My Neighborhood Is Ready To Go!

Well its taken quite a bit of work, between first the basting, next the outlining and finally stitching my block.... my Fantasy Neighborhood RR is ready to go in the mail for Friday's deadline!

I agonized for quite awhile how I was going to set up this RR. With there being 9 participants (including myself) there really wasn't too many options. At first I thought one long piece of fabric... well at 70x70 blocks that was going to be massive! My next thought... 3 rows of 3 blocks. Nah, too boring. Then it was two rows of 5 blocks... I was set on that for awhile. Then late one night I came up with the layout I used... I have my best thoughts at midnight! I came up with a great layout for Kathy at midnight last Friday, she's in a different group of the same RR that starts in a month and a half.

As I'm sure I've already complained, the outlining took forever! My piece is on 32ct Queen Ann's Lace Joblean from Wichelt (can't you tell I love this fabric). This piece is what's left over after I cut a chunk out of a yard for Paradigm Lost which I'll be stitching with Kathy, Christin and Beatrice starting in November. The outlining is all stitched in Needle Necessities 161 (fools gold I believe), which at first I wasn't sure about but now I'm very happy with my choice. In my center box I stitched the words "Once upon a time, in a far away land... " using the font from Teresa Wentzer's English Cottage Sampler.

Saturday I started stitching my castle for the RR, I would of finished it last night but our appointment with the insurance company lasted hours! So I finished up the last bit of backstitching this evening.

Build A Castle - Teaching Piece

c2001 Dragon Dreams

Stitched with DMC & Kreinik braid

Unfortunately Noah's Sub has been ignored for weeks and it'll be ignored for a little longer. I want to get Kathy's ornament RR stitched up (which I made a start on a few weeks ago). I also have Chrisanne's Band RR... depending on where I am with mail out dates I may take a day or two to work on my poor neglected Sub in between RRs!

Need I Say More???

I suggested at work we needed to show our support for the local team... They actually listened!

Photo Hunt #58 "Cooked/ing" & 59 "Colourful"

Well I got a little behind on my Photo Hunts... so here they are!

Cooked/ing (this photo was taken by Todd) - Bonfire at Mississippi lake

Colourful (taken by me of course) - Sunset at Mississippi Lake

Friends & Stitches

This weekend was another weekend on the road. I bet you're starting to wonder if I ever stay home? Well I do, but so many great excuses to visit friends have come up lately!

I was back down to Brighton again, my excuse ... well I had to be in Kingston for Christin's Dad's 60th birthday, also to bring Christin back to Ottawa. So why not make a weekend out of it right?

Soooo... Friday after work after a little bit of running around to find a DMC rayon colour for Kathy (which after three places I couldn't find it!) I hit the road. It was a windy day for driving, and the clouds constantly threatened to open up... but the rain pretty much held off. I got to Kathy's much later than expected but she was a sweetie and fed me dinner anyhow! I got to meet a number of Kathy's friends that evening, so there wasn't much stitching done. What little stitching I did, was done on my Neighbourhood Round Robin.

Saturday was a full and busy day! We stitched in the morning, Kathy on her project... which she'll be posting pictures of soon ... go on over and take a look she wants to see if anyone can guess what she's working on (if she's posted the pictures yet!). For me it was more of my RR, by lunch time I had finally finished my outlines and wording and was ready to start my castle (my neighbourhood is a fantasy one). For lunch we drove to a nearby chip wagon where we ordered ourselves lunch... also chips for Ann, Christin, Lynn (Christin's Mom), and Sue (Christin's Aunt). We drove over there with chips and it was so nice to catch up with everyone for a bit. Ann has finished a beautiful project ... I'm not sure if she's going to blog about it since its a gift.

Our next stop after lunch was to visit with Beatrice who had some serious surgery earlier in the week. I was so happy to see Beatrice, I didn't expect to see for for weeks! She was looking better, but still pretty tired (I can remember being the same way after my surgery a few years ago). We visited for a few hours and stitched... Beatrice did try, but I think she was too tired. Also we all know the results of stitching when we're tired/not feeling well... rip it-rip it! Beatrice is almost finished her Celtic Banner (by Butternut Road) and it looks wonderful!

After our visit with Beatrice it was back to Kathy's for a quick stop for me. Since Kathy and her hubby (who is kind enough to put up with my visits and our stitching talk that sounds like a foreign language to him!) had an even to attend. So I was having dinner with Ann and her wonderful husband/cook! Another stitcher I've met in the past was also over for dinner (Sue I believe... sometimes I'm horrible with names). Dan cooked for us while we visited, then we spent on evening playing cards which I haven't done in ages!

Today ... my last day on the road ... my morning was spent stitching with Kathy. I made it to Christin's parents just as they were pulling the hamburgers off of the BBQ for lunch. Do I have an amazing sense of timing or what? We managed to surprise her Dad later that afternoon with a small get together for his 60th b-day. All too soon it was 5pm and time for Christin and I to hit the road.

Sorry no stitching update pictures yet but I should have my RR done soon and ready to show off!

Photo : Finches feeding on the shore of Lake Ontario

Finished an Old Finish

Two weeks ago my Mum gave back to me an old piece I had stitched (actually it was my second finish). I gave it to her years ago to turn it into a pillow for me. She never got around to it. I guess now that I've got some sewing skills and my own machine she felt I could do it myself. So when I got home from work today I was inspired to finish it!

Pansy Pillow

c1987 Golden Bee

Stamped Cross Stitch Kit

SBQ time!

Q : If you could only stitch one more piece what would it be and why?


A : Enchantment of Winter by Terrance Nolan, because my Mum said my Dad really admired a model he saw of it years ago... he's been to Russia. Its also not like my Dad to pay attention to things like that.


Well on the personal stitching side, I'm plodding along very slowly with the outlines on my Neighbourhood RR. I just want to get that done... its sooo boring!

I'm glad this is a short week for us Canadians (yesterday was a statutory holiday for us), I'm realy looking forward to Friday. After work I'm hopping in my car and I'm going to visit with Kathy, with a Saturday visit with Ann. I love going down to visit Kathy and Ann!

Annual Garden Shop!

For the last several years on the Victoria Day Weekend (this weekend... which I've not gotten much stitching in) I hook up with my friend Chrisanne, her daugher Lindsay and Chrianne's Mom (I don't think I've ever caught her name LOL). We do the rounds of the garden centers in my area. This year we went to seven different places! I had a tight budget this year and came home with 3 new varieties of irises, a white bleeding heart and a cool purple clover!

I got some fun pictures of Lindsay today!

Tag!

I know while I was computerless at home, I got tagged by several people... its probably the same meme but I found the first official tag... from WhizGidget a second tag from Carolyn, a thrid from Heather.

8 Random Things - The Rules

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves

2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules

3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog

Hmmm...

1. I LOOOOVE pasta!

2. One of my favourite comfort food dishes is white rice mixed with a little ketchup

3. My current employer is the longest job I've ever had - 9 years

4. I hate buying clothes

5. I'm lazy

6. I procrastinate

7. I'm a closet Trekkie

8. In Grade 8 I played Jo in Little Women

I tag.... Christin, Ann, Kathy, Katrina, Carol, Wendy, Karoline, Concetta

Photo : The first iris in bloom in my garden 2007

Photo Hunt # 57 "Five"

Wow! Lots of catching up to do... last week's theme for Photo Hunt was five.

You know what came to mind... we've had our house (and my car) for almost five years now. So here's a photo of my house the day we took possession almost five years ago!

Some HD's

As I mentioned in my previous post I finished two items while I was away from the Internet. The first thing I finished was the basting and my stitching on the Quickie Band Sampler RR I'm in. This RR should be a quick one, as there are only four of us in the group. Three of us are within 1.5-3 hour drives of each other. Actually two of the participants are my good friends Chrisanne and Kathy (who just started blogging so please give her a visit!)! I decided to have a theme to my band sampler : "Knot Another Round Robin"

Knotwork Bookmarks I

c2005 Teresa Wentzler

Stitched on 28ct Ivory Jubilee using DMC Cotton

My second HD was my third and final Hedgehog Quaker freebie. I stitched three of these to test out colours on the fabric I'm planning to stitch Paradigm Lost on this fall. I am definitely going to go with this blue!

Hedgehog Quaker
cThe Workbasket
Stitched on : 28ct Queen Ann's Lace Joblean
using DMC Colour Variations 4240

At the moment I'm focused on getting my next round robin ready for the mail. This one is the Neighbourhood Round Robin I signed up for quite some time ago. I've got all the basting done now I'm adding my personal touches to it. I'll probably work on it all weekend... it goes out in the mail at the end of the month!

Computer's Back!

Yay I have my computer back! They replaced the two parts that needed replacing, but the new battery is on backorder so I can have my "toy" until that comes in.

I don't have time right now to update you on everything... including two small finshes I had while I was offline at home. Hopefully late tonight, I'll have time to update!

Thank you each and every one of you who commented on my last post! I've said it a million times I'm overwhelmed that so many of you take the time to come here, and to leave such wonderful words! I've got so many blogs to catch up on!

I've been asked how will I celebrate? I know Todd and I want to go out for a special dinner. A Stash-A-Bration was suggested... but that's just not possible I have to take my car into the shop next week. I really hope its my fuel filter... nice and cheap.

My biggest reward is being able to RELAX!

Its All Good!

Hi fellow readers...

Good news! My Doctor left me a message today... my biopsy came back clean! There's no cancer. I have no other details than that right now.

I'm soooo relived!

Thank you each and every one of you for the prayers, hugs, and vibes! You've all been an awesome support through this!

Its Going To Be Awhile

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently hijacking my brother's computer. My laptop will be in the shop for at least another 3-5 business days. They're replacing the battery, top strip, and cooling pack. Thank goodness the salesman talked me into the extended warranty!

So until I get my laptop back I'll be popping in sporadically like this, without lovely pictures to share with you.

A New Blog to Check Out

I can't believe she did it... just last weekend when I was visiting Ann of Knowledge and Needles she was musing about starting up a blog for her store and the stitching group she holds once a week. I got a e-mail earlier this week telling me to go look. So I'm asking some of you, my loyal readers to pop over to Ann's Blog Knowledge and Needles. So far she's writing short entries about designs in her shop, what she's stitching and what her stitching group is up to.

Yay Ann!

Off To The Laptop Hospital

Well my computer is off to be fixed. Not sure exactly what's wrong with it. All I know is I can't operate on the battery anymore, and according to Windows it has a charge. So I'm taking it in after work today.

If I'm not online for the next bit that's why. Unless its a quick simple fix????

You can continue to get in touch with me via my hotmail... I will have the opportunity to check it from time to time.

Take care everyone, and thank you for all the prayers, vibes, thoughts and cyber-hugs!

May 2nd's SBQ

Well I've been working through my inbox this evening and I've gotten to to an old SBQ. I really let things pile up lately

Q : How many WIPs do you have? How many UFOs do you have? When does a WIPbecome a UFO?

A : Hmmm I say I have about 4 WIP's. There's Noah's Sub, The Castle, Tour Des Marques, Mini Cottages 5. I'd have to say I have 2 UFO's right now... The Accolade and Celestial Dragon. Whend does a WIP becomes a UFO? Pretty much when I've stopped working on it to focus on something else. But I'm pretty good at coming back to them.

B... Day And I Don't Mean Birthday

Well today was the day... I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Now it wasn't because of nerves or worries... but because of something who is black, and furry. He decided last night he should be friendly and walk all over me and rub, and purr, and chew on the plant above the bed... non stop! Then when I finally threw him out ... for an hour he meyowed, rattled the dooknob and jumped at the door over and over! Not a good night, so when I got up at 6am I was exhausted.

Mum and Dad picked me up on time.. Mum came with a curry and rice for me to put in the firidge for tonight's dinner (it was very good too!). We arrived at the hospital over 30 minutes early, but you really don't know what morning traffic is going to be like one day to the next, and honestly I don't go that far into the city anymore to go to work so I had no real idea either.

The biopsy took exactly 45 minutes like the pamphlet said. You lie face down on this table witha hole in it for your breast. The table is nice and hard too... and the room was freezing, it felt like the AC was cranked! Your breast is squished so they can guide the biopsy needle with x-ray/ultrasound. Then you're given a local anestetic. The biopsy itself didn't take long and I honestly didn't feel it, just uncomforatble. The doctor seemed to feel from my mammograms that its calcification from scar tissue from the surgery I had a few years ago. I hope so! I've been told my Dr will get the results in 2-3 weeks.

After the biopsy Mum and Dad took me out for breakfast and back home again. I was back home by 10:45 am where I went back to bed (Hunter of course had to come back to bed with me). I didn't get up until 5:30pm when Todd got home from work!

So I've been spending this evening getting caught up with all of your comments... my BB and I've got my ornament RR ready to go in the mail... once I buy some envelopes!

I have to say that today I felt the support of all of you! Thank you so much for every hug, good thought, positive comment or prayer every one of them has made me feel good about this whole "adventure".

Photo : This photo was taken just last week as the sun was setting and the moon was rising. This is a view from my kitchen.

Amazing Weekend

Wow! This weekend was exactly what the doctor called for!!!

It started out with a finishing frenzy Friday night after getting home from my running around. My friend Beatrice I thought really needed a pick-me-up. She's going into hospital soon for some very serous surgery so I took my Quaker Hedgehogs I stitched up a few weeks ago and turned them into this flanged pillow. I just love how this turned out... and I made Beatrice cry!



Saturday morning I piled myself and my stitching into my car and headed for Ann's! Ann and I had the most fantastic afternoon. Dan, her husband BBQ'ed up burgers for lunch, then we finally settled into Ann's sun room and we started stitching. Honestly not a lot of stitching got done Saturday afternoon. First Kathy (who I stayed with in Arizona) showed up. Then one of Ann's customer's who I've met in the past Marie-Paul came by there was much admiring of stitching. She was in just to pick a few things, must of stayed for at least half an hour. Next another customer (don't remember her name) from Trenton came in. She had on this great jean jacket she had stitched with Harry Potter designs! She also had one of Lynne Nicoletti's new fortune teller designs all stitched up and finished, it was sooo cool! Then later in the afternoon Beatrice came in after work. One by one, everyone started to head out, until it was just Ann, Dan and me. Dan cooked us a fantastic dinner and we spent the rest of the evening stitching. Before bed, I managed to finish my current page on Noah's Sub! That's 5 pages down, 3 to go!


This morning Ann was off to stitch with some ladies in Toronto so after one of Dan's fantastic breakfasts and a bit of a visit in the morning and I bought supplies for the Ornament RR that's starting up this month. I packed my stuff back into my car and I headed to Kathy's. We had a great visit, just Kathy and I... and she made an awesome lunch! When I first got there I was musing about what to stitch... Kathy not so subtly suggested (Kathy is not subtle and I love that quality in her!) that I get that ornament RR started! While there I actually finished it! The chart came with three ornaments and since I had enough left over fabric and plenty of threads I started the second one. After lunch it was back in the car then Kathy and I drove over to Beatrice's where we stitched and visited with Beatrice and her Mom Adriana... I so want to grow up to be Adriana... she's 91 and still stitching on 28ct evenweave! Is that not inspirational?? While I was there I kept working on the second ornament. Next thing I knew it was after 3pm and I needed to hit the road.

Silver Thaw #1
c2004 Wren Song Designs

Stitched on 28ct Jubile Using DMC & Kreinik

On the way home I stopped in and had a nice visit with Rebbecca. When I first got there Rebbecca was at the neighbours with the kids. So her husband pulls out an ATV (four-wheeler) and asks me if I've ever been on one. Ummm no. I'm just chuffed... today I drove my first ATV! It was fun! I think I could of ripped around on that thing for an hour! Anyone who knows me well, know I love TOYS! Anyhow, Rebecca's hubby is a nice guy we chatted, I got along with both of them really well. They fed me a great dinner and once the kids were settled into bed for the night we got to stitch for about an hour (where I finished the second ornament) before I realized it was almost 9pm and time for me to get home!

Silver Thaw #2

So here I am... its 1am I've finished the 3rd ornament and I'm wide awake...

Silver Thaw #3

Hmmm wonder why?

Mum and Dad will be picking me up bright and early in the morning for my biopsy. Then I can come back home, settle in on the couch watch movies/TV ... probably sleep and stitch!

Photo Hunt # 56 "Childhood"

When I saw this week's theme for Photo Hunt immediately the photo I wanted to share with you came to mind. This photo shows how fun an simple being a child can be, we can't forget that from time to time as adults we should be this way as well.

This is my niece, Emma on her birthday last year when my Mum and I took her to Build-A-Bear. Here she's got her Bear's heart held on top of her head as she spins around making a wish!

No stitching has been done tonight. However, I did something I haven't done in ages... some finishing! I can share it with you just now as its a surprise for someone who reads my blog. I promise I'll share soon!

I'm not sure if I'll get online to post tomorrow or not, as I'm off to visit my Friend and owner of Knowledge and Needles Ann. We're going to stitch, relax and forget about my worries!

May Goals

Since we're now a couple of days into May its the ideal time to re-cap my April goals and share with you what I'd like to get done in May!

April Recap...

Work on Noah's Sub YES!

Work on The Castle YES!

Stitch one ornament YES!

Stitch one freebie I did TWO!

I also managed to work on Tour Des Marques

May Goals

Finish current page on Noah's Sub

work on The Castle

Stitch one ornament

Stitch one freebie

Get Neighbourhood RR ready to go

Get Band RR ready to go

Get Ornament RR ready to go

I think I must be crazy... I suddenly have all these RR's starting up!!! I've got to remember that one little word... NO, LOL.

Yay tomorrow is Friday!

Photo : My Hunter Baby

Photo Hunt #55 "Rare"

Well, last week's theme really made me think. I've been thinking since last Friday over the theme "Rare" I felt this could be interpreted several ways. My first thought, was a rare piece of meat... disgusting right? Or something valuable that could not be easily replaced. Or sarcastically as in its "rare that I go on a road trip". Finally today I figured out what I wanted to share a picture of.

Pandas! Pandas are rare both in nature and captivity. I got to see real live pandas in March of this year when I went to the San Diego Zoo. It was a nice warm day so of course... they were sleeping!

Today was a better day I think. I didn't feel like I was "waiting" all the time which is pretty much what I had been doing for a week... waiting for that phone to ring with my biopsy appointment. However I'm still dealing with the stress in that time honoured way... EATING! I keep catching myself doing it too... grabbing something to eat without thinking about it or really wanting it. I really need to get this under control. Also I'm still finding it hard to focus on my stitching... I'm constantly jumping between it and my computer.

This weekend I've got a distraction for myself... I'm going to visit with my friend Ann in Brighton! Todd's planning on doing yard and house stuff since the weather is going to be nice... so no distractions to be expected from him.

Anyhow everything is all set up for Monday. My Mum and Dad are going to take me into the hospital where the biopsy will be done. I gave Todd the opportunity... but heaven forbid he take time off of work to support me emotionally (heck, he left me sitting alone at home on my birthday until 11:3o at night... no apologies. Also when I had surgery a couple of years ago he didn't take me to the hospital, or pick me up... or visit me as I had to spend the night). I've also got coverage at work all set up as well.

Once again I can't thank all of you enough for the well wishes, positive thoughts, prayers and hugs!

An Appointment!

Finally! This evening (not more than an hour ago) I got my appointment for the biopsy on the lump in my breast. It will be on Monday. My doctor recommended taking the day of the appointment off and the day after, so that's what I'm going to do.

I've heard you can be quite sore the next day.

Photo : Nordic Poppy, Carlsbad Ca.