On vacation

I took this week off work to try and get some spring cleaning done but I seem to be seriously lacking some motivation. Fortunately it hasn't spread to my stitching since that's the only thing I really feel like doing at the moment. I finished stitching my ornament for March which if you remember was My Christmas Tree in Blue by Country Garden Stitchery. All that remains is the finishing on this one. I think I have some fabric that will work in my stash but if not the finishing will just have to wait until the fall when the Christmas fabrics return.I also managed to finish off my PS Bunny which I finished stitching last week. My egg shape isn't exactly perfect, in fact it's a little wonky on the one side, but as far as I'm concerned it'll do. I attached the cording with pins rather than gluing or sewing it so that I could remove the pins and use the stitching either on a wreath or in a basket. I plan on stitching several more of these in the future. Hopefully I'll get better at the egg shape as I go along!

When I went looking for fabric for the backing on this piece I struck gold. I didn't feel like going into Ottawa and instead went into the fabric shop in our small village. I really wasn't expecting to find a lot based on past experience but was pleasantly surprised to see several lovely new fabrics. It seems the shop is now offering quilting classes and has increased their inventory and selection to go along with the needs of the classes. Many of the fabrics are now being offered as fat quarters. I found some really great pieces for finishing off ornies and pinkeeps. It's kind of hard to tell from these photos but the fabrics actually have the appearance of some overdyed or hand dyed fabrics. They also have small tulips as part of the pattern. It's so nice that I won't have to travel very far now for my finishing supplies.

Now that my LNS has closed I'll have to buy most of my cross stitch supplies online which means using a little more planning. No more waiting until I've run out of something and replacing it right away. Now I'll be looking at 1-2 weeks before new supplies arrive once I've placed an order.

Besides these two ornies I took out Secret Snowdrift in an attempt to get this one finished in the very near future. I have several other projects kitted up and ready to go but if I don't finish this one first I figure it'll sit there until next winter. I'm making a concerted effort to put in time on my Easter fairy as well although I'm pretty sure she won't make her Easter deadline. I've given her one leg now and later tonight I'm starting on the second leg. I'm giving myself a bit of a break from working on the wings since I get so frustrated using the Kreinik. Not that there's much left to be done there either. If I can finish up those sections this week that will only leave the beading. I know I'm working Easter weekend and I have a busy week ahead of me before then so I won't be surprised if it just doesn't happen. I'll be happy if I can just get her finished before the end of April. I'll have an updated pic soon as well as an update on CDC. I'm still putting in stitches in on this one whenever I get a chance.

This past Saturday I made a trip up to Drummondville to visit my son and granddaughters. Daniel came with me to keep me company and to spend some time with his brother. Being the good grandma that I am, I had a car full of Easter gifts as well as Océanne's birthday gifts. Her birthday is two weeks from now and it was easier to bring them with me rather than mail them later. I actually could have gone up on her birthday weekend but they're expecting a houseful with all the family on Mimi's side. None of them speak English and they're all smokers which is enough to keep me away. By going up a bit earlier I get the girls all to myself and don't have to share them. It's a lot quieter and I don't have to deal with all the family. A bit selfish, I know!

I figure they get plenty of Easter candy from their parents and everyone else so I took things like board books, little purses shaped like carrots, blowing bubbles, stuffed bunnies and a summer dress for each of them. I found these cute little gift bags at the dollar store which I used as Easter baskets. I've included some photos of my visit including ones of each of the girls in their dresses. The day past by far too quickly and before you knew it we were on the road again. It's a 3 1/2 hour trip each way so by the time I returned home that night I was beat. Add to that the fact that my DH played in a recital on Sunday which meant we were gone from home all day. So yours truly spent a few extra hours in bed this morning trying to get caught up on some lost sleep.

Clarisse's antics this weekend included knocking over the plant in the bathroom just prior to my departure for Drummondville. Dirt everywhere including in the furnace vents and all over the toilet so consequently I ended up leaving a little later than planned after time spent cleaning up.

We've been using a water bottle on the mist setting to deter her from certain areas. When she sees us take out the bottle now she either runs or squints her eyes because she knows what's coming but it certainly hasn't stopped her from attempting things anyways.

My LNS had a stitching group which got together on Thursday evenings for a SAL. I could never make it because it conflicted with my choir practice. However, now that they've closed, one of the members of the group has offered to continue the SAL on Tuesday evenings at her book shop. I'd planned on going last Tuesday but was much too tired so I'm going to try and make it tomorrow night since I don't have to work the next day. Now I'm off to try and get some stitching in before bed. I'm hoping to get caught up with some of you tomorrow when I actually have some time to read blogs.