately because we've been having some really serious issues and I'm very torn up about what to do. I know what 'should' be done but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

So much for an upbeat post :oS

Coming Up Short

It's been a l-o-n-g week. I've been going non-stop since I received the keys to our new house at 2 pm on Tuesday. Cleaning, scrubbing, disinfecting and washing enough dishes that I should have immunity for the next year ;o) Even though I am tired, sore and covered in cuts and bruises, I feel happy and have a sense of accomplishment. That was, until today...

The week went really smooth with the electrician, the telephone company (a screw up on their part), having the propane installed and our new appliances delivered. On Thursday, we got the call we were desperately waiting for...the new hardwood floor had come in! Our contractor picked it up on Friday, started tearing out the existing hardwood floor and planned on installing the new today.

DH and I arrived at the house late this afternoon to see the progress. When I walked in the door, my eyes fell upon the gorgeous hardwood flooring that I picked out and I was jumping for joy until we were informed that there wasn't enough to finish the job. WHAT? ACK!

So here we are, late on a Saturday. The flooring place is closed. As far as we know, they only brought in enough boxes for our project and they came all the way from Ontario. ARGH! At this point we're not sure just how quickly we can get the extra two boxes that we need. And so we wait until Monday so that we can get in touch with someone who can.

My smooth chain of events now has a HUGE kink in it. The moving company is coming on Tuesday and the flooring was to be complete before that :o( So much for a well laid out plan! Maybe I'm not cracking my whip loud enough ;o)

Before I close, I will leave you with this -

The rhododendrons are out and the hummers are back!

Home Sweet Home

Today is THE day!!!! I know I have been holding out on you all but like I said in my other post, time just doesn't exist lately. If you haven't already noticed my ticker above (it seems that one of you, Alberta, has hawk eyes), today is the possession date of our new house :o) Yes, DH and I are homeowners again! WOOHOO!

After weeks of searching, looking and following up leads, our realtor (you're awesome M!) called us about this little gem. We are the first house on the left -

A little plain on the outside, yes, but we have plans to make this "the" cutest house on the block ;o)

Under all that awful vinyl siding, our house has character. Not only do we have water and sewage (long story!), but we even have a little garage -

You'll laugh at the size of our yard because we've gone from a 4 acre plot to the size of a postage stamp. LOL! We love it though and DH has already been carefully planning the landscaping. Just to give you an idea just how small we're talking, DH picked up one of these the other day -

No, we're not on the water like we wanted to be BUT just a stone's throw away is the ocean and a five minute drive will take you to a white sandy beach :o) I can walk the dogs down to a beautiful park where we can sit and watch the boats going out of the marina. We're also going to have neighbours. Close neighbours. DH and I aren't used to this so it will be a test to just how friendly we will have to be. LOL!

The inside of the house was the real clincher. The person we bought it from had totally gutted it and re-did the whole thing. It's just gorgeous! I can't show you too many pictures yet because the ones I have show their possessions but I can give you a sneak peek ;o) Here's part of the kitchen -

The whole downstairs is painted a sage green and I love it! We have porcelain tile going from the front door, through the kitchen and into the back entrance. The living room and dining room have hardwood floors but they are being replaced with hardwood floors, hopefully this coming week. Yup, you heard me right...hardwood for hardwood. The color they have in there now is red and doesn't go with anything that we have so I thought it was only logical to change it! Just don't bring up the subject with DH ;o)

Here's a picture of the upstairs bathroom -

It's painted a lovely light grey. Yes, GREY DH, GREY! Do you know how hard it is to find nice grey towels and at a reasonable price????

So, tomorrow I have our new appliances being delivered :o) I'm hoping against all hope that our hardwood flooring will be in by tomorrow at the very latest so it can get installed before next week because on May 26, all our stuff that we stored will be delivered. We'll also have the new dining room table/chairs and server coming that day. The only thing we're waiting to hear on is the rest of the furniture.

I did the walk through this morning and now I'm just sitting here waiting for the money to be transferred over so I can pick up the key. The car is loaded with cleaning supplies so I'm good to go when the call comes in :o)

Fifth Finish For 2009

Eek! It seems my poor Blog has been neglected lately :o( Where does the time go???? If anyone has learned how to make a 48 hour day, plmk. They would definitely come in handy.

I know I'm a little late for Easter this year but I figured this piece would be all prepared for the next :oP Here is Hare's Easter by Plum Street Samplers -

I thought the initial pattern was cute when I saw it but then when I saw it stitched on Yuko's Blog, I knew I had to do something similar. I had a piece of Angel Blush in my stash just waiting to be used. The softness of the pink fabric is so pretty and it makes the colors just pop -

I'm not sure what I'll do with the piece just yet. Hey, I have approximately 9-10 months to decide ;o)

So, if you look at my 2009 Goals, I have achieved two of them so far! The rest of the ornament sized pieces will be no problem but I have to concentrate on a medium size project. I started something new today so hopefully that will take care of that ;o)

While I was waiting for some fabric to arrive, I dug out Growth Rings and stitched on that for a bit -

I'm quite happy with the progress on this one and I'm still happy with the colors I chose. Here's a close up shot to give you a better idea -

I can't stress enough how wonderful Carrie's Silk Threads are to work with. They are divine!

Before I close, I have a huge thank you to send out to Kim. I won a contest on her Blog and not only did I get the pattern I won but she also added another one by Marjolein Bastin called The Four Seasons in memory of Pickles. I can't tell you how verklempt I was the day I opened it. Again, thank you Kim for your generosity and thoughtfulness :o)

Adventures With Visitors

On the first weekend of May, Mom and Dad came down to visit DH and I for the first time :o) It had been two months since I had seen my parents and it was great to get together again. As I stated earlier, Dad brought down the box for Pickles and even though my mood was a bit sombre, I was happy for the distraction that the weekend's adventures brought.

Since my parents had never been down this way before, we made sure we did some touring around because this truly is a beautiful part of our country. On Saturday, I decided to stop in at Pine Grove Park for the first time -

From what I'm told, Nova Scotia is known for its rhododendrons and this park was full of them, although they were not in bloom yet. It was still a gorgeous park and we had a nice hike through the woods. Here's a picture of Mom and Dad -

And DH and I -

There were loads of photo opportunities but this couple stole the show -

On Sunday, DH and I decided to torture my parents again and we took them on an even longer hike! LOL! This time we went to Kejimkujik National Park (Keji = Ke-G for short). This park is actually broken up into two parts, inland and along the shore. We toured the shore area -

The trail we took was like traveling through the barren lands but there were plenty of signs of rabbits :o) The hidden gem was at the end of the trail when we reached the beach. Just off shore were approximately five to six seals sunning themselves on the rocks! Dad's camera has more zoom so this is the picture he took -

As we were taking pictures, there was one seal in the water and he/she kept splashing the water -

I'm not sure what he/she was trying to do but it looked like he/she was having fun :o)

When we got home and I was reviewing my pictures, I noticed something a little funny that showed up in a couple of them -

Can you see the boat? DH explained to me that it's shipwrecked. Someone had been towing the boat to shore when it got away from them. A storm came in and deposited the boat right there on that small island! I guess it's going to stay where it is. LOL!

After walking approximately 5 Km in total, Mom and I thought that we more than deserved a feast of the 'World's Best Clams'. Let me just say this, it was WELL worth the effort ;o)

Fourth Finish For 2009

These little guys have been finished for quite awhile now but with everything that has been going on, this is the first moment I've had to post pictures. So...I present to you Photobooth Snowmen by Bent Creek -

I absolutely LOVE this pattern! The snowmen are so cute and their antics are comical. I did not add the snow in the background though because I felt it really didn't add anything. I love them just the way they are :o)

Thanks to Nancy's generosity, she saved the project by sending me a skein of GAST Roasted Marshmallow! This was for the 'dirty' coloured snowman and as you can see, it was a really good variegated skein. Maybe I should get a personal shopper more often ;o) You were a lifesaver girl and I haven't forgotten about you!

Awhile back, I received the most amazing surprise in the mail -

This lovely birdie came from Ranae as a thank you for The Victoria Sampler giveaway that she won on my Blog. It was completely unexpected but what a thoughtful gift. I always feel honoured when I receive a piece of stitching from another stitcher. It will truly be cherished :o) Thank you again Ranae and I apologize for taking so long to post a picture.

I want to thank everyone again for all their wonderful support. I am starting to get back on my feet again, although it's still hard to find joy knowing there is a hole in my heart :o( I went grocery shopping today and lo and behold what did I need but Dill Pickles. Sigh.

Brighter Days Ahead

At least I hope so.

Last night as the clouds rolled out to sea, we were gifted with this gorgeous sight -

Not only did we see the whole rainbow, but there were two of them! So beautiful and so bright. Do you know how hard it is to get a picture of the whole thing? LOL!

I want to thank everyone who emailed or left a comment for me regarding Pickles. It truly meant a lot to know there were so many friends out there if I needed a shoulder to cry on. Unfortunately when things go wrong, I tend to alienate myself and huddle into a corner. I have been reading all your Blogs though but I haven't been leaving comments or answering emails. I hope you understand. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things soon.

I'm still working through the grief. Pickles had been with me for 11 years and was the best of bunnies. I'm not sure if I told you or not, but we adopted Pickles from the SPCA in early spring. Someone had found him and his sister in a dumpster :o( How anyone could do this to an animal, I will never understand. From that day on, I was thankful that Pickles came home with us.

Pickles had his own unique personality and I loved all the quirks he had. He never wanted to see the bottom of his food dish so when he did, he would upset the whole thing and make a total mess. He knew that ticked me off. LOL! Every morning he would do donuts in his cage until he got his carrots. And believe me; he made sure you never forgot. When it came time for his cage to be cleaned, he (somehow!) would fire one round little turd out of his cage. You would hear it hit the floor and immediately know what was required. Pickles was very particular about his litter box too. DH always failed to pat down the shavings and this annoyed Pickles to no end. If I didn't get to them before he did, you would see Pickles compacting them down with his two front paws.

Mom and Dad are visiting this weekend. I asked Dad to build a box to bury Pickles in and what a beautiful box it is. Dad's friend engraved Pickles' name on the top of the box and I choked up when I saw it. My parents will be taking Pickles home with them when they leave. He will be buried with other members of our family from over the years. At least I know he won't be alone and he can run circles in the woods with my other bunny Scooter :o)

Good-bye My Friend

You've gone to a better place but I will still miss you every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day.

Dill Pickles

1998-2009

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood...

Would you like to be my neighbour?

Is that a tease or what! I wonder how many neighbours I would have if you 'could' come over. LOL! I see that I haven't scared anyone away with my twisted sense of humour so either you guys are brave or you're just as crazy as I am ;o)

Yesterday I had to travel to the next town over to change our insurances, vehicle registration and my driver's licence. The insurances were done without a hitch but I sat at the DMV for an hour just so that she could tell me that I had to have DH there with me to change things over >:o(

What is it with the DMV anyway???? Why do they get such a bad rap? Aren't all their agents this friendly? ;o)

Not was all lost though because I found a cute little bookstore and a framing shop that carries 'some' stitching supplies :o) I also did some furniture shopping but that news will all be revealed in another post...

People, People, People!

Oh my, I can't believe that no one guessed what my new WIP was even with a piece of the puzzle right there in front of you! I know I didn't give you much stitching to go by but if your eyes just veered to the right hand side of my Blog, you would have seen the answer ;o) LOL!

So now that I have spilled the beans, here is another progress picture of Growth Rings by Ink Circles -

I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I really didn't take into account just how big this piece really is but I just can't seem to put it down! I just might end up with two large pieces completed for 2009 at this rate.

I'm using Carrie's new silk threads and OMG they are a delight to use! No tangles or fraying and they are so soft. If you haven't tried them yet, I suggest you do. I'm sure you can find something to stitch with them ;o)

I want to take a moment to apologize (profusely!) to those who have given me awards in the past month. I have to admit that I have been very neglectful and now I can't remember what I got and where they even came from :o( I am very humbled that you have thought of my Blog and enjoy reading it :o) I'm sorry and I hope you will accept this apology.

I've had a few people ask me if my Avatar is supposed to be me as a Fishery Officer. Yes, that is true. I'm trying to 'emulate' DH. LOL! The only problem is...they refused to give me a gun. Hmmm...I wonder why. It's not like I wouldn't pass the psychological tests ;o)