Photohunt : Waiting

Gosh its been forever since I've had the time or energy to get back into sharing Photohunts with you!  This week's theme is "Waiting"

While I was waiting for the Pearl Jam concert to start... I found Waldo!

Its A Happy Thanksgiving Weekend

I'd like to wish all my fellow Canadians a very Happy Thanksgiving!  What a Thanksgiving weekend we're going to have here in the Ottawa Valley, the weather forecast is spectacular, sun and hot, hot, hot!  So it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving weekend at all.  Since my Mum still isn't strong enough to put on the full holiday meal I offered to put on a roast chicken dinner for my family tomorrow.  We don't do turkey or ham in this family so I'm going to cook three chickens, and to make my life easier I've cooked the first of three tonight and I'll cook the other two tomorrow.  So the house is clean and I've got as much food prepped as possible.  Tonight's roast chicken is actually my first!  That's right, and it looks so yummy!  I mean why would I cook a whole chicken for just Todd and me?

I started off the long weekend with making it an extra long weekend.  I took today off of work, and I put it to good use!  I spent hours cleaning the house and prepping food.  I've been so busy doing this and that today, that I've had a hard time settling down into my stitching.  I did stop and take a picture of my Prarie Schooler WIP before I picked it up today.  I'll show you what progress I do make this long weekend, sometime Monday night.

Check out the look on Hunter's face, he is trying to look so innocent!

I think the cats have just loved it having me home today!  Oh boy they were entertaining.  When I first brought Zeus home there was a lot of growling and spitting on Hunter's part... also the odd swat.  Hunter was not pleased.  Now that Zeus has been here for almost seven months, I see moments where they're "getting along".  Also usually the trouble maker is Zeus, but I'm seeing moments where Hunter is being the instigator.

This only lasted for about ten minutes... both of them on the back of my stitching chair.

I hope if you're Canadian you enjoy the holiday with family and friends, and if you're not I hope you enjoy it whatever your plans may be!

Run For The Cure 2011

Yesterday was my 4th year participating in the CIBC Run For the Cure and as you all know because I've been begging and pleading I annually fund raise for this event.  Not only did I participate and fund raise this year but I started a team as well at my Taekwon-Do School!

 The Almonte Taekwon-Do Run For The Cure Team 2011

For our first Almonte Taekwon-Do team we were 16 strong made up of family, friends, and students!  As a team we fund raised $2,845.00!  I am so proud of my team and how my friends and classmates supported me this year!

Me & Tracey waiting to start the race

Personally this year I raised $1,600.00 for Breast Cancer Research!  I have many of you to thank for surpassing my goal this year!

Some of the 9,000 participants crossing the finish line

On Sunday we ran with 9,000 other people and helped raise 1.64 million in Ottawa alone!  Last year nation wide 33 million was raised for Breast Cancer Research through this event.  This year I crossed the finish line of the 5K course in 31 minutes, and it was just wonderful running with my teammates!

Not only is this event run across Canada simultaneously, this year a run also took place on the Canadian Forces base in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  Is that not just the coolest thing ever?

 Greeted by the Ottawa 67 Cheerleaders after crossing the finish line

 Keeping warm, waiting to start the race!

 Father & son running together

 Mother & Son running as well!  A great event for 

families.

Lots of fun outfits!

We ended off the morning with hot beverages and breakfast!

Stitching Goals, Stitching Days, and Stitching!

Hey!  How about a stitching post?  I think its been a little too long since I've pumped out one of those.  It feels like forever since I've shared my stitching with you, and really up until recently there wasn't a lot to share!

First of all lets get back to the stitching goal thing... I had to let that drop for September.  If I had one stitching goal at all last month would of been just to get in a few stitches.  Which I did.

October Stitching Goals

• Finish K is for Kitty by Prarie Schooler
• Stitch the last of my quilt blocks
• Stitch 2 ornaments
• Work on Enchantment of Winter

Some weeks ago I received an invite for a stitching day at Beatrice's, initially I turned down the invite because I just didn't know where life was taking me at the time.  I got up Saturday morning and decided to just GO despite the 3 hour drive each way.  My friend Tracey has recently picked up stitching again after many years, she lives not too far from me and she's an early riser so one quick phone call and I had a travel buddy!  I also have talked about my good stitching friends for years so I was excited for them to meet Tracey, and Tracey to meet them!

Tracey stitching on her cute Labrador puppies

After a beautiful fall drive we arrived and not only was I greeted with hugs but so was Tracey even though I had barely introduced her.  That's why I love these ladies soooo much, and wish I lived so much closer!  It was a great day some stitching did happen, lots of laughing, and a little too much eating... the usual things!

L to R : Bonnie, Tracey, and Beatrice

Here are a few shots from the day, 8 of us were very cozy in Beatrice's lovey apartment!

 Bonnie

 Angie, she had a long way to come, she lives on the floor below Beatrice

 Clare

 Bernie, checking out the framed piece I had given Beatrice a few years ago

 Kathy (L) and Anne (R), I'm my current WIP is for her Mom

  I baked cookies the night before... so I had to share them with my friends!

My Big Soft Ginger Cookies were a hit!!!

I am so looking forward to the next stitching event, Rebecca's annual October/Moose Hunting Weekend Stitching Bonanza!

I've really enjoyed being able to pick up my stitching again, and make some fantastic progress.  Friday night I put the first stitches in this piece, K is for Kitty by Prarie Schooler.  This is for Naan, she wants to make a quilt out of the Prarie Schooler Alphabet Charts she was too proud to ask for help but boy once word went around we've all been chipping in and taking on a block!  I picked this one not only because I love kitty cats, but I think she's going to look like my wee Zeus when she's done.  I'll have to do some side-by-side pictures at the end.  I want to have this piece finished for the November Timberhouse Retreat!

I have been picking away at Enchantment of Winter as well and here's an updated picture for everyone.  I'm giving this one a bit of a break so I can get some of the smaller pieces that have been piling up out of the way.

My Mum is doing great and getting better and stronger every day and much happier now that she's at home.  Its so nice to have life moving back into the realm of "normal" that's normal for me... which isn't really that normal at all!  LOL!  I have too much fun to be "normal".

Ketchup Post #4

As I've been getting you caught up on the few bright moments I had in September, the current events have been falling behind!

When I went out for the evening on September 28th, it was with a sense of celebration and relief!  I should of been going out with my Mum, but she's not ready for such a big outing yet.  It took some asking around, but I found someone to come along, my friend Amy from work.  It was a little tough to find someone who knew Tommy and liked it.  Mum and I had gotten tickets ages ago to see Roger Daltrey of the Who perform the rock opera Tommy from start to finish and some of the Who's greatest hits.

Ottawa is a strange city, for some reason only 2,500 tickets were sold in a venue that holds over 10,000!  Go figure, Ottawa you suck sometimes.

I must say Roger Daltrey did not disappoint!  He and his band put on an amazing show!  As he performed Tommy he didn't stop, not a pause between songs.  It was like listening to the CD.  Once they finished performing Tommy they just kept going, it felt like it had just been a warm up!

It was a great, raw, rocking show and it definitely made up for the disappointing show that Pearl Jam put on a few weeks before!

I did mention I LOVE concert t-shirts!

Fundraising Update

So, Run For the Cure is tomorrow morning!  I have ALMOST surpassed last year's fundraising totals I am currently $59.00 shy of raising $1,500 for Breast Cancer Research!!!

If you can help me reach that goal please click here to visit my personal donation page.

Thank you to all who have been in a position to help me with my fundraising this year!

Ketchup Post #3

Gosh darn it, too bad its not NaBloPoMo!  At this rate I would be doing a great job if it was November!

Clarisse had to supervise all stitches put in

I am an on-again-off-again Tuesday Night, "Tangled Skeins" stitcher, the group that Lynn goes to religiously despite the distance she is from the city.  So in all honesty I probably don't have much of an excuse for not going since I'm only a 25 minute drive away.  Actually my excuse is that I lead a very busy life!  LOL too much to do and not enough time.  I digress, Lynn put out an open invitation to the Tuesday Stitchers for a day of stitching at her place.  After missing Kathy's fantastic Labour Day weekend get together I was going!

 Lynn (center) getting in a few stitches between prepping food and making sure we were happy

I showed up at 10am, and didn't leave until 8pm!  I don't think I got as much stitching done as I would of liked, but it was nice just to get away... oh and maybe eat a little too much.  I think at times I was almost falling asleep, that's the problem when you stop, the body has a tendency to crash.

Lynn has been bragging about her wonderful new gazebo

 She's right, its the perfect stitchy-spot!

 Leslie was happy to be stitching too!

I had a lovely day, got some good stitches in, and had some great laughs... thanks Lynn I needed that!