This is the first day of the rest of the year....

... stitchery wise that is ....

I stitched.

Only a couple of web stitches .....literally.... two.......and a few French Knots....

Disappointed?

I'm not.

I stitched.

I'm happy.

My pretty box worked a treat.....

And, it was cold and snowy...so I put out some sunny yellow flowers.... ahhhhh....that's better.

Today, I'm stitching away on my pouch... you remember those blocks.....that originally were going to be a wrapping cloth..but, I re-purposed them... now they're gonna be ...a pouch!

It's tricky to stitch through many layers...just as Karen said it would be.  In some areas there were 4 layers.  And, ... it is difficult to stitch together the blocks in the middle of the pouch too ... so much more so than at the edges or sides.

I managed some running stitch on one or two loose blocks... and some French Knots here and there ....so.... yes.... definitely some stitching happening...finally!

Little boxes...

Pretty things they are too.  And, they were already full of fabrics, trim and embroidery cottons for the classes I'm taking.

But......

... I noticed Deanna, from our stitchery classes, is doing daily stitching as a project for 2014 and to make it easier, she suggests a box or container full of all you need to just pick it up and "go".  Perfect.

I wasn't totally out of it....I did have a tiny one with just needles and threads and a few other things and thought how clever I was being, but, honestly.... I still had to gather up the other bits and pieces and move them each time I decided to do a few stitches.... and, you know how it goes...you just get sat down and realize you forgot ...scissors...or hoop. ..or ..whatever.  It's just plain silly isn't it?

Right now, there is an extra love seat and also a couch parked in the hobby room..so, ...no room in there to play.   Still looking for somebody to take the furniture.... which means I move from front room to kitchen, to downstairs ..etc...

I love my pretty little boxes and chose a medium size one to use for my project pieces, then, re-organized all the other stuff in the two other boxes.  Now, I'm armed and dangerous!  With needle book, cottons, scissors, small hoop, etc. in my trusty "go box", I'm set.

I'm sorry

I used to have an easy BlogLines thingy....I just clicked on it and it showed a list down the left side of my page... heavy type for those that had updated ... and I could just click on it and go immediately to your blog... no problemo.... it was fun; I enjoyed it.

Now... something has happened.  I can't figure out how to fix it.  I'm a techno dweeb. Now there is a page of ugly grey narrow boxes and I can't make them do anything...no clicking to read..no clicking to go anywhere ...except on the first 4 in the list...and then..no way to click on and say "done" or "read" ...I have to clear them all at the same time even if I can't make them open...sigh......and, so....I haven't been around much to your blogs.

I have to go to my page where I do my new post.... close that ...look for you on a "reading list" ...which is truly a trying experience.  I have been deleting most of my blogs I followed .in order to shorten the list to those I visit regularly ...but, even that is a pain....so, I am going to make a paper list... with your addresses on it...or ... list you on my sidebar and then from there I can get to you and your postings....

I WILL see you soon..... and, in the meantime...I AM trying to keep a smile on my face... and, I promise I'll shave as soon as I find a spare moment.....I definitely ain't waxin' !!!

Pampering or sheer pain?

Sheer alright ...actually shearing and other methods are easier.  I've had a bit of waxing done in the past... and it was pretty awful.  ANd, the first time I went with a friend who screamed into a pillow the whole time she was in the "treatment" room.  I was almost afraid to go in when it came to my turn.  It wasn't as bad as having to scream...but, honestly, who goes through this sort of thing regularly?  Plenty of folks I guess.  And, I do remember wishing one of my men patients who had a reeeellly hairy back would go for waxing when I was doing massage therapy.

But, ... who in their right mind wants to rip out people's hair on a daily basis for a living? ...especially in the nether regions?   What a job.  And I used to wonder if suctioning blood and slimy saliva was the worst... well, okay, maybe it was ...  and, then, don't even talk about having to change and clean out the suction bottles....acckkk@@ !!!   I don't think I could do it anymore.  My gag reflex has gotten worse over the years, not better......

Anyway, this was too funny to pass up.  Look what popped through the mail slot the other day..  only in Canada, eh?

Hopefully if you click on the photo you can read the fine print... if not let me know...it's the best part...

On the other side it says to "get my glamorous self ready for a good pampering"! hah!  oh, yeh.... somebody's got a warped sense of humour.  I've been waxed before, babe...and it ain't anything like pampering!

I wonder if they serve shots with the Brazilian?  You'd need some sort of fortification for that one wouldn't ya?

Thinking about it.....

Karen stopped in to see if any stitching was happening in between snow shovelling...and, well, ...it wasn't, of course.

It's already been almost two weeks since somebunny decided we had to tear the drywall ceiling down in the finished tv room and replace it with a suspended ceiling.  Mostly because of some wiring ..  ... and, well, .. you know how it goes....   it does take time, effort, and lots of work, to get things back together again.  Now that he is back at work after the Christmas break... he only has such a few hours each day to work on it...

So, the room still looks like this...plastic protecting the other half of the room... drop cloths covering the carpet, tools all over the place and lots happening overhead..

Moving some pot lights and re-arranging wiring, etc...

However, my stitching buddy came for tea on Monday ...  and, although we didn't actually do any crafting or stitching...we did discuss what we are going to make in 2014 and that got me thinking 'bout stitching..and that lead to looking at stitching stuff later in the day, and that ... you get the drift............................

I've decided to make a pouch with the completed blocks from the first stitching class I took with Karen. It was going to be a wrapping cloth...but, since doing the little pin cushions and loving them...I decided to turn these into a smaller project that I know I can and will finish.   I do like the joy and satisfaction of completing a little project and being able to look at it and say..." I made that".  Maybe it sounds almost arrogant, but to me it's more just a bit of slightly smug satisfaction in knowing that I worked diligently and carefully on something; actually finished it off, and am happy with my project.  I like that feeling.

Here is the placement of my blocks...it could be a smallish wrapping cloth, I suppose ... or I could make a few more blocks and make it somewhat larger....but, no...I've decided a decent sized pouch that I can use for bits of lace, or pieces of fabric, or something like that, will be better.  Useful and still pretty ... just what we were striving for actually, if we were going back in time in our minds and hearts while stitching away on our treasured little bits of fabric and trim........

For some reason, even though I didn't measure any block....they all turned out to be exactly the same size across.  How strange is that?  They are not  the same length.  I may add a bit of lace or some trim here and there to change the centre as it might look like a seam down it.  That may look just fine.  I won't really know 'til I have it stitched down.  But, if it looks strange, or I don't like it  ...I can fix that .... we have ways.   I'll decide later.  Probably much later.......

If you come to the blog sort of regularly, you may remember seeing some of the embroidery and embellishment, but if not..here are few shots of the areas. I tried to incorporate most of the techniques that Karen was showing us in the class.

Today I'm still trying to get somebody to buy my sofa and loveseat... because, Monday some new ones are arriving ... who wants a really nice sofa or a  loveseat, traditional style...exceptional shape...for next to nothing? ... Anybody in Calgary reading my blog? .....

It's Christmas all over again at my house!!!

woohoooo....!!  I did a trade with one of the ladies in my stitching group... and both of us were getting pretty down in the mouth, because her pincushion to me went astray.  It's been in transit since early December and ...well, ... should've been here long before now, so we figured somebody else got a nice present .... but, it's arrived today!!  and...it is beeeyoootiful!

Soft creams and ecru colours with bits of greens and some pearlized seed beads.  Such beautiful attention to every little detail.  Click on the photos to biggify and see things better.

I don't recognize the stitch along this corner of the edge.... but, now confirmed... it is crochet.....

So many little corners to look at over and over again...tiny stitching and details to check out ... I'm back and forth between windows with it to look at every aspect of it in really good light.

I loved it in photos I had seen of it before I got it....and it is even more beautiful "in person" .... oh, what a fun day today is!!

And,  now...into my curio cabinet with it.... so no grubby hands will touch it.  Yes, you can look at it..but, from behind glass.......... so it will be a treasure well protected ....

Snow, snow, ....and ....more snow!!

This is a reeeellly big snow year so far.  See those pots in the picture above in the header? ...here they are now.... who can even tell they are pots anymore?

We are nowhere finished with our snowy months.... good thing my arm is working much better this year....I'm definitely getting my shovelling exercise!  Don't get me wrong ...I do love being out in the pristine white stuff ... it is so lovely and quiet; even the sound of cars passing by is muffled by the fluffy deep stuff we have now.  The problem is, I can't throw it much higher in some areas..so, I've resorted to shovelling it all towards the road.  Forget trying to pile it any higher.... I was even using my sister's technique for piling manure ... sort of flattening the cone at the top of the pile every so often to make the hill wider instead of too narrow ... which is when the balls of you-know-what roll right off with every forkful and end up at your feet again (or...worse yet, on them!...'course, usually you are wearing boots so it's not that big a deal.. ) Luckily my rolling snow balls were just that ...snow.... ..

But, the hills were still getting too steep and too conical... just the perfect sledding hills ...or so the guys thought.... and it wasn't long before several of them got out there even if it is -17C..... wheeeeeee...........
 "Hang on Gingy"....!!  it's pretty steep .... and almost as high as a house!

Not to be left out ....  these two found another sled ....and downnnnnn they went too....

"Let's go again"......

...hellllllppppp!!

Okay guys .... time to come in now...my fingers are getting numb .....

Last night of Christmas ........

yep.... tomorrow I'm going to take it down.... don't really want to ...and usually try to leave it up for my little old neighbour who is Ukrainian and celebrates about January the 8th I think.... but,  Greg is making noises about it being up far too long....sigh.............. oh, well, this year I put it up earlier and got to enjoy it much longer than we did last year.

The little guys on the couch will miss it too.... no more sparklies to admire.... I'll have to find them something interesting to do or to look at.  ..otherwise they'll cause trouble... I know those guys.

Today I put away the rest of Christmas... moved a lot of boxes around in the storage area... tossed a few and found new ones..hopefully all will now fit better into the niche I allow for the festive stuff.  Then, need to re-organize the whole storage area ... it would be nice to toss and purge things...but..I know darn well the second I do...I'll need whatever it is I threw out.  Forget it.  I'll just save it.  All of it.  Somebody else can deal with all of it when I'm long gone.  And good luck to 'em...hahahhahha......

So, .....more snow tomorrow.  We have record high piles of it already...but, a new cold front is blowing in and they are forecasting between 5 and 35 cm... of the new white stuff...oh...goody.... my biceps and forearms are getting a great workout... actually my hands feel it too.... oh, and my back ..and my legs..and my ...hahahha.... yeh..... I know....

Still have some cranberries left and must make some chutney...

Might just head out to stock up on grub ...in case.... don't want to get caught short if the weather takes a total nosedive... have to be ready for anything.

Goodbye (for now) Christmas stuff....

 'night, 'night little mousies... time to sleep til December now....