Just 8

You're probably wondering what this is...

Its the fly from a tent. Teen minifig's tent to be precise. Seems those velcro straps came off last time he went camping. Turns out they had only been glued on and they needed to get sewn on.

Guess who got the priviledge of repairing said fly?

Guess who hid out in her sewing room this afternoon.... for a while.....with the door locked. Hubby had already said he believed it would take all day.... and there are 8 of them to sew.

Guess how long said repairs took.... and how much quiet time I enjoyed.

Wonder how long it will take until they realize there is no sewing machine humming.

oh, but there was some noise going on....if you can call it that.....heehee

Wishing there were 8 of these instead...

Dishes can always wait....

The signs are there.... you just need to keep your eyes open...

I think there is a message there I need to follow.

Well, there certainly was a sign in my kitchen today. Dishes were calling my name for a change today.
Why? Well, my teen minifig got his first job, and today was his first day. It seems the dishes in my sink are not worth as much as the gazillions of dishes he has the priviledge of washing at his job. Yup, his first job ... a dishwasher.

So, what does minifig mom do....dishes? Nay, they can wait..... I have more important things to do....

Do you smell popcorn?

My world is now complete. That's all I'm going to say. About this....

I thought I had seen it all....but oh no....... nay I say...

It seems this ...um....shape.....has taken over ... is it going to replace the classic teddy bear? Why is this kid , all wrapped up in a ...um...gigantic entity of mass.......smiling? Does it come with nose plugs?

Seriously... it would have never occured to me as a child to cling to or cuddle one of these...um...objects

hanging out at the local fair isn't even safe...in who's world does a ...um...article of discarded body matter.... have a happy, pleasant smile... Do they make scratch and sniff versions?
Is there nothing sacred anymore?

Picture this ....a kid getting attached to one of these....um... items..
...LOOSING said...um...favourite-can't-live-without-security-creation....and wailing....oh, perhaps screeching.... to mom in despair ( you know the tune) LOUDLY...

"Mooommmmmmmy!!! I waaaant myyyyy poopy. Where's my pooooooo??"

Or to those who desperately want to be in on the latest fad must have
" but mmmmooom, all the kids have a poo. I gotta have a poop!"

Oh the humanity.... perhaps distracting young impressioanble minifigs whilst wandering down the aisle might work

Well, at least that was Teen Minifig approved. Anything bacon is always approved.

And then there was this...

Apparently no ordinary Jackfruit.
A birthday Jackfruit.

I know what you're thinking...at least it wasn't a.... Durian fruit.

Now THAT would be a stinker....

The truth is always somewhere....

Teen minifig made a neat gift for his dad. Thought-ful gift.
It left me thinking....

Is there a deeper meaning to some things? Am I missing something?...
( not sure if Kiwi was wondering...)

...was it blueberry? Truth be told.... it was gone way to fast....

....will these Newfoundland eggs ever hatch ....truth be told , might be witing a loooong time for that to happen...

Is this the end? How did this happen? Truth be told.... I did share.... a ...wee ....bit.

Have no fear...just when you think all is lost.....I found more truth last night....

And it was delicious!

wrong answer

The world is definitely coming to an end. 

Total chaos is just around the corner. 

Life has lost its meaning.... 

I mean ....how could they!?! Yes you know who you are

newfoundland chocolate company

Kumasi
Origin: Ghana
Bean: Forestero & Criollo
Cocoa 42%
Tasting notes: Bold & distinctive with an aroma of HAZELNUTS. Caramel, butter & honey undertones.

Sigh....
Obviously I had to resort to alternative measures... being only able to smell it.

Teen Minifig was my first tester... his reply (...as he reached for a second piece)
"Mmmm that's good"

WRONG Answer.

Hubby was the second tester.
" mmmm, thats good....very smooth. "

WRONG answer.

They should know better by now.

I should just go hide in a closet. 

Preferably one that houses EDIBLE Chocolate.


Well, on the bright side, at least the sky didn't fall.... today

Keep it clean

My deepest appologies for the last posting. I know writing about delicious chocolate and Kybos in the same post could be seen as tasteless..... just don't give me too much crap about it ok?

Next up...

Brazil
Bean: Amazonian Forestero and Trinitario
67% cocoa
Tasting nites: Deeply intense cocoa taste. Fresh hints of tropical fruit.

hmmm, another bar no longer on the web site of https://www.newfoundlandchocolatecompany.com/collections/the-dark-collection
...the sky is certainly falling....

verdict: very intense indeed.
repeat factor: would willingly subject myself to this. Must locate substitute in mean time.

Speaking of substitutions... 2nd best camping idea ever.....

That's right....wooden cutlery. No need to wash. Lego teen thinks we could use these at home. Was he refering to the campfire?

Survival skills

So, now that I've figured out how to post photos, I guess there's no excuse not to get back into blogging....except a certain substance keeps distracting me...or maybe I'm just prolonging my experiences.

continuing on my Newfoundland chocolate journey...

Not much left there.... but onward with my round the world tour.

So.....next up...

Sao Thome
origin: Africa
Bean: Forestero
70% Cocoa
Tasting notes: The taste is at first pleasantly mild-bitter, full & fruity with impressions of candied black fruit. Then come floral & coffee bean notes.

I would heartily agree about the coffee notes!
Verdict: Not sure about the fruit....would have to have some repeat experiences with this bar. Sadly, I don't see it in their web site :(.
PERHAPS if a certain store, ehem,  ,,, Newfoundland Chocolate Company  ... could let me know when it is in stock again..... not sure if I'll be able to survive, but I will some how..
Withdrawal symptoms: always.

Speaking of surviving...I survived another Scout camp. Seems there was an upgrade to the Kybo....

In case you missed it...

I know you're wondering.... yes it worked.... quite well in fact.

Best dollar store investment I ever made, lol.... all you need is a current bush ...

but that's another story...

Hmmmm....

so it seems I can't post photos .... so frustrating.

Almost as frustrating as trying to locate chocolate....that I hid REALLY well.

Good news, I found it. Newfoundland chocolate 😀

Safe and sound. Well, ultra safe now that it's been....tasted.

So next up.... me trying to figure out why this blogger site won't let me access the photos on my iPad...

UPDATE : an app called BLOGO did the trick! Can post photos...and write offline too! Whoohooo!!!

So why?

Ok, so it's been a while. No idea why I stopped posting, but today I was was looking at this

This may have been distracting me... for a bite... I mean a bit....

Yes, I was in Newfoundland...St. John's for a stitching conference, and some touring. SO of course I had to go into the chocolate shop there! Not to worry, I took some accomplices.

The Newfoundland Chocolate Company carries bars with cocoa from around the world.

Not to be selfish, I thought I'd share ...my thoughts ....about each of the bars.

Alto El Sol

Origin: Peru

Bean: Criollo

65% Cocoa

Tasting Notes: Tangy and complex with notes of plum, black cherry and a hint of banana.

WOW! truly a uniquely wonderful blend, subtlety hints flavours, with just the right amount of cocoa.

Verdict: Delightfully scrumptious.

Repeat Factor: oh yeah!

Withdrawal symptoms: I guess the other bars will tide me over, for now

Did you notice there was none left....yup I had to share, as said Newfoundland stash was seen by a certain population of inhabitants residing in my abode. They both gave it a thumbs up. Good thing ...their hands were distracted that way from getting the last of it, lol.

Newfoundland Chocolate Company also had Gelato that rivals my local fix, Port One Cafe.

but that's another story....

a few of my favourite things

White.

I've been thinking a lot about this colour lately.

With all the snow outside, it's all around us. I mean, how could you NOT think about white. Which of course leads to other thoughts about  'white'.

My favourite chocolate when I was little was - white chocolate. Now my favourite is dark chocolate, but certainly wouldn't turn down any white chocolate.. it is somewhat chocolate after all.

White tea - I do love tea, and have had this, but find it lacks flavour. I think I'll just stick to green tea.

For more fun facts that you must know, it's all on google...

White was one of the first colors used by paleolithic artists; they used calcite or chalk. 

In ancient Egypt, white was connected with the goddess Isis. And did you know that 'White' is the source of more names for women in western countries than any other color? ...Albine (Latin), Blanche and Blanchette (French); Bianca (Italian); Jennifer (Celt); . Candice (from Latin Candida); . Fiona . (Irish);  , Nives (Italian) ....

Oh there are so many things one imagines, when thinking about white.... beaches, sandals, white pants for summer, albino animals, weddings, clouds, mountain tops, cleanliness, ghosts, tobogganing, skating, ice... oh the list goes on...

White is the color in Western culture most often associated with beginnings ... innocence...

But white has a dark side. Trust me. A cruel, blinding , colourless, bleached, natural, friends laughing in your face mean streak... with nary a shade or smidgen of colour relief in sight...

Why do I say this, you may ask.

Let me introduce you to what I have been stitching...

well, this is all I can show for now, 

since it's a design I'm doing the model stitch for, 

and it hasn't been released yet... 

but soon :)

Maybe not soon enough.

So another thing white reminds me of is the movie...

The Sound of Music

why?

Oh let me remind you of that song ...

Men in white lab coats bearing straight white jacket,

Solid white floss and still more in the basket,

Snipped off white ends that stay on my eyelashes

Any more white and I'm going to bash it

Knots in the stitching 

I'm blinded by white

These are the reasons 

I'm longing for 

chocolate.

Ok, so the last word doesn't rhyme.

Chocolate - the antidote to all things white... 

especially when stitching white in vast quantities.

the only way to go...

You know the saying, When Life gives you lemons... make lemonade?

Well, I've come up with my own sayings...

When friends give you flowers...

make a beauuutiful bouquet, and since there's no room on the table, just eat out.

When there's just too much food...

the next day, have it for breakfast.. and lunch  ... oh and dinner ..

When struggling with short stubby nails

just get gel'd

When throwing a party and telling friends NOT to bring gifts

Be very thankful that they know what you like... and don't listen

When it snows

Don't fight or struggle with the stuff... the sun will come out eventually, 

even if it's months from now

(and remember we have leftovers.. and gifts!)

When there's a sale after Valentine's day...

do not resist.. it's futile anyways.

When celebrating Pancake day...

it of course must be done creatively with chocolate !

And last but not least...

If you happen to have a hubby ...

Be thankful that he has a sense of humour

and brings you roses.

:)

It was just a matter of time

Well, there are lots of things I can handle in life.

Decorating for a birthday boy.. easy

and fun

with maybe a wee, tiny bit of mischief thrown in

Getting up early

and making heart shaped pancakes

Well, not that I am an early bird, but I did it!

Seeing my sweet son turn 13

well, maybe a bit harder.

Now , seeing my dinner go up in flames

was a bit hard

BUT since it was part of the show, 

and there was a slight distance

... not too hard

ok, yes, it was easy

considering someone else was doing the cooking, lol

Seeing a cake that's NOT chocolate??

ok, it was still delicious.. 

and beside my dear sonshine  picked it out

Seeing someone ELSE receive chocolate??

ok, that was indeed tuff.

I might have to pull out the duct tape to restrain myself while he sleeps...

unless of course he failed to count said balls of delectable goodness

teehee

He did share, so that softened the blow

BUT THIS??

I thought THIS would NEVER come.

(wishful thinking at the highest)

THIS is beyond dreadful.

Even worse than 

running   out   of    chocolate.

Yes. That bad!

And it's official.

The door says it all now.

Loud and clear.

And it's one thing I just cannot handle.

I may need to drown my sorrows...

shhhh... 

birthday boy is sleeeeeping.

Pleasant dreams 

and a pinch to grow an inch

:)

could it be?

Could it be - another finish?

you bet!

Finish #5 !
Mill Hill Teddy Snow Charmer

Could it be another snowman?

You bet!

Could it be that birds may not be my theme for the month?

welll .. maybe overall for the year.. but I think there are a 'few' snowman that need to be

cleared out first

I'm hoping that will clear out the freezing cold temperatures sooner too.

Could it be

 a few friends seemed to think it was birds that was my theme for the month....

I have no idea where they got that idea from ;)

There's always room to add a birdie on the snowmen :)

I do like snowmen, and birds, and...and...

I was thinking today about what might be my absolute perfect 

pattern to stitch.

So here's the start of the list of what it would need to include:

birds

snowmen

bears

chocolate

tennis

music

something Christian

flowers

angels

something outdoorsy

all with a touch of humour

Could it be that's asking for too much?

Out of order

13 days into the year and 4 finishes!

Of course I posted my 2nd finish on Jan 2... so here's my 4th finish.

Isn't he cute?

Mill Hill Birdhouse Charmer

I love the fact that there are birds on this design.

I just love birds.

So without further ado,

finish #1

Mill Hill Treasured Holiday Sampler "Crystal Hearts"

This one was fun to stitch because of the variety of stitches

.. that and all the beads :)

And here's finish #3

Bent Creek (gasp, I know NOT a Mill HIll), "Snow is in the Air"

ehem, with a few changes

snowflakes are stitched with Kreinik, sparkly white cord

I think I need to use more Kreinik this year. It's so easy to substitute

it for an existing colour on a pattern

more snowflakes...button nose, beads on face

beads for border, tassels on scarf and hat...

and "I Love Snow" , with heart button 

You did see the birdie didn't you?

hmmm.. maybe the start of a theme for the year 

and for this month?

I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

:)