Well It's About Time - A Giveaway!

I know, I know! I promised a giveaway awhile ago and I've finally gotten off my arse, gotten things organized and have now set it up ;o) I have a really good excuse for being late, I really do...

I have over 300 Stalkers and I'm so thankful for each and every one of you! You guys make my day when I read your wonderful comments :o) So, to celebrate this, I'm going to have a giveaway but not just any giveaway because there won't be just one winner...there will be THREE! How does that sound? I think your odds of winning just went up. LOL!

Seeing as I'm being lazy, unfortunately there won't be any pictures and I apologize but you'll definitely know what the prizes will be! As I already stated, there will be three prizes and they will be:

1) the September 2011 issue of Cross-Stitch & Needlework

2) one 4 x 6 print from my Etsy store

3) two Blackbird Designs patterns - The Simple Things & Flowers Of The Field

Of course, each prize 'might' have a few 'extra' things thrown in with it...

When you enter your name, you are entering it for all three prizes. The first winner will have the first choice of whichever prize they wish and so on and so forth. Does that make sense?

How do you get your name in the magic hat? PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING RULES CAREFULLY...You MUST be a Pumpkin Stalker (whether new or old). PLEASE check to make sure that you are because if you aren't, your name will not be included. You MUST leave a comment on THIS post only. A comment on any other post will not count. Sorry, I can't run after everyone :o(

See, the rules weren't that bad ;o) Good luck everyone and have fun!

Oops! Forgot to add, the winners will be drawn on August 30...

A Funny To Start The Week

Kind of makes you go hmmmm...

Yes, it does exist...I've seen it ;o) LOL!

Newfoundland Trip Part II

Since we were staying in Gros Morne Park, DH and I figured we might as well make the most of the wilderness experience :o) We made it a goal to do as many as the trails in the top part of the park that we could before we left.

Within walking distance from our campsite, there was a trail called Berry Hill Pond that was a 2 Km loop around well...a pond! LOL! It was a lovely trail with beautiful scenery and I got some great shots here -

Hey, what's this?

Another indicator of moose being in the area but no body to claim the footprint. I was getting a bit suspicious at this point... Maybe there was someone going around dropping moose poop and planting footprints in the mud. Hmmmm...

Berry Hill was a good work up to the Western Brook Pond trail that we did later on because that one was 6 Km round trip. You can read more about that adventure here.

Later in the week, DH and I took off on our own and drove to the very top of the park. Here we walked, or rather power walked the first part of the Old Mail Road trail which was 2 Km round trip. I say power walked because it begins in the woods and the mosquitoes were so bad that they were biting through my capris! I even had bites on my bum! LOL! Thankfully it was only 1 Km and then you got down to the beach :o)

Now DH and I could slowly stroll back to the car along the lovely sandy beach and waters of Shallow Bay.

On our way back we did Steve's Trail and this had to be one of my favorites :o)

It was only a 1 Km return trail but the beach area you ended up at was stunning.

You can see some of the great pictures I took of this place in my first post of our trip.

The biggest expedition was Gros Morne Mountain itself but I was the only one smart enough (besides the five year old) not to attempt it ;o) More on that in another post.

New SAL ~ Bluebell

I hinted in another post that I would be doing another SAL and finally I have some progress to show you :o) Nia and I are back together again but this time we're stitching Bluebell by Nora Corbett. Here is my work to date -

I would have had more done but I came across a snag early on. Nia and I had originally wanted to stitch Bluebell on 32 count Waterlily Jobelan. I contacted my not-so-LNS because they cut to size and luckily they had what we needed. Apparently Waterlily is being discontinued. Why? I'm still asking myself that question because I love this color.

Anyhoo, DH and I were driving to catch the NL ferry when I decided to start Bluebell. After a few stitches, something didn't seem right...the stitches looked too big for 32 count. Sure enough, I was stitching on 28 count. Sigh! Okay, not what I wanted but it was cut as if it were based on the 32 count >:o( I was NOT happy.

Luckily I managed to email Nia and we worked out our game plan. After finding out that the NS didn't have any 32 count Waterlily, I caved and decided to keep on going. Nia has decided to go with 32 count Antique White. I had my heart on Waterlily so I didn't want to change. Thankfully I still have enough room around her when she's done.

While we were in NL, I came across these wildflowers in a field -

Nope, not Bluebells but Harebells :o) Close enough I figure. LOL! I used to pick these when I was a kid and take them to my neighbor. I hadn't seen them since. A good reason why you shouldn't pick wildflowers. Just admire them as they are where they are.

Pumpkin, You're Not In Nova Scotia Anymore!

That's for sure! LOL! In case you've been wondering where this Blogger has been, I'll let you in on a little secret ;o) DH and I had been in Newfoundland! Yes, you heard me right.

On July 29, we boarded the 10:25pm ferry and rode over through the night. We rented a four person berth so that we and our friends (T, K and their DS) could have someplace to lay our heads for the long journey. It was a good thing too because it was nuts! There were people laying everywhere but we were hunkered down in our dorm-like room with our own television and bathroom :o)

At 6am we arrived on the western side of The Rock only to find a mile long lineup at Tim Horton's and nowhere else to get a decent breakfast. Luckily it didn't take long for the fog to dissipate and the sun to shine but not a moose in sight along the highway. We were expecting one at every town with a Welcome sign but I guess that's not part of their contract. LOL!

Late afternoon, we arrived at our campground at Gros Morne National Park. Yes, this was a camping trip ;o) There were lovely wooded sites and we quickly laid claim to ours. It takes awhile to put up a tent, screen tent and bed but we've got things down pretty good now -

There wasn't much doubt as to who left piles of poop around our campsite but still, not one moose came out to claim their droppings.

We took Sunday off to relax and orient ourselves but on Monday we were ready to see the sights. After a 3 Km walk, we boarded a two hour boat tour of Western Brook Pond. All I can say is that it's SPECTACULAR! I've been through The Rockies but these mountains are just majestic. This is just a little taste of what we saw -

Newfoundland has such a rugged beauty to it and it's a photographer's paradise. Unfortunately I didn't take my good camera with me (too heavy to lug around) but I was quite happy with some of the pictures that came out of DH's work camera. He only has a 3x Zoom Nikon Coolpix and here is a sample of some of the pictures I took -

Stay tuned for more of our Newfoundland adventure :o)

Long Overdue Post

I have been sitting on this post for awhile now. Not because I wanted to but because I was waiting for Canada Post to get their act together and deliver the mail that I was waiting for >:o(

I truly have some wonderful friends and Nia is one of them :o) This little guy arrived ages ago and I feel bad that it took me this long to show him off -

I was one of the lucky recipients of her bunny sachets. Nia filled them with lavender and they smell oh-so-heavenly! I just adore the card that she sent with it.

Nia also spoiled me on my birthday and sent me 'the most' perfect bunny bag -

She not only stitched the bunny but she sewed the bag up for me too and I have to say that she is a perfectionist! Nia's work is amazing. She also included the scissors that were on my wish list. My collection is growing by leaps and bounds!

Denise also sent me something off my wish list and it arrived just in time for my birthday -

Another sampler to add to my sampler collection. LOL! Awesome :o)

One day I picked up a huge box from the post office and was shocked at all the wonderful goodies inside! Donna (no Blog) sent me this amazing assortment -

I had to take the picture twice because I had already used the water bottle and forgot to put it in the picture ;o) I have no idea where she found the Pumpkin Patch sign but it couldn't be more perfect! She also found some pink ribbon stickers and I've been looking out for these for the longest time.

Karen got creative and did her shopping on Etsy -

What could be more perfect for my birthday than a necklace with my name and birthstone? :o) I love it!

I also had a birthday order come from Needlecraft Corner but everything was put away by this time so unfortunately you don't get to see my stash :o( I can tell you that Lady Alex arrived with fabric and the rest of the beads I need to stitch her though.

Finally, I have wanted this pattern for a LONG time now and was lucky enough to buy it off of Heather -

Thank you Heather! It's always a pleasure buying from you. LOL!

I want to thank all my super friends for your thoughtfulness and kindness. I am truly lucky to know you all and I appreciate all that you do :o)

Christmas Rules SAL Block Seven

I was going to write another post but I thought I had better show this off before the month of July passes by before my eyes!

I am officially caught up with my SAL :o) WOOHOO! Here is Block Seven -

Isn't that sheep just the cutest?

I'll even be nice and show you the whole project to date -

Now to take a quick breath, hopefully start a new SAL and then it will be back to Christmas Rules again ;o)

I'm Always Up For A Challenge ;o)

I have to say that I'm quite impressed with myself. I've done quite well with my challenge considering it's only been a little over a month since it started. If you haven't seen it yet, check out my 40-4-40 Challenge :o)

I know I won't complete the whole list but I'm still going to try to get as close as I can to forty! One of my concerns will be reading forty books in twelve months. I've been keeping track of my reading list on Shelfari and it says that last year I read thirty books. It could be possible :o) I already have two books that I HIGHLY recommend you check out. The first is called The Forest Horses by Byrna Barclay. I think it would be awesome if they made a film from this novel. The second book is called The Truth Game by Janet Tanner. This one was hard to put down.

Tonight I ate my something new ;o) DH and I had ostrich wrapped in wild boar bacon. Oh-so-good!

Recently I completed another challenge and found a fireplace mantle! Here it is -

DH 'thinks' it's made of walnut but there are quite a few layers of paint to remove. LOL! It's from 1914 so it's a true antique and we're both really happy with it. I think we're going to re-paint it white to match the trim in the house. Normally we would stain such a lovely wood but unfortunately the walnut won't match our other wood furniture. Once the mantle is installed, the antique mirror will go on top of it. We had to take it down because it hung too low.

I'm really enjoying this challenge. I don't feel any pressure but it's fun having something to strive for :o)

Christmas Rules SAL Block Six

Yay! I'm not a month behind now :o) I finally got Block Six finished last night -

Sorry I didn't take a picture of the whole project to date. I'm too lazy to have to go iron it ;o)

I'm hoping my stitching mojo is back because I still have July's block to do and the next thing I'll know, it will be August. Plus Nia has been chomping at the bit because we are going to do another SAL together. This time we'll be stitching Nora Corbett's Bluebell :o) I'm really looking forward to that. More beads I know but at least not as many as Sabrina. LOL!

I want to thank everyone for their kind words regarding our loss :o( I've been having a hard time of it and that's part of my withdrawal from Blogging. I have started to catch up on my Blog reading and responding to emails so hopefully this means I'm getting back on track!

Btw, I see that I now have over 300 Stalkers!!!! WOW! Me thinks I will be gathering some stuff together for a giveaway soon ;o)

Goodbye Duncan

By now you are over Rainbow Bridge and reunited with Brie. Take care of each other.

1997-2011

The Case Of The Missing Blogger

Yes, that's me. Where have I been? More importantly where has the time gone???? The last thing I remember was finishing Sabrina and beaming like a proud mother but then the next thing I knew, I felt like I was curled up in a corner feeling completely lost :o( I know I've had these feelings before after finishing a big project but not to this extent!

Would you believe that Tuesday night was the first time I picked up a needle since Sabrina was done? It's a pitiful start but I'm trying to get back in the game. I'm quite disappointed in myself because I didn't meet my goal last month and now I'm one block behind on my Christmas Rules SAL :o( Geesh! I've got to get it together!

I was so proud of myself too because I not only finished Sabrina but I was up to date on my Blog reading too ;o) Now I'm W-A-Y behind again...

Did I mention we went about three weeks without mail? Argh! That definitely didn't help my mood any >:o( Things are starting to trickle in but I'll wait a bit before I post some pictures.

This past weekend, DH and I went on our first vacation of the year! We went with our friends T and K (along with their DS) and went camping at Kejimkujik National Park :o) Here's our site -

I didn't even take any pictures, that's how pathetic I am. Ugh! We had an awesome time though. I learned that it isn't fun getting up in the middle of the night to pee, S'mores just aren't the same as when we made them as kids and I can annoy a five-year-old ;o) LOL!

Keji is a beautiful park and there was plenty of wildlife to see. There was more than enough deer, a pesky raccoon that figured out how to open our small cooler, robins, bald eagles, osprey, black bear and mosquitoes, of course ;o) They really weren't that bad around the campsite but on our hike I thought they were going to carry us away. All in all, I'm anxious for our next trip!

I want to thank everyone for their wonderful comments on Sabrina! I was blown away at the number of people and I've tried to respond to everyone that I could. I truly appreciate you all. I thought for sure I'd lose some Stalkers because of my absence but it seems there might be a giveaway in the near future ;o)

Tenth Finish For 2011

"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A
Wonderful feeling
Wonderful day"

Can you guess why? Can you? Huh? Can you?

Well...I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!!!! My tenth finish for 2011 is....








SABRINA!!!!!

Isn't she a beauty? :o) (btw if you click on the link on my right sidebar you'll get a bigger picture) I can't tell you how happy I am. Of course when I shared this with DH, he didn't really catch the fever that I had. Maybe because all he could see was dollar signs going out the window. LOL!

When I completed her yesterday, my ticker said 16 months and two days. Now I know it didn't take me that long to stitch her because I didn't even touch her last summer. When I look back at my books I can see that in general it took me 64 days to finish the first half of the pattern and 89 days to finish the second. In total that equals 153 days and therefore approximately five months. Not bad :o)

I tried both my cameras to capture just how gorgeous she is in real life but I just couldn't. I had to adjust a few pictures to give you a better idea of her colour. The fabric was coming out grey but its mushroom and more of a tan.

Oh, I just love the look on her face. She looks so elegant!

And the roses...such a small amount of colour but it adds so much to this piece.

After all this work, how could I not mention the beads! The beads, the beads, the beads! LOL!

Would you believe that I was only about FIVE Petite Black Beads short???? If I didn't have to take away the ones that had imperfections, I would have gotten by with one package. The funny thing was though, it called for two packages of green beads and I only used one. Go figure!

The framing place called me about a week ago with the estimate costs on the frames that I picked out. Unfortunately I'm not going with the wider one because it was going to cost over $400 just for the frame itself! My second choice is a thinner version and will be around $120. Much better for the pocketbook ;o) I'm not sure if this is the exact same frame but it looks something like this -

So what's next, I bet you are wondering ;o) Well, I had better get a start on my Christmas Rules SAL because the end of the month is coming up soon!

I'm not sure if I'll tackle another large project this year but I think I have found my next victim...Lady Alexandra -

Isn't she stunning???? I just loved her the minute I saw her :o) Maybe I'm the victim here because look at all those BEADS, BEADS, BEADS! ROFL!