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First of all, I want to thank everyone who commented on my posts. I truly enjoy reading your words and it made my day :o) Thanks to my Blogging, I've made some wonderful friends and I wouldn't trade that for anything! You guys are the BEST! I've learned a lot from you over the years and you've enabled me many times. LOL! But most of all, you've been a wonderful support system.
There were 35 people who qualified for the giveaway and thanks to Random.org, the winner is...
TINA!
Congratulations Tina! Hopefully this will get your stitching mojo going again ;o) You'll be receiving an email shortly.
Again, thank you everyone. I hope you'll stick around because there will be some stitchy posts coming up soon :o) 
Yup, it's that time of year again! FIVE years! Can you believe that? I've been Blogging for 1-2-3-4... FIVE years :o) Who would have thunk!
These have been the best five years too. I've enjoyed meeting others and sharing the love of stitching with you all. Not only have friendships been made but there is a lot of inspiration out there if you're willing to look :o)
So to celebrate this momentous occasion, I'm giving away a gift certificate to Anita's Little Stitches :o) And thanks (a HUGE thanks) to Anita, it will be a $100 value!!!! Are you doing a little stash dance? LOL! Anita is such a pleasure to deal with and she has a wonderful variety of items in her store. She has 'the most' adorable collection of scissors, not to mention she sells her own designs! Please check her out.
This giveaway will have to strict rules so PLEASE read them carefully!
You MUST be a Pumpkin Stalker, old or new.
You MUST leave me a means of contacting you (somewhere in your post or Profile page) if you are the winner.
You DO NOT need to have a personal Blog to enter.
You MUST have commented on every one of my posts since AND including September 9.
This giveaway is open worldwide but just remember that you will be responsible for your own shipping costs.
If you fail to meet all of the rules, then your name will not be entered. Sorry!
The winner will be drawn on October 4. Good luck everyone. This IS meant to be fun :o)
Whoa! Are you blown away that I have another finish to show? ;o) I think my mojo has returned and I'm in the mood for fall and Halloween.
This is BooO! by Bent Creek -
Isn't he just the cutest? I used the recommended fabric and floss for this one. I imagine he will be finished as a pillow when the time comes.
If I keep stitching like this, I may have to get a nice basket to display all my fall ornaments in :o)
Remember to read the important note on my September 9 post! Your comments have been wonderful and truly appreciated :o)
As promised, here is block nine of my Christmas Rules SAL -
And here is the project to date -
I can't believe that we only have three more blocks left! Even though I've been stitching on this since the first of the year, it doesn't seem like it's been that long. I've been enjoying every bit of it :o) Nia and I have decided that come the first of 2012, we're going to stitch Halloween Rules as our new SAL. I can't wait!
Remember to read the important note on my September 9 post! Again, thank you for all your comments. They've been a joy to read :o)
Oh yeah baby! Surprise, surprise! Pumpkin's finally got a finish to show :o)
With fall just around the corner and having the JCS Halloween ornament magazine and book arrive on my doorstep, it was inevitable that I was going to jump on the bandwagon. LOL! When I saw this little cutie, I just couldn't resist -
This is Fall Owl by Casey Buonaugurio. I used the recommended floss and fabric. I had to add the full stitch of 712 for the corner of his eye though because there was an error on the chart. He was so much fun to stitch and quick too :o) I imagine I'll finish him into a pinkeep when the time comes.
I have my ninth block finished on Christmas Rules so stay tuned for pictures of that :o)
Remember to read the important note on my previous post! And I want to thank everyone for their wonderful comments that were left. I've truly enjoyed reading each one :o)
It still amazes me after all these years of Blogging and being on the computer the kinds of relationships you can develop. Here you are connecting with someone you have never met face to face or even talked to on the phone and an instant friendship blossoms :o) I've met a lot of wonderful people over these years and in this post, I want to thank two very special ones.
Carol and I have been reading each other's Blogs for a few years now and I've always admired her work and talent :o) Imagine my surprise when I went to the mailbox one day and discovered this waiting for me -
Yes, that lovely little bunny made its way to my house! I am SO honored to have a piece of Carol's stitching and her over one work is phenomenal! I had asked her about borrowing The Prairie Schooler chart she had but she went well beyond her friendship duty and bought me my own copy :o) Thank you so much Carol!
The second person made an appearance on my Blog awhile back. Somehow I think it was fate that brought us together :o) When we put Duncan to sleep, I immediately knew what I wanted to get DH for his birthday; a watercolor portrait to go on the wall with the one she did of Brie. Jobi did not disappoint and went above and beyond my expectations -
Not only was there the portrait of Duncan but one of Brie and Duncan together :o) DH and I were SO touched! Unfortunately I'm one frame short but expect to fix that next week when we go back to the Big City. We plan on putting them up behind the couch and that way we can all watch television together.
I highly recommend Jobi's work! She is a very talented artist and has done a fantastic job of bringing our critter kids back to life. Thank you again Jobi :o)
IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you who follow my Blog, you'll know that my Blogaversary is coming up towards the end of the month :o) Five years! Wow! And as you know, I always give away a nice GC from an ONS... Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed with the turnout from my last giveaway. It seems that some people just come out of the shadows for the gifts and then retreat again :o(
Now don't get me wrong! I know that life is hectic and there is not always time to read everyone's Blogs. I'm guilty of that and as we speak, I'm behind myself. BUT...I do eventually read those Blogs and I do leave comments.
So...I've come up with a new rule. In order to be included in this year's giveaway, you must have commented on every post from now until I upload the post for my Blogaversary. Honestly, not that hard ;o) I hope you will understand and continue to enjoy the craziness that is The Pumpkin Patch.
DH and I were watching a movie last night when he mentioned that my Blog was looking a little dullsville :o( You know it's pretty bad when your other half says something like this but I have to agree with him! So I figured I had better post an update on Bluebell so you can see just how little stitching I've been doing. LOL!
Not a lot done from last month but she is coming along -
I've been seriously thinking about not stitching her wings. Has anyone seen her stitched like this? Since I'm still on the fence about my decision, I've decided to stitch all of her and leave the wings for last. Maybe by then I can get a better idea of what she'll look like.
I DO have more things to share with you so don't go too far ;o) And btw, Ellen S PLEASE email me!!!! I still haven't heard from you :o(
Who came up with that saying anyway? LOL!
Sorry I haven't posted this earlier but I was hoping to hear back from the first place winner before making the announcement. Since that hasn't happened...I only have names to share with you.
So without further ado, the winners are -
Juco, can you please contact me so that we can determine your prize :o)
Congratulations everyone. I wish I could have given out more prizes, I really do. And I want to welcome some new Stalkers! I hope you have enjoyed it here and will continue to stalk my Blog ;o)
I finished my block a few days ago but just got around to taking a picture today -
I wasn't happy with the individual picture I took so you just get the whole thing ;o) Laziness has settled in. LOL! Not to mention the muggy weather :o( I'm looking forward to September and the fact that fall is just around the corner.
I can't say that there has been a whole lot of stitching going on around here this summer :o( I'm back working on Bluebell though and should have a progress picture soon. Of course I'm anxiously waiting for the Halloween book and JCS Ornament Issue so that might put my mojo into gear ;o)
Don't forget to put your name in for my giveaway! You have until August 30. Remember; please leave a comment on that post only. Looks like you have a one in ten chance of winning ;o)
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...
Kind of makes you go hmmmm...
Yes, it does exist...I've seen it ;o) LOL!
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.
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.
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)
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)
