LOTS HAPPENING!!!!!

Again some time has passed since my last post,  with heaps of things going on. 

Dad has had a total of six brain bleeds (mini strokes) since the middle of February.   The last one has left him unable to walk, and cognitively has had the most impact on his speech and memory capabilities.   He can have a conversation with you, but it can become quite repetitive. There are times of confusion but I am sure that he knows who I am.  It has been decided that if he has another bleed that he won't be taken to hospital,  he absolutely hates it there and it just adds to his confusion and causes him to become extremely agitated and aggressive,   he will remain at the nursing home and they will manage his needs and just sedate him.

As for study, I got a high distinction for my assignment, and I am waiting to get my results for the whole unit, sat the exam on the 17th of June, and the results are due out on the 11th of July. I was so so fortunate to get the mark on my assignment as when I submitted it I actually sent in the wrong copy.  Thank goodness for such an understanding lecturer who took pity on me and was prepared to review my mark and allowed me submit the correct copy. PHEW!!!!!

Later this month I am going on a stitching retreat.  We have been there before and had a fantastic time. Looking forward to seeing everyone again and getting lots of stitching and talking done.  Will try to remember to take some pictures and post them on this blog of mine.

As for stitching, there hasn't been a whole lot done, but I have managed to complete another row on Emergence. So here is an updated photo,  and the previous progress shot for comparison.

Thank you for your comments on my last post about the wombat.   She has grown considerably, and is doing well.  Wombats may look cute and cuddly, but they can be quite nasty, and if provoked are not adverse to biting.  We saw one crossing the road one day and we decided to get out of the  car to have a closer look.  We had no intention of causing the animal any distress, we just wanted a closer look at it.  Well it turns out that DH was in its way.  It lined DH up and grunted at him and ran at him.  I have never seen my DH move so fast, wombats aren't known for their speed by the way, DH just happened to be in its way.  We laughed so hard and we still have a chuckle about it.

Well hope that you are all well and getting lots of stitching done.  Take care everyone. 

Someone Precious

Yesterday at work one of our regular customers came in carrying a fabric bundle.  I knew who was in the bundle as I have met her before.

She is a baby wombat. Her mother was hit by a car and died, and Precious was found in her pouch (Wombats are marsupials which means that they give birth to live young and they are nurtured in  pouches). When I first saw her she had no fur, and was extremely vulnerable,  but due to the care that she is receiving she is thriving. 

Thanks, and an Update.

Thanks for the comments regarding Dad and for my stitching.

When Dad was put in hospital last week, it was decided to fit him with a pace-maker to stabalise his heart-beat.  He had a couple of unsettled days in the hospital but seemed to settle down when he was taken back to the re-hab hospital. Yesterday he was placed into a nursing home in Bendigo and we are hoping that that will be the last of his moving around.

DH and the kids are heading to Bendigo as I write this post, the boys have both got appointments to see their pediatrician, and they are going to see Dad as well.

In between studying and work and house hold tasks I have managed to complete another row of stitching on Emergence.

I hope that you are all having a good week and wishing you all a great weekend with lots of stitching.   Take care everyone. 

DISAPPEARED AGAIN!!!!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter.  Ours was lovely, though the lead-up has been a little rough.
About a month ago my Dad suffered two small brain bleeds, or mini strokes, and couple of weeks ago he had another three.  The first two affected his sight and the others have left him with some cognitive impairments.  We saw him on the Saturday before Easter and he was just gorgeous.  So pleased to see us and quite emotional, due to the impairments.
His sight has improved enough for him to be able to walk around independently, but he will never go home and he will never drive a car again.
Tonight my sister rang and said that Dad is being moved back to the hospital, he has been in a re-hab facility, as his heart rate has dropped and he can be monitored more closely at the hospital.  It just seems that he gets to a "good place" and there is another set back.

As for stitching there has been some, just not as much as I would like as I am back studying.  This current unit is on Cognition.  I am enjoying it, learning how memory works and about perception.  When I do get to do some stitching, usually coinciding with television watching, I have been stitching on one of my many HAED.  This one is called Emergence and is by Jen Delyth.  This is how it will look 'one day'.
 
And here is how mine looks at the moment.

When I ordered that chart there was an issue with one of the pages for the the Celtic knot on the bottom left hand side.  Some of the design was totally missing.  I contacted the owners of HAED and they were very good and replied promptly.  This time the symbols were different and the next time they seemed that the whole colour sequence would be different.  So I am thinking that I will stitch mine without the knots in it.  I am enjoying this one, and the colours are amazing. 
Well I had better go and do some studying, this assignment will not write itself.  I hope that you are all well and stay safe.

Stitching Retreat

I am going on a stitching retreat in July on the 19th, 20th and 21st.

I went last year to the same place with like minded people and had an absolutely fabulous time.

We stayed at this place in Hepburn Springs and it was so relaxing.  

We have one vacancy available and I thought that I would put it on my blog to see if any other bloggers would be interested in going.  Check out the web site, and if you are interested and would like more information just send me an e-mail, the address is in my profile.

Seasons Greetings

Thanks for the comments everyone, I really appreciate them. 

 We are busily getting organised for Christmas. Most of the gift shopping has been done, and this year I don't need to do food shopping as we are having lunch with my family at one of my sister's houses. 

 Joel and Caitlyn finished school today, to much fanfare, they have both done very well this year. Sadly for Luke, and due to an undiagnosed illness, he has failed the second half of the year. There are a few options open to him, but as his health has now returned he is hoping that his part-time employer, McDonalds, will put him on fulltime so that he has something to do while he considers the options that he has. 

As you can see by the picture I have managed to complete the bottom row of pages on Gypsy Rose. I am enjoying stitching on her at the moment and will stay with her until I feel like having a change. She was one of the first HAED that I started.

This picture shows what I have accomplished on the beginning of the next row.
Well seeing that it is close to 11:00pm, it is time for bed. I don't think I'll have any other updates before Christmas, so I would just like to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and healthy 2013.

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!!!!!

HELLO!!!!!

Is there anybody still reading my blog?

Oh my, it has been an incredibly long time since I have posted on here.  I have been keeping up to date with all of you, just haven't been leaving any comments.

I would like to thank everyone who left a comment on my last post regarding my MIL's passing, your caring thoughts were truly appreciated.  Even though the pain eases we all still miss her.

There have been some momentous happenings for us.  I am now the mother of an 18 year old!!!  Luke turned 18 on the 24th of November.  About a week before his birthday I looked at him and told him that he really was only 15, and he just shook his head, totally shattering my world LOL.  He is able to obtain his drivers licence now and will be having his first driving lesson with a driving instructor next week.  In Australia our learner drivers must complete 120 hours (Luke falls into this, but it has since changed to 200 hours) of driving before they book in to be assessed. Luke is only a couple of hours away from completing this requirement.

He has a little car of his own.  We bought it for him, he is paying us back, and he has been doing all of his driving in it.  We thought that by doing it this way we have control a say in what he drives, and he is also very familiar with it.

Our other news is that I have gone back to university to continue my degree.  I had been thinking for a while that I would like to get back into it and just happened to check their web site and saw that enrolments for the second semester were closing in about a week.  So I applied and was accepted back in.  In October I sat the exam, passed it, and I have now completed 7 units out of 24.  The uni now run three teaching periods per year (trimesters) giving me the chance to complete extra units if I want to.

One thing that never changes in my world is my need and desire to stitch. As you can see by the following photos I have been working on one of my many HAED wips Gypsy Rose. I don't think this chart is available anymore, if you would like to see what she will look like when finished, one day, just google the title with the artists name, Jessica Galbreth, and you should be able to find it. I have been working others but didn't take any progress photos, so hopefully if I don't go MIA again, they will appear in due course. I am trying to post this using my tablet and I am having all sorts of problems!!!! I'll go now and start to get organised for the coming week. I hope you are all getting lots of stitching done, take care and stay safe.

My Mother In Law

Sadly, on the 16th of January my gorgeous Mother In Law passed away.

She had suffered the indignity, for her,

 of having been in a nursing home for 3 and a half years.  She was placed in full time care after struggling with Multiple Sclerosis for around 25 years.  She was only 69 and was only weeks away from celebrating  her 45th Wedding Anniversary.  She had the utmost faith in her Lord, and is now in His care.

My DH is handling her passing remarkably well, I know that it is his own faith, knowing that his Mum is in a better place, that gives him the strenght that he needs at this time.

R.I.P. Marg. You will always be in our hearts.

Now onto some other news.

Luke, our now 17 yo, had his trip to Vietnam just before Christmas. He had a "Good time". Like most teenage boys, he doesn't say much or go over board with details or enthusiasm, but we are still hearing bits and pieces from him.

We had a lovely Christmas, it was just us 5 for lunch with some friends calling in for an afternoon drink.  And to celebrate the New Year we went to a nearby town called Lakes Entrance to see some fire works.  They were wonderful, and they lasted for around 15-20 minutes.

Last week, after MIL's funeral we had a week at our holiday house, it was just what we needed after all the stress and emotions.  On Australia Day FIL took all of the grandchildren (6), except Luke, to see a Disney stage show production. Luke stayed home  and DH and I enjoyed some time by ourselves doing some shopping.  One of the things that I bought was an ASUS tablet, using it to do this post with, and I love it.

With my stitching, I have been working on the 7 Sins but then I decided that I would like to work on The General, photos below, as I am sure that it is something that my Dad would love.  I took the photos with my tablet, I was unsure how just the one photo would look, so I decided to break it into three photos.  They are in order top to bottom. (If you want to see them bigger, just click!)

I have also had a little finish.  It is the Travelling Stitcher by LHN, using the threads in the chart pack and stitched on cream linen either 28 or 32 ct.  I am now stitching the little needle-book that goes with this piece.

Well my lovelies, I hope that everyone is well and getting lots of stitching done.  I would also like to thank everyone who stops by, whether you be a follower, commenter, reader or a lurker.
Stay safe.

Seasons Greetings

Even though it has been such a long time since my last post, I just wanted to pop in briefly to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012.

I WON!!!! And resistance is futile.

A little while ago Dani reached the amazing milestone of reaching 1500 posts to her blog.  To celebrate she offered a couple of giveaways and I was fortunate enough to be one of the lucky winners.

I was totally amazed at all of the lovely goodies that Dani included in my parcel.  First of all there was a cute card with a cat that has the same colouring as Puddles, and a gorgeous zip-up pouch.

 

In the pouch were the following;

An ort box (Dani has posted a tutorial here), some finishing fabric, some 28 size needles, a gorgeous scissor fob with an Angel charm on it and a beautifully stitched and finished biscornu. The biscornu is pink on one side and green on the other and trimmed with pink and green beads.

Here is the green side.

And here is a close up of the stitching and the fob.

My photos do no justice whatsoever to these beautiful pieces.  Thank you so much Dani for gifting me with all of these wonderful goodies and thanks also for sharing bits of your life with all of us through your wonderful blog.

Onto the second part of my post.

I am hopeless!!!!

I must be certifiably crazy!!!!

  Most of you have probably seen the HAED designs depicting the 7 Deadly Sins.  Somewhere on  the (evil) internet I read a suggestion from someone who said that a good plan for these design would be to stitch them at the same time by doing a page of each, therefore not getting sick of doing the one lot of colours until one was finished.  So what did I do?  I ordered them all and thought that the suggestion was a good one, although I have tweaked it somewhat.  I had enough fabric in my stash of 28ct white linen and as per the title, resistance was futile.

As for the tweaking I decided to do the partial bottom pages first.  As I complete a page of the first design, Avarice, I then do a row (27x10) of the next design Envy. Then another page, another row of Envy and a row (27x10) of Gluttony. Then another page of Avarice, another row of Envy and Gluttony and a row (27x10) of Lust and so on.  So at the moment I am on the third partial bottom page of Avarice and have completed two rows on Envy and one on Gluttony.

Do you remember the rotation that I posted about on my last?  HAH!!! What rotation!!!!

Whenever I come up with a brilliant rotation to tackle my never-ending, and growing, list of wips I last a rotation or two and then PPPFFFTTT!!!! Rotation is GONE!!!  I think I am forever doomed to be a serial starter and a not so very often finisher. Maybe I will be satisfied when I have started everything in my stash.  No, I will just probably buy more. 

Please help me, I am drowning in wips.

Now that I have confessed my hopelessness I am going to go and do some housework.

Take care everyone and thanks for all of your wonderful comments.

Finally an update.

So, you may ask what has finally prompted me to post?  Well did you see the ‘little’ previous post on MY blog?  Well that was my DH!!!  He has discovered my password.  I am not overly happy about that, (directed to DH who I am sure will read this at some stage) however, I am grateful that it was a nice message and not something horrible.  I think he owes me a stash order for this. LOL

Message to DH.

Please DH, leave my blog alone, if you want to make your own posts I would be more that happy to help you set up a blog all of your own!!!    

End of message to DH.

Even though posts have been scarce I have been stitching and reading your blogs.  I am using Windows Live Writer for the first time with this post, and it seems much easier that posting through Blogger, so you might even see more regular posts from me.  Well here is hoping anyway.

My work situation has improved, even for the short term.  I actually managed to get my sales quota for the quarter ending in March.  I wish that I could say the same for this quarter as I am behind again.  I had some time off over Easter, about three weeks, and unfortunately the organisation that I work for don’t adjust targets unless you have four or more weeks off from work, this totally sucks.  If I happen to be placed on performance review again I know that I will not be alone as there others who are in the same position as me.  I have still been looking for another job.  There are always full-time positions advertised but Joel and Caitlyn are too young yet IMO for me to not be around for them after school.  They are nine and seven.  At the moment they go to an after school care program on the days that I work but it is nice for them, and for me, that I am at home for them on the other days. 

Now for the good stuff.  Stitching of course.  I have been feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the number of WIPS, and the amount of stash, that I have on the go and have tried to come up with a way to not feel so overwhelmed.  I came up with the idea of selecting a few designs to concentrate on so I went to the random number generator and it selected five designs; two HAED Bubble and Gypsy Rose, Drawn Threads Sampler Game Board, Spanish Geometric Sampler by The Needles Content and Village of Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings.  I am really loving another HAED at the moment, Impatient Ballerina, and really wanted to keep on stitching on it so it was incorporated into mix as well.  So for six nights I stitched on one of the selected designs and stitched on Impatient Ballerina for the seventh night.  This worked really well and it was wonderful to see some long term wips get some attention.

I have never been very successful sticking to a rotation in the past but I will attempt to try hard to stick with this one. 

I did have another new start as well.  Another HAED.  It is called The General. It may not appeal to everyone but it means a lot to me.  My Dad worked on the railways and sometimes he got to work on the old steam trains.  In  October of 1988 there was a Steam Train festival to celebrate Australia’s bicentennial.  To help commemorate this occasion the Flying Scotsman was shipped to Australia and my Dad actually drove it. One of the highlights was when the Scotsman and two other steam locomotives ran from Melbourne to Seymour.  Dad was the fireman (shoveler of coal) on the engine on the right hand side in this you tube clip.  I remember standing just off from the rails taking photos in a little place called Donnybrook, I don’t have any photos here sadly as they are all with Dad.  So, a rather long story as to why I had to get that chart and start it.   

The Flying Scotsman.

In my last post (not the one by DH) I said that I would share with you my new starts, well here they are;

First off is Little Snap Dragon by Kustom Crafts.  I am stitching this on a 28ct linen which is a creamy yellow colour with DMC threads 2 over 2.

 

And next is my meagre start on And They Sinned.  Every one of these that I have seen in progress have been started at the top, but I started mine from the bottom which is where I nearly always start my projects from.  This is being stitched on 40ct Navy Bean linen, using the recommended GAST threads 1 over 2.

And last but certainly not least is my major happy dance.  This is by Fouroaks Designs and is called A Love Song.  I stitched this on 32ct antique white linen using Vicky Claytons premium silk in the colour of Garnet.

See that date, yes I did finish it in 2010 and yes it has taken this long for me to share this with you.

Well I must go now and do some more cleaning, the bathroom is now done.

Take care everyone.

Hello possum

Just a quick note to let you know that I am still here.  Todays effort has been to clean the bathroom.  Yes real housework.  Hope all is well.

LUV

Aussiesticher

OH MY!!!!!

Sorry for disappearing for so long.  I have been reading and commenting on blogs but not just writing on my own.
I have a MAJOR Happy Dance to share, but alas no photos yet.  I finished A Love Song (cough, cough) before Christmas. It turned out great if I may say so myself.  I am hoping that by mentioning it in a post that it may motivate me to take some pictures and post them on here.
I have had two new starts, so much for sticking to wips.  They are And They Sinned, started last night, there is a picture on my previous post but I think this one needs little to no introduction, and Little Snap Dragon by Kustom Crafts.
I am having some issues at work at the moment. They have taken on a sales culture which is just not what I signed up for. I love serving and interacting with the customers and hopefully injecting some fun in their day, but with the added pressure of sales being introduced into my role, and being placed on performance review, I have been seriously re-thinking my work options.  I have had one job interview, in a customer service role, and came third out of seven. They needed to two. They really wanted to employ a gap student, and a male, as there are currently all females in the customer service area. They had a male applicant so they snatched him up, and of course they got their gap student applicant.  The interviewers had only positive things to say about me and they said that positions become available all the time and that they would let me know of any other opportunities if and when they become available.
Well I had better go, washing needs to be bought inside and tea needs to be cooked.
Hopefully (fingers crossed) I will be back soon with some stitchy photos.
Stay safe everyone and keep on crossing those X's.

I Didn't Expect to be Back So Soon!!!!

WOW!!!  Two months and two posts.

I received some wonderful news today.  My friend rang to tell me that her husband had his first CT scan since his chemo had begun, and the tumors have gotten smaller.  I am so pleased for them and they are so looking forward to having Christmas this year.  He is feeling so good that he has even returned back to work on a casual basis.  His oncologist was amazed at how wonderful he looks, he has gained 7 kilos back after loosing about 25.

I have taken some photos so thought that I would show some up-date wip pictures while I was here. I have been following a 'loose' rotation on these for a few weeks now and it seems to be working.

First of all is Travelling Stitcher by LHN.  I have been stitching on this of a Sunday night, so it will get some attention tonight.

 Next is Faery Tales by HAED.  I have been stitching on this from Monday through to Thursday night.  Doesn't look like much progress here, but there was a lot of confetti stitching on the yellow brown blob at the bottom, it is in fact a roof.  Cinderella's castle is looking terribly washed out, scroll down to my previous post for a better of picture of this one, and to see where I was at the last time I posted.

 And last of all is A Love Song. As you can see I have started working my way upwards on the last bit of border (I hope it meets up). I have been stitching on this one of a Friday and Saturday night.  The thread for this comes in six strands, just like DMC, so I complete one of the motifs first and then for the rest of the six strands I concentrate on the border.  This method seems to be working really well for me at the moment.  

Monday is my last day of work until the I start back on the 7th of January.  The kids and I going to our beach house on Wednesday and DH will meet us there when he finishes work on Christmas Eve and we will be back home on the 5th or 6th.  

On my last trip to Melbourne I stopped off and visited with Bernadette. While I was there I had a 'little' shop and I was able to get most of the threads for And They Sinned (the chart I have had for some time).  I have been wanting Plum Street Samplers No Sweeter Love and Paradise Lost for a while now so I thought that I would get her to order them for me as well as the fabric for ATS.  I have decided to stitch it on 36ct Navy Bean from Lakeside Linens.  I received an e-mail from Bernadette letting me know that everything except the fabric is in.  The reason that the fabric is not in is because it is being especially dyed for "US".  You see, I have enabled Bernadette to stitch ATS also.  Aren't I evil?  HEHEHE!!!!  So I will be going to the beach house via Bernadette's to collect my order, and you never know what else I may be tempted by!!

Well I must go now and finish preparing our dinner.  Thank you for all of your wonderful comments, and thanks also to my new followers.  Whenever I get a new commenter or follower I like to become a follower of their blog also, if I have missed becoming a follower of anyone, please let me know in your comments.  Again I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and wonderful New Year.

Competition for the Least Number of Posts Per Year!!!!

See the Title!!!  Do you think that I would win if anyone was to hold a competition for this?  (Hangs head in shame).  Even if I don't post to my blog I do read yours and of course I do stitch.  And I even finish things.....occasionally LOL. Thanks for all of your wonderful comments and for not giving up on me.

This is My Needle's Work by LHN, it was a fun stitch and when I actually stitched on it, it seemed to go fairly quickly.  I am so glad that my job is not 'putting things straight by 'sight'', I would be in serious trouble if this picture was anything to go by ROFL.  I stitched this on 32ct cream linen with the called for threads, Crescent Colours using 2 threads over 2.

When I finished My Needle's Work I decided that it would be a good idea to have something small on the go, rather that feeling overwhelmed with all of my wips (which are mostly baps), so that I can actually finish something. So I started Travelling Stitcher by LHN also (I have lots and lots of Diane's designs). I try to stitch on this for one night every week or so. I don't do a strict rotation as rotations and I just do not mix!  This is being stitched on 32ct cream linen using the called for CC threads 2 over 2.

This one is by Fouroaks Designs and is called A Love Song.  I love this one, and I don't have too much to do. It is being stitched on 32ct antique white linen using Vicki's premium silk in the color Garnet, using one thread over 2.

 Here is a close up of the border detail.  I think that is has taken me nearly as long to do the border as it has to do the inner parts.  When this one is finished I will choose another from my list of wips.

And here of course is HAED Faery Tales (click on the link to see what the final design looks like). I am stitching this one on 25ct white evenweave using DMC threads one strand over one.  I have completed 23 of 60 full and partial pages. 

Now for some news.  As per normal we have been busy, busy, busy.  Four of us are all one year older, the most significant one being Luke turning 16.  He can now get his permit to learn how to drive a car. Scary? You betcha! We have down loaded the book that he needs to read but he hasn't done any yet, his birthday was only four days ago.

We have had some good no, great news and some not so good news.  First the good; very close friends of ours had been trying for a baby for a number of years.  Including numerous failed attempts at IVF. D (female of the couple) sent me an SMS to wish Luke a happy birthday and informed me that she and her DH are 15 weeks pregnant.  I had to read her message three times for it to register.  We are just so pleased for them, they will truly make wonderful parents and fully deserve to have a family of their own.  You know, they always send our kids Christmas presents every year, and now we can do it in return. Yeah!!!  We think so highly of them that they are to become the legal guardians of our kids if anything should ever happen to DH and I.

Now for the not so good news (sorry). Another very close friend who I have known for thirty years, her DH has been diagnosed as having colon cancer.  He is only 42.  He had all of his bowel and 5cm of his small intestine removed during surgery.  His cancer is at stage 3. He had lost a lot of weight when I saw them about a month ago. But since he has started chemo and is feeling much better, more energy and an increased appetite and has even gained some of his weight back.  His prognosis is not all that good but they are both incredibly positive and he is determined to beat it.  He is even thinking of going back to work on shorter hours and lighter duties.  Could you please keep them in your thoughts.  My FIL has also been diagnosed as having prostate cancer.  Even though this news is also terrible, the doctors think that it has been caught early enough and that with minimal treatment he shall continue to be amongst us for many years to come.

Sorry to end on a downer.  If I don't manage to get back here before Christmas, I would like to sincerely wish you and your families all the very best for the coming festive season and a safe and prosperous New Year.

THREE MONTHS AND COUNTING!!

Has it ever been a long time since I posted anything on my blog. Some of you would know that I am still around by the comments that I have been leaving on your blogs.

Like everyone with children knows life can get very busy and some things just need to move down the priority list, and I am sorry but for me one of those things is posting to my blog. You see, I would much rather stitch or read your blogs that post to my blog. Strange, I know!!!

Things continue to be busy for us: Luke has venturers (scouts), plays soccer (the season has just finished) and is working part-time at McDonalds. He wants to go to Vietnam in November 2011 as part of the organisation called the World Challenge, hence the reason for the job. We told him that he would need to fund it himself and this is the desire of the organisers also and they in fact encourage the kids to come up with find raising ideas to cut down the cost which is approximately $6000.00. If he does have a short-fall we will of course help him but he has to make an effort. It will be a wonderful experience for him and I am excited that he is able to go. They go for four weeks, the first to acclimatise, they work in an orphanage or a school for a week, help out with a building project and they do a hike for a week. Joel has basketball once a week, cubs (scouts) and could also play in a modified soccer competition but unfortunately that clashes with basketball and since we have already paid for him to do that, that is what he will do! Caitlyn goes to Joeys, also a scout program, and will be playing soccer when it starts. She didn't do basketball as she in not old enough yet.

When I was younger, I played and loved tennis. I am pleased to say that DH and I have started playing on a Tuesday night and we are having the best time. We may not always win but we give it a good shot. Some nights the mist is so heavy that it makes the balls heavier, meaning that I can give the balls an extra hard whack knowing that they will go in for me HEHEHE!!

As for stitching I am concentrating on Faery Tales by HAED. I have completed 18 out of 60 pages. I would love to finish this 'one day' but I need the occasional break. So I'll do a little bit on one of my many other (sigh) wips or put some stitches into a smaller design just so I will have a finish in the not too distant future. The smaller design that I have on the go is My Needle's Work my LHN. So here are some wip pictures. I wish I could take better photos!!!

And here for your enjoyment, and full of cuteness is a photo of our Mr Puddles. I had left this ball of wool in our sitting room and I was in the rumpus room when he came trotting in with this hanging out of his mouth, all I could do was laugh at him.

I had some luck a while ago now. I won some wonderful HDF threads from Cathy. The threads are all in purple shades and here is a link to the post of Cathy showing her finish using these threads. Doesn't it look wonderful. I am seriously considering using one of these colors in a monochromatic design, don't know which thread or design yet!!! Thanks you so much Cathy for your generosity, I truly love the threads.

Suzanne had a bit of a de-stash and I put my hand up for a chart called Irises by Serendipity Designs. Irises were a favourite flower of my Mum's and she had many in her garden. Thank you too Suzanne for your generosity.

If I said that I will promise to update more regularly would you believe me? LOL. I will try!!!

This has turned into a long post, if you have made it to the end I thank you. I hope that you are all well and that you are getting lots of stitching done.

It has been awhile, again.

I apologise for disappearing for so long, computer issues and not being able to load photos has kept me away from posting to my blog.

Thanks everyone for the lovely comments on my last post and for all of the wonderful things that you said about Puddles. I would also like to thank everyone who had become a follower. Hazel correctly pointed out that the photo in my previous post is a bi-colour kitty, not a seal point, (which is what Puddles is). I should have actually posted this photo, blogger won't let me up-load any more photos so here is a link to Puddles mum. Puddles is just like her. He is so affectionate, especially first thing of a morning, all I need to do is pick him up and snuggle with him and he starts purring so loudly. He is very playful, anything that moves is fair game, especially toes and feet. We are all enjoying having him in our family.

We have been pretty busy of late. The weekend of the 17th/18th of April we were in Melbourne for various things; Nephew's 9th birthday party, sister's 40th wedding anniversary, dinner with BIL and his partner (they have just returned back to Australia after living in Switzerland for four years) and we went to see Mamma Mia. The season for Mamma Mia had actually finished some time ago, and DH was forever berating himself as we didn't go to see it. So when it was announced that the show was returning for a limited time he quickly got us some tickets, and fortunately it happened to fall on the same weekend as everything else. Mamma Mia was fabulous, we loved it. DH particularly enjoyed the singing, you see I had subjected him to the movie and he has continually made fun of Pierce Brosnan's singing, I just tell him that I don't care how he sings, looking at him more that makes up for any missed notes! It made for an incredibly busy weekend, but it is always good to catch up with loved ones.

Now for some stitching news. I have had three finishes so far this year, go me LOL. One of them has not been photographed as yet, but I am pleased to show you the other two.

First off is Cirque des Cercles by Ink Circles. I stitched this on 28 ct Navy Jobelan using a Dinky Dyes silk called Desert Sands. It is stitched with two strands over two threads.

Blogger is being painful and won't let me arrange the photos so the close-ups are coming first.

Next is a little design by Birds of a Feather. It is called Soweth Sampler. It is stitched on 36ct linen using the called for WDW threads.

At the moment I am stitching on Faery Tales by HAED. I have made some decent progress on this and need to take a photo of it to post.

Well I must go and do some house work. Take care everyone and I hope that you all get lots of stitching done.

I am in love!!! And my computer hates me.

You may ask with whom am I in love with!!! A little kitty boy has come into our lives. He is just adorable. He was born on the 8th of November and he is a Seal Point Ragdoll. We have had him for a week now and we have called him Puddles as Raggies do like water if they are in the mood. We tossed around a few other names; Jasper, Chester etc, but Puddles was the only one that we could all agree on. I did try to load some photos from my mobile (cell) phone today but I was not successful, however I will (steal) borrow a photo of his father from where we got him from. He has settled into our household really well, it is like he has been here forever.

I don't think that we could have chosen a better breed. They are well know for their tolerance and I don't think that any of us are sporting any scratches as yet. If he doesn't want to be held, especially by Joel or Caitlyn, and if they won't let him go he will just give them a little nip.

He has 'met' the dogs through the glass doors and windows. One night DH and I had just finished reading and turned out our lamps when we heard some hissing and spitting. Puddles had discovered that the dogs also existed on the other side of the window and sped out of our room. Once we realised what had happened we were ROFLOL, (in bed though). It was so funny. He has been a constant source of amusement for all of us, poor Puddles. I do love our kitty cuddles, he is so soft and he is a chronic purrer.

I have had three finishes in recent times. I started a little BOAF design called Soweth Sampler and completed it some time ago. I completed Faith from LHN Scripture series and CdC by Ink Circles. I can't find the USB cord for the camera and was not able to load pictures from my mobile earlier in the day. HOHUM (letting out big sigh). At the moment I am working on three designs; Bubbles from HAED, Lizzie Kates Double Flips and Desert Guardian by Character Creations. I have worked out a rotation with these and so far it is going well. Will post updates when I sort out the photo issues.

I would just like to thank everyone that drops by, I love getting your comments and reading them always puts a smile on my face. When we came back from our holidays early January there were over 1300 posts in my bloglines, and now they are down to to about 250. There hasn't been a lot of commenting as I have been doing most of the reading from my I-pod touch, and even though I love it, commenting can be a bit hit and miss at times.

Well I am going to go and get some kitty cuddles before I go to bed, stay safe everyone and I hope that you get lots of stitching done.

Retreat..

The retreat was amazing. The owners of where we stayed were extremely hospitable and welcoming. The chef was truly wonderful, I wanted to take him home with me, seriously for his cooking. The food and accommodation were a package deal and I thought that we might have had a choice of menu items for our meals, so we were truly spoilt with the chef making recommendations and asking what we liked/disliked. The food was to die for, mouth watering steak, we had garlic prawns done in a cream sauce with rice, gorgeous tarts for morning/afternoon teas, there was some sort of Thai chicken dish. With three wholesome meals per day and morning and afternoon tea also, I never had a chance to ever feel hungry I was just 'topping up' all the time.

These are the tarts that we were given for morning or afternoon tea, I can't remember now, but they were delicious. We had to include the scissors and threads as props as it was a stitching weekend after all!

These are the other two girls who attended. Bek on the left and Gayle. They are both gorgeous girls and we had many laughs together. Gayle has a little called Caitlyn, it is spelt the same way as our Caitlyn. Given the many variations we thought that this was great. Bek is busy planning for her up-coming wedding, such exciting times ahead for her.

Here is Bernadette with her 'almost' completed Ida May Crow. Bernadette bought her shop along and we were all able to add to our stash. Bernadette is planning another retreat in May 2010 so check out the link to her shop for more details.

I haven't taken a picture of my little finish yet, soon I promise.

We will get the keys to our house tomorrow, YEAH!!! HAPPY DANCING HERE. So all that is going on at the moment is lots of cleaning and packing. DH has gone to Bendigo with the kids, who have all finished school now, to attend his Dad's retirement function. Tomorrow night after work I am getting the train to Melbourne and then on to Bendigo so that we can celebrate Christmas with my family. Once that is over we will be coming home so that we can start moving into our house on Sunday. WOOHOO!!!

I won't get a chance to post for a little while so I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas, and a safe New Year.

Much love and hugs to all

Joanne.

House Photos

Here are the photos of our house being built, at long last.

This is quite early in the process after the site was 'scraped' and leveled off. If you can see the steel rods sticking up out of the ground, they are for the placement of the pipes for the plumbing.

This one is of the concrete slab after it was poured. You may remember that I wrote about having some trees removed before we could begin building. Well, they caused us some problems during the site preparation for the slab. As the builders were excavating for the footings (deeper parts of the slab for stabilisation) they kept on pulling out large root systems. Our builder was concerned and waited a few days to get another opinion on the design of the slab. The original design was drafted by the company that our builder is affiliated with and they had classified and designed the slab incorrectly, ignoring a recommendation from the company who performed the soil test to determine the type of slab that had to be built. Due to the delays that all of this caused, including some pretty wet weather, our builder got the tradesmen to complete the slab on a Saturday, unheard of in the Australian building industry. This was a big surprise for us, and

we had no idea that this was happening, so no photos of the actual process. There was also a significant increase in the cost of the slab, our builder apologised to us for this, but we totally understood that if the base wasn't right, how could we expect the rest of the house to be right.

Next up is the frame. This is taken from the front. The big beam across the front is a roof support and the entry to our garage.

And this frame shot is from the back of the house. The mound on the right hand side of the photo is what is left of the trees that were taken down. We asked the 'tree men' to mulch some of the trees so that we could use it for our garden.

The house is being 'wrapped' in a type of insulation and the windows are in.

And here is the roof and the completion of the brick work. The brick layers were amazing. Only two of them, always on site early, 6:30 am, and would work until around 3:00. We would go there during their lunch break to see how everything was going and they would always be laughing and joking with one another, great to see. An acquaintance of ours said that they were the best 'brickies' around.

This is of the gyprock (walls) after it had been hung. The black pipe curling over is the water pipe to our kitchen taps (faucets). There will be an island bench here with the rest of the kitchen to the right and rear of this photo.

Looking into our rumpus room from the alfresco area. The area in the photo above is to right in this photo. These two rooms are accessed by two large sliding doors. We would have liked to have had the pillar in the middle taken out, but that would have involved changing the whole structure of the roof and would have escalated the cost considerably. Seeing what happened with the slab it was a good thing that we didn't.

I am sorry that these have taken so long. There has been much more work done on the house since these photos have been taken, so I will have to take some more at some stage and put some on here.

Next in store are some photos from the stitching retreat, and a stitchy update, and a (drum roll please) finish.