It's Springing eggs

Sunday March 31, 2013

So it's the end of March... time to look for spring...

nope... seems winter just doesn't want to let go.

Ahhh spring... that's when the eggs pop out of the ground...

or does the stork drop them?

I always get that confused.

Those eggies didn't stand a chance...

Another sign of spring

Spring chicks

We coloured some of their eggs

Psychedelically bayyyybeeee

More eggs.... with a ferocious guard-bunny

Nope... didn't stand a chance.

Another day...

Another Mill Hill

dragonfly... 

now that would be a sign of warmer weather!

whisk me away...

Friday March 29, 2013

Wow, it's been almost a week, and no finishes posted... shocking... I'm sure you're thinking I must have been up to something....

 oh yeahhhh...

Black Swallowtail

by Mill Hill

of course :)

I don't know if I've ever seen a live one.. so I decided to look it up..

http://animalworld.tumblr.com/post/3777347317/black-swallowtail-caterpillar-caterpillars-are

Pretty good likeness.

I'll have to keep an eye out for one this summer.

Speaking of flying....

I kind of flew the coop tonight.

I was kidnapped tonight.... 

and thoroughly enjoyed it too.

Yep, 

a dear, sweet, lovely, kind, funny, thoughtful, creative, humble, generous

(and I'm not just saying this because she paid... she really is all that and more :))

 friend 

whisked me away to the donut shop 

for a stitch and b... 

yak.

I had a lot of fun.

I even stitched...

 not exactly my regular kind of stitching...

but that's another story....

shhhh.... cookies

Thursday March 28, 2013

Oh what to do when everyone else is asleep. I have occasionally ... cough cough...encountered said situation.  Many of my most creative moments occur in the wee hours. Usually I can blame the bears or giant pink flamingos.

Tonight there's no flamingos.

Did you know that you can actually slice frozen chocolate chip oatmeal dough, and it bakes up just fine?

And if you slice them just so, at various widths, they'll finish baking at staggered intervals so that you can eat a freshly baked cookie... oh every 3 minutes.

I so deserved this tonight. After a cub meeting where they had fire ants in their pants. We were practicing knot work. The thought did run through my mind of how I could use various knots, but some parents might not be too pleased about that.

I better go turn off the fan. Not the noise but the aroma might have woken them up. That would have implied sharing and there's really nothing left to share.

lost chairs

Wednesday March 27, 2013

Things that make you go ...hmmmm...

Maybe that's the time-out chair?

But Mommmm, I have no idea what happened to it...

It's been there for two days.

Best ponder this over some chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate.

You do know what Monday is.

Why 'tis bunny day.

And April 1st 

All in one.

hehehehe

Let's just say I found some really fun ideas.

Not that I would ever suggest to any child that I hid twice as many eggs 

as I really did.

heehee

snicker

My buddy Bob

Sunday March 24, 2013

I'd like you to meet Bob. 

We met for the first time this weekend 

and I have to admit I found Bob to be 

fascinating. 

First impressions.

Looks.

They can be so deceiving.

I figured with that wide gaping mouth,

he'd be one of those dumb, non-stop chatter boxes.

Or maybe he was just tired in a prolonged state of yawning.

I hoped it wasn't a frozen pitiful plea for chocolate.

He almost looked like a useless,

 yet somehow disturbingly disinfectingly clean geek.

I mean, seriously, who would wear a top like that?

That shade of blue is just all wrong 

and so last year.

He could do with a bit of sun too.

 And that Goth look... does nothing for him either.

Nope, indeed he surprised me

with all his in simplistic parts.

And quiet ways.

There was so much more to him than meets the eye.

To really get to know him,

I had to take a closer look...

and have one of those

repeated

face-to-face , 

one-to-one,

deep down

encounters,

that literally took my breath away.

OK, maybe it might have been a little pressure on my part,

but he was very open to the concept of getting to know me.

Silence can sometimes speak volumes.

I did learn many new things 

and even helped him when he got a little choked up .

But after that...

well....

When I learned that he loved to stitch....

How unbelievably perfect this seemed.  

a quiet stitcher, 

perfect listener,

who doesn't even show the least bit interest in my chocolate?

He seemed a bit slow,

but I figured I could look past that.... and maybe even help him

a bit.

I thought for sure we'd be life-long pals.

It was then that the Infantry showed up.

...and they came from all directions

Maybe they were jealous and wanted to get to know me too.

I was a little taken back with their alien looks...

their manipulative ways...

almost like they were trying to impersonate a human baby

or something.

Far too quiet to pull that one off I tell ya!

their silence was just so deafening....

And not really that cuddly.

They demanded to be held

and even turned and pushed around a bit.

It was the firm slap on the back,

and how one even lost her head was

a bit odd... 

but who am I to hold back on welcoming newcomers.

 I could obviously see they were related to Bob.

Seems in the end they just wanted Bob back

and we had to part ways.

Could be another 2 or 3 years before we meet again.

Who knows, 

with medical advancements

I might encounter a clone then...

and not my friend Bob.

But I'm sure he won't be ever be alone

and will make many new friends.

Spring reports... the monarch needs our help

Saturday March 23, 2013

The days are getting longer.. and it was sunny out today. 

I stumbled upon a really interesting site about the Monarch Butterfly. 

Sadly they are at historic record low 

How low?

Journey North  (http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/). 

I was a bit shocked when I saw the graph.

Think I'll plant some milkweed this year. 

There's a weekly diary following the butterflies migration to and from Mexico with some outstanding photos. They have already started their journey north. I just hope the weather improves soon for them. The monarch is a fascinating creature and the site has one of the most thorough facts about it I've ever seen. 

(Check out their FACT page about the Monarch... with info on how to help.)

Oh- too cool - they have all sorts of live cams ! 

Here's their main page  http://www.learner.org/jnorth/ 

Another neat thing I discovered is that you can report your sightings 

- but not only for the Monarch!.. ..

You can report online sightings for over 20 other things...  

 all sorts of birds.. 

sap flow...

singing frogs...

signs of the seasons... 

gray whales... 

even earthworms. 

Hmmm... looking for robins seems so boring now.

Better go get the binoculars.

Never know when that whale might show up

in Lake Ontario.

;)

Guess what brought this topic on?

My own stitched Monarch Butterfly

ala Mill Hill of course.

I think this is the prettiest Mill Hill yet.

oooo.. Look I even finished it off :)

If I stitch more spring things... will spring arrive sooner?

Speaking of  Spring

Cleaning

Today dear son asked if I'd like to help him unload the dishwasher.

One of HIS chores I might add.

I told him, this mom wouldn't dream of 

interfering

with something he does so well.

So tomorrow I have to spend another day indoors...

oh I'm feeling much better, thank you. 

Has to do with this dummy I met.

Actually a whole infantry of them.

but that's another story ... 

I promise I'll share tomorrow :)

rubbbber duckyyyyyyyyy

Friday March 22, 2013


Rubber duckyyy...you're the one....

What a cutie :)

Reminds me of that song Ernie sang on Sesame Street.

Oh I bet you won't get the tune out of your mind now

hehehe

hmmm... I think there might be a winged theme going on this week.

Hoping my sinuses will just fly away soon too... 

it's getting better though :)

A sleepless night

Thursday March 21, 2013

A sleepless night...  thought stitching might be better than staring at the clock....

Lucy Ladybug... looks like she's bringing me a get well bouquet :)

And look - I even finished assembling her! 

There is hope for my box of un-assembled stitched items yet!

Spring... when will thou arrive?

Cold... when will thou disappear?

Well, if I'm too tired to stand or do much, at least I'm grateful I can stitch.

bunny nibbles

Wednesday March 20, 2013

It's all a blurr.... I don't know if I'm coming or going... day? night?
....sinus infections really suck... they can be so painful.

It's a miracle I was able to concentrate on anything... but I did do some stitching... and it did take my mind off things...

A Bunny Garden Needleroll kit 

by Praiseworthy Stitches.

I decided to stitch the scissor weight 2-sided.

Some close-ups

Look at that cute little bunny and the worm :)

I've had this kit for  ...ehem... a while.

I hesitated stitching it because the instructions 

to assemble the needleroll seemed rather ... daunting

ok, I've actually never assembled a needleroll.

I need diagrams. There's just a description.

This little kit that came in a plastic container that's in the shape of a carrot.

Yes that's a chocolate Lindt carrot.

Get better present from my mom.

Well, it came via my son.

Do you notice that the tip of the chocolate carrot is missing?

And there's a nibble on the back.

Seems some little bunny couldn't resist.

He keeps asking if he can have it.

Unfortunately, I am holding off chocolate delights until my sinuses clear up.

Shocking. I know.

And so the carrot sits there...

wonder if there will be more nibbles on it tomorrow...

The bunny...the bunny...oooh, I love the bunny....

Monday March 18, 2013

I think the bunnies are starting to arrive.

 I'm thinking spring... even though outside winter is making a come-back.

Whenever I think of bunnies, I can't help humming the Bunny Song.

(And yes, The original, not the two revised versions)

The bunny..... the bunny.. ....oh I love the bunny...

Oh? You don't know The Bunny Song? 

Well, let me provide you with a link to the video...

The Bunny Song - Veggie Tales

hehehe.... now admit it... you won't be able to stop humming it either. I love veggie tales. Especially Silly Songs with Larry. If you are not familiar with Veggie Tales, they took some well known TV shows and movies and redid them with vegetables. 

I loved their spin on Gilligan's Island.... oh and of course Lord of the Bean.....

Sheerluck Holmes.... Robin Good...The Wonderful Wizard of Ha..

and of course that webbed hero LarryBoy who swings from building to building...

Heck even Raiders of the Lost Ark, Godfather , 

Monty Python, Casablanca weren't safe from veggie land.

 Who needs a big purple dinosaur, when you can have an eggplant.

Well, I did mention bunnies.....  yeeehhhhhh... a finish!

This is Sweetheart Tree "Easter Quadrielle"

I made a few changes.... 

I used variegated silk floss for the borders and the basket handle.

I used a darker thread for the lettering 

and a shade darker yellow for the stitched eggs.

I also decided that all the eggs in the basket should be beads.

Now to assemble it....

yeah, just like the 'MOM' Quadrielle

I stitched last year, lol

Now off to la-la land to hopefully feel a lot better tomorrow

and to dream 

of my next project...

 or the hysterical crowds trying to borrow Veggie tales videos from the library

and trying to figure out how those vegetables can wear shoes...

but that's another story...

Lucky egg

Sunday March 17, 2013

Well Happy St Paddy's day to all you who believe in leprechauns....

 I know technically it's already Monday when I post this, 

but being sick really throws your days off.

What to do when you're sick... 

and have lost the ability to concentrate that well....

hmmm, 

well one could spend hours playing Bejeweled Blitz ... 

not that I would know anything of that time hog addiction...

or... one could waste more time 

looking for those darn 

addictive purple eggies on Womenfreebies.ca ... 

nah, didn't find one there today either.

or ... one could savour an eggy that arrived at my house today...

mmmmm... filled with custard

Highly recommended cold treatment

Timmie - you made my day :)

You might say

I took the easy route to finding an egg today.

Hoping some green luck will rub off on me 

and I'll be back to somewhat normal soon...

I have bunnies awaiting to be finished.

Darn back-stitching...  

Not used to taking this long to finish something...

but that's another story... 

achoo

Saturday March 14, 2013

Well, there was no escaping it. Thursday night I felt the onset of the cold that has ravaged our house....
darn... just in time for cub camp. Thankfully it hit a day before we were to leave. Not much fun being 100km from home, surrounded by joyous screams and gentle pounding of wee feet.

My son has been consoling himself with Star Wars movies.

After a particular episode, he suggested I could be an Ewok... because they're short, fluffy and nice.
This might have something to do with the big brown super thick polar fleece sweater I was wearing. It happens to have a big bear design on it too. I made a nice soup so I guess that's why I'm nice.... I'm ignoring that short comment. This Interfering Ewok woman may be "interfering" shortly though if he doesn't get to bed.... he is so not going to live that one down.

I received  some get well prezzies....

Of course it's full of hot chocolate.... silly question...

didn't win 

But I did win a $5 Walmart card.

I found an egg on an online Easter Egg Hunt.

Womenfreebies.ca

whoo hoo!!

Oh and some wonderful kind soul sent me a whole big bag of threads...

There's some glittery ones in there too.

Can't wait to try them out.

Wonder if she is an Ewok too?

Thought of the day

Don't go on live chat whilst under the 

dopey influence of 

really good cold meds...

achoo

but that's another story...

Almost Free is good :)

Wednesday March 14, 2013

It's not fun being sick. Especially when you're 11 years old and it's March break. Thankfully there are DS games and Lego to keep him happy. I suggested a mid afternoon nap today. Perhaps I should have clarified that it was really me that needed the nap.

Seems the man-cold has struck around here too.  There, there... maybe I should stitch you something to make it all better. And sweetie, you really shouldn't have any chocolate  It causes phlem, so let me take care of that for you. I'll keep it safe.

Poor soul. He really is suffering. Not fun when you've already got enough pain, without being sick. I can't believe it's been 3 years since the car accident. (For those who don't know, my husband had spinal surgery.)
Yesterday I made a stew in the crock pot and a veggie soup.Yes from scratch. I can so cook. In the kitchen too. They were both yummy and hubby felt a bit better after eating the soup. Well at least his heart did.

With an overabundance of doctor's appointments this week, I was ever thankful that tonight was stitch night at Gitta's. I was a bit delusional the night before thinking I could actually finish one of the Sweetheart Tree kits that wandered home with me, just the day before. So it's only half stitched. Since it's an Easter theme, I better have it done soon - I just realized tonight how close that is!

Best thing of the day - other than getting to wack a tennis ball... I won $10! Well, not actually won... I had to pick up a prescription, and an item I also bought, scanned at the wrong price. So because this store follows the Scanning Code of Practice, I received $10 off ... so the item that was $11.99, cost me $1.99....
whoohoooo!!!

If you don't know or aren't familiar with the Scanning Code of  Practice, you really should look it up - you'll also see a large sticker at the door or cash in a lot of stores.

I celebrated my win with some floss... maybe for Easter ..

Tomorrow I'll have to cash in the free Timmie's beverage I won....but that's another story :)

waiting for Spring...

Monday March 11, 2013


I think winter is on it's last legs. Too bad the snow couldn't stay for the March break - would be fun for the kids.

I was at the Toronto Botanical gardens today. Had to find a place to wait. It was close and seemed like the perfect spot.
....can only imagine how gorgeous this place must be in the spring and summer.

Inside there were some pretty flowers...

 And a very quiet library where I could stitch while I waited. 

Even inside there were signs of spring...

 LOVE these signs they made in the children's section.

Each letter was made of natural materials - dried flowers, twigs...

I don't think James minded the wait either....

This interfering mom didn't want to interrupt that amazing concentration.

The other option was duct tape, 

as suggested by a concerned friend that I might not enjoy my stitching otherwise...

After the library, we searched for a place to eat.

This seemed like a nice place.

I think it's one of the nicest deli's I've ever been in.

And the priciest.

Gorgeous deserts.

We decided to opt for meatball subs elsewhere instead.

I added two more buttons to my Love Life Live Simply piece I finished the other day...

The birdie is one James gave me :).

It's so cute looking up at the sun.

Speaking of beads....

another happy dance!!!!

"Hummingbird" by Mill Hill

Photo doesn't do the colours justice - it's quite stunning.

These big kits are really slowing things down for me....

I mean, how am I ever going to complete all my Mill Hill kits by the end of the year?

Maybe if I planted them all they'd sprout and grow?

And then there's new Sweetheart Tree's that arrived at Gitta's

(Not that I would know anything of that firsthand...

but a few may have followed me home today. )

Which really leaves me with the dilemma of what to stitch next.

....but that's another story

Wait for it...

Sunday March 10, 2013

I have been called many things in my life... crazy... bear addict.... chocoholic (no idea where this rumour started)... ... but today it was a new one.

It all started with a mess. More specifically a very messy room. A room that happened to belong to a 11 year old that may be related to me in some way ... although there are days where I am just left scratching my head. Where or where does he get his stubborn streak from.... oh... yeah... any-who...

After he finally cleaned up his room, or so he thought, I went in to have a look. Uh-huh. I was indeed born yesterday he thought.

I pulled out the pile he had pushed against the closet, in such a manner that the closet door couldn't even be closed. Then there was the pile under his desk, and another stack against the window. Never mind the bed. We won't go there.... So now picture this pile of stuff in the middle of his room. I tell him to put it away where it belongs so we can vacume. Seems like a reasonable request. I leave.

Yep. It gets better.

Apparently I am an "interfering woman" ... or so he told my husband.

His argument was that he really didn't need anything in his closet anyways.

Great I say. So I'll put a lock on it, and you won't have any tops or pants to wear... yayyyyyy.. less laundry for me!

He was not amused with this and acted annoyed. I told him that I can act more annoying than he could ever imagine - and I may be interfering in other ways if he didn't stop.

He did clean it up. May have been a bit of grumbling but I didn't want to interfere with the process.

And I did receive an apology. And a hug.

Now who could interfere with that?

Life is good

Saturday March 9, 2013

I received some inspiring, good news today about the health of a friend. Nothing short of a miracle.

A 3-ish hour nap today, in the middle of the afternoon.

Did not have to get up early to take James to school. Apparently there's no homework... so that 'H' word will be taking a week off too.

Actually, I didn't have to leave the house for any reason what so ever.

My husband still finds me attractive even in baggy track pants and top ... that I wore all day. Heck never mind that I went to bed in them last night.

I got to stitch a bit today... almost at the beading part too :)

I have chocolate... and nobody even commented on the spelling error from yesterday's blog, lol.

The bad news is I have to replace the Easter chocolate I had bought in advance... but that's another story.

Flocking to the chcoclate

Friday March 8, 2013

We went out to dinner tonight at the Mandarin. It was to celebrate my mom's birthday.

This particular Mandarin has three main eating rooms - each with a theme - Over the years, I have eaten once in each room.

There's a tropical room with plants and a big water wall. Then there's the fishy room - with a HUGE tank that spans the length and height of the room. I was there once when the diver goes in to clean the tank. Yes you read that correctly - a human actually goes inside the tank to clean it. It's THAT big.

The third room is probably my favourite. No it does not boast the largest collection of edible chocolate furnishing... nor are there bear shaped chairs. It's a birdy room.

There are giant parrots hanging from the ceiling...

Could you imagine eating under this though... 

I'd feel like it was about to swoop in and swipe my food.

Didn't see seeds on the menu.

This one was beside our table.

I imagined what it might be like to have a pet bird this size.

Then I thought of Kiwi's oh-oh's.

Yep, that's what we call them... and so does Kiwi... 

cute,

except when the oh-oh lands on your shoulder.

So at the other end was this giant glass aviary...

Yes those are REAL birdies!

They were sooooo cute :)

(Nope, the people were in the next room, not in the cage.)

Took some close-up shots of the cuties...

Gorgeous colours... hopefully Kiwi will forgive me for looking at other birds ;)

There were even food carvings at the dessert table...

These are carrots!

Still couldn't convince my son to eat them though.

Cute lemon bunnies and a fishy...

and  chocolaty delights...

no, this was NOT the piece on my plate... neither was the slice missing...

Honest.

This and the crab legs were well worth the price of admission.

oh yeahhh...

Speaking of chocolate... this afternoon some came dangerously close to my stitching.

I successfullllly diverted this near catastrophe.

Think I better go stitch up a storm ... I seem to be in chocolate bliss...

Wonder how many calories stitching burns....

Will I count correctly in this chocolaty stupor?

that's another story...

I'll get right on that...

Thursday March 7, 2013

So, you may have wondered... what happened.. no post in 2 days.

well....I've been in training... or hiding out... depends on your view of things. It all started with something that was posted by a friend on FB....

So I thought I would try to follow these wise instructions and began to meditate... you know to get my mind in the right frame of mind.... Kiwi seemed to disagree that this should involve any form of silence.

Not wanting to appear lackadaisical, in any sense, I then devoured my chocolate bar with great gusto  and vigorously enjoyed it quite thoroughly. I may have seemed to lack in the indifference department though.  Due to the chocolaty stupor I was in, decided that yes indeed, ice cream would be OK for dinner.

Preferring to stitch in the living room, I felt it was safe to say I didn't stitch with either the dishes or the bed, and they could just remain where they were. Besides, I never thought they made great stitching companions. Paper plates and sleeping bags might be a good solution come to think of it....

Now the next part really puzzled me. What the heck is an urgent housekeeping chore? Does such a thing even exist?  Will dust-bunnies take over the world?

I really should go out and buy myself a new ballroom gown. And while out, get a new hairdo and my nails done too. That way I would look absolutely stunning for any guest that suddenly dropped in when I was stitching...  which happens to be after 10pm. I might be a tad fearful though if someone knocked at my door at that time, but that's beside the point.

Not sure I understand the chalk dusting part...wouldn't that just create a mess... and we're talking messy stuff where you can see it. At least dust bunnies have the decency to hide.

Why the heck I would be fearful of my husband coming home is beyond me... he's seen me without makeup....heck I don't wear makeup.... unless I of course was in the middle of organizing my stash... or discovering me with a 10lb box of truffles.... (I wish....)


Speaking of chocolate.....

  Let's Eat Chocolate designed by Ursula Michael from Imaginating

Nope - didn't stitch that. I was too busy getting pretty and avoiding chores.

To stitch or not to stitch........ seeing that I'm breaking all those Singer rules anyway...

but what to stitch....that's another story...