Happy New Year

Well it is the last day of 2006. Where did this year go? Happy New Year readers. I hope that 2007 brings you much happiness, prosperity and every thing your heart desires.
I completed my 13th item of stitching not 5 minutes ago. Yes it is the tuffet picture here. I stitched both sides the same. It is from the 2006 JCS Christmas Edition. It is a Cherished /stitches design. I used DMC 75 to stitch it with.
So my finished projects for this year were
1. Primrose Promises Peri Blue
2. Shepherd's Bush Beekeepers Cottage
3. Teresa Wentzler's Lion from the Fantasy Sampler for Tracey's Afghan
4. Teresa Wentzler's Lower Right Hand Medallion from Castle Sampler for Scissor Fob Exchange
5. Textile Heritage's Orange Blossom Scissor Fob for wiehenburg-samplers group exchange
6. Cross Stitch Art's Happiness
7. Textile Heritages's Celtic Cross Needlebook for TWGTG Exchange
8. Neighbourhood RR - Sally piece. Holbien Gateway
9. Shepherd's Bush Christmas "Joy" Treat Bag for SB BB Ornament Exchange
10. Shepherd's Bush Christmas "Joy" Treat Bag for Xsers Ornament Exchange
11. Shepherd's Bush Ornament from JCS 2003 Magazine for SB BB Ornament Exchange
12. Shepherd's Bush Ornamnet from JCS 2003 Magazine for Xsers Ornament Exchange
13. Cherished Stitches Ornament from JCS 2006 Magazine

So hopefully I can top that for 2007.

Quick Blog

Ssssh I got some stash in the post today. I forgot I had won a Counted Illuminations "The Knight Errant" on eBay. I think I might have another one coming. Counted Illuminations I mean. I also have a big parcel coming. I am slightly worried about this one because I got shafted with another lot awhile ago. I have to say that really annoys me. I would never ever shaft anyone and I resent someone doing it to me. I can't believe a cross stitcher would be so mean. 99.9% of stitchers are gorgeous and I trust everyone so when I get shafted I get quite depressed. I hope this person doesn't shaft me of the big parcel. Their feedback was very good but then again so was the other persons.

Christmas is over

And what a lovely time we had. The food was wonderful but I am sick of rich goodies. I am having spaghetti bolognaise for dinner tonight with salad. We all got lots of nice pressies. Laura gave me two photos she had enlarged from her holiday snaps. One is a sunset on a ferry going to the Greek Islands and the other is of a fishing village in the Greek Islands. They are lovely. They also gave me a lovely pendant. Kenric and Marilyn gave me some Thai silk with elephants on them (2 pieces) and a beautiful pearl and diamond necklace they bought in Thailand as well as some DVD's. I got Nottinghill. I only have the video of that and it is my favourite movie and also Ice Age 2 as I haven't seen it yet and Nanny McPhee as I have not seen that either.
Boxing Day we all went to the beach. Their were a good dozen or so of us and Alan took the boat and Kenric took the kayak and their were lots of other beach toys etc. Even though the day was hot the breeze came off the ocean so it was very pleasant under the shade of the (no not the coolabah tree) the Norfolk Island Pines.
Yesterday was a rest day. I slept for a good part of it. Did intend to stitch but was just too tired. Every time I go into my stitching room I end up laying down and vegging out.
Today my brother came for a visit. They have all had Gastro. Lovely Christmas present for them. Beth and Warren have escaped it. Mum and Dad are down with it now. So is Gail, Alison and I think Tyler and Ella were the ones who introduced it into the family. Oh Keith and Kristy also have it. Craig is better now so he came to visit. I always really enjoy seeing my brother. We are never short of conversation and he is such a sweetie.
So that is my update for now. Not very interesting but I have promised to bore everyone with my prattle.
hahaha

Went out to dinner last night

I felt like a real grown up. It has been ages since I went out and the food was to die for. Went with Marilyn Campbell and a group of girls who do various sorts of needlework. I think most of them cross stitch. My framer was there as well so at the bottom of this I will put some pictures of my latest framed projects.
Yesterday Laura came over and put the tinsel up in the hall way, above the doors and in the loungeroom. So the house is now decorated. It has been so late this year. I feel it is almost not worth it. It is of course but I usually decorate on the 1st of December.
Jacob says it doesn't feel like like Christmas this year. I have offered to put on Christmas music but the offer has been declined. LOL He will be getting it Christmas day whether he likes it or not.
So today is finishing my Christmas shopping day. I am so tired. I didn't wake until 12 noon. Thankfully the shops are staying open until 9pm. I have to go in and assemble the shopping I have done so far and work out what else there is to buy. I think I will con one of the boys into coming with me. They just look at me with their big brown eyes and say okay but I can tell they don't want to. I feel so guilty all the time.
I have not done any stitching and I probably wont tonight. It is so frustrating. I get so fatigued and I end up just laying on my sofa and staring at the TV.
Alan got his new outboard motor yesterday. He has upgraded from a 15hp to a 25hp for his dingy. He also got three seats. They are really flash. I might (now remember I said might) get in the boat this summer and go for a ride. The seats have backs and little cushiony things. They fold down when not in use. He is grinning like anything and if I was conniving I could get what ever I wanted for the next week or so. I don't need to because I have everything I want.
Anyway enough of the ramble today. Will try and touch base again real soon.

The picture is my Drawn Thread Dandelion Sampler. I can't work out how to put pictures at the bottom yet and Jacob is in the shower so this is the only picture that I am uploading.

I am Determined

To learn how to use this blog. I went and looked at some other blog sites and I am afraid I don't understand computer talk. So I have decided that I am going to master this one. I thought I might not be a blogger because I felt I had nothing of interest for anyone to read but I was informed that I did.

So this is the start of regular blogs.

Today my daughter-in-law Marilyn came over to hang out with me. I am so lucky as my two girls are lovely and they seem to like being with their MIL from time to time. So Marilyn woke me up and we spent the morning talking, watching the CI channel and stitching. I stitched for awhile on the freebie ABC Marquoir and then got sick of that so I continued pulling out that blessed band that I have placed wrong on Peacock Cypher. I had hoped to finish that this year but I wont get it done. I am almost done in the pulling out.

This afternoon Marilyn decided I needed more Christmas Decorations up. She also did a big declutter in my blue room. It looks so gorgeous. She put a lot of my blue and white china away and put a lot of my Christmas Treasures out. It looks lovely. We then went into the loungeroom and changed a few table clothes to Christmas ones and decorated the tree in there. Set the big dinning room table with Christmas stuff. I have instructions to get some of the boys to put up the tinsel down the hall way and in the loungeroom. I had enough be then so promised I would.

We then went to the shops. They had huge shelled prawns on special for $9.90 a kilo. We bought a 5 kilo box. They are all loose so we can just get out what we want to at a time. We will save at least half for Boxing Day. That is our beach day with the boat and kites etc.

Jake is going to meet Lindsay that day. Poor kids we will all be looking on hoping that they like each other.

Well if I can work out how to get%

Just Back From The Craft Fair

I did so enjoy the craft fair this year. Probably a bit weird for a stitcher enjoying the craft fair when there weren't really any stitch related things there. Just the two stores that carry a lot of kits with Aida in them. But there were scissor people. Now how exciting was that? Firstly the scissor man. I didn't buy anything from him but I did drool. Also there was my $10 scissor person and I didn't buy anything from them either but I also drooled. Unfortunately or fortunately I have most of his anyway. Then there was VicStitch. I got those darling little scissors with the covers for the scissor end. They come in different colours. $3.00 a pair. Oh my, I nearly fainted with joy. The best is I have just contacted them and they are sending me a catalogue of their gear because they do wholesale. I had a hard time containing myself. So I bought 4 pairs of scissors because you just have to. I also bought 20 really fine beading needles for $3.00. I bought some magnifying things as I have broken by clip ons. And QSnaps because you can never have too many pairs of those. That was it. Now anyone who knows me knows that this is a miracle. Well the truth is I just kept saying oh I can buy that wholesale.

So Sadie drove us home only to find my oldest son's car in the drive way. Now why do I have to do the mother thing with a 26 year old? Jacob and Jarrad have had two really late nights playing on their computers. I had to tell them off and then say one of them has to come home to live if they can't be good boys and go to bed earlier than 2.30am. So my dear, gorgeous Jarrad (26 year old) said to me very seriously that he would behave. God I love him. Kenric the next one down would tell me where to go. LOL

It is about time

It has been ages since I added to my blog. I keep forgetting and then I think I have nothing to write about which is rubbish really.
I have been really busy. Jacob moved out to go and live with Jarrad while Laura is away on her long awaited trip. There is only three of us here now. It is really quiet and I have to do so much more. I don't think it hurts me really. Well it does hurt me but I need to be more active.
Colours Down Under is increasing in stock. Gosh I spend so much time on the computer getting in touch with people and finding wholesalers etc. Our fabric stocks are increasing. We have about 5 bolts on indent (meaning coming in from overseas). We have many bolts in stock.
Anthony is going to school these last two weeks without a hassle.
A few weeks ago we lost our beautiful boy Mickey. He was hit by a car and killed instantly. It was devastating and the house was so quiet without him howling to be let in and out. Without having him on our laps because he was cold. Anyway we couldn't stand it so now we have a Maine coon. She is a little girl named Lindsay. What a honey. Very different than Mickey of course. Not quite so demanding but she definitely likes to be with us all the time.
My Stitching
I have been stitching a lot more these days. I need to work out how to put photo's on this blog thing. I have stitched more on Common Ground since the last picture. I have also completed more of my Three Things Sampler. Renaissance by Long Dog is coming along as well. I started Wayward Garden by Drawn Thread. It is such a pretty design. I am using the required silks and it is just gorgeous to stitch. I started Long Dog's St george. I am using a new hand dyed thread out by Stitches and Spice called Butterfly Garden. All pictures I need to show.
Anyway I will try to update the blog more often this time.

I am Learning

Well had a bit of trouble finding where to go to post another post. I am so hopeless. Thankfully I have a Jacob and he knows about these things. Well today although I am feeling a bit knackered I am also feeling on a bit of a high. Yesterday we had a fabric rep come so we could order fabric for our shop. He was so encouraging and he loved my hand dyes. I felt very empowered and certain I could do this online shop thing. And thank god we do have Jacob because he asked how much our website cost to build. Well how would I know? I am not in charge of that department. Jacob said $200. He was telling us that there is another company in this area who are selling all craft stuff and it cost them $30,000 to have theirs built. What??????????? Today I went for my last test for my new pains and picked up my Xrays from Monday tests. It is looking as though it is just the fibromyalgia. I am so relieved. I find out for sure on Monday but I am not above looking at doctor reports when I have them in my hot little hands. I have done some more stitching since the last photo was posted. I can't be bothered taking a picture today. Also I don't want to disturb the boy when he is working on our website. (well I never said I was taking and uploading the pictures physically did I?) LOL I have finished bands two and three of Common Ground. I have picked up Drawn Thread's Cloister Garden and started stitching on that again. I need to start my TW exchange as well.
Well that's it from me for a while.

At Long Last

I think I have worked out how to post messages on my blogger. It has taken nearly a month. LOL Anyways in the last month I have been stitching on Common Ground by Just Nan. I am doing a SAL with a couple of friends. We are starting band three this week. I am a bit behind as I have not been feeling so good these last weeks. Our website and online business is slowly but surely coming along. Hopefully we wont be too long before we are up and running. Nearly........
www.coloursdownunder.com.au is the web address is you want to check it out.