Enter If You Dare!

Awhile back, I was out and about reading Blogs and I saw that a few people were showing pictures of their stitching spot. Lori-Ann even shared a great find as well. So I thought it was about time that I opened the door into 'The Store,' as Katie likes to call it ;o)

When we first bought this house, the room that is now my computer/craft room used to be just a storage room with no window and a hot water tank. Yuck! Over time, DH worked away at it and my little haven was born :o) Now I have a window, laminate flooring and a computer desk -

You can barely make out what they are but my prized (and signed) pictures are on either side of the window. I have Shawn Mullins, Bon Jovi, Tommy Lee Jones and a letter from the late great Timothy Findley :o)

I also have shelving, storage bins and a work table to the left -

Yes, those are horses on the shelves and yes that might seem like a lot to you but they are only a 'very' small portion of what my collection used to be. LOL! If you really look, you might even spot Flat Shannon ;o)

To the right I have my sewing table and the great Wall Of Stitch -

As my stash grew, I had to come up with ways to organize it. In the storage bins, there are four small drawers on the top and they proved to be ideal for keeping my specialty flosses and Q-Snaps -

The DMC floss was a bit of a challenge because I wanted to get away from winding them on bobbins. Every storage bin that I looked at wasn't deep enough to let a skein of floss lie flat. A few years ago, DH and I were in Freeport, Maine for a weekend and we were looking around the Hunting & Fishing L.L. Bean store. DH came across a Plano fishing tackle box that he thought would work well -

It was pretty funny because the salesperson asked me if I was a big fisherman. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him what I was really buying it for! LOL! Lori-Ann is right though, these are SUPER for organizing your stash. The one that holds my floss is quite large and measures about 15H x 11D x 16W (in inches). It holds the full line of DMC floss along with the variegated, linen and some rayon.

Now the one I bought for my buttons and embellishments is tiny in comparison -

This one measures 10H x 7D x 11W. Again, it's from Plano. If you are interested in seeing what they have available, just visit your local Wal-Mart.

If anyone has any great tips on organizing, please lmk or post them on your Blog. I'm always fascinated to see how others have created their own personal space. I hope you have enjoyed your tour of my little sanctuary. Please come again :o)

Finish Forty-Six

I'm definitely in the ornament making mode ;o) This is Reindeer by Needle Magic Inc. -

Last year I bought one of these kits at Wal-Mart in Calais, Maine and I liked stitching it up so much that my MIL picked up four more of them for me :o) They are ideal for stitching in the car and they are perfect for tucking into your purse for those hour long waits at the doctor's office.

I know, I know! Some people don't like the fact that it's plastic canvas and that it's cheap thread. LOL! But I have found a way to tone down the 'chunky' look. I still use the thread that's included with the kit but if you make sure that you have good tension, the effect doesn't look that bad. I also substitute one strand of DMC 310 for all the black backstitching. This really does wonders. When it's complete, I attach the gold cord to the back and lightly glue on (I use the fabric glue that doesn't yellow) green felt to the back and voila!

If anyone has seen these kits this year, plmk :o)

As of right now, I have the next three projects laid out and at this rate; I'll be done by the end of December for sure. I really can't wait because I'm getting that large project feeling tugging at me again and now that things have somewhat stabilized, I think it's about time. So that will give me eight full months to get ready for the 2008 fall fair. That should be enough time to stitch up something that will knock their socks off ;o)

A Fresh Start

Finally, I have some good news to share! This past Thursday, DH accepted a job that was offered to him the week before last :o) Did you hear that? That was a HUGE sigh of relief.

Unfortunately it's not the job that he ultimately wanted but it's something new that he's never done before so it's hard to say what will happen. He might end up really liking it. We took the better part of a week looking at the pros and cons to this new position and in the end, we think we've made the right choice. Things will still be very tight until we get into the new year but at least DH knows that he has the potential to make more money than before :o)

It's been a VERY stressful two months and we're hoping we can breathe a little easier now. I'm hoping this is the fresh start that we have been looking for. No, we didn't move away from the city but maybe we aren't meant to right now. I do know one thing though, we will be moving out of this house! It holds too many sad memories for me and we think it will be a nice change to live in the city again :o)

No, that's not Hammy. Might be one of his cousins though ;o) This is a red squirrel on the deck at my parents' house. DH and I were there for the day yesterday and I had fun taking some pictures. The squirrel pictures came out pretty good but the bird ones did not as you can see -

That's a Nuthatch btw. All the pictures were taken through the patio windows otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get that close. My parents serve a buffet of seeds to the birds and peanuts to the squirrels and then my dad wonders why he's getting so many raccoons ;o)

The Donkey

I came across this story and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you :o)

"One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping. Never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up." ~ Author Unknown

Finish Forty-Five

I'm down to my final five and I still have five weeks left until the end of the year :o) Recently I came upon a new mystery SAL called the Old Sampler. I've never done one of these before so I thought now is as good a time as any! LOL!

This is Old Sampler Part I by Carla C. & Pina C. -

I'm using 32 count natural linen with DMC 3865. I love the effect of a soft white on beige but I'm a little concerned after finishing the backstitching because I'm not sure if it's going to show up well enough :o( I've customized mine a bit by backstitching a house in her stand, one over one, and adding petite beads in the sampler on the wall. I wanted a bit of texture and I'm happy with the result.

Now I know this may seem like cheating but I'm making the rules ;o) The sampler has nine parts and I do have Part II already. I would like to get it done before December 1 because that's when Part III comes out. Is anyone else stitching this as well?

Btw, I want to thank Yuko for this brilliant signature idea :o)

Rubber Ducky You're The One

Look at what I found in my mailbox yesterday -

LOL! Isn't he just the cutest???? Karen sent him to me and even though it took a 'month' by air, he arrived safely. We have been exchanging breast cancer items and Karen seems to find the most unique things. I know how much she likes pink so I hope she got one for herself ;o) Thank you so much my friend!

Interesting fact ~ did you know that a duck's quack doesn't echo?

Finish Forty-Four

Unfortunately it was not a great week of stitching but I had just finished up this little guy right before receiving our depressing news -

This is Cocoa by San Man Originals. I had this pattern all ready to go but kept pushing it back into the drawer. I think he is just so cute! He was completely stitched with GASTs and I went with 28 count Twilight Blue (I think!) linen. I also adjusted some of the backstitch. I find that sometimes two strands are just too much for some areas -

Did you know that needlework is truly therapeutic? It's a fact now :o) I received my newsletter from The Cross Stitch Cupboard and this is what it says, "From an interesting article in a health magazine we learned that picking up a needle and thread could be one of the best "exercises" we can do for our health. This information comes as a result of a study which was conducted at the New York University Medical Center. The study revealed that women who stitch experience a significant drop in heart rate and blood pressure, when compared to those who participate in other leisure activities. In fact they discovered that when a woman begins to stitch, her heart rate drops by up to 11 beats per minute. 'The importance of a hobby or creative pursuit cannot be overemphasized' says Robert H. Reiner, PhD. of NYU. 'If we don't allow our bodies to rest from the pressures of everyday life, we are placing ourselves at risk for heart disease or other illnesses.'"

So, I guess the next time I tell a doctor that I stitch to relax and he looks at me like I have ten heads, I can honestly tell him that it's been proven to work. Maybe while I'm at it, I'll ask him if he can prescribe it as a relaxer. Let's say, once every hour of every day ;o)

No One Puts Baby In A Corner

It's been almost a week and I've gradually found my way back to my Blog again :o) While the stresses have not changed, I have. Over the past month, there seems to be another me that has slowly propped itself on my left shoulder along with Happy Cathey and Creative Cathey. It's a self that I'm not really familiar with and I'm not sure if it's ever been let out before.

The new addition is more organized and stronger. It's made me look at our situation in a different light. Yes we are in a bind right now but just think of the stories we'll be able to tell some day :o) DH and I have been on many adventures and they seem to always give way to great writing fodder.

The final push came today when I started reading a book that Katie lent to me. It's called One For The Money by Janet Evanovich. The main character in the novel is named Stephanie Plum and she has just lost her job and is in search of a new career. She's pretty much hawked all her possessions to pay her bills and she buys a $500 Nova that eventually drops its muffler. Case in point...things could be worse ;o)

After the initial shock of losing our only income, then DH not behind offered the job of his dreams and a few of my panic attacks later, I am in better control again. I can't go into details of what we have found out but I'll just say that DH was SO close in getting one of those positions. So close that it's no wonder we could just taste it.

Now we're back to pounding the pavement in search of something new. DH has applied to two more Federal Government jobs and with our last inside contact with the Provincial Government, DH's resume is now circulating :o)

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have left me comments or emails. They are all truly appreciated! I'm sorry I have not responded to any of them but I have read them all. It feels wonderful knowing that there are so many of you out there that are thinking of us :o) It will take me a bit but I will answer each one.

So what should I call the new little me? LOL! Any ideas? I think I'm going to love keeping it around ;o)

And The Other Shoe Fell

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will not be blogging for awhile. DH just got the news today that he did not get the job that he was really hoping for :o( It was something that he wanted very badly and I'm very upset at seeing him so disappointed. I have no idea what we are going to do or where we're going to go. I'd say it's all a big adventure but it's more like defeat at the moment :o(

Finish Forty-Three

I didn't leave you waiting long for this one ;o) Here is Pine Tree Hill by Little House Needleworks -

This design was featured in the 2006 JCS Ornament Preview Issue. I made a few changes to this one. The materials list calls for 28 count Summer Khaki linen but looking at the model, there is no way that can be right. When I saw the picture, 28 count Waterlily linen came to mind so that's what I went with :o) I did use the Crescent Colors but I substituted two of the three used. I replaced Ruby Slippers with Cupid and Roasted Chestnut with Bramble Bush. Those two colors looked much richer to me.

I want to take a minute to thank those who have honoured me with the Smiley Award :o) I truly do appreciate it. I've always wanted to be a writer and just knowing that my silliness puts a smile on someone's face makes me feel really good. I love reading the comments that you leave and I do read each and every one. To narrow that down to ten people is just too hard. Each and every Blog gives me a smile for different reasons :o)

This has been a hard weekend for me and I'm glad I had the distractions I did to keep my mind off of things. On Friday morning, I should have been on my way to fall retreat :o( Today I would be packing up to come home but after a wonderful weekend full of laughter, eating, shopping, stitching, talking and just downright craziness. Some of the gals there, I only see once or twice a year, but when we get back together, it's like no time has passed.

So instead, I put on my favourite fleece pyjamas, arranged my stitching spot on the couch, dug out a few little treats to snack on and had DH and my FIL cook up the most delicious turkey dinner with homemade apple pie for dessert :o) The plus side, I still got to sleep in my warm, comfortable bed. But I really don't mind giving that up for a few nights, even if it does mean sleeping on a brick of a mattress surrounded by those that snore the night away ;o)

Hammy's Death Wish

Our little friend is still around but today he thought it would be fun to play chicken with oncoming traffic and that included our car! How he managed to save his butt, we'll never know. When we pulled into the yard, I asked DH to look in the wheel wells to make sure he wasn't plastered in one :oP Silly thing!

Believe it or not, he is STILL packing the pine cones into the birdhouse. I have no idea how he's doing it because it was pretty full when I took this picture. DH says that he must be living in behind the barn. That's good because after he's done all his shopping, I don't think any living space will be available :o)

I was reading some Blogs last night and Ranae gave me an excellent idea. She had posted on what to do about a project she had started but never finished because she didn't like it. So, I went in search of my notorious disliked UFO. I know you're going to groan when you see this ;o) This was my 'first' attempt at In The Arms Of An Angel by L&L -

Do you think I miscalculated the fabric?

GOTCHA! LOL! I'll explain that in a minute ;o) I don't think it was so much the stitching on it but it was the color of the fabric that turned me off. That was in the day when I had never laid eyes on hand dyed fabric!

My 'second' attempt was worse though. I stared on a piece of Waterlily Jobelan but was quickly frustrated so out came the stitches so I have nothing to show for that one. Is there a third attempt? Not yet but I do have a gorgeous piece of hand dyed fabric just waiting ;o)

So, I guess my question is...what do you do with a project you have started but don't like anymore? In my case, I just cut around the stitching and salvaged the material. There were just too many stitches to take out, plus the red would probably leave a mark on the fabric. Have any of you done this?

Would you throw the whole thing in the garbage? If there was no excess fabric that is ;o)

What about giving the UFO to someone else to complete? For some reason, I just can't will myself to do this. Each project is my baby, from beginning to end. If it doesn't get completed, I still know it's there and that I can always try it again. Hey, greater miracles have happened! LOL!

Finish Forty-Two

I'm a stitching machine! LOL! When I'm stressed, I stitch and most of you know I AM STRESSED ;o)

Today I completed another ornie from the 2007 JCS Ornament Issue. This is Peace by Country Cottage Needleworks -

I love, love, love this design! The colors are just gorgeous and they're just DMC too :o) I do like how the ornament was finished with the wool so I'll have to see about tracking some down. The fabric I used reminds me of Waterlily by Wichelt but it's Patina by Lakeside Linens.

I've already got the next project kitted up and it will get started today :o) I can't remember if I shared this already or not but my goal is to reach 50 projects for 2007. Until that is done, I've put aside any larger projects. Hopefully by that time things here will have settled down a bit and that way I'll be able to direct my concentration to just one or two larger pieces.

To answer Christine's question, the buttons I used on Winter Joy and Winter Love are from Just Another Button Company. Most ONS carry them but might not list them on their website because there are so many. I hope this helps you :o)

Don't Quit

Today DH and I decided to sort out the Tickle Trunk. That's right, Mr. Dressup wasn't the only person to have one ;o) DH brought it into the marriage and now it contains all our memories from childhood to present day. As we were going through the items, DH handed me a poem that Grandma had given him years ago -

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar,
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit ~ Author Unknown

It really struck a chord in me and I plan on keeping it with me as a reminder that even though things may be bad at the moment, they will eventually get better. Plus, I'll always have a part of Grandma with me! She could find the best in anyone or anything :o)

Finish Forty-One

Another finish and the fifty project goal is in sight :o) This is Winter Love by Sam Sarah Designs -

This cute ornament is in this year's JCS Ornament Issue. As I did with Winter Joy, I went with the suggested fabric but stitched the whole thing in DMC.

I gave it a thought and I think I have the perfect way to finish these matching ornaments :o) Instead of another tree ornament, I want to combine them together, one over top of the other, and make a bell pull! I've taken a picture of both Winter Love and Winter Joy along with the fabric that I would like to use -

Unfortunately I'm out of that particular fabric but as long as I find something similar in the dark cranberry, I'll be happy :o) I even have a wire snowman hanger to hang it from!

Things are still up in the air here and DH is still not working yet :o( The payment schedule is back on for November so this will definitely test whether we can do it or not. As much as I hate to admit it, my fall stitching retreat will be a no-go for this year :o( I'm really going to miss going but that expense cannot be justified right now.

The medical insurance fiasco continues but we 'think' we have things in order again. On Friday, DH and I just about fainted when we opened a letter from the Blue Cross notifying us that a payment of over one thousand dollars was going to be taken out of our banking account! We arranged to have it stopped so hopefully that happened. We have now signed up with a program by Manulife (rotten, stinking buggers) but it seems to be the best one so far.

This policy is designed for people who loose their medical insurance through an employer. It will cover pre-existing health conditions and dental! And it's much cheaper! The down side, they only cover up to $1200 a year for prescriptions but DH and I are hoping we'll have new insurance by then. Unfortunately we didn't get things in on time so we have no coverage for the month of November and we also have to wait to see if we are accepted by the company. Sigh.

So, keep your fingers and toes crossed. Something good has got to come our way ;o)

It's Halloweenie!

On the way home yesterday, DH and I came upon a murder of crows. I couldn't get over the number of them! It really was an eyrie sight. They had all descended on this one particular house. It kind of reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock's popular movie, The Birds.

I've always been a fan of horror movies. I have no idea why. Halloween, with Jamie Lee Curtis, was one of the first ones I ever saw when I was growing up. Friday the 13th, with the popular maniac Jason, was next and shortly followed by A Nightmare On Elm Street with my good old pal, Freddy Krueger :o) Yes, I had a poster of Freddy on my wall as I was growing up. Maybe that accounts for my twisted mind ;o)

How many of you are scared after watching a horror movie? I don't think it was so much the blood and gore that got to me. I would have to say it was the 'music'. Each one of those horror films has its own unique and frightening tune, enough to send shivers up your spine. I wonder how they come up with these things.

For those of you who were reading my Blog last year, you might remember that Brie dressed up as a vampire :o) Well this year she's decked out in John Deere -

Someone was NOT happy! LOL! So I put the rabbit costume on her -

GOTCHA!

Pickles was a better model but he had his limits. He was also bribed with a carrot ;o)

TOM

If you're a female, you definitely know Tom ;o) You know...

the Tom that comes around once a month
the Tom that irritates us and unleashes our wrath
the Tom that sends us on eating binges so we gain weight
the Tom that wakes us up in the middle of the night and starves us of sleep
the Tom that is twisted enough to inflict pain


As far as I'm concerned, Tom can take a flying leap into the Grand Canyon! LOL! Why were we cursed with this monster? Tom is nothing but an inconvenience that I'm sure any woman can do without. There is only one thing Tom is good for, depending on your preferred outcome :o)

You know what really irks me? There's an ad on television for Always (panty liners) and their slogan is "Have a happy period, always." WHAT? Happy and period in the same sentence? I don't think so! You know, you just know that a man came up with that marketing campaign ;o)

Now I've been blessed with both Tom and menopause, even before I reached the age of 34. I'm not sure which I detest more. It's basically just replacing one sadistic act with another. Instead of pain, you experience hot flashes and let me tell you, it's very embarrassing when your ears turn an extra dark shade of crimson while you're in a meeting. Do you remember the commercial for those home heating units? Well, I was that woman who ran outside, in the middle of winter, with nothing but a t-shirt and shorts ;o)

To be perfectly honest though, aside from the few discomforts, I felt my best during those four years. Plus, I save A LOT of money. LOL! I'd be scared to calculate just how much we do spend on those "necessities". What do men have to worry about? Shaving? Big deal! We shave too. Do you ever see any embarrassing ads on television for men? No, because it's all taken up by Tampex, Always, KY and Vagisil.

So I guess I might as well accept the fact that this will be 'Bitch Week'. Maybe I should track down that company that makes pregnancy tests. Their slogan? "This is the most sophisticated piece of technology that you will ever pee on." (thanks for the correct wording Christine!) I'm NOT kidding :oP

Hey Foxy!

It seems that our little friend has become somewhat of a permanent fixture around our house lately -

Our fox came around yesterday at lunchtime (this seems to be his/her preferred time) and took to hunting moles and mice in our side pasture. Since the field had been cut back in August, it was long enough to house lots of potential food and short enough for us to see our friend :o) I ran in and got the digital camera and over twenty minutes, DH and I tried to get closer and closer as we took pictures.

This guy, or gal, is not really skittish, although I would not call him/her friendly. For some reason though, it comes by during the day and is hardly bothered by cars, humans or dogs. From what DH and I can tell, he/she looks very healthy. He/she was so consumed in hunting that it never even noticed DH get about ten feet away from him/her!

The cheeky little bugger came back though and I was able to snap this picture as he/she ran by -

The only thing I worry about is the dogs. Brie especially because she's so small, although she puffed herself up when she "finally" noticed the fox. The only thing that worries me about Duncan is that he would chase after it and possibly get bitten. That would not be good :o( Thank goodness both have their rabies shots.

Anyway, it's enjoyable to watch him/her. So as long as we can still live in harmony, no one has to move ;o)

Finish Forty

Woohoo! I'm in the home stretch! Now that the JCS Ornament Issue is out, it looks like Christmas ornaments will be in the Q-Snaps for awhile :o)

This is Winter Joy by Sam Sarah Designs -

He was featured in the JCS Ornament Preview Issue. I used the same material suggested but I opted for DMC instead of the Belle Soie. That's a "little" too much money to invest in a small ornament right now but don't get me wrong, I sure would LOVE the silks ;o) I also just used one strand of DMC black for his face because the two ply looked to heavy in my opinion.

I'm not sure how I'm going to finish him just yet. Since I had all the colors out, the next project will be the companion piece to Winter Joy. It's called Winter Love and it's in the new JCS Ornament Issue. There is one thing I will point out though. The suggested DMC colors in the Ornament Issue are different than the DMC colors suggested in the Preview Issue, even though they both use the same colors of Belle Soie. I went with those listed for Winter Joy and I will use them again on Winter Love so they'll match each other :o)

I want to send out a HUGE thank you to Carolyn today. I'm not feeling the best and when DH brought in the mail, there was an envelope from her :o) Inside was an adorable Stoney Creek pattern book called Tricky Treats. Can you guess what the patterns are of???? PUMPKINS!!!! Thank you again Carolyn, you put a smile on my face today :o)

I want to thank all my readers who leave comments on my Blog. I LOVE reading what you have to say and sometimes you have me in 'stitches', especially when the topic has been somewhat...interesting ;o) If Rachael is out there, please send me the address to your Blog because it wasn't listed in your profile :o( I love wandering over to other Blogs and seeing what everyone is up to. Kinda like a nosey neighbour. LOL!

Finish Thirty-Nine

Hot off the Q-Snaps! This is Thankfulness by Imaginating -

I love these charts! For my color combination I used 28 count sage Jobelan with DMC 780. I was hoping there would be another autumn design that I could match up with it. Maybe next year :o)

The leaves are starting to come off the trees now but they had put on a lovely color show all month. DH and I went to the park in town and walked through the woods. Of course I didn't bring my camera so I missed the perfect opportunity to take a picture of a woodpecker that nearly flew into DH's head. LOL!

DH and I finally gave in and turned on the heat this past Monday. Our goal is always November 1 but seeing as my toes were purple and my hands were too cold to stitch, I figured it was about time. I think our little heater, Brie, will be used quite a bit this winter ;o)

That's What Friends Are For

I want to thank everyone that either emailed me or left a comment on my Blog. I deeply appreciate the kindness and support that you have given me :o) It means so much. I know most of you I have never met, but just knowing there are still kind people in this cruel world is like a breath of fresh air.

To me, friends appear in many ways. You don't have to actually meet someone in person in order to call them a friend. In the 'older' days, I did a lot of writing to pen pals all over the world. Then email came into play :o( Not that I don't like emails but there is nothing more comforting than seeing a special letter sitting in your mailbox at the end of a hard day ;o)

I have never met any of my pen pals or online friends. I would definitely love to though! I have talked to some of them on the phone. These women are just as sweet to talk to as they are in their emails :o) I think it would be a riot to meet these friends some day. It just amazes me how you can reach out to someone you have never meet before and instantly have a connection.

I was never one for making friends easily. In person anyway. The first impression people get of me is "Oh, she's a b*&$#." I can't tell you how many times people will tell me that once they get to know me better. In reality, I'm shy. I'm also guarded but that's my protection mechanism from years of learning the hard way. I'm kind of curious to know what friends think of me once they get to know the 'real' me ;o) LOL!

Friends come and go. Life happens and it's out of our control. Some relationships can stand the test of time though but not all. Either way, there is always something that you will carry forward with you from each of those friendships. They are almost like stepping stones there to guide you through the path of life.

Someone sent this to me in an email once -


I just love it! Every time I look at it, it makes me smile and it reminds me that I have friends out there that care :o)

Take Care Of Those Boobies

Feel free to post this little guy on your Blog or pass him along to someone else :o)

When It Rains...

...it pours. Literally :o(

Come here. Just come here for a second. Take a look. Do I have a sign that says "Kick Me" on my back? No? Do you see any sign that a curse has been put upon me? No? Okay, so have you found that horseshoe that obviously fell out of my a*%? Maybe it wasn't there to begin with ;o)

If you haven't guessed by now, things are a 'wee bit' more stressful here. DH is still waiting to hear about a new job and we're coping with the fact that we only have one car now, although my parents have been kind enough to lend us one of theirs :o) That positive attitude I had a few weeks ago when I thought we did really well organizing ourselves has gone right out the window...

On Friday, I noticed that my bad tooth was throbbing. I blamed the fact that my mouth guard must have irritated it. By Sunday, I had changed my mind! It was SORE! I couldn't even let my bottom teeth come in contact with it because the pain would send me leaping off the couch. As much as I hated to admit it, the word 'root canal' came to mind. I was keeping a positive attitude though so I was hoping it was just an infection.

Monday morning I called my dentist. Now you have to understand something about me. I absolutely HATE going to the dentist, for anything! The anxiety that builds up is enormous. The receptionist knew I must have been in a lot of pain for me to be calling and 'asking' to come in. They have come to know me pretty well. LOL!

Well...the bad news is...I have an infection AND I have to have a root canal :o( The good news...that tooth only has one root so we're only looking at $400. Remember, no dental coverage now :o( More bad news...they can't get me in until December 3 so that means I have a month and a half to wait and know that it's coming. Not what I need right now.

So off I go to the drug store with my prescription for antibiotics. I hand it over to the woman behind the counter and she punches it in and says "You have no insurance coverage on file. Have you recently changed it?" I explained the situation and told her we had to buy our own and that it was all done the first of the month. "I'm sorry, there's nothing on file here so you'll have to pay the full amount."

Great! I head down the road to the bank and checked to see if the payment for the health insurance had come out. Nope. Nada. I finally located a pay phone (I HATE cell phones but this was the time to have one) and call DH to inform him of what is going on so he could call and find out what's up. Everything was sent the first of the month, by courier, but 'apparently' the health insurance company claims they never received it. Can you guess how many times I hit my head on the steering wheel????

What's the verdict? I'm on a waiting list with the dentist but I complicate the matter because I have to take antibiotics 24 hours ahead of time because of a heart condition. The health insurance matter is still being looked into and we've had no word yet. I have prescriptions coming up that I need and they are not cheap :o(

There you have it. I ranted. I raved. I'm still looking for that horseshoe. I feel a little better though :o) I don't even dare to say the words "What else can happen?"

Freeze Frame

Last weekend at the ocean, I was able to get out and work on my photography skills some more. It was a beautiful fall weekend so there were many opportunities for great photos :o) I even dug out my SLR camera and popped in a black and white film.

Recently, I was challenged with a new project...how to display emotions with pictures. Does that sound hard or easy to you? What makes you happy, sad or fearful? At first, I thought the idea would be easy enough but once I started taking pictures and trying to tie them into my emotions, I found it to be a little more challenging.

Happiness seems to be the easiest for me :o) How can this picture not make you smile?

Trying to picture what makes me sad became a little easier the more I thought about it -

Death is a sad thing. It represents a life that may have been taken away too early.

I would have to say that my fear is going to be the most challenging. Most of what makes me fearful comes from within so how do I express that? The best photo so far has been this -

Water would definitely be on the list. But what about those fears that are deep down in the core? How is that to be expressed?

As you can see, I have my work cut out for me :o) I like the challenge though because it makes me think more and it broadens my ideas. There are other pictures that have recently been taken and they are now loaded into my Picasa Album. I hope you enjoy :o)

Where's Hammy?

Don't worry, he's still around :o) Every once in awhile I'll see him jumping through the trees, but most times I just hear him and don't actually see him.

DH has checked the storage shed periodically and so far there have been no signs of entry. Last month DH noticed that Hammy was going into our birdhouse -

Usually this is home to the swallows but since they were gone, I guess Hammy figured he would move in :o)

So, DH and I watched him for about a week going back and forth gathering food. I went by the birdhouse the other day while taking some pictures and something caught my eye -

Yes, the birdhouse is STUFFED with Hammy's stash :o) The swallows are going to have quite a surprise when they come home next year. LOL!

Finish Thirty-Eight

This little guy is called Sailing Dragonlet by Dragon Dreams -

This is a very special freebie that was given out to shoppers during the Sue Hillis visit. Given our situation at the moment, I thought the wording was quite appropriate :o) I stitched mine on 28 count light blue (not sure of the exact color name) Lugana. Let me tell you, my new fabric inventory system is FABULOUS! It sure simplifies my life.

As I already mentioned, we are at the ocean this weekend. It's bird hunting season right now so we've all had to be careful, including Brie -

LOL! She is just the cutest ;o) She's waiting in her chariot (the golf cart) ready to go!

We had a delicious Thanksgiving Day supper yesterday at my in-laws but it's hard to believe that this is the first week of October! What a gorgeous weekend it has been so far. The skies are a lovely blue and the trees are sporting all the different colors of fall.

Last night we went down to the bar and did some fishing. I couldn't believe it when my rod started jerking and here's proof of my "huge" catch -

LOL! This is a mackerel. They have such a colourful top on them. We only catch and release so this little guy went right back in the ocean. DH caught one later on but his was a little bigger than mine. There weren't many bites but we were down at half tide so that might have been a factor.

The tides are very low at the moment so we get to walk further out during low tide. It's neat to comb the beaches for sea glass and shells. I was able to find five or six sea urchins. I'll take some pictures later and post them :o)

I want to wish my Dad a very Happy Birthday today! Remember Dad, pick your age and say you're that forever but make sure you can get away with it ;o)

When Enough Is Enough

Even though I have not been stitching as much lately, I have still been somewhat productive ;o) I finally decided to tackle my fabric drawer(s). I say drawers, plural, because I now have two. I started with one and somehow it morphed into two, leaving me completely clueless as to what I had in them. This is the end result -

In theory, organizing sounds like a good idea but when your inventory is finally put down on paper, that's when you realize you may have WAY too much and that you possibly could open your own needlework shop. LOL!

So now I have the fabrics in my drawers grouped by count. Martha Stewart would not think that I'm "that" organized because I didn't break things down further by grouping fabric types and colors together. BUT, I did it on paper! I'm very proud of my new spreadsheets :o) They show the fabrics broken down by count, type and color PLUS the size of the fabric. Are you shocked?

But wait, there's more! By doing this, I was able to calculate just how much fabric I have and that is definitely the scary part :oS These are rough numbers because I know there are pieces here and there that I have missed but you'll get the general idea. Eighty-one pieces have been set aside because they have been pre-assigned to projects already. They are tagged with the count, type, color, size and project name. There's more...on top of that, I have 184 pieces, of various sizes, just waiting to be used. Now how shocked are you? LOL!

To take things even further think about this. I average about 50 projects a year. So if I add 81 to 184 (this is not going to be 100% accurate) I get 265. Divide 265 by 50 and I get 5.3. That means that I have enough fabric to get me through the next five years. Is that really enough though? If I expect to live until I'm 75, let's say, I still have 34 years to go, therefore, it shows that I need to buy MORE fabric in order to last me that long ;o) How's that for reasoning? LOL!

I'm going to say Adios for the weekend because DH, the dogs and I are going to the ocean :o) It's been a very stressful and emotional week and we really need some down time. I'm bringing my computer with me though! Things are still up in the air here but we're hoping for some good news in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed everybody! I just want to thank you all for the supportive comments you have left for me and DH. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. As stressful as this is though, we're looking at it like this will be a new change and a change for the better. Okay, a show of hands...how many of you bought that ;o)

You know me, laughter is the best medicine! LOL!

Finish Thirty-Seven

Seeing that I have not been in the stitchy mood lately, I'm surprised I even have something to show! LOL! This is The Plum Berry Sampler by Bent Creek -

I don't know if it was just because of my state of mind but this little project gave me the most headaches. Grrrr! I had to frog the "complete" alphabet because I had stitched it in the wrong color :oS All along I was wondering why it wasn't showing up that well. D'uh!

I made a few changes to this pattern. Mine was stitched on 32 count Lambswool Linen instead of the Touchstone Linen it originally called for. I also replaced the WDW Mulberry for WDW Crimson and used round buttons to match. The Crimson was used for the specialty stitches; Rhodes, Smyrna and Eyelet and this picture gives you another angle -

I detest doing Eyelets! Does anyone have some good advice or hints on how to make them uniform?

I want to thank those who have left comments on my No Joke entry. You guys had me in "stitches" this morning!!!! LOL! The different ideas you all had just cracked me up so much that I was sitting here laughing out loud to myself ;o) Oh how I wish we were able to get a set of these for retreat. Imagine the mischief we would get into... ;o)

Look who dropped by today -

This little red fox has been through our yard twice this week. I believe it to be the same one I saw this past spring. It's not tame but it's not that afraid of being seen either. It's usually odd to see a fox out like this during the middle of the day but the coat looks healthy with no outward signs of disease. The dogs aren't too happy about the new intruder so we have to be extra careful when we have them outside. As much as I dislike foxes (one killed all my ducks a few years ago :o( ) they are quite beautiful and graceful to watch. I even got to see it hunting for mice and to see a fox pounce is just too cute :o)

No Joke

Since things have been a little blah around here this past week, I thought I would inject a little humour into my Blog :o) As my regular readers already know, I'm quite open about various things and when I saw this in a magazine, it really took the cake and I couldn't resist writing about it. LOL! Meet Pee and Poo -

No, I'm not joking! These are actually stuffed toys for children who are learning about potty training :o) They were developed in Sweden and they are being sold there as we speak. They even have their own website!

Okay, how disturbed are you by this? Can you honestly say that you wouldn't mind a pile of poo or pee in your child's room? What if friends come over and ask what that brown toy is over in the corner. Are you going to tell them "That's (my child)'s poo." ROFL!

Since I am not a mother, maybe some of the moms can comment on whether they think these toys would be great learning tools or not. Personally, I can't see it. Is it possible for a child to connect potty training with stuffed toys?

So the next time you ask somebody what they got for their birthday and they respond "I got Pee and Poo." they may not be shitting you ;o)