non-stitchy post

Hi all, thank you for your comments! You've all been very encouraging.

I haven't had much stitching done this past week except for a few stitches on the Italian flower wip (which I had to frog, sigh).  Someone dropped off the gift of a dog, a Boston terrier, for my mom (who's away for a couple of days).  I was so surprised and taken aback. She's a cutie though.  No name yet and I'm waiting for my mom to do the honors.  As you can imagine, being totally unprepared for it we have none of the paraphernalia for dog ownership! Many years ago my dad used to breed poms and German shepherds but that was many, many years ago.. God bless my dad.. so no more fences, carriers, harnesses or collars and definitely no dog food! Anyway, will post pics over the weekend. Any tips for a new BT owner?

On a side note, I've had a few rough days in the office.. so please spare me and the person concerned (see, I think it would help that person too!)  some good thoughts, prayers, white light, if you would! Or in any case, I'd appreciate all you can send over my way  :-)

In the meantime, good stitching!

Pics of my WIPs

You know, as I was transferring some pics, I realized that I forgot to take a photo of the big WIP I'm doing... but I'm too sleepy to take it now.

But before the WIPs.. a better pic of my finish!

Madame La Fee

Okay, now for the WIPS..

La D Da's
A Bushel and a Peck

Peaches by Maria Wrinkler (done with Plums)

Orchids from an Italian pattern (meant to join a quilt, too!)



And some random, stash-y goodness:

PS Garden Samplers, purchased from a lovely 123 lady

Brooke's Books, with linen (the linen is much prettier in person!)

Blogger seems to be going wild on me, sorry for the lack of centering/symmetry!

Oh dear!  I can't get Blogger to behave.

Good stitching to all!

Blogworld Giveaway Goings-on at Ruth's

Sharing with you a giveaway going on at Ruth's Little Leprechauns. Drop in and say hi.. it's her birthday as well!

Hmm.. seems Blogspot won't let me update the little box on the side with the blogworld giveaways!  I can't even delete an old giveaway notice!   Now what?  Anyone know what that's all about? 'Tis a puzzlement!

Happy Easter!

Hi all!

He died so that we may live.. what a profound thought this Easter. "Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Wishing you the Hope that His resurrection brings.. a new life and a new beginning!

Easter should be the bigger holiday but Christmas gets more press.  I guess it's the circumstances behind this redemption that make it more solemn than festive.  I love the Easter vigil mass - you get to feel Jesus' triumph over sin and death.  "We must consider ourselves dead to sin, but alive in Christ Jesus".  When you hear the bells ringing and the festive Gloria being sung.. wow!

These are readings I recall as a lector at mass - something I stopped doing but am going back to.

Sorry to have been away so long.. been very busy with work (think 12-14 hour days), with planning my Mom's birthday bash (a success, thank goodness!),  and with worrying about work...(please do send a prayer or a good thought up for me!) .  I've neglected writing the new learnings everyday and coming back into Blogger, noticed that Google warns that it's discontinuing Google Reader.  Darn, aren't there enough of us using this?  Now for the search for a new one, to be able to keep track of the blogs I'm following..  Any suggestions?

I don't know if I posted this before - it's a bit blurry but I hope it works!  This is a freebie from Madame La Fee and if I remember to do it, it's going off to join a quilt.

If you notice, I didn't stitch in the bee wings - not very good with whites!  Also, I bought Aida specifically for this project..  it doesn't feel like the Aida I used 20 years ago.. it has a plastic-ky feel.  Doesn't feel like cloth at all.  I wonder why?  Is this made in China or something.

Eeeeep, not a very good photo.  I'll see if I can remedy that.  I don't have a new camera yet nor have I found the USB cord for the one I'm using.. instead, I discovered one can use a card reader and plug it into the CPU to download pics!  I'm cheating a bit as I finished this last November.  I have 4 others I'm working on and I'll post those in a while..

Anyway, up there's your Spring picture... hope you like it!

Blessings to all of us!

a day (or two) late!

Hello!  Okay, I'm a day late but my learning yesterday was something really useful - at least for me and my mom.  It concerns the Touchpad, which is very useful for us to surf with while in bed.  If your screen is frozen or stuck - that is, not responding to your touch, not bringing up the keyboard onscreen -- press and hold the power and home button for at least 20 seconds until the HP screen comes up and voila!  Your touchpad screen is working again!

My learning today is, do at least 10 minutes of exercise each morning (duh, you might be saying, but bear with me). Your body will wake up and you'll feel more energized!  There's something about this cool early morning weather that makes one want to burrow and get back to the zzzzs rather than wake up.   The associated lack of sun - the sky's overcast and the sun doesn't get bright and light until past 7 -- makes it hard to get going in the morning.  I'm not complaining about the weather -- I just wish I had more time in the morning to enjoy it!  lol

I called my nearest LNS and found that they have Lugana, so I am off on Saturday to buy it.  Can't wait to get started on my SALs!  My mom paid for one of them so I have to show some action! :-)

Received some stash from my dear cousin again.  Some things I bought online, and some she gifted me with.. plus a pair of Sofftspots mocs! Yippee!  Stay tuned for photos!  Wish me luck, still looking for the camera USB cord...!

It's my nephew's birthday this weekend; wish we could be there to celebrate with him.. there's just too much work, can't get time off to visit.  Despite that.. Happy 14th kiddo!

And to everyone else, Happy stitching!

ho ho ho and a Happy New Year to all!

Happy New Year!  I thought I'd done a New Year's post and it turns out I hadn't.  I wish everyone a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year, and God's blessings on all of us!  :-)

Wouldn't you know it, two weeks into the New Year and my first post and my first sick leave of the year, too! Caused, in part, by carefree behavior - 2 beers in as many days (but hey the beer drinking took place Dec. 9 and 10, and I've been suffering ever since), and this tipped my uric acid levels over the brink into gout land. Woe is me, how can this be??

As it happens, I want to walk-pain free more than I want to eat, but it's looking more like it will take some time to get back to normal land.. from what I have read, the 'gout diet' does not promise to lower uric acid except over time.. seemingly it will be some time.. boy do I feel like crying!  Lesson learned.

Speaking of lessons learned, I have resolved to write down at least one lesson learned and 3 positives for the day.  Documenting is good (saves you from forgetting).  I learned that if I go barefoot at home my feet won't hurt as much.  I wonder why not?  I learned also that if I relax my feet, it won't hurt as much.

I learned that all the mental planning won't help unless there's some deciding being done as well, not just laying out the possibilities.  This is more stitch-related, as I joined 2 SALs (Pretty as they will be... what was I thinking???) and didn't have enough fabric for both projects.  I was supposed to be gridding from Dec. 31 to Jan.9, and the first installments for both pieces arrived last Thursday..I spent all that time trying to think if I had enough fabric or if I wanted pieces as large as they were projected to be if I used the recommended fabric.. and I ended up not deciding.  So now, a bit late, I have decided to buy other fabric this weekend and then get started, tout suite.  I don't want a finished piece 3 feet across!.

I learned that the "espada" plant is a good indoor plant that will recycle CO2 and turn it into O2... that being so if the CO2 is less then the mosquitoes won't be attracted..

Man oh man, the lessons won't stop coming  It's true that as long as we live, we have the privilege of growing.   :-)

Positives:  have all my floss, ate my vegetables and fish, feel better overall (except for my feet....).. am halfway through La D Da "A Bushel and a Peck".

Here's to learning the lessons of each day well and profiting by them!

Merry Day after Christmas!

Just thought I'd wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!  Here's to your health, wealth and happiness!

My camera is still down and out and the new-ish one is still missing its box and the critical USB cord...so finally I thought of just sharing a few pics from last Christmas..

Actually I should mention this is not our tree, it's my sister-in-law's,  and I have no idea why I took such a bad pic of it - it's really lovelier than this.  She has a bunch of handmade button wreaths that I love love love, because they were made by my nephew and niece.  My mom and I spent Christmas in Singapore last year; we usually spend it with them but this year my mom wanted a Christmas in our new place.  In the 3 years since we moved this is our first Christmas here.

We also have some of the same button wreaths for our tree (not pictured); I apparently forgot to take photos of it last year.  We did put it up despite knowing we would not be spending Christmas at home.   This year, it's up and I have pics, but the USB cord is missing, so despite the pics I can't post. Boo.

With all the things going on in the world (the Newtown massacre is still sending chills through me despite American media having a seemingly short attention span and forgetting all about it less than 2 weeks later), please don't forget to hug those you love and be quick to forgive.. life's too short!

It's too short, and here's hoping I finish the projects I listed this year.. next year!
:-)

Wishing you stitchy success with your projects (there's still almost a whole week left of the year), I remain your stitching friend, T.