CRAZY PINK GIVEAWAY TO SAVE BOOBIES!!!!

Hello kind readers and fellow bloggers!  I just wanted to give you a quick update on my fundraising efforts for the 2011 CIBC Run For The Cure.

My goal this year is to raise $1000 towards Breast Cancer Research, last year I managed to raise just shy of $1,500 with your help!  This is my chance to give back after my Breast Cancer scare in 2007, this has become a cause very close to my heart.  I know that without the money raised in the past I would not of received the excellent and speedy care when my lump was found in my breast.

I've currently raised $205.00 ($170.00 through online donations, and $35 in person donations).

Click HERE to go to my personal online donation page

So what's with the giveaway you ask?  Well its going to be for anyone who makes (or has made) a donation and has done so because of one of my Blog entries!  Its going to be a CRAZY PINK BONANZA!   I will stitch you something PINK and I will fill the parcel with all kinds of PINK goodies.  If you haven't yet made a donation please leave me a personal message when you make your online donation (there's a box for that), letting me know you are donating because of my blog and you will be entered in the CRAZY PINK GIVEAWAY TO SAVE BOOBIES!  If you'd like to receive two extra entries (for a total of three) please share the information about this giveaway for a good cause on your blog!  Grab my little logo, post it on your blog and link to this blog entry!  Please leave me a comment to let me know you've shared my giveaway on your blog.  If you have already made a donation drop me a comment, or e-mail to let me know so I know to enter your name in the draw.

The deadline is October 1st... the run is on October 2nd!

TUSAL for August 29th

Its another New Moon which means its time for the TUSAL!

This month the ort jar is full of whites, blues, greys, and a little red.  I've worked on Enchantment of Winter, JBW Bear and currently a wedding sampler.

Today I received a wonderful surprise in the mail!  Dee was a superstar and offered to stitch up four quilt squares for me!  Dee and I have never met in person but we've got this wonderful online friendship... I hope sometime in the near future we'll have an opportunity to meet in person!

Not only did she stitch up 4 blocks but she knitted up these gorgeous cloths for me and included an adorable Mill Hill kit which I know Dee is a huge fan of!  Thanks Dee you rock!

Taekwon-Do Annual Outdoor Training Weekend

For the last few years at this time of year many of the students of Almonte Takewon-Do get together at Fitzroy Provincial Park for a day of outdoor training, BBQ, and just some all around fun!  Some of us, like myself we camp for the whole weekend, and boy did we have a beautiful weekend for it!

Here are some of my photos from the weekend:

Good friends... good times!

 

 Our younger students

 Almost Everyone in attendance, parents, students, kids and all

Yours Truly 

Doing a little teaching

Teaching the kids a little self defense, how to release a collar grab.

Working on writs grab releases

Little Tigers, our 4-6 year old program, practicing front snap kick

A little one-on-one with the non-student kids joining us in a little outdoor training

Flippin' the burgs'

Our head instructor Sabum Marin holding Logan one of our instructor's first child.  Check out his onesie, he's dressed up ready to train!

PhotoHunt: Symbolic

Today's PhtoHunt theme is Symbolic.  I started hunting through my pictures and it hit me right away... flags!  There is nothing more symbolic than a flag it can evoke a sense of pride, patriotism, anger, hope and so much more. 

The United Nations flag, this was taken this summer in Quebec City which was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I'd like to think this flag/symbol gives a sense of hope to those around the world who live in war ravaged countries where Peacekeeping is needed.  The UN does so much more than Peacekeeping, but helping in developing nations, human rights, education, health care and more.

This picture was taken in the fall during at tour around "The Valley" with my friend Tracey.  I spotted this bucket of flags in a antique/junk store.  My ancestry is British.

This photo I took in March of 2010 in the Dominican Republic... the Canadian Flag, need I say more?

Stitching For Friends and Friends Stitching For Me

Quite some time ago I saw this post on Carolyn's blog.  Her Alphabet Zoo Round Robin had made it back home, but it wasn't finished!  Being the kind, wonderful person I am I left a comment on Carolyn's blog offering to stitch a block for her if she decided she needed a couple of needles to get the round robin finished.  My good friend Kathy also made the same kind offer.  Some time passed, and Carolyn did decide to take us up on our offer and Beatrice decided to get in on the fun too since there were 3 blocks to be done.

Kathy and Beatrice stitched theirs up in quick order, and when I arrived at Kathy's last Friday afternoon she passed the piece onto me.  I was going to tuck it away until I finished the wedding sampler I NEED to get done before September 10th.  Kathy told me it was such a quick stitch that I could finish it before I left on Sunday.

As usual, Kathy was right!

Alphabet Zoo

Blue Ribbon Designs

The block I stitched

While so many have been stitching for me, it was nice to return the favour for someone else.  Speaking of stitching for me, I had more quilt squares returned to me this past weekend.

Quilt Blocks stitched by Ann

Christin stitched these four for me

Knowledge & Needles Open House 2011

This past Saturday was Ann's annual open house at Knowledge and Needles.  According to Ann, its the 11th open house... I think I've been to the last 9-10 years of these open houses.  Originally this annual event started out as a group of us from the Teresa Wentzler Bulletin Board having a get together.  Over the years its changed and grown to the Knowledge & Needles open house.  Once upon a time we numbered less than ten... this year throughout the day Ann had over 40 stitchers in attendance!  There's no admission fee, no pressure to shop (be we all seem to leave with little green bags), all you have to bring is: yourself, a potluck dish, something to stitch on, and some stitching to show off.

It was a fantastic and HOT day!  I think we all ate and talked more than we actually stitched.  As per my usual comment... I'll let the pictures do the talking!

Lots of amazing needlework on display!

 Kathy's Amazing Lighthouse Round Robin (I stitched the 2nd one on the left on the top)

 

 

 One of the creative Marie-Paule's Quilts, 1940's style

Marie-Paule's Christmas Quilt

Wonderful Stitchers!

Mollie is begging Julie for treats

Stitchers were everywhere, in the garage...

... in the kitchen...

... in the sun room...

... even outside enjoying the beautiful day!

This is Harry the first male stitcher we've ever had in attendance

Plenty of good eats!

Yes, I bought some stash too!

Some of the sights around Brighton

 

 An interesting mish-mash of items I found near the ice cream shop

 Whew!  What a day!  We were all pooped at the end!!!

PhotoHunt: Drink

I'm a couple of days late at getting this posted, as I was out of town for the weekend and I didn't have the forethought to prepare the blog entry and schedule it.

The theme this past Saturday was "Drink"

I took this picture this past February in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  The popular local beer that Dominicans like to drink is Presidente.  I must admit... I quite like it myself!

Please Help Me Raise Money For Breast Cancer Research!

2010 Run For the Cure

Some of my long -time readers may remember the breast cancer scare I had back in April of 2007.

I am one of the lucky people the lump in my breast turned out not to be cancer. Since then I've wanted to be able to do something to give back.

For the fourth year in a row I'll be participating in CIBC's Run for the Cure (5K charity run) on Sunday October 2rd. I have set my initial goal this year for $1,000, however last year I raised over $1,400 and would love to surpass that.  I can only do that with your help.  If you wish to sponsor me and make an online donation click HERE to go to my personal fundraising page and make a donation (anyone from anywhere in the world can donate).  You can also click on the progress bar on the right at any time!

2009 Run For The cure

I'll also be out and about with sponsorship forms on me at almost all times.  So if you live in my area or at a stitching get together with me and wish to donate using cash or cheque, just let me know!

Please let me know if the link doesn't work.

Finally The Enchantment of Winter Update

I have been teasing you for weeks now about Enchantment of Winter and the progress I've been making on it during my summer vacation.  In the back of my mind I had a specific goal in mind, to finish stitching the over one section, this is a major part of this design as the Cathedral at the egg's center is ALL over one, with over one backstitching to boot.

Well last night around 9PM or so I was dancing!  I have finished all the over one stitching on the Cathedral... of course it has to now be back stitched but I'll leave that for another time.

I couldn't believe how nice it was to get back to stitching over two and not needing a magnifier anymore!  Not only was I stitching over one, but it was over one on 32ct linen.

I'll be putting Enchantment aside for a short while, hopefully tomorrow evening I'll have the time to start the wedding sampler for my longtime friend, Andrew.  The wedding is September 10th but I didn't pick anything too big or too complicated.

How about a PhotoHunt to round out this post?  As I'm now completely up to date for 2011, let's take look back at the themes I missed for 2010.  The theme on January 2nd was "lick".

This is my friend Ann's dog, Paddy.  She was being treated to an ice cream cone which she started with licking but once she got too the cone it was time to bite!!!

Sigh, its back to work for this girl tomorrow!