Sept 11/08

The baby quilt has been completed and is now waiting for a turn in the washing machine before being mailed off! School has started so I am uncertain about talking any large projects for the next few months because of a lack of time. My focus may be more on smalls to give away as Christmas gifts.


The remnants of Hurricane Hanna hit this region on Saturday night. My normally docile creek was a raging mass of brown water when I went out on Sunday to see what damage had been done in the neighbourhood. The brook had risen at least 5 feet in less than 12 hours because of all the rain. I did not have any flooding problems, but some of my neighbours had extensive water damage.


This little guy was hanging out on the side of the road on Saturday when I went out to my property in the country to get more wood to burn in my firepit. He sat there for a very long time so I just had to take his picture!

Sept 6/08

Well, I would have had a photo of the finished baby quilt if the kit had had enough floss to finish it! I had even had to use one skein that I had in my stash and that was still not enough so now I will have to wait until Tuesday when I go into the city to buy one more skein to finish it up! Grrrrr! The thing that really irritates me is that I am not a wasteful stitcher so the kit must have been very short on the colour for me to have to go through 2 skeins of DMC to finish it up. The poor cow on the bottom left only has 1 finished leg at the moment.

Aug. 31/08

OK, here is an update on the baby quilt. I started the backstitching last night as you can see on the border across the top. I have 4 days to get it done before my classes at the university start because I am certain that Dr. Jeffrey will fill up any remaining free time I currently have with lots and lots of readings on human rights and international politics, the topics for the 2 courses I am taking with her this fall semester.

A wee sidestep here, but related to the last bit of that last paragraph. The other day I found a box of stuff from my pharmacy school days so I hauled it out today to sort through it and get rid of the junk. Amongst the stuff I found in it, I found my grade reports from first and second year. Seeing the words "Organic Chemistry" still gives me the willies! There were several binders of class notes in that box as well. It is scary to see stuff that I understood perfectly well 18 or 19 years ago but they now look like hieroglyphics to me (amino acid structures!)! Did I just say "18 or 19 years ago"?!!

Aug 30/08

I bought a new bed in May and have been on the lookout for a new coverlet for the bed because my other one is getting tattered and I am tired of looking at it after 8 or 9 years of service! This new coverlet was found in the clearance section at Bed, Bath and Beyond in Bangor, ME a few weeks ago and completely fit my requirements on all levels: colour, style and price!! It is a king size, but the mattress is high enough that it is not a concern. The black blob is not a pillow, it is my cat who can pretty much be always found on the bed when she is not at her bowl. She has taken a liking to the coverlet as she used to sleep in the kitchen on one of the chairs....Definitely not living like a student anymore!!!

Not much stitching to report on although I have been plugging away at the latest baby quilt. The cross stitches are done and now I am working on the satin stitches. My satin stitching is sadly greatly out of practise, but I am regaining the hang of it.

Aug 21/08

So, you just never know what you might come across when you wander down the Main Street of my town. I mean, we are talking a small East Coast town of 4 500 people in the middle of geographic nowhere. Oh well, having the consulate just across the street from where I work will certainly come in handy when it comes time for me to apply for a visa to Mongolia next year for my Habitat trip. The consulate is right across the street from the monument celebrating the accomplishments of John Peters Humphrey,the man credited with being the architect of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, who was born here in Hampton. Oh! I could wax poetic forever about this place, but an old friend home from Montreal this week summed it up when he said, "We are so lucky to be from this place. It is so beautiful!"

Aug. 19/08

Last night I realized that I had not taken any photos of this cute little quilt to post on my blog. This quilt was started about 2 weeks ago and is stitching up very quickly. At first, I was unsure what I thought of it because it strikes me as being a little trendy and I was wondering what I would think of it in 20 or 30 years, assuming that the receiver keeps it forever as a keepsake. The more I stitch on it, the more it kind of grows on me. The colours are really cute and the little animals become more adorable as they appear on the hoop.

I was working on this quilt last night while watching Simon Whitfield battle his way to Olympic silver in men's triathlon at the Beijing Olympics. GO Simon!

Aug 17/08

I started this little cutie about 20 minutes after I bought it in Danbury, CT because it was a beautiful afternoon and I had not stitched anything in 5 days.......Sigh, at least it is a productive addiction! This kit is a Daydreams kit designed by Debbie Mumm. Dragonflies are so beautiful to watch as they dart around in the sky. I used to walk my dog in a marshy area where there were many dragonflies darting overhead so looking at this picture brings back memories of warm summer evenings out in the woods with my then-faithful companion Jessie.

Aug.16/08

I have a bit of a shopping problem and a strong Canadian dollar coupled with lots of bargain prices in the US resulted in this little stash explosion this week! The upside is that most of it will be stitched up and given away as Christmas gifts so I do not feel too guilty about it all! I have already started stitching the Daydreams Dragonfly as my stitching addiction is so strong that I could not resist the urge to stitch even though I was on vacation and had several books that needed to be tackled along with some research on the country of Mongolia. The vacation is almost over, but tomorrow should be a bang of a finish as a friend of university stops over on her way with her tribe from Ontario to Prince Edward Island and my family celebrates the fifth birthday of my nephew.

Aug 8/08

Yay! Another finish laundered and ready to head to the mail. This is going to one of my cousins who has almost completed her year long maternity leave. Nothing like squeaking under the wire! I am now well into the next quilt!

Aug. 5/08

The Teresa Wentzler bookmarks are stitched and about to be dropped into the mail on my way to work today!


For my birthday this year, my family took me on a boat tour of the Hampton Marsh. We saw beauty at every turn. My photos of the osprey and the eagle are not so good, but as you can see, I truly live in a beautiful and special place.

July 27/08

All other stitching projects were put to one side this week as I stitched like a mad woman when I had a few spare moments to do up this bib for a baby shower that I am going to this afternoon. To the man who puts grass in his car, see, I was not lying about not being able to help you move today! (Inside joke, he reads this blog regularly!) Not a bad finish for someone who just worked 6 days this week, did 2 6km runs and was out socializing every night this week!

July 23/08

More colour is bursting out all over my yard while few are appearing on any stitching projects I have on the go! I have been busy this week digging out my three compost bins (I am a bit obsessive) and spreading the soil on the lawn and in the flower beds. A garter snake had been making its home in one of the bins and I really do not know who was more frightened when it slithered out this evening, me or the snake!


This asiatic lily is the first one I planted and year after year, it produces impressive blooms.


With all the talk of hive collapse, my guess is that there is a very healthy hive somewhere around here because my flowers are all buzzing with bees and hummingbirds. A few years ago, I did a little reading about how to plant to attract bees and hummingbirds and I think that I have been wildly successful. I came across 2 hummingbirds this evening while I was out taking photos and the blooms are crawling and buzzing with bees. Besides, bee balm and company are so much more attractive than those ugly red hummingbird feeders I have seen at the hardware store and alot less maintenance!


This day lily has such a pretty colour and is a nice change from the yellows and pinks/reds of the rest of the flowers.


The rudbeckia, aka brown eyed susans, are making their appearance now. They are such a cheerful loking flower that make me smile when I come across them hidden between some of my shrubs at the edge of the lawn.


The purple coneflower is such an odd looking flower in my opinion. Perhaps because it is odd that I like it so much and have 4 or 5 purple and white ones planted in the front bed!

July 22/08

My stitching is coming along slowly! I just started the back stitching on the T. Wentzler bookmarks last night so they will probably not be in the mail on time. Instead of stitching, I have been busy enjoying the great weather we have been having by working out in the yard and hanging out with my friends. I even went for a 6km jog on Sunday! My stopwatch battery has died so I have no idea of my time, but I was thrilled that I completed my old loop and still felt like a human being afterwards!

My Habitat trip to Mongolia is on hold a bit until Habitat International finishes all of the restructuring that it is doing within its organizations. We have been told that no new trips will be accepted until at least September so I have been using the time to find out more information about Mongolia and to acquire some books about the country.

Without airing all of my family's dirty laundry, I would just like to say that life is too short and that family is all important. My mom used to say that at the end of days when the world is going crazy, your friends will be busy looking after themselves and their families and it is your family that will be the only people who are left to save your ass. (Ok, Mom might not have said the word "ass", but you get the idea) Please do not wait until it is too late to make any amends that need to be made if there is any chance that the situation could be salvaged. I know that this sounds kind of two faced coming from someone who does not speak to her own father and believe me, that is a demon I constantly wrestle with, but once the person is gone, it is too late.

July 14/08

I have been on vacation for the past week and did more reading than stitching, but here are a few pictures to share!

I stayed at a beautiful cottage in Marshville, NS, just outside of Tatamagouche. As you can see, the sunsets on the beach are fantastic.


And yet another sunset.


The tide was out, exposing the mudflats and the life therein.


As I was chatting over drinks and munchies about my next possible Habitat for Humanity trip which is looking like it will involve going to Mongolia with one of the guys I met in the Dominican Republic, I noticed this menu cover at Your Father's Moustache on Spring Garden Road in Halifax, NS (my favourite pub on my favourite street in my favourite city!!)!

When my brain slowed down each day from being crammed full of readings on colonialism, I would put a few stitches into these bookmarks designed by Teresa Wentzler. I have a deadline as they need to be in the mail shortly to friends who share the same birthday as me!

July 7/08

Recently, I noticed that my cat does this weird thing when she sleeps and she is usually dead asleep when she gets all twisted around like this. The only way I can wake her is by touching her because she does not hear her name as she is so deeply asleep. Last night while I was stitching, I finally remembered to have my camera by my side and this is what I captured. I am really not sure how this position can be comfortable, but Penelope does not seem to mind!

July 5/08

One of my favourite places in the world is St. Martins, New Brunswick. The village is small and unspoiled, the shore is gorgeous and the Fundy Trail is a great place to spend time hiking and exploring the Bay of Fundy coastline. Plus, one of the restaurants there makes the BEST fish and chips around. The lobster is pretty good there, too, and probably just off one of the boats that you can see in the harbour at the wharf.


This mushroom was growing alongside the Fundy Trail. I do not know much about mushrooms, but I thought that it was pretty interesting looking!


The gardens around my house are bursting into colour. Every day there seems to be a new bloom in every corner. I do not remember all of the names of the flowers in my yard; I just know that I like'em!

June 29/08

Here is my June ornament: "Winter Love" by Sam Sarah Design Studio from JCS 2007 Christmas Ornaments. Both hats are now green in this one because I chose to stitch it on black Monaco instead of the oatmeal colour suggested in the magazine. The black hat on the right hand snowman would have been lost on this fabric. The one thing that I dislike about stitching on black fabric besides having some difficulty seeing the holes is how the cat hair is glaringly evident despite my best efforts to keep it at bay.


Here's an update on the baby quilt. Another square and a bit have been completely stitched......

June 27/08

The display of colour is moving around the gardens to the Asiatics that are bursting into bloom. These vibrant orange blooms are the first to make their appearance, but a quick inspection in the other beds revealed that several others are about to do the same.


The stella d'oro lily is one of my all time favourites because the bright yellow blooms are so cheery and this lily blooms most of the summer. I just love this plant because it is so beautiful and long lasting.


The glazing and firing made my little dinosaur look awesome! I can not wait until August to give this to my nephew!

June 23/08

My mother and my Rotary club got me good tonight. It is not unusual for my mother to be at our meetings because she gets roped into alot of our club activities since she is related to me. I was a bit surprised to walk into the meeting to see her there when I was not expecting her to be there, but I fell for all of the lines the other members gave me! Later on during the meeting, one of the members stood up to give a presentation and I kind of zoned out because I was anxious to get over to the Little League ballfield to watch my friends' sons play baseball so you can imagine my surprise when I hear, "And I would like to present this Paul Harris Fellow to Virginia Stites for all that she does to make the world a better place." What a great recognition from my club! I certainly am not involved to get awards and am usually quite embarrassed when singled out for any project that I am involved in, but I am pleased as punch to be recognized by people who I am inspired and supported by in so many ways.

June 22/08

My stitching has been slowed up a bit by some tendonitis in my right arm and my social life! I was at a wedding last night and today I was poking around Saint John with J & C as we did breakfast and then shopped at Michaels and a furniture auction place. My siberian irises are the latest blooms making their appearance in my gardens. What a lovely show they are putting on!


While I was snapping photos of the irises, my dear Penelope stopped to smell my toes. She has been a lively addition to my household this spring!

June 21/08

The cross stitch portion of the quilt is now complete. If you squint at the top left hand corner, you can see that I have finished the backstitching and satin stitches on the toucan. I was so engrossed in this square last night that I misread the clock in the livingroom. My brain thought that it was 12:30am which is late enough, but not too late for a night owl like me even if I have to work at 9am. The shocked expression on my face must have been priceless when I wandered out to the kitchen to see 1:30am on the microwave. Today was a two-pot-of-coffee day at work just to keep me functional!

I have just come home from a lovely wedding out in the country, complete with a reception held in an old barn overlooking the Belleisle Bay. Weddings are not my thing, but this one was beautiful on so many levels and the love in the room was overwhelming. Best of luck to Christine and Derick!

June 18/08

Another ceramic masterpiece by moi! My nephew LOVES, loves, LOVES dinosaurs so I could not resist this "piggy" bank when I went to paint ceramics tonight. If I do say so myself, it is kind of adorable. C.'s birthday is in August and I think that it will be a great gift!

June 16/08

Instead of stitching, I have been busy working around my yard and enjoying the flora and fauna. The bees are having a great time in the honeysuckle bush out back. The hum of their buzzing is almost alarming because there are so many in the bush! The hummingbirds are making several appearances as are the sparrows and a blue jay stopped by the other evening.

My purple irises are best described as profuse! They are so beautiful and welcoming when I drive down the street towards my house!


The lilies are adding a splash of yellow not too far from the irises!


Now, these lupins I can not take any credit for, but they grow like mad in the empty lot beside my house. They add a lot of colour to the neighbourhood!

June 10/08

A few more stitches have gone into the quilt. I was quite surprised to look at it last night to realize that I only have a few almost finished squares and one square to fully stitch before I start the back stitching. There is a moment when the piece has been worked on forever, but suddenly comes together and begins to look like the picture on the pattern. That moment for me was last night as I was reviewing the piece before putting it away.

A friend of mine who is involved in various community building activities recently came to speak at my Rotary Club. Cory has been to Uganda for a project called Stitch Uganda Together where he raised money for sewing machines so that people can develop a method for generating income. I was reminded of his visit to our club today when I heard that one of the club members has asked him to speak at the local nursing home about his project. The funny part about this friendship is that Cory and I met very randomly one night in the middle of the dance floor at a local club where we were both listening and dancing to an awesome band and then we kept running into each other. The more I talk with him, the more I am fascinated by the stuff he does (art therapy with school children, the Uganda thing, the Action Hero Network).

My recent life lessons: do not walk on the train track and if you think something looks dangerous, it probably is. I had to dive off the tracks the other day as I was exploring my country property and ten minutes later I fell backwards about a metre or more from a log that was spanning a small gully and landed flat on my back. I am very fortunate in that I did not knock myself out or break my back on a rock because no one knew I was out in the woods. Oh yeah, add "tell someone where you are going when going into the woods" to that life lesson list. Apparently, all those years in Girl Guides have taught me nothing. :-S

June 7/08

I made a little progress last night on it. I know that I am getting old when I am spending my Friday nights cross stitching and admitting to it!!! Oh well, at least I am not hungover.

Before I sat down to stitch, I did some more Ebay browsing (but no bidding!). Teresa Wentzler is one of my favourite designers and I have quite a collection of her patterns so I flipped through my pattern shelf to make sure that I was not "watching" patterns on Ebay that I already have. Browsing that shelf kind of scared me because I have so many patterns now that I have forgotten what is on that shelf! Despite that, I may just have to bid on two of the TW pattern lots that were on offer on Ebay because I do not have "Day" and "Night" or the "Four Seasons Fairies".

Today is a somewhat, kind of, maybe lazy day for me after working 8 days in a row to cover for a co-workers vacation and I am participating in the Relay for Life. For those unfamiliar with the idea, it is a 12 hour fundraising relay for cancer research. One of my co-workers asked me yesterday why it was held overnight and I actually had the answer! It is done that way to show solidarity with those currently facing cancer during the darkest hours emotionally and physically during the day. As a hazard of the job, I have seen cancer take down too many amazing people and I am humbled by their courage and the courage of their families every time as they face this disease. For me, cancer is a different disease than heart disease or diabetes or any other disease because something is growing in the body and robbing the body of life.

So, I am going to head out to the woods for a little while and then go help out with the clean up for the Rotary club sponsored Survivors' Dinner before participating in the Relay. Each and every one of us can do so much if we all do something.

June 6/08

I have managed to get a few stitches into the baby blanket this week, but there has been little time between working 12 out of 14 days and socializing with A. while she is home! I have received a lovely parcel from an Ebay seller of Lavender and Lace patterns that will probably not ever get completed until my next lifetime or the one after that! My purchasing of patterns far exceeds my life expectancy.

June 3/08

No stitchy pictures today. I have been having too much fun with one of my friends who is home from college in the US. She is only home for a week or so until she heads off to Princeton for the summer for a very prestigious program. I am very proud of my girl Aicha!!! Not only is she beautiful and funny, but she is smart, too!

There has been a little bit of drama in these parts. Some jerk stole my VISA number recently and now I have no VISA card until the new one arrives. I am really annoyed, but I guess that I am lucky in that this is the first time in 16 years that I have had something like this happen. Crooked and dishonest people suck.

On a good note, it is beautiful and sunny here today and I am heading out the door to enjoy the morning before I have to go to work.

May 30/08

No stitching pictures today-----just a little musing. Last night, some friends and I were flipping through my blog and one of them asked me how I knew Barbara because she faithfully posts comments on my entries. That question got me to thinking about comments or lack thereof on my blog because I regularly check my stats and can see how many people check into my blog every day. Saint John, Rothesay and Hampton show up quite regularly on the stats counter and my curiousity gets the better of me! Who is checking out my blog? Leave a comment or message me! I like to know these things!

May 25/08

I made some progress on the baby quilt last night. After working all day and then having my sister over so she could use my computer, I decided that it was a good Saturday night to watch movies and stitch. I hope to have the quilt done soon so that I can get onto the second quilt that needs to be stitched!


I decided to stitch up this ornie the other day because I had enough left over fabric after stitching the other ornie. This design is "Snowflake Heart " from Wild Heart Designs in JCS 2006 Christmas ornaments. Once again, mystery cloth and mystery threads. To give it a "snowy" effect, I used 2 different colours to give the piece a bit of depth like a true snowflake.

May 22/08

Chelssie commented in an email the other day that she is making all of her Christmas presents this year so that reminded me that I should stitch another ornament or two. This one is called "Emblem of Friendship" by Cherished Stitches and is found in the 2006 JCS Christmas Ornaments edition. I am working on a second design that I found in the same magazine and hopefully it will be completed tomorrow! Stitching smalls is a nice break from the big projects and gives me that instant gratification that I crave!

May 17/08

Here is a wee update on the baby quilt. I have been pretty busy these past few weeks in between being away in the Dominican and then getting back to work, visiting with a cousin who was in town, getting a new bed (there is heaven on Earth!! LOL!), etc.....I have managed to spend a little time stitching these past few nights so here is a stitching update before people start to think that this blog is no longer about stitching! And of course, Penelope had to see what I was doing and she walked over the quilt just as I snapped the photo.