Finish Twenty-Two

She's done! She's done! She's done, she's done, she's done! Done, done, done! Done, done, done! Here is Gathering Eggs by Mirabilia FINALLY completed -

I'm still not as attracted to this piece as I thought I would be :o( I made quite a few changes with the backstitching in order to make things blend a little better and not look so harsh and heavy. I decided not to do the daisy stitches in her dress and on her shawl because I thought it was just too much. I don't think their absence will be missed. I only used one strand of the metallic gold for the ribbon around her neck.

I'm not sure how well it's going to stand out but I think the two strands would have looked too bulky. Gathering Eggs was stitched on 28 count Natural Pearl Linen. This is a NICE fabric! If you ever get the opportunity, try it out :o)

Btw, it seems that every picture I see of Gathering Eggs on the internet, shows her facing the other way. Is this just me or is she supposed to? I got my pattern from the April 1998 issue of Better Homes & Gardens Cross Stitch & Needlework magazine so I have never seen her out in the actual pattern form. Any thoughts or ideas as to why this is?

So what's next in line? I do have a small project put aside but I'm not sure if I'll take the time to stitch that right now or not. I do have the first two blocks of my Two By Two afghan all kitted up and I'm dying to stitch one up so I imagine that will be next ;o) The house is still cool so I won't mind sitting underneath the afghan, at least until July. Maybe...

This stupid cold has decided to hang around a little longer than I had hoped. I was feeling much better on Monday and went to work. Last night I woke up with the sore throat again. Come on! I think I have suffered enough already! And the snot...I can't believe how much snot has come out of my nose. It's never ending and I have no idea where it's being stored. I have piles of Kleenex everywhere. This morning I woke up and found myself just about to blow my nose on the bed sheet! I tell you, there is nothing dignified about having a cold.

They Shoot Pumpkins Don't They?

I should be a psychic! As predicted, Tuesday and Wednesday were enough to drive me to my grave but what I didn't bank on was coming down with a bad cold on Monday night :o( That was just the icing on the cake. Not only did I look bad and feel bad, but I also had a nasty mood to match. Luckily, thanks to modern medicine, I drugged myself up all week; enough to make this nightmare seem like it was going by a little quicker. I'm still miserable today but at least it's mostly the cold that I'm dealing with now.

The FAE didn't quite go as planned. It just proved that The Dog & Pony Show continues. What is with these people???? Their strict seven hour days were more like four and the girl doing my testing thought it was more important to share her trip to the Dominican with her co-workers than keep her eye on me. She told me right up front that she had my file but didn't read it ahead of time, so she had no idea what I had or why I was there. Good to know they were up to date on "all" of my medical conditions.

There is much, much, much more to this story but I have promised to keep things "brief" on my Blog ;o) I'm just sure this certain someone knows the force of the tidal wave that will happen if I really let loose. What angers me about this latest "hurdle" LTD has asked me to do is that I felt the person doing the testing was not doing it seriously or professionally. My financial, physical AND mental states are all hanging in the air and a lot of that power was put into her hands. Can you see why my faith in her was not very high? I'm only telling you a wee part of the story too.

So, I have written up what happened on both days and forwarded it to my lawyer. I want it all laid out on the table. I have done everything LTD has asked me to do. I have cooperated with everything that LTD has asked me to do. I have kept to the strict time frames that LTD has put me in. What have they done for me? I had to use one of my vacation days at work to take Wednesday off in order to do the FAE test, a test THEY required me to do. My time frames are to be respected, while LTD can come up with an answer whenever they feel it's convenient for them. I cannot take a leave of absence from work because LTD states that will VOID my appeal.

Enough said.

Victoria Day Weekend

Our Victoria Day long weekend has always been a busy one. To DH and I, this is "our" first sign of spring and the time that our shack wacky feelings really kick in. We've always dedicated this weekend to traveling down to Bar Harbor, Maine, one of our favorite spots. Long ago it started out as our "Crazy Day" when we would drive four hours down and four hours back, in one day, just to get a small taste of what we had been missing all winter :o) Unfortunately this holiday weekend, we didn't get to celebrate tradition but this was due to many factors.

On Saturday, DH and I went over and celebrated our nephew's first birthday! Happy Birthday Dylan! He is such a cutie :o) Here he is modeling the swim suit that we got him -

Grandma made his cake and even made a small boat that detached from the main cake and that was Dylan's own personal piece. It didn't take long for that boy to figure out what to do with it. LOL! After about three hours of screeching and yelling, DH and I were "very" happy to return to our quiet sanctuary. If I ever doubt the decision not to have children, just put me in a situation like that for a few hours and then I'll remember why ;o)

On Sunday, DH packed up Duncan and they both headed down to his parents so he could help out with the new mudroom addition. That meant that Brie and I were to hold the fort and I think we are doing quite well :o) Yesterday we spent the day on the couch and I stitched while Brie napped. I managed to work on some more pillow tucks and even completed one with my own stitching piece. I am VERY pleased with the results :o)

I think I might continue to sew them and possibly put a few up for sale if anyone is interested ;o)

Today the sun is trying to peek out from the clouds but it's still cool outside. Brie and I began our morning with a rip roaring game of fetch with her favorite toy, the Kong. She absolutely LOVES this thing and even knows it by name. The crazy thing is, she can play fetch for hours with this thing. Dad is usually the one to get sucked into doing this though ;o) I took a few pictures of Brie this morning while we were playing. This is what we call The Flying Nun -

This is Brie taking five but notice how close by the Kong is -

Tomorrow is day one of my FAE (Functionality Abilities Evaluation) that I have to do for LTD. We are all hoping this will be the end to this nightmare so that DH and I can continue with our lives. We've basically been on hold since last October and the strain is really getting to us. If you don't see me posting for a few days, that means I've hit the wall and won't be crawling out of bed until the weekend. Sigh. Bar Harbor sounds SO appealing right now...

Snow? Sew!

Mother Nature seems to have played another trick on us but luckily there wasn't much left on the ground when I got up. Yes, that's right...snow! Craziness! We had turned the heat off, again, and now I had to put it back on. DH and I were shivering last night and my hands kept getting too cold to stitch. It really wasn't worth the suffering. I'm back to wearing my woolies. Brrrrr!

Earlier this week, I got another sewing bug. I had just finished this purse for Mom a week ago -

If you can't tell, it's a pink John Deere purse with a marbled brown fabric on the inside. Not what most mothers would want but it was kind of for fun seeing that Dad is such a huge John Deere fan ;o) I tried to photograph this one differently but I'm still not sure if this really shows the purse off or not.

Anyway, I got it in my head that I was going to practice making tuck pillows. I received a kit with a pre-made tuck pillow (see snowman tuck in picture below) and I figured it was time to try my hand at it. I went through four prototypes but I have finally mastered them! If I may say so, I think mine turned out better than the pre-made one ;o)

This style of tuck has the pillow incorporated right into it. In other words, the pillow cannot be removed. You will see NO fabric edges whatsoever! So far I have made two sizes. The small tucks have a 2.5 x 2.5 opening while the larger tucks have a 3.5 x 3.5. I have not stuffed them yet so that's why they look so flat :o)

I wasn't going to post another progress picture of Gathering Eggs but I already had the camera out -

She is starting to fill in slowly. I love the vibrant colors, especially now with all the dark, cloudy days. I can see the end!

A Fiddlehead?

If you are not from Canada or a die hard Maritimer, you might not be familiar with this word. Want to guess what it means? To make things easier, I'll give you a multiple choice question :o) A fiddlehead is:

a) the end of an arrow
b) a young fern
c) someone who enjoys playing the fiddle

If you picked...

B, you would be correct! Let me introduce you to, what is considered a New Brunswick delicacy, the fiddlehead -

Would you believe that this tiny plant causes a stampede every spring? I compare it to the gold rush. Literally. Pickers have their secret or staked out spots and these are carefully watched over until the first fiddlehead starts poking its head out of the ground. That's when a frenzy of picking begins! The picking timeline is very short because in no time flat, these curled up plants will unfurl themselves and produce a mature fern -

Have I gotten your taste buds going yet? I did call fiddleheads a delicacy but I'm not your typical Maritimer. Yes, I have eaten fiddleheads before. Am I fond of them? Let me put it this way, if there was nothing else to eat, I would at least survive ;o) Fiddleheads are typically steamed and then slathered with butter. I've seen other recipes that add oil, vinegar and garlic but a little camouflage is not going to hide the fact that it's a fern. Okay, if you want to get brave enough and try these plants, maybe a Fiddlehead Omelette wouldn't be so bad.

I'm not a complete ignorant Maritimer though ;o) Give me lobster, give me clams, give me maple syrup or give me smoked salmon any day of the year! Fiddleheads are...ferns! Plain and simple. FERNS! Nothing scrumptious about that to me :oP

Stash Is In The Air!

Gee, I didn't realize that I haven't posted since Monday :o( It's been a busy week here, resulting in me staying home from work today. I almost fainted when I woke up and saw that it was 1:30 PM! Needless to say, I am very tired out and obviously needed the rest.

This week was awesome as far as mail goes ;o) It was nice to finally see some goodies arrive by post again. It's really hard to get ecstatic over a phone bill. Believe me, I tried. LOL! Here's what arrived this week -

I want to thank Sandy from San Man Originals for the care that she puts into every order. I only bought a dollar chart (bunny of course) and it still arrived all wrapped up with a free chart and the ladybug pencil :o) Drema spoiled me with Seashell Silhouette by Imaginating, Briar Rabbit by L-D-Da, 30 count 18th Century Rook Linen by R & R Reproductions (for Briar Rabbit), Mill Hill beads (to finish Giggles) and four GASTs (Red Plum, Tropical Ocean, Flax and Cidermill Brown). Last but not least, some Oh-So-Gorgeous fabric from Daisy Stitches. This is my first fabric from Enchanted Fabrics (Ocean Depths) and it's very comparable to Heaven Lee Creations fabric, IMHO. The color swatch on Despina's website is not even close to this gorgeous shade of blue.

Yesterday I was surprised by a package from my friend Pam :o) We had just talked on the phone earlier in the week and I guess she didn't waste any time getting her care package out! Look at all the goodies!

Would you believe that bunny is chocolate scented???? Pam knows the way to my heart ;o) And I do have to apologize Pam, there were three Lindt chocolates in there but now there are two in my tummy and one in DH's. LOL! Pam also donated some floss to my Two By Two afghan project. You know, at first I thought it was silly to put up my floss list but now it's turned into something I never even thought of. Do you realize that each person that donates floss is going to be a part of this project? How amazing is that! It truly will be something special in the end :o) If you want to donate some floss, you can find my wish list down the right hand side of my Blog.

Finally, I thought I would post a picture of what I'm currently working on -

Yes, Gathering Eggs popped her head out again and I'm very pleased with the progress I have made. I may even finish her! That's today's goal anyway ;o)

Dream On

Do you remember your dreams? What do you dream about? Have you ever had your dreams analyzed?

There are five distinct stages of sleep. Stage One and Stage Two are a light sleep. Stages Three and Four are considered your deep sleep and Stage Five is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. In Stages Three and Four, your body produces growth hormones, which help with tissue repair and healing. There is little dreaming in these two stages. Most of your dreaming will occur during REM sleep. These five stages repeat over and over again during the night, approximately a ninety-minute cycle. In order to function properly, it states that we should have eight to nine hours of sleep per night. If this is the case, does that mean that we can have five to six different dreams a night?

When I was younger I always had a similar element to my dreams. In each dream, I would be attacked or chased by a black bear. Why? I have no idea. I've seen bears before, from a good distance that is ;o) I've never encountered a mother bear with cubs or any bear for that matter. During my late twenties, those dreams stopped and I've never dreamt about black bears again. The Curious Dreamer states that having a bear as a dream symbol means "Power, or a power imbalance. To dream a bear is attacking symbolizes aggression and/or protectiveness." Huh.

In the past ten years I've had another dream that plagues me. I'm trying to contact DH by phone but I keep making dialing mistakes. Here's what The Curious Dreamer has to say about that one "You're feeling frustrated in communicating something. You're isolated or cut off from others. You feel the need to reach out or ask for help. Your subconscious mind is imagining a worse-case scenario based on a fear of needing help and not being able to get it." I'd say the last statement could be spot on.

Some of my dreams become so real that I have to orient myself in the morning to make sure that what I experienced was actually a dream. They are not always bad dreams but the ones that are have introduced a new twist to my sleep...I wake up screaming. Yup! It nearly gives DH a heart attack :o) Sometimes the screams are hoarse and caught in my throat but other times they are piercing (from what I have been told). There are times when I vaguely remember doing it but I can never remember why I was that terrified. I'm the perfect guest for a sleep over ;o)

Just for fun, take a look at The Curious Dreamer and find out what your dreams mean. It may or may not be accurate but it's good fun :o)

One Of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing makes you happy? No matter what you do, you still struggle to take interest in something. You feel no inspiration what so ever. It seems my week is going that way. I just can't seem to get myself out of this slump. I've tried different things but when I get turned off by my stitching, then you know something is wrong!

My head feels so full that there doesn't seem to be room to breath. My creative self is yelling for help because it's so bogged down and drowning. I tried taking some pictures after work today but nothing spoke to me. There were no flowers to speak of. Everything around me still looked dead. It's been cold here and today is not helping. It's windy, cold AND over cast :o(

When Quilt Time Sampler finished the first of this week, I started to make plans for my next project. I can't tell you how many times I went through my stash. I kept taking things out and then putting them back again. Nothing was talking to me there either. I started my Marquoir Sampler over again but I'm still having problems with the lightest color. I have one more to try and then maybe I'll post a picture.

It seems I have settled on Gathering Eggs for now. I dug her out and started stitching her again. She really doesn't have that much left so hopefully I will stick by her until she is completed this time. I want to thank everyone for putting their votes in for my next project. It looks like Stargazer has won! I just love that design and I look forward to making her come alive :o)

Today I finally received my Two By Two (by Sue Hillis) book -

I have seen this design stitched up twice and each time I was in awe. I just love it! I'm going to reserve the fall to start this biggie because I really don't want to be tucked under that afghan all summer. Plus, it looks like I have some DMC to buy. Would you believe this takes 156 SKEINS OF DMC???? Ack! The floss is going to be the most expensive part of this project! Anyone up to donating to the cause? ;o)

Finish Twenty-One

And it's about darn tootin' time too!

This is Quilt Time Sampler by Little House Needleworks. It was stitched on 32 count Country French Latte Linen with DMC floss.

I never thought this project would come to an end! You should have seen me last night, I was quite a sight :o) My determination and dislike for this project gave me the strength to stay up late and complete this WIP. It was just under the wire too! At 11:30 pm, I was sitting on the couch in a zombie-like state (from being over tired) with a sense of euphoria (from my new Fibro drug); unable to do a happy dance because of the pre-existing states I was in. LOL! Needless to say, I am one happy camper today though! Getting rid of that project feels so liberating!

So, what's next? I'm not 100% sure. Since I feel off the wagon, my plans have changed somewhat. I have decided to revamp my Marquoir Sampler. Every time I opened that project, it just kept reminding me of Christmas and that was not the effect I wanted. I was originally using DMC 520, 815, 3790 and 3865 but thanks to a member of one of my groups, I will be changing to the colors to DMC 167, 3051, 3858 and Anchor 390. I think this should give me the antique look that I was trying to aim for. The not-so-good part of the revamp means I will be doing some frogging :o( Yuck!

I really do want to get another WIP off my list but we'll see how much of a priority that is by the end of the week ;o) Gathering Eggs has been gathering a lot of dust and I'd say she's about 2/3 of the way done. The same with Giggles but I don't know if I want to stitch a Christmas design right now.

My desire to dive into a huge project is very strong. I have two afghans, one L&L and one Mirabilia that I want to stitch but I can't decide where to start. I think the afghans will be put aside until the fall though. With the warmer weather on the horizon, I really don't need the extra heat. So...that leaves me with two to choose from. Okay, I'm going to ask for your help then. Which project should I pick up next - Lady Of The Thread by L&L or Stargazer by Mirabilia? Leave me your vote in the comment section and later on I'll see who wins out ;o)

THUD!

What's that you ask? That's me, officially falling off the wagon. Yes, I can no longer deny it, my will is just too weak and the dark force is just too strong. It has pulled me in with all of those colorful fabrics, twinkling beads, silky threads and must do designs. Let's not leave out all the enablers, whether they realize they are guilty or not ;o)

I have to admit that when I made the decision to do this challenge, I never thought that I would make it almost halfway. I started out pretty focused though but now I can feel it side tracking quite a bit. I'm not sure if it's the warmer weather, the fact that I don't really have a huge project on the go or maybe it's just all the stress that I have been under.

So now I'm officially stepping down from The 50 Project Challenge. My legal department, namely Shannon, can no longer find any extra clauses or exceptions that would still let me qualify for the project. I have strayed quite a ways from the rules and regulations. The Bunny Clause and The Charity/Donations Exception can only go so far ;o)

In the end, I have still saved money and that was one of the main things I was striving for. I also stitched up quite a few charts that I've wanted to do for a while now but just never got around to. Plus the fact that I already have twenty projects under my belt and that definitely helps the year-end total.

My goals for the rest of the year will remain somewhat the same though. I will refrain from spending a lot of money on stash, I will keep working on my WIPs and 2007 Goal List and I will still dig in that bottomless drawer of mine to search out other patterns that are hidden in its depths :o)

Wrinkles Aren't Just A Sign Of Aging

As I was putting away two weeks worth of clean clothes this morning, two thoughts came to mind. One, I was glad that they were piled on the spare bed instead of the floor this time and two, how much I hated wrinkles. There is nothing that I detest more than wrinkled clothing or fabric. Yes, I have always been that anal ;o)

Back before the Fibro zapped all of the energy out of me, I used to always iron my clothes before I wore them. Always. Every piece. Okay, not my socks, bra and underwear but you get the picture :o) If my clothes weren't ironed before I wore then, I would feel frumpy and disheveled. Now, I rarely iron my clothes but only because I have found a quicker, less exhaustive way of getting my clothes wrinkle free. Enter the dryer :o)

Clothes aside, I feel the same way about my stitching fabric. I absolutely LOVE when shops keep their fabric as wrinkle free as possible. There used to be a shop in Moncton, that is now closed, and Barb kept her fabrics in such a lovely, organized way. I rarely bought my fabric elsewhere because just looking at those crisp pieces of linen was enough to drive a girl to heaven :o) She even surged around the fabric so that all the ends were nice and neat. Sigh! Barb, I "really" miss you!

I have yet to find a shop that keeps their fabric at this high level of excellence. I've found a few that come close so I guess I will just have to settle for that for now. On the other hand, I have been into shops that have fabric everywhere. And I mean e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e! The scene looks like something out of a horror movie. Instead of bodies lying everywhere, it's fabric. I just cringe when I think of how that lovely fabric is treated :o( Two years ago I finally got to visit one of the "very popular and most talked about" cross stitch store and I was horrified to see their fabric literally dumped into plastic bins. I still can't erase the awful pictures in my head.

I store my fabric in drawers and I try to keep them as wrinkle free as possible. Now unless you have huge drawers, there are always going to be some creases and that's understandable. Before I start a project though, I always iron my fabric. Again, anal I know, but if I'm going to spend days looking at this project, I don't want to be seeing a piece of frumpy material in my hands. LOL! Does anyone do this as well? Does anyone share my anal retentive ways?

At least I can say that I haven't reached the level of sorting my fabric by color. Not yet anyway ;o)

Itchin' To Stitch

Whew! I'm still trying to catch my breath from last week! I told the girls they are going to have to wheel me around in a wheelchair the next time we do something like that. Hey, it might be fun! For me anyway ;o)

I was looking at my journal last night and I realized that I haven't stitched for two weeks! Can you imagine? I think the second longest time I have gone without stitching was back in May of last year when I had a real bad case of vertigo for a week :o( It will be nice to get back into the groove of things again.

To be fair though, the reason for the first week off was because I was doing some sewing :o) Do you remember when I said I had a surprise for the girls? Well, I finally put what my MIL taught me to good use and I made them each a reversible bag. Although I'm not gifted for putting two patterned fabrics together, I'm quite impressed with my results. Katie's bag had a scrapbooking theme with a matching dark green interior and buttons with a stitched look -

For Faith Ann's, I went with a lovely floral pattern that I've had for a while now but didn't know what to do with. Her purse is lined with a lovely lilac color and her buttons are pearly white flowers -

On the stitching side of things, I have gone back to my Quilt Time Sampler by LHN and I'm determined to get this done and out of the way. I'm not very fond of this piece and if I don't finish it now, I fear I never will. This is my progress to date -

My goal is to finish this one, work some more on one of my WIP pieces, stitch a few smaller pieces I've been anxious to do and then maybe start a big project again. I've been eyeing a few. Who knew it would be so hard to pick!

Shop 'Till You Drop Or...Puke?

As you may have noticed (and thanks for all the concern from those who did!) I have not posted since I went on my trip to Maine with the girls. It seems there was a bit of a glitch with my awesome plan to use shopping therapy as a way to push aside all the stress that has been overwhelming me at the moment. Even though I had a TERRIFIC weekend, my body thought otherwise and decided to finally surrender :o( I guess things just accumulated enough to drive my immune system down and I caught a bug somewhere. I have to say that I have not puked like that in a long time but the good news is, I think I lost a bit of weight! LOL! Well, at least I lost whatever I put on that weekend ;o)

So I bet you are all wondering how the weekend went! Were you on pins and needles all week? :o) Let's see, where to begin...the weather had us guessing right up until the last minute whether we were going or not. We got a nice (NOT!) snowstorm on Friday and by Saturday morning, everything was white but at least the roads were clear. I, somehow, made it out of the house on time, picked up Katie and got to Faith Ann's shortly after 7 am. We all piled into Faith Ann's car and we hit the new four-lane highway all the way up to the border crossing. The guard must have eaten her Wheaties that morning because she was pretty friendly and soon had us through. I knew my trip was going to be great after finding a Coke slushie at our first stop! Gooooooood slushie!

Since we had quite a list of places to hit, we decided to forfeit going to the new fiber store in Orono. It wasn't a full-fledged cross-stitch store anyway. We were really liking the idea of getting to Jo-Ann's Fabrics and AC Moore with our 40% off coupons ;o) We graced our presence at Old Navy and Khols before we hit the Olive Garden for lunch. I have never been to an Olive Garden but I'm SO glad (NOT!) that Faith Ann suggested it. Wow! They have some nicely prepared pasta dishes with loads of flavor. I kept wondering why people were leaving with bags full of food and now I know why!

We checked into the hotel and then we decided that the mall was the best place to walk off all of that food. All three of us, finally, found a pair of Mary Jane Crocs and I absolutely LOVE mine! They are soooooo comfortable :o) We also made stops at the Burlington Coat Factory, Wal Mart, Borders and Toys R Us. I was pretty satisfied to find my Mr. Potato Head parts. For supper, it was unanimous that we go to Ruby Tuesdays. Their ribs are delicious but their Strawberry Lemonade was the real winner! Good thing I can't drink alcohol at the moment and therefore mine was a virgin ;o)

A bed never looked so good as it did Saturday night! I think I read for about ten minutes and then it was lights out for me. I was still in the same position when I woke up the next morning, lol! The hotel had a very nice continental breakfast with lots to choose from. We made a few more stops before heading for home. Target and Shaws were great places for me to spend my money at and I pretty much found everything that I was hoping to, along with a few extras :o) I'm still desperately searching for Slice though! Since there are no more Friendly's restaurants in Bangor, I was more than delighted to find their sundays at the grocery store. I had a big grin on my face when I got back to the car with my Peanut Butter Cup Sunday, let me tell you! With three happy but exhausted women in front of him, the cute guard at the border just waved us on by. It pays to be a girl sometimes ;o)

So I bet you are all wondering what I bought! Details, you want details! LOL! I have to admit that I was very good and very restrained. I had a set limit and I ended up coming home with $6.19 US :o) Aside from the items mentioned above, I stocked up on some more DMC floss but didn't really buy my normal bagful. I was extremely happy to find my Alphabet Afghan by Charles Craft and I got it 40% to boot! The doggy steps that I bought for Brie were another bonus. I think she was a little miffed that what I bought her wasn't food although she did try to eat the steps. I'm embarrassed to admit but most of my purchases were food items :o) I got Hershey Cinnamon Baking Chips, Land O Lakes Raspberry & Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix, Country Time Lemonade, Country Time Lemonade Ice Tea, Country Time Lemonade On The Go Packs, IBC Root Beer, Pringles Cinnamon Sweet Potato Crisps, Bakers Dark Dipping Chocolate, Kashi TLC Honey Almond Flax Bars, Del Monte Sun Fresh Citrus Salad and Archer Farms Milk Chocolate Pretzel Clusters.

Whew! I bet you are exhausted just reading this. Well, imagine actually living it ;o) Today has been the first day that I have truly been even remotely interested in the computer so I thought I would update my Blog since this reaches the most people. I will be slowly catching up this coming week so please be patient; I will get back to you! It's good to be back among the living again :o) Seriously!

USA Bound

That's right! In less than 12 hours, the girls and I head for Maine for a weekend of shopping. Woohoo! Little do they know but I have a bit of a surprise for them :o)

See everyone on Monday!

I'm So Excited...

...and I just can't hide it!

Today I gave an interview. That's right, an interview :o) Not just for a local newspaper this time but for a magazine. Yup, a magazine that is distributed all over North America! How cool is that! Do I have your attention? ;o)

Last September I was in the drug store picking up a prescription when I decided to check out the magazine selection before I left. A bright pink cover caught my eye and when I looked closer, I noticed that it was a magazine solely geared towards breast cancer. The name...Beyond - Live & Thrive After Breast Cancer -

Seeing that this was a new concept that I had never seen before, it peaked my interest and I bought it. Well, I think it's one of the few magazines that I have actually read from cover to cover and enjoyed every minute doing so. I was so impressed, in fact, that I emailed them and shared my story. Months went by though and I got no response.

Then, a few weeks ago, I was in the same drug store picking up another prescription and what do I see among the magazines but another issue of Beyond! Of course I picked it up immediately and added it to my purchases. Again, it proved itself to be just as well put together as the premier issue. Even DH was reading it!

It must have been fate because this past Monday I received a response from the magazine :o) Michele Meyer is a freelance writer for Beyond and she is doing an article called Dancing With The Fear. She wanted to talk to me about my experience so today we talked on the phone and I shared my most intimate worries and fears with her. What a wonderful person she is too. She must have a very good sense of humor because while talking to me, she got a taste of my twisted funny side :o)

So, the article is going to appear in the fall issue of Beyond. Woohoo! As much as I hate this winter weather that WE ARE HAVING IN SPRING (anyone listening!), I almost want to will the summer away so I can read the finished product. From what I have learned, the magazine is being published twice a year. I don't see an actual website for the magazine but they do have one where you can order the back issue.

Now to start counting down the months ;o)

On This Day Three Years Ago...

A little bundle of joy was born :o)

This was Brie the day we arrived home with her. She was SO tiny! Resilient though! DH and I kept stepping on her and jamming her in doors. We weren't used to having something that small following us everywhere :o)

To this day I still say that she is smarter than DH and I combined. While she was in her puppy stage and still being housebroken, we gated off the small hallway off the kitchen and placed her kennel under the set tub, because both of us where working at the time. One day I came home and Brie wasn't in her kennel area. The baby gate was still up and there was no way she could have gotten under, over or around it. I eventually found her curled up in my pile of clothes in the bedroom :o) It took some time but we finally found that she had chewed through the thick plastic mesh of the baby gate. If not inspected closely, the baby gate still looked intact. Well, this was quickly remedied. DH replaced the plastic mesh with a metal mesh. We figured that would stop any further escapes. Or so we thought...

I got home from work one night and DH was waiting there for me, looking quite sternly. He asked me why I didn't put Brie into her kennel area before I left for work. He stated that when he got home, she was out and about and there was good evidence of this. I was shocked because putting her away before I left was surely something I would remember to do. So again, we found ourselves wondering how she escaped this time. The gate was intact. She couldn't fit under or around the gate. There was no bloody way she had jumped over the gate! We sat perplexed.

Finally, DH suggested that we put her in the kennel area and see if she would repeat the act. She just sat there behind the gate looking at us. So we started calling her name. She would just up against the gate but there was no way she would have been able to jump clearly over it. Then we tried toys. Again, she did the same thing. Then, as DH and I sat in the kitchen with complete blank looks on our faces, we watched as our brainchild hopped onto her kennel and then over the gate. We were dumbfounded! I'm a little biased but I think she got her intelligence from my side of the family ;o)

So Brie...Happy Birthday my little hot dog!

To Retreat Or Not To Retreat

Yes, that is the question…

Every year, for the past seven years, I have attended a stitching retreat at Camp Wildwood. It’s only about a two and a half hour drive from home so I consider it pretty local. The weekend consists of two nights and three days of stitching, shopping, eating and catching up with friends :o) It’s not The Ritz mind you but that’s fine with me because as long as I have a bed to sleep on, a chair so I can sit and stitch and a table that will hold my food, I’m a happy camper. LOL! The camp provides two or three meals a day plus two or three snacks in between. We even have the LNS set up there so we can indulge without even having to leave the lodge :o)

There are two retreats a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Women come from all over and on average there can be anywhere from 65 to 80 women. Yes, that’s a lot of female hormones in one place at the same time ;o) You should see the look on a husband’s face when one dares to come and pick up his wife! There are chairs, Ott-Lites, tables, totes, foot stools and extension cords e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e! It really is quite a site. Many ladies have been coming there for far longer that I have but each year there are always a few newbies that are welcomed into the family.

At fall retreat we have an ornament exchange. It’s a wonderful way to start off the holiday season. A Christmas tree is put up and during the weekend, more and more stitched ornaments adorn the tree until the last day, when they come off and are presented to their new owners :o) In the spring we do another exchange but this can be anything that is stitched. It’s amazing the creativity of some of these ladies.

Each retreat, for as long as I can remember, we have joined together and held raffles and auctions. Most of the time the funds raised have been going towards breast cancer research but there have been other causes as well. The generosity of these ladies is amazing as we can usually bring in around $600 in one weekend! There have been a lot of tragedies and sad stories shared there but on the other hand, there are a lot of hugs available and shoulders to cry on.

Last week I received the email announcing our upcoming spring retreat and I have to be honest, it did not fill me with the usual excitement :o( The past few letters have gradually become colder but this one was completely void of warmth. New rules are being implemented and the price has increased again. This has not gone over well with me or some of the other gals that go. Two retreats a year has now become only one as some of us cannot afford to go to both now. And while I do understand why prices have to increase, there are other issues. Maybe it’s time for a change of hands.

So my answer is…no, I will not be attending spring retreat this year. Instead, Katie, Faith Ann, Flat Shannon and I are going on a trip! We are heading to Bangor, Maine for the weekend to do a little shopping, and more shopping and more shopping ;o) I’m sure we’ll fit food and sleep in there somewhere. LOL! As much as I shouldn’t be going, I really do need this time to unwind and forget about things, even if it’s only for a few days. I’m hoping that maybe we are starting our own spring tradition, something new to spruce up the old. Don’t worry though; the Ta-Ta Twins will still exist! We might even morph into the Ta-Ta Quadruplets ;o)

Hippity Hop

HAPPY EASTER!

I hope the Easter Bunny finds everyone and spreads the joy of chocolate everywhere :o)

Twenty Down...30 More To Go!

SHIZAM!

Woohoo! It's finally done! My completed Spring Snapperland by Bent Creek.

One more pattern checked off of my 2007 list :o) As mentioned before, the original design called for brown flowers. This did not call out as spring to me so I made some changes to the border. I pulled the two lilac colors out of the individual boxes and used those as substitutions for the flowers. I'm quite happy with the effect it gives. Like the Winter Snapperland, I have developed a dislike for this project and I have no idea why. Maybe it's just too busy. I don't know. LOL!

DH and I just got back from a nice walk along the beach. The snow is still here but it's starting to melt. It's still cool out there too. I'm not feeling the best this weekend. As hard as I try to relax here, I'm still worrying about work and LTD. DH talked to our lawyer on Thursday and we were told that my file was going to be looked at by LTD at the end of next week or the first of the following week. Hopefully this whole thing is coming to an end because I am SO tired of it. The energy and anger I had that kept the fight in me going is no longer there and I'm ready to admit defeat if this is not the end :o(

I forgot to mention that DH and I celebrated Easter on Thursday morning. A little early, I know, but the Easter Bunny thinks I'm special ;o) I woke up to an Easter egg hunt and I collected a bowl full of mini Cadbury Cream Eggs and dark chocolate Lindt eggs. There was a hollow chocolate bunny waiting for me as well. The Easter Bunny has continued this tradition for many years :o) I hope he finds everyone else too! As a child, this was my favorite holiday and it still is. Did I mention that I LOVE BUNNIES???? It's plain to see in old pictures why this is because I've had stuffed rabbits for as long as I can remember :o) One year I entered a coloring contest at the local drug store and I won first place! The prize...a four foot stuffed rabbit!!!! In the picture that my Dad took, its ear tips are just above my head :o)

On Thursday night, DH made a wonderful turkey dinner with all the fixings! It was yummy! We had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, turnip and cranberries to go along with the delicious turkey. It was around a twelve pounder too so we are set for turkey for the next month ;o) For dessert we bought some of Mary's Carrot Cake. This is the most delicious carrot cake I have ever had. It's so moist and the frosting is to drool over! Sooooo good!

Has anyone figured out how to stop time yet????

Is it Christmas Again?

This is what DH and I woke up to this morning -

That's right! About six inches to be exact. Poor Brie could hardly plough through it. She had to do bunny hops just to get around. Maybe I should invent stilts for Dachshunds :o)

DH and I went for breakfast over in Calais, Maine this morning and we overheard people saying we were supposed to get 14 inches when all was said and done. ACK! I have to wonder if this is some cruel, twisted joke by the Easter Bunny. If so, it's not funny! Green grass, gone. Bare roads, gone.

In case you haven't guessed, DH and I are spending Easter weekend down at the ocean :o) My in-laws are on a trip so we have another wonderful, peaceful weekend of pure silence and bliss. Ahhhh! We arrived last night and when we parked the car, I noticed the outline of a deer in our headlights. It was on the hill behind the house and it wasn't too afraid of us. When it started to walk away, the poor thing was limping. I guess it has been spotted before and it has a mangled back leg :o( DH thinks it was coyotes.

While across the lines, we dropped into a favorite place of mine that carries bolts upon bolts of fabric and at "really" good prices. Their motto is "I should have bought it, when I saw it, at Marden's!" This is very true. Sometimes you go in and there is absolutely nothing. Other times, like today, I was lucky and this is the fabric I picked up -

Believe it or not, but since we arrived last night, I have hardly put a stitch in my Spring Snapperland. I hope to have it completely done so I can move on to something else. It seems I have enough here to keep me relaxed that I don't need my stitching. I know! Hard to believe ;o)