Quick update

One last post to give you a quick update of my Celtic Heart progress. The frogging is done and I'm finally getting back to just stitching. It's raining cats and dogs right now but the weather forcast is calling for clearing tonight and a pleasant weekend. Some of my coworkers told me they heard there's a heat wave coming midweek which will be great out on the lake. Anyways I'm off; the last of my stitching is packed and ready to go!

Muskoka bound!

Finally what we've waited all year for has arrived. Vacation!! Yahoo! This will be my last post for 2 weeks or so as we start our holidays tomorrow afternoon. We are headed to a cottage on Lake Muskoka. For those of you who are not familiar with the Muskokas, this is an area of lakes about two hours north of Toronto, Ontario. The three biggest lakes are Lake Muskoka, Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau. But there are hundreds of lakes and cottages all around the three big ones.

I'm just finishing up the last of my packing. Packing for the cottage is kind of like packing for camping. Besides clothes there are sheets, blankets, towels, and food to be readied. As tiring as it is it will all be worth it once we are there. The cottage doesn't belong to us. We rent from the same people each year. This particular cottage is only 4 doors down from where Bob's grandfather's cottage was located which was sold when he was in high school. So being in that neck of the woods is rather nice for him. He bought his first puppy at the place where we are staying. The same people own the cottage and remember Bob's family. This year we will be staying for 10 days on the lake before we head to Sault St. Marie to visit friends. We will be towing our boat as well.
This is the one place where I am totally relaxed and forget about work entirely. Mornings are spent on the dock with a coffee and my stitching. I've posted a pic of the view from the dock which is not hard on the eyes at all!

Speaking of stitching, I spent a good portion of yesterday evening frogging on my celtic heart. It seems I was out by one stitch on the outside and it wasn't until I tied it in with the center that I discovered it. It doesn't surprise me since I've been sleep deprived lately and busy with all our preparations. I haven't slept well for a little while now. It seems I'm at the age where Mother Nature likes to inflict hot flashes on me in the night! Anyways I spent some time frogging and managed to redo the area and get a bit more progress in.

It looks like most of my new stash will arrive when I'm gone. I'll have to post pictures when I return. Since our kitty can't come with us, my DS is staying at our place in our absence. He'll be bringing his cat with him so Finnigan will have company!
My granddaughters and son Jeff left on Wednesday for their Grandpa's place where they will finish up their vacation. I hope to see them again in September for a weekend.
If I have time I'll post a picture of my progress on Celtic Heart before I leave tomorrow. If not, then hopefully I'll have it completed upon my return and be on to something else!

Squeezed in...

I've managed to squeeze in a little bit of stitching the past two evenings after my granddaughters have gone to bed. Not much though, I've been too tired! I'd forgotton how exhausting it can be chasing a toddler around! I've made a good start on the celtic heart. The original pattern calls for it to be done in black and yellow. I didn't like the combination so I thought I'd try using some hand-dyed threads instead. I'm not sure yet if I like the colour combination I chose. Maybe it'll grow on me!

The girls have been really good. I haven't been able to take any time off work this week to spend with them but I'm on the early shift so I get home shortly after 3. I still manage to get in a trip to the park with them before supper and a short walk before bedtime. Jeff's brother Dan has been visiting and helping him out in my absence. We've been lucky that the weather has been pretty favourable so they can spend time outdoors. I've posted a couple of pics of the two of them that I took this afternoon.

I've got a fair amount of stash due to show up in my mail in the next week or so. I wish that some of it would arrive before I leave for holidays but knowing Canada Post it's not likely. I'm still hoping though because next I'd like to start one of the LHN patterns that I ordered .

Lazy week

So far I'm not getting much accomplished with my stitching goals this week. I didn't touch anything on my days off. It turned out that my boss asked me to attend a training session in Ottawa for a new instrument we've recently purchased. Since it was my day off they agreed to give me time owing. I'm thinking of using it next Friday at the start of my holidays so that we can get away sooner. Since my return to work I've been swamped! When I get home, I read my blogs, have supper and then pretty well crash. Today is the first time I've picked up any stitching. I didn't have much left to finish on FCC so I managed to get that done. Another happy dance! The fabric in the picture looks more gray than blue but it is a lovely pale blue Jubilee.

I don't expect I'll get much more done in the next few days either. After work tomorrow night I'm headed to a farewell dinner for one of my colleagues. Saturday after lunch I'm supposed to drive to Drummondville, Quebec to pick up my son Jeff and granddaughters. I'm bringing them back to my place for a few days. The plant where Jeff works shuts down for the last two weeks of July. Since I don't get to see them very often I thought that this was a perfect opportunity for them to spend some time with us. Jeff's better half Mimi (short for Myriam), just returned to work following maternity leave so is unable to take any time off. They plan on staying with us until Wednesday at which time Jeff's Dad will pick them up and take them to his place for a few days. Then he will do the return trip to Quebec. I have to work during this time but at least I will get to spend time with the girls in the evening.
Now I'm off to decide which chart I'll start stitching next. I have the Celtic Heart all kitted up and ready to go as well as Dinky Dyes Blossom. I hope I can manage to put a few stitches in before bed.

Quick stitch

Thank you friends and family for your anniversary wishes! Bob and I had a really nice dinner last night . This particular restaurant was taken over about a year ago . It used to be more of a roadhouse. Although it hasn't changed much in appearance outside they have fixed it up inside and it's quite nice. The menu actually leans more towards a fancy restaurant and has a really good variety. We settled on the red snapper which is something I haven't had for ages. It was excellent! We're hoping to make a repeat visit in the near future.

Work was exceptionally quiet today so I was able to spend a good portion of the day stitching. My FCC is indeed proving to be a quick stitch. I'm really enjoying this piece in that I don't have to change threads or think a whole lot while doing it. It's a nice change of pace. I love the little birds and cats that are incorporated within the larger cat. However because it's such a quick stitch I'm getting that itch already! I've been going through my stash tonight looking for another small take-along piece. I've found a celtic knotwork heart that looks interesting as well as the summer heart freebie from Passione Ricamo. I wouldn't need to buy any threads for the celtic piece since it could all be done in one colour. I have quite a few Six Strand Sweets that I could pick from for this one. Think I might be leaning in this direction! My mind is gearing towards vacation and I don't really want to do anything challenging right now. It's nice to have something simple to stitch dockside at the cottage. I have the next two days off work so I'm hoping to tackle my Fairy wings again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

It turned out to be quite a nice evening considering all the rain we had most of the day. Bob and I decided to have our coffee in the gazebo after supper. The rain brought out the mosquitoes though and I ended up dousing myself in repellant. Usually we don't have many inside the gazebo but someone left the screens unzipped allowing all our bloodthirsty friends in! No pointing of fingers though 'cause it was probably me!! I'm starting to get a headache from the smell of the repellant now that I'm indoors. It smells like I bathed in it!! So at this point I will head off to the shower to remove it.

Anniversary celebration

Today marks 6 yrs since Bob and I were married! I've been so lucky to have this wonderful man step back into my life! You see, Bob and I were grade school and high school classmates growing up in Windsor. We've known each other since grade 4! We were friends but never dated although Bob or Robert, as he was known then, did have a crush on me. After graduation I moved to Cornwall and then married and he moved to Sault St. Marie. The next time we saw each other was at our high school reunion in '97 . We had dinner with a group of old friends where he learned that I was separated. But it wasn't until he moved to Ottawa from the Sault in '99 that we reconnected. A mutual friend urged me to call him since he was new to the area and knew no-one. I was reluctant but after repeated phone calls to follow up and see if I'd called him, I agreed. The rest as they say is history and life has never been better!

We both had to work today but tonight we are going to a lovely little restaurant in a nearby village to celebrate. My Mom and stepdad also celebrate an anniversary this coming week.

Work was quiet today so I managed to sneak in some time on my Country Cat. The only time I can really stitch at work is on weekends. During the week it's just too busy. I'm hoping to get more time in tomorrow as well. Then I'll post a pic of my progress.

A finish and a fresh start

As you can see, my Brittercup Brotherly Love is finished. I chose to use the Best Buddies option. It was my first Brittercup design and was a quick, fun finish. I'll do another some other time. I got started last evening on the JBW French Country Cat. I love this shade of blue. I'm using a WDW Sky. This should be a fairly quick stitch as well. Famous last words! Every time I say that something happens which stops my progress or grinds it to a complete halt! Let's hope that's not the case this time. I bought another JBW French design last night on ebay which is called Pumpkin. I also got a Blackbird Design called Country Garden.

I was checking out the sale at SB&B last night. The new CC-LHN combos are really cute. I'm trying to decide which ones I might want to stitch. I like the new Mirabilia November Topaz Fairy as well. Decisions, decisions.....

I've also been checking out a lot of new blogs, new to me that is. I'm just amazed at the lovely work that is being done by all of you ladies! I'm very inexperienced at specialty stitches, I'm only just now venturing to try some. I tend to work on the evenweaves. My eyes have a harder time working on the linens although I do love them. Anything higher than a 32ct also gives me eye strain even when I use my magnifier.

I'm far-sighted so all this work up close is really killing me! I also think that maybe it's time to get in and have my eyes checked again. I think I'm due for a new prescription on my lenses.

Geez, by the time I retire I could be blind!! Lol!

Catching up

After several days of visiting with Mom and family, everyone has returned home and I'm now able to catch up on some of my stitching. I spent most of Monday working on the Easter Fairy which is coming along fairly well. I'm working on her wings right now though and I have been cursing the Kreinik thread at times. This fabric I'm working with is a bit stiff and consequently the thread seems to catch at times making it more likely to fray. My Britty Kitty is only missing the charm which I will sew on this evening.

I've already started my next piece which is JBW Design's French Country Cat. I've chosen to do it in blue rather than the red. Also I have a freebie by Papillon called Love Letters all set to go. The only problem is that because I'm doing it on a light fabric I hate to take it to work with me. It's not always the cleanest place to stitch on my breaks! Perhaps I'll work on it at home when I tire of the Fairy. We are heading out on vacation to a cottage in a little more than 2 weeks so I'm checking my stash to see what I can bring with me. It's easier to work on smaller pieces there because I don't have my Daylight floor lamp with me. I'm asking Santa for a portable Ott lite this year! Speaking of stash I see that SB&B have a sale going on again. I think I'll just take a peek at what's new!

Happy Canada Day!

A very Happy Canada Day to all the Canadian bloggers out there and also a wish for a very happy Independence Day to all our U.S. friends this coming week!

I've just spent the last few days with my Mom and Step Dad who arrived from Windsor,ON on Wednesday evening. It's been almost 2 yrs since they were here last. I had booked some vacation days in order to spend time with them. Mom and I spent some quality time together on Thursday. I took her to the little village of Williamsburg where they have a lovely antiques shop and tea room. Turns out they have also opened a new shop with local crafts, decorating ideas, specialty food items, etc. We had a great time browsing through the shop which was then followed up with a tasty lunch at the tea room!

On Friday my number 2 son Daniel was able to join us and we all headed into Ottawa for the day. My DH also had the day off and could join us! First up was a tour of the Canadian mint where we observed a million dollar coin. The actual cost to purchase is 3.5 million and believe it or not they have an order to produce 6 more of them! I've posted a pic that my DH took of Daniel outside the mint.

 Don't you just love it!! I'm not sure if he was impressed though! The tour was followed by lunch at delicatessen and then off to the malls! Yes we managed to hit two of them! My Mom loves to shop and it has rubbed off on me!!

After shopping we took them for a drive past the Prime Minister's residence and the Governor General's residence. We stopped to take a few pictures and then drove to a lovely restaurant on the Rideau Canal where my youngest son Chris joined us for supper. We were seated outside on the terrace but midway through our meal a dark cloud made its way towards us and it wasn't long before the rain followed and we had to retreat with our plates inside! Fortunately it was early enough and they had room to accommodate all the diners inside. After a lovely dinner we returned home. The rest of the visit was spent lazing around at home and catching up on all the family news. Saturday morning they took their leave and headed back.

The weather has turned quite cool here. We had hoped to go into Ottawa this evening for the fireworks show on Parliament Hill but have decided we are just too tired and don't feel like dealing with all the crowds there. Instead we will drive 20 min to Morrisburg on the St. Lawrence where they will have a small fireworks display. Since the holiday has fallen on a Sunday, we also have tomorrow off. Yeah!! If the weather cooperates, we'll do some boating.

As you can see there hasn't been much time for stitching. As I finish this post though I have a little time before supper to work on my Fairy. Hopefully I'll have enough progress to post in a few days.