Thursday 24 September 2009

Welcome fall!

It's been an absolutely gorgeous fall day here and fortunately for me I'm not working today. Even better, I've done nothing other than stitch and shop! I spent my morning stitching on my Nantucket Summer Sampler. Sorry it looks a little lopsided in this pic. I'm really enjoying my time spent stitching on this one. The colours are so pretty and I love watching the scene unfold. While I was stitching it I realized that I'm always stitching a season behind. Here I am doing a summer scene when it's now fall. When summer was here I was stitching my Spring Lace. It seems that it takes me the entire season to decide on a piece, kit it up and get started. I'm sure I'll decide on a Christmas piece once the holidays are over and I'll be into a Halloween piece over Christmas! It's like I'm trying to hang on the season in my own way. Oh well, at least they get done.


My Cricket Halloween freebie is coming along nicely. I'm sure to have this one completed in time for the season. I'm getting the itch to start something else but I'm not sure what yet. Big or small, ornament or not?.....who knows. I was going through my stash when my latest purchase arrived. It's Blue Ribbon Designs Black Cats and Flying Bats. I loved the idea that you could do a number of ornaments from this or one BAP. Yup, I can see me starting this one in November! The upcoming Winter White Woodland is also along the same lines. Follow the previous link to also see a sneak peek of their Autumn/Thanksgiving sampler. I love it!! In fact I love all of their latest releases. Think there's enough time in my schedule to fit them all in? Not, lol!

Life has been a little less stressful lately so I've had a bit more energy. This in turn has led to my making it to the past 3 Tuesday night SALs. I'm really enjoying my time spent stitching with these ladies. I relax as soon as I walk in and the evening passes so quickly with lots of fun, laughter and stitching. Mind you, some of us have found that the frogs follow us home afterwards since we're spending far too much time socializing and not enough time counting! Such was the case for me this week but it was a small area concerned and I sent those pesky green fellows packing shortly afterwards.


The weather has been cooperating during my travels to stitch and I'll go as long as I can 'cause I know that once the winter slush and snow arrives I won't be making too many appearances. One of these times I'll remember to bring my camera and snap a few pictures of the gang.


Fast forward a day and remember those famous last words I dared mention about life being less stressful? Yeah, right! I'd planned a lovely outing with some friends to the village of Merrickville for a girls' day of pampering but such was not the case. A family emergency took me back into Cornwall for the day along with a pitstop at work where a small problem had cropped up. Fortunately, things were not as bad as they seemed originally and I did end up spending a lovely afternoon with my son and made it home in time to stitch outside in the sun for an hour or so.


Upon arriving in our village, I stopped by the local used bookstore to drop off some books I'd finished reading. The store operates on credit. You drop off books for which you are credited a sum and then you can take more out. Quite often I don't manage to find anything that day and so I run up a tally until my next visit. Today however was a different story. I hit the jackpot! Within minutes I managed to find all these lovelies: The Book of Negroes, 3 Philippa Gregory novels - The other Boleyn girl, The Virgin's Lover, and The Queen's Fool and a Lisa Jackson book, Malice. And all for the whopping price of $15 which is what I'd just received for the books I'd left behind! The books are in excellent condition... like new. Mind you I don't promise to finish them as fast as I found them. My leisure time is limited and if I'm stitching I'm not reading and vice versa. But they'll be waiting for me on some rainy afternoon.

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrivals online of the newest purchases at the St. Charles Market. There are so many talented designers out there and I love checking out all the new additions. Carriage House Samplings' Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow is one of my favourites.


Renovation update: The kitchen cupboards were to have arrived this past Monday but the truck which was carrying them broke down in Quebec and is awaiting a part replacement. Jeez, you'd think they had more than one truck! Kitchen flooring is now in as well as the hardwood flooring and we've got our quote from the painters. Think I might be changing my mind on colour though. Those paint chips never match what ends up on the wall. We bought a trial size and today Bob put some up on the wall which is coming down. Ugh! What looked like a nice dusty rose on the chip has translated into a much darker rose with a heck of a lot of lavender tint to it. Maybe it's just me. I shy away from darker shades and usually pick a pastel. This time I thought I'd be brave. Who knows, maybe it will grow on me!


Now it's back to the grind for another 7 day stretch. I'll check in with another stitching update after that. Happy Fall!


7 comments:

  1. I love your WIPs, it's so noce to see you making progress on them.
    Oh, new books. And just a couple $$ each. You're a lucky girl. I could have visited a used book market today as well but after looking at my book shelves that are filled with so many unread books I decided to stay home and read and stitch instead, lol.
    Thanks for sharing the wonderful fall picture.

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  2. Your WIP's are coming along nicely!!! Good book haul there...I just finished The Other Boleyn Girl last month,it was my first by Gregory, and I loved it, I will definitely be getting more!
    Happy stitching, and happy reading!

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  3. Glad to hear you are making some good stitching progresses hon. And that you've been able to join your fellow stitchers. I find having other stitchers keeps me enthused.
    More new patterns and new starts - you go girl!!!!!
    Take care.

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  4. Wow you are busy and I'm glad things are a little less stresful!

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  5. Beautiful stitchy progress and beautiful pics this post and the one before! So glad you have friends to stitch with:) Those gatherings really help me with stress too!

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  6. Hi Lynn,

    I'm stitching around the cat again.
    She doesn't get as much cuddle time
    with me as she once did because of
    the time I spend working out or
    preparing healthy lunches or doing
    various other chores. So when I
    do sit down at the computer Phoebe
    is there to claim a spot in my arms
    and I have to type as best I can
    around her.

    You're stitching a really pretty
    and interesting design (meaning
    Nantucket Summer Sampler) there.
    And the Halloween freebie is
    looking good too.

    How nice to be able to get
    together with a group of ladies
    to stitch once a week, when time
    and weather allows. Wish I had
    something like that around here
    as well. I'm a lonely stitcher.
    Awwww...

    I love the pile of books that
    you were lucky enough to find
    at the used bookstore. You
    really struck gold there! I
    have a pile of Philippa Gregory's
    books and love them to pieces!
    Did you ever see the movie that
    was made based on The Other
    Boleyn Girl?? I meant to but
    somehow never got around to it.

    How frustrating to have your new
    kitchen cupboards stuck somewhere
    in Quebec. Renovations are a
    pain to live through and there
    are always complications, even
    in the most minor and easiest of
    jobs. But it'll all be worth it
    when it's done. Hopefully by
    Christmas. :)

    I've been sighing over the Blue
    Ribbon Designs releases of the
    past year and have been desperate
    to order at least a couple of
    them. The one dedicate to books
    is one, of course, and I love
    the Fall one and the Winter one.
    Oh heck! I love and want them
    all!

    I was so sorry and sad when I
    read that you wouldn't be able
    to attend Kathy's stitching
    weekend because I was so looking
    forward to meeting you. But it
    will happen....someday.

    Cheers!

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  7. Love all you are doing! Can't wait to see you at the end of the month!

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