FREX Prep

Yay! We're all set for the local exhibition. I managed to bleach out the red wax that dripped on our unity candle holder last night (although the perle cotton isn't as shiny in that spot anymore), got Giggles ready for the framed cross stitch category, got Wishful Stitching (sampler) ready for the unframed category and my Jeanette Douglas needlerolls ready for the ornament category. Alex also made some of Jennifer's Worth Hoarding chocolate bars (JCS 04) for the children's squares category and I made some cookies for the Crisco bake off. Normally I only use crisco at Christmas and years ago I used to enter ALOT of baking...but now kid time is at a premium and the product categories for baking have much higher winnings so I stick to them (and the horrid memory of some volunteer smushing my bag into my fudge, losing my points on appearance left me abit sore on entering baked goods anymore). Next year I'm hoping to enter 'mystery project' in the large christmas decoration category and hopefully Guardian Angel will also be done at that time.

Last night was productive, I mowed the front, side and a quarter of the back lawn, made Frex food, and I almost put together Alex's bins last night but I'm debating taking them back. The side pieces aren't 'mint' so we'll see...have to locate the receipt first though! Although this did cut into my stitching time. I shouldn't complain too much, everything will be nice, clean and ready for me to kick back over my extended long weekend!! Luckily my job has flex hours and I'm fortunate enough to have enough banked to take the day off with Alex tomorrow which one of was going to have to anyway where our sitter is taking a much needed/deserved day off!! :)

Framed!

Hooray!! Giggles is at the framer's being put together now!! What a p.i.t.a that has been!! I didn't realize that the reason my W was off was because I'd miscounted a snow blob! So, I ended up stitching the exact same part over again in the exact same spot! I only realized this AFTER I'd laced it. It took some creative fixing but he's now centered!! What was worse was my normal lacing needle has been borrowed by the secret project so I had to find a creative way to obtain it without Matt seeing, who was perched on the couch.

Before all that schmoz I had a mini panic attack when I got home and Matt's car wasn't there. He was carpooling and I saw his bud's car drive in but never noticed what car they left in, any other time when someone arrives at the house they either leave their car or leave with Matt! I was beginning to panic thinking it had been stolen but thankfully both of them arrived home just as the new Baked Ziti recipe I was trying was coming out of the oven!!

After supper we headed to the Coop to check out the leather Palliser set they had on sale...but then we made a detour to Lane furniture. What an absolutely gorgeous store!! And what was best is that Matt actually liked EVERYTHING in the store, and believe me that never happens ;). The Palliser set didn't seem quite as nice after sitting in our favorite style, the Alpine but not in the colour shown.

It turned out to be a late night for Alex and he was pretty disappointed we didn't get to read a chapter of The Magic Treehouse last night :( I did pick him up Mummies in the Morning though as we've only got 2 chapters left! Speaking of TMT, it was soo neat when we were at Magic Mountain...we went past the gift shop and all of a sudden Alex got all excited and pointed out "The Jolly Roger", which he'd read about in Pirates Past Noon, we thought it was pretty neat that he'd retained that ;)

In my break time travels I also found a copy of the UK Cross Stitcher, the covetted copy with the Ultimate Margaret Sherry Collection which includes her 12 days of Christmas. Now to find the time to stitch it!!! ;)

And Two Shall Be As One

Well, we made it to the wedding this weekend. We had a late start Friday night >:( Considering I was at the wheel it was a >:(++ kind of trip. Since having Alex I've rarely had the need to drive at night and when I do it's in the city or highly populated areas, not a dark highway. The fact that we encountered a camper that couldn't decide what lane it was going to drive in and was straddling the division was not making me any more comfortable. I was so glad when we passed it. We arrived at Lisa and Davis's house only getting slightly lost, as in about 5 minutes extra of driving at best.

Saturday morning Alex helped Lisa get breakfast ready, he was just bouncing waiting for Matt and Davis to get up so he could get to Magic Mountain. He absolutely loved it! While he was on one of the kiddie slides and Lisa and I detoured to the Tornado, Matt checked out what slides Alex could get on in the adult section and was misinformed that it was only the pro racer...which we clarified quickly. So Alex's first adult ride was hurtling head first down this slide (I wish they had pictures of it to explain why I was screaming as loud as I was the whole way down) on this little foam crazy carpet thing. I was absolutely terrified at the end and here's Alex "Oh that was so totally awesome, we're going again". I don't think he experienced the whole brief airborn sensation I did at age 6 ;)

Every ride that we'd go down I thought Alex would be terrified at the end but no...he was gung ho! Matt and I went on two slides that are safe to say we'll never do again. One is a mini kamikaze all enclosed...which was like having a colon cleansing upon reaching the bottom it was sooo fast. The other looked tame...I heard guys screaming in it but I thought it was because they were trying to be cool fun...Matt ended up flipping and bumping things (apparently one should head the weight warning, even when you're a pound or two over) and well me? It was like a being shot through a cork screw! I ended up wedgied and on my belly with my wedgy exposed!! Thank goodness I'm married or that would have been enough to scare any boyfriend off ;)

Thankfully we did the lazy river and wave pool with Lisa and Davis too, it was so fun to be going as a group instead of just the three of us!!

The wedding was beautiful, although supper ran long...and Alex's sinuses were bothering him and he was tired from our exciting adventure! We ended up leaving at around 9:30. When we arrived back at L&D's we had a chance to catch up some more and look over each other's wedding pics :)

Sunday we headed to one of my favorite spots for breakfast in Moncton, Heinz's. I don't think I'd been there since I lived in Moncton 7 years ago. We had a little wait but it was fun cramming into a little booth ;) When we returned to L&D's we packed up and got to chat some more, it's just been so long!! At noon we headed to the gift openning which was the longest on record I think ;) On the way back to the highway I convinced Matt to stop at Toys R Us to see if they had any of the storage bins, which they did. It was a good thing we'd stopped too as we realized we forgot Alex's blanket AND Walker (Al's Cabbage Patch) at Lisa's!!

Monday I FINALLY got back to stitching but it was certainly frustrating. I need to fix the W on my Giggles in the Snow...which needs to be brought to the exhibition by Thursday...So I got the W all ripped out and do you think I could find 2 of the 4 colours I needed?? VERY frustrating! Then this morning I went to the framer's to see about my frame and the girl covering the shop didn't know where it was...but thankfully found it within a half hour!! I was beginning to think it would be my first year in a while not entering! On break I picked up the threads though and stitched in most of the part that needed to be fixed, only 17 stitches to go!! ;)

Is It Friday Yet?

I dunno about this whole Piggy thing...I would have thought I was a Scooter or even a Kermit. Maybe I'm a diva and don't know it ;)

Last night was another busy night. I headed to Newbody and that class sure has grown in numbers since the wedding. It used to be a little niche group but it's really exploded. Our instructor also explained her absence from last weeks class. She apparently has really bad sciatica...but only when she's pregnant. Wow, she's three months into pregnancy number three and looks fantastic, you'd never know...if that's not motivation to eat better and work out more I don't know what is.

I'd made supper in the morning and Matt popped it in the oven for me so it was ready when I walked in the door. As soon as supper was done I headed out to waterproof the swingset....scrubbing it wasn't nearly as annoying. It looks mighty impressive again! After finishing that Alex and I played a couple rounds of Candyland, he had Clue Jr all set up but that game can take awhile and he needed to get to bed. He has the weirdest obsession with apples lately. I'm beginning to think that he heard somewhere about biting into one to take out oa loose tooth...but it's a healthy snack so should I be complaining? Maybe the weekend my familie's down for my birthday we'll get a chance to visit one of the many orchards and pick our own big juicy apples. I thought it was so fun when my grandparents used to take us, I'm sure Alex would be equally as excited.

After he was in bed I raided my stash and found some fabric to stitch DD's Charlotte Freebie "Good Knight Sleep Tight". Initially I had planned to stitch the Lost Dragon Sampler for Alex for Christmas but when the freebie came in I decided that if he got one stitched gift (his room is in serious need of transition from Winnie The Pooh) he'd definitely enjoy this one the most...Not that I'm not still hoping to complete The Lost Dragon Sampler for him as well, it looks right up my quick to stitch alley ;) Anyway, back to Good Knight...well it's coming along quite quickly! I got a respectable portion of him stitched while watching Bones, especially considering we had a popcorn break in there ;)

Today is going to be busy. I need to wrap the wedding gift and pack. Matt's behind on folding laundry so I'm guessing about 5 minutes before we got to bed I'll be greated with a big stack that needs to be put away. Tonight's also the last night for Alex's soccer and where they do a 'closing ceremonies' and give all the kids participation medals it's going to be a long evening. I'm really hoping to get the back lawn mowed as well tonight, which should be doable before supper, considering it's sitting in the fridge waiting to be warmed up ;)

I'm getting really excited for our visit with Lisa and Davis, with planning for both of our weddings since last summer we really haven't had that much time to spend together. Hopefully the sun will be shining for our trip to Magic Mountain!

The Muppet In Me...Hopefully My Thighs Look Better Though

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it.You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less.You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way.Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

The Muppet Personality Test

Productive Stitchy Night

Yay, I finally got a good two hours of stitching back in!! Last night was just a productive night overall, I pulled out of the government lot into perfect traffic for once, no reds, no one turning left...picked up Alex, headed to the mall to return two items, both with minimal waits. Returned home and had supper ready to just pop in the oven so I could vacuum the van which I think was holding half our driveway's crushed gravel. I even got around to going through the receipts scattered through out it and shredded those. After distracting Alex I loaded the table and two of the four chairs for my brother in the van, took a shower, put supper on the table and then headed off to Eleni's to stitch with her and Angela (oh and on the way there stopped at the Coop to pick up a tonne of Mccain's Quenchers, they're 50% less sugar for my juice addicted husband, as they were on sale and a really nice Paderno travel mug for me, again on sale).

We started our stitchy night off with a show and tell, I had my stack of stitched but unfinished ornaments...but the girls had impressive projects on the go ;) With fall around the corner I should have more periods of time to commit to my bigger projects, but it's been sooo nice out this summer it's almost a sin not to be outside doing something productive. I made some nice progress on my 'secret' SB project, I got all of the stars finished. Oh my, we watched Vanished and I'm hooked ;) I had to leave at 9:30 to deliver the table to my brother on the way home (figured if I was out in that area I might as well). On the way there just before I turned into the 'apartment district' I saw some dingbat over in my lane, my first thought...drunk. Well after having a collision with a drunk driver before I got into defensive mode, slowed down and started hugging the shoulder in case. Then I saw a big mound on the road which was upsetting, especially where it was still twitching. I thought it might be someone's pet but then saw it was a racoon. Which is kind of ironic as I was going to visit my 'scientist' brother who's currently doing a study on racoons. Well...I think he was more excited about the fact there was a new racoon to necropsy than the table ;)

After I got home I stayed up a little later than usual and enjoyed the fact that my living room was back to normal, no table pieces hidden behind furniture, Matt's laptop wasn't on the base of our new table as a temporary stand, just our old ugly furniture, the nice tv and gorgeous china cabinet :)

Today is Newbody day, hooray! I'm hoping to get the clear wood protector on the swingset when I get home. It would be so great to have another thing off the to-do list done!!

Week Long Forecast: Whirlwinds Ahead!!

This weekend wasn't very stitchy, but it was at least productive. I finally got the remainder of the thank you cards out and about! Yes...the wedding was at the end of May but we had an 'inlaw' incident that required redoing a bunch of them. My original plan was to put out the thank you cards and distribute pictures to people on our Christmas card list, as over the years our list has been weeded out to people that appreciate our cars/pictures. Well, the MIL was up towards the end of June and we gave her a stack to hand out in Grand Falls. Then a couple weeks later, when the remainder were ready to go I found out she'd been distributing wedding photos to her side of the family when she dropped them off. >:( I was insulted, not only for me but for my family. I'll leave it at that as it's a very sore subject that tends to snowball if I think about it too much. So, I went and ordered some pictures from Superstore so I could redo up the remainder of the thank you cards and for some reason their machine kept autocorrecting the images and bleaching them out!! I love that photoshop for film prints but I definitely won't go back for digital prints! After that panic set in, what if my disk was bad? What if they could only be printed on the expensive express machine (the only machine the MIL uses). So...I decided to send a test set to Walmart, one print and one sepia (even the Sepia at the Superstore sucked), however Walmart isn't on my normal route so it took a while to get back there (have I mentioned that the distributed shots in GF were definitely NOT one's I'd pick)...So finally we got a batch of pics printed off and then the file with the list of addresses magically disappeared! Thankfully it's now all done *and took up alot more writing than I thought*

Back to the weekend... Alex enjoyed going to market so much when we were visiting mom and dad that he thinks we should go to the one here more often ;) So Saturday we got cleaned up and headed down and proceeded to the mall to get the boys hair cut. I had some articles to return and some additional pictures to print off as I'd miscounted so it was a productive trip. After a break and reading a stitching related mystery at least, I headed out and started the annual playground equipment maintenance, putting the deck scrub on and wiping it down. I definitely need a hose that'll go back that far, but thankfully about two hours, a pizza and watching The Benchwarmer's later there was a freak rain storm that literally pressure washed the whole unit!! Although this storm eventually brought with it some lightening so that put installing the new light fixtures out of the question!

Later in the evening Matt finally put together the pedestal table we inherited and although it's beautiful the boys are still whining about it. Matt and his long legs are not liking the pedestal in the center at all and there's a bit of a stability issue. Alex is just sentimentally attached to the old table and complaining about the reduction in leg room, arghhhh!!!

Sunday wasn't nearly as productive, but I did get alot of little things done, which actually made a big difference. My afternoon was pretty much a wipe with Bodypump and grocery shopping.

Monday was better, I got to the gym at lunch...Matt actually got his chores done on time, I got to stitch the secret project a bit!! I also convinced Matt that we should leave for our Moncton trip to visit Lisa and Davis Friday so Saturday wouldn't be too hectic for Alex where we have a late wedding to attend for Matt's cousin Dominic and her fiancé Luc at Le Pays De La Sagouine. Alex is very excited about the notion of going to Magic Mountain and somewhere squeezing in a snack at Taco Bell...which will probably be left until after people have to see me in a bathing suit ;)

Tonight I'm heading over to Eleni's for some much needed stitching with her and Angela, my goodness this week is really going to fly by with that tonight, Newbody/possibly pump tomorrow, last soccer practice of the season Thursday then leaving Friday! I'd better get organized ;)

A Glimpse Into The Crystal Ball

Before I begin, I love my husband very much...and swore to love, honor and cherish him, even while he's on the wait list for Martha Stewart's boot camp for tact and household chores. ;)

ROFL, I'm not big on forwarding e-mails...unless they're the girl empowering variety so here it is

Bob's Story...

It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When you notice this, try not to yell at them.
Some are oversensitive, and there's nothing worse than an oversensitive woman.

My name is Bob. Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Debbie. When I took "early retirement" last year, it became necessary for Debbie to get a full-time job along with her part- time job, both for extra income and for the health benefits that we needed. Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age.
I usually get home from the golf course about the same time she gets home from work.

Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner. I don't yell at her.. Instead, I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table. I generally have lunch in the Men's Grill at the club so eating out is not reasonable. I'm ready for some home cooked grub when I hit that door.

She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. But now it's not unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner.. I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that they won't clean themselves. I know she really appreciates this, as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed.

Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think. For example she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour. But, boys, we take 'em for better or worse, so I just smile and offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two or even three days. That way she won't have to rush so much. I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any (if you know what I mean). I like to think tact is one of my strong points.

When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more rest periods.
She had to take a break when she was only half finished mowing the yard.

I try not to make a scene. I'm a fair man. I tell her to fix herself a nice, big, cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while. And, as long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me too.

I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Debbie.
I'm not saying that showing this much consideration is easy. Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible! Nobody knows better than I do how frustrating women get as they get older. However, guys, even if you just use a little more tact and less criticism of your aging wife because of this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile.

After all, we are put on this earth to help each other.....

Signed,
Bob

EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob died suddenly on May 27th. The police report says that he was found with a Calloway extra long 50-inch Big Bertha Driver II golf club rammed up his arse, with only 2 inches of grip showing. His wife Debbie was arrested and charged with murder; however, the all-woman jury found her Not Guilty, accepting her defense that he accidentally sat down on it...

The Stitchy Night Report

Hooray, it was stitchy night last night. I love Faith Ann's afghan, it is just gorgeous. And seeing her so close to finishing her first SB stocking makes me wish I had that stupid perle cotton colour so the Santa on mine would look a little more 'solid'. There was a really good turn out at stitchy night. I'm so excited about the possibility of a workshop too :) It was a special treat where stitchy night fell on Faye's birthday and we got to share her yummy chocolate cake. I stitched away on the 'top secret' project...although truthfully I could be stitching it under his nose and he'd never know...framing bills are get his attention much better ;)

Before stitching we had an interesting Newbody class, the normal instructor was 'out' and another instructor did her best to fill in, but where she was 'rusty' we had a 30 minute Newbody class and a 30 minute ball class...well, after vacation my body definitely appreciated the ball class, it's amazing how much you work in one of those! I must not be completely out of the shape I was in before summer, I was the only one beside the instructor who met the challenge exercise of rising from tuck position to kneel solely on the ball without a single spec of my body touching the floor. It was hard to concentrate enough at first with all the balls going everywhere and the giggles that ensued.

Project surprise Alex was a complete success. I went in to wake him this morning and told him there was a surprise for him at the table...he was so excited to see the new Magic Tree House book there, he was eagerly thumbing through it before his breakfast was served. Last night the girls were raving about the new Source yogurt dessert flavors...well I'd heard ramblings before but I don't know how many times I found a scrumptious flavored yogurt only to turn around and see the calorie count through the roof...but not this stuff. So instead of buying the big 16 pack (why oh why can't they have eights) I picked up the lemon meringue and it was a hit...and with the boys too ;) Alex loves yogurt and I was so glad to find an 'adult' kind he liked, he needs his extra smooth ;)

At lunch today I get to meet up with Eleni and do a big swap, I'm really looking forward to my 'treat' of fish and chips at lunch!!

Stitchy Night

Yippee, it's stitchy night!!! I can't wait!! An opportunity to work on that project for DH!! :) But due to stitching night and trying to squeeze in a Newbody workout before hand all the pre-organizing had to be done last night, making last night another stitchless night (thank goodness I got to stitch at lunch). Well..I could have stitched but the perennials I bought on vacation were begging to be planted!! So I got supper in the oven, tidied up some more post vacation messies, put another load of laundry in, started supper for tonight, got my stuff organized for tonight and organized Eleni's stash order.

We've been working at getting Alex back on his school time sleep schedule but still managed to conclude reading Mary Pope Osborne's Pirates Past Noon before this week's target time. I was feeling a bit guilty about not seeing that much of him today (Matt will be picking him up and I'll briefly see them when I get home for a shower before they head to his last library night) so at lunch I headed over to the book store and picked up book 2 of the series, the Knight at Dawn, (book 4 was a birthday gift or we'd have started in order)..where book 1 wasn't in. I can't wait to see his face when he spots that at the breakfast table tomorrow morning.

Is it just me or did this summer fly by?? I'm sure people could hear us shrieking when we spotted one of our trees leaves turning red!! Alex and I were doing our best impersonation of the KFC fall commercial that's been running for the last year or two. I checked up on Alex's soccer and the last practice of the season is next week! Then it'll be time to look into registering for swimming lessons again and beavers. Typically I don't believe in overscheduling but he really wants to go to beavers and I'd really like him to have some sort of physical activity so we'll try juggling two...but no more ;)

It's even harder to believe that...if tradition repeats itself...that the next stitchy night will also coincide with JCS Ornament Issue Release!! Now there's something to get excited about ;)

We're Back!!

We're back safe and sound...clean is another story ;) Unpacking from our awesome trip home is taking awhile. Apparently DH does not know how to use the washer so there was nice backlog of clothes, thankfully most of ours were washed before we left the Miramichi! I have the quilt I bought loaded back in the van to return so that's out of our kitchen too ;) It was fun setting up the other quilt that I bought for the craft/guest room. Now I have something to coordinate a paint colour with ( the lion king comforter just didn't lend itself to any of the colours I had in mind ;)

I was dead tired last night by the time I hit the sheets, not a single stitch in all evening, just groceries, making a chicken curry and prepping the veggies for tonight's Starving Guy Chicken Pot Pie, then unpacking. It's really nice when your husband offers to bring something to town for someone to pick up the day after you get back from vacation and EVERYTHING is in your kitchen/dining room, closest to the door! Needless to say I wasn't in a very good mood ;) I did get to chat with mom on the webcam afterwards and tested out the fixes that I did while I was home, now they're no longer dependant on the headset. Main problem?? In the 'man's domain' of computers, with the majority of men suffering some degree of color blindness, why on earth would they put two jacks in the back that are pale yellow and pale green. Even I had to double check the colours with some better lighting!!

Last night's biggest accomplishment by far was getting Alex to eat brocolli! Especially where he's adamently sworn that the only two things he hates are brocolli and olives. Apparently if it's coated in the curry sauce he'll eat it. He actually mooched half my plate!! Guess I won't need to make him a seperate supper the next time that's on the menu ;)

Today should see some stitching, I'm hoping to sneak downstairs for a bit to work on the stocking, otherwise I'll be upstairs fixing the W on giggles so I can frame him and then try to get back on my rotation ;) Tomorrow's stitchy night so I'm REALLY looking forward to that ;) While we were home we went to the Napan fair and they had a small (but impressive) display of cross stitch, that really got me in the mood to finish something big again ;) Alex really enjoyed the fair, the midway was bloody expensive but thankfully inside was neat and kept him from thinking about the rides too much, petting zoos, exhibits, antique farm equipment, food, and neat competitions, not just the standard show judging of horses...the best by far was the lawn tractor/trailer slalom ;)

Now to see if I can find pics of any of the new Dragon Dreams releases online ;)

Vacation Update

Omigosh where did the time go?? Wednesday was spent mostly taking care of Phoebe (ie: smelly cat). Mom and I had our first experience bathing a kitty, well that was interesting but at least she was no longer matted in poo. The vet took her in and was going to try to fix her up so that the spca would take her and thankfully was going to bill the spca. We didn't know all what was wrong with her besides rhinotracheitis, had this have been 7 years ago I'd probably have taken her in but Alex and the house are pretty demanding...along with hoping/wishing to expand the family in the next couple of years. I don't think I'd make a very good kitty mommy. After Phoebe was left in the hands of a very compassionate vet who we trust with making the right decision what to do with her when all of her conditions we took Alex to his first trip to a national park Kouchibouguac.

Thursday we relaxed where it was raining, dad had to retrieve Steven from Fredericton as he's in a wedding this weekend so Alex got some girly time. We also got in our trip to Estey's, it's definitely changed since the son took over :( Or maybe I'm just that accustomed to William's fish and chips back home. I got back to working on Matt's stocking, I'm trying to keep it under wraps and surprise him at christmas.

Today we headed to the market, where we started our vacation a week ago, then took some pics of some living room sets so Matt and I could make a decision on our wedding gift. Tonight we're hoping the rain stays away so we can get to the Napan fair, amoungst their exhibits is a cross stitch one...guess where I'm heading ;)

And to finish off, some more pics from the week (had a very cute one of Alex swimming at Kouch...until I realized he had some MAJOR butt crack...sigh) Alex, Pappy and Jazz

New Brunswick Day Bouncing At Middle Island

Feeding the Goats, New Brunswick Day Middle Island

Goat Watching

Sand Condo Construction at Escuminac

Look What the Tide Washed In! Escuminac, NB

On The Boardwalk Escuminac, NB

A Couple More Happy Dances

Our First Christmas - Lizzie Kate

Sampler's and Such -Pointsetta JCS '05

Viva La Vacatione!

Ok...my spanish is very rusty! ;) It's been so nice vacationing, we've been to escuminac beach, market, Moncton for a girly shopping trip and just relaxing. Today's been a bit hectic. On our way home from Moncton (with a car load of goodies and stash) we came across a little calico cat on the road. He/she looked pretty neglected so we tried to take it to the spca which was closed. Now when we went up there today, trying to be responsible pet loving citizens they wouldn't take it, told us it had an infection and to put it down ourselves! What the goodness is the SPCA for then?? Anyway the vet wasn't in and the very nice (and not overly impressed with the local SPCA) receptionist was getting ahold of the animal control officer and the managers to see why the goodness we should be reponsible for putting down the poor cute (but ill) kitty before it's appointment at 2. :(

On to much more happy news, I was able to pick up the thread yesterday to finish my Lizzie Kate Our 1st Christmas ornament, yippee!! I did really well and kept my stash bill tame ;) I've been stitching away here and there on Matt's holiday stocking...why even when I'm not working does there never seem to be enough time??

Officially On Vacation

Pics like this are what I'm looking forward to this week...and some ornament finishes to boot!

Testing The WatersFirst Gap in the Grin!

Snow - Glory Bee

Don't Peek - Little By Little Design Co.

Happy Birthday Eleni!

Happy Birthday Eleni!! I'm really looking forward to her birthday luncheon today. Usually someone (actually both of us) are on vacation on this day but with the long weekend being late we can actually go out. Although today's noon hour was at a premium. Where we're usually not in town I didn't even think about it and made an appointment at the spa for a lash tint (I anticipate swimming a bit next week and don't feel like being attached to a tube of mascara...the joys of being a red head with blond lashes), so when Angela sent me a reminder/invite I rescheduled. Not two hours later our project manager sent out an invite for lunch for today where so many of us are going off on vacation in the next couple weeks, I politely declined :)

Well, yesterday was a little hectic. I've been pricing tires ever since I got the inspection back on the van and just out of curiousity checked out Canadian Tire before heading to the Miramichi Friday where I probably would have gotten Walmart to install a set (ours doesn't have an automotive department)...of course they were on sale THIS week! So while showing them to Matt who pointed out the Goodyear model that we had nothing but problems with both times a set were put on the Corolla were also on sale (plus they're touring tires, not what I was looking for traction wise) I headed down to CT, ordered my tires and made an appointment to put them on tonight after Newbody. When I got home I called mom and dad to tell them the good news, as dad keeps giving me not so subtle reminders that they marginally passed their inspection, and when mom relayed the message I then heard in the background 'Oh and I would have put them on for her next week...', being on my comeback ready little toes I replied, 'well they aren't paid for yet I can always cancel', *dead silence* :)

Matt and I enjoyed one of our Movie Night's from the stitching bridal shower. We rented V for Vendetta which was really good...after I got fed up with the first five minutes being so dark and changed the setting on the tv, I knew it was supposed to be a dark movie...but not that dark ;) As it was a 'date' night I didn't get to stitch, which was really hard seeing as one of my packages came in from SBB! I did however finish my Snow ornament by Glory Bee from JCS 2004 on break at work ;) Last night I also made the filling for a tortiere for Matt while I'm away and started packing the non essential clothes for a quick get away Friday morning :)

Tonight Matt is back on schedule and picking up Alex and taking him to the library, so I can go to newbody and then head up to the garage, stitching in tow!! :)

The Owl Has Flown The Coop!

Omigosh the Owl is gone!! There's a beautiful old home on Smythe (one of Fredericton's main arteries) that for decades has had an owl in their front porch. Well...ok stuffed animals are gross but this one was a celebrity. Throughout the years, and even changes in ownership, whatever the season or weather, the owl was dressed appropriately, a santa suit for christmas, rain coat for the spring, you name it...the owl even went into mourning when Princess Diana passed away, draped in black and holding a queen of hearts card in it's wing. The house has been for sale on and off for the last two years and when we drove by today it was completely cleaned out...including the owl. Sigh...

Last night was quiet. We tried out a new recipe and then headed out for a bike ride. Both Matt and I really need to put some air in our tires. Alex is really flying on his bike now... By the time he was bathed and ready for bed I was pretty tired myself and didn't stay up much longer than to marinate the pork tenderloin for supper.

Today I should be able to wrap up my Glory Bee ornament on break, I can't wait!! No plans for tonight besides maybe putting some new tires on the van. Although if it's nice out I probably won't and just relax outside. I can't believe it's August already!! Where has the summer gone?