Model #5 Done and Progress Pictures!

Well fair readers, I'm back home safe and sound. The laundry is done and my lunch is made... ready to go back to work after being off for a week. I tell you its never long enough!

Saturday by lunchtime I finally finished Model #5! Yay boy was I glad to see the end of that piece of stitching. I have one more to go, but I won't be starting it just yet. I figured with wrapping up that model... to celebrate with a little shopping at Ann's shop, Knowledge and Needles. Then, it was time to pack up and start heading East on the 401. I made it safe and sound to Christin's parents in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day an we enjoyed a walk out in the fresh air. I can tell you Brighton and Kingston have WAYYYY less snow that we do in the Ottawa Valley! Despite warmer temperatures I was sad to find we have much of it still left!

Saturday night I decided to work on a piece I started mid last year, and haven't really touched. The poor thing keeps getting set aside for everything else and wouldn't really take long to finish.

Cats and Baskets

Then this evening I pulled out Debby's Neighbourhood RR and got a start on it! I'm stitching the house from house 11 on Houses of Hawk's Run Hollow. Once this RR is done I'll go back to the model stitching... this means at least for a little while I'll have stitching to share with you.

Well its off to bed, and back to work in the morning... at least I can look forward to two things : a four day work week, and the Foo Fighters on Wednesday night!

Fair & Square Round 5 Received

I found out yesterday that Hannah received my Fair and Square exchange yesterday! Yay! At least this exchange wasn't somewhere in the postal system for 6 weeks! Hannah said she liked Quaker designs and autumn colours, so I picked this lovely freebie for her (and looking at the F&S blog it looks like a lot of other stitchers did too! I guess it helps that its just the right size!).

Tiny Little Little Quaker

c2005 Papillon Creations

Stitched on 32ct Mushroom Lugana using DMC colour variations

Yesterday's stitching group at Ann's was small. There were five of us counting Ann and I, much easier to have a conversation, LOL! It was so nice to see Sharon again, and she surprised me with Teresa Wentzler's latest design Mini Winter Sampler because I had sent her some fabric awhile ago! Thanks Sharon I love it and can't wait until I can squeeze it in to my "stitching schedule" LOL!

I made good progress on the model yesterday. I just have some beads left to put on and it'll be done.

I'll be heading over to Christin's parents today and tomorrow Christin and I will be heading home... the end of March Break. Sigh!

Thursday Stitchers

I just love it when I can get away and get down to Brighton for a Thursday and get to hang with the "Thursday Stitchers" as I call them. Ann has this great group of ladies, most she has met via her shop Knowledge and Needles and once a week they get together on Thursdays to stitch, visit, have tea and treats! Can you think of a nicer way to spend an afternoon. Ann has actually had to start a second group, albeit small at the moment on Fridays because the room is just jam packed on Thursdays. This week's number was down a few as a couple of ladies couldn't make it. They're the neatest group of ladies around (and always welcome me as one of the gang when I make it down)!

One, Marie-Paul is very creative! Here's a new finishing idea for all of you. She took this Crossed Wing piece (Palliated Woodpecker I think).

And turned it into this....

Who would of ever thought of making a chair cover and table cloth to show off a piece! Her husband was wonderful and brought everything over a little earlier in the day and set it all up so the Thursday stitchers (and myself) could see this lovely set!

Judie (of the famed Cows in blankets from Ann's blog) brought an early b-day cake for Ann (its on the 18th). I even enjoyed a small piece, and I can tell you it was worth every POINT!

On the model front... I ended up having to do some frogging this afternoon. I have to say for once it wasn't because I was too busy playing Ms. Social Butterfly (which I love doing!), alas I can't blame it on the Thursday stitchers for distracting me! Because I know I made the mistake at home a few days ago... stitching by myself. However I didn't notice it until today when I started filling in the area with #4 braid. Out came the scissors, snip, snip, snip. I think my frog shower curtain (they're very cute they have googlie eyes and all!) at my house has worn off. They have done a good job keeping the frogs away from my stitching and in the bathroom! Before I put my stitching down for the night I had fixed the area and started the border (almost 1/4 done). Which means... evil DMC metallic time!

Tomorrow I get to hang with the Friday stitchers... and stitch! Also my dear friend Sharon is going to come and stitch with us tomorrow! Yay!

On a sad note, I found out from Chrisanne today that the Lenny Kravitz concert scheculed for Ottawa on the 24th got cancelled. Oh pooh! I was really looking forward to the show!

Safe And Sound In Brighton

Despite some winds and drifting snow in places it was a nice day for a drive! I arrived at Ann's without incident, and you know sometimes spending a few hours alone in the car by yourself is nice (well with the Foo Fighters and The Police for company!).

I was well greeted by Paddie and Mollie! After unloading my car (I can assure you I don't travel light... lol) and a bit of a rest I picked up my stitching... model stitching that is so alas I cannot show you! Ann was working away at her Pretty Pumpkins, gosh they're stunning... and tempting! I know I'll be walking away with a few purchases when I leave... Ann's got Teresa Wentzler's Mini Winter Sampler in stock! I collect all TWs!

Hmmm not my usual exciting posts... tomorrow : The Thursday stitchers! Yay!

Five

Today was a beautiful day!

My day started out with picking up my Mum. She and I went downtown to see my hairdresser, who I love dearly and I trust... with my hair! She's great I don't tell her what I'd like she does what she thinks looks best for my face. We've gone blonde again! What fun!

After our hair do's it was nice out so we walked upto Parliament Hill. Its so peaceful in the winter, nice and quiet! In the summer its just jam packed with tourists! Of course... I took pictures!

Our walk was followed with lunch out! No wonder I was hungry! It was 2pm by the time we were eating! Then I took Mum home. Dad had been getting concerned about all the snow piled up on the garage roof (which is lower than the house so the snow just collects there). He paid someone to come in and get the snow off of the garage. Imagine a pile of snow as long as a two car garage, up to 5ft high and 3-4ft wide! I couldn't let my poor dad move all of that on my own. So I grabbed a shovel and broke it up as my dad snowblowed what I broke off of the pile. It took the two of us an hour and 45 minutes to get it cleared away!

Then it was .... weigh in time! I lost another 1.5lbs this week! This means in two weeks I'm already down 5lbs! Weight Watchers really does work!

Tomorrow I'm off to Brighton! I'm going to stay with Ann & Dan. I'll get to see the Thrusday Stitchers, Beatrice, and Sharon!

After The Snow

Well, after a dump of snow like we had on the weekend... what do good Canadians do? Well we dig out! It was a beautiful today and the temperatures were warm (-7c) so myself and my camera went for a bit of a putter about The Village.

This was my first day out of the house since Friday night! I have to say I was very surprised by the height of the snowbanks! I had to walk on the street because the sidewalk (yes that's plural we have one sidewalk in The Village) wasn't yet finished by the kindly old gentleman who does it every winter.

I found a very obliging red squirrel on my travels. Isn't he adorable?

Model #5 progresses nicely, I'd have to say I'm about 1/2 way done! Yay! I won't be getting much stitching done, my Mum and I are going downtown to get our hair done. My Mum's b-day gift to me this year. If its warm enough outside we're hoping to walk upto Parliament Hill with our cameras. Also I have my weigh in at Weight Watchers... the end of week 2 ACK! I'm settling in with the program now, I'm not hungry all the time. Though I've discovered even though I've bought low point treats... I still can't trust myself to have them in the house. Embarrassingly I've eaten them, but accounted for every point!

After The Snow!

Here's my pictures after the snow storm and Todd had cleared the driveway!