fantasies

Monday January 21, 2013

OK, we all have them. Come on now... fess up...

fantasies... dreams....daydreams...hopes... delusions.... ehem... call them what you will.

Young mom's have them.... you know the ones....being able to take a long shower...... or just plain go to the bathroom without a "mommmmmy" call at the door ....someone else changing that diaper for you....or perchance to sleep and not have to wake up every 2 hours to feed that new born bundle of.... oh how I miss those days...

So picture this... a gorgeous mansion by the sea... backing right onto a beach (private of course)... oh let's just go ahead and make it my own personal island, what the heck... complete with butler , personal chef, housekeeper, Fabio the gardener.. chocolate at my beckon call ....oh and don't forget the huge walk-in shower with jets in all directions... uh.. never mind....

Of course the separate craft room where you store all your craft supplies... neatly displayed on shelves and drawers... big work tables, large windows with comfy seats....every single pattern, floss, kit, fabric ever invented at your fingertips....uh, yeah, that's one mighty big craft room...

Have you ever wondered about having a super power? The thought tumbled in my mind as we drove home tonight after watching a movie - "Rise of the Guardians". When I first heard the title, it sounded like medieval fantasy thriller. It's actually a cute, funny movie - staring the original super heroes - Jack Frost, North, Tooth, Bunnymund, Sandman... the cute little elves kind of stole the show... 

Here's one of my favourite stuffies from a time when I still believed... 

That's one well loved bunny.

Back to the movie - of course there's the evil villain - Pitch the Boogeyman. 

I distinctly recall a time where I still believed in these characters. In particular the boogeyman.... once when a dear older sibling (of course while parental units were out for the evening), locked me out of the bedroom, into a dark hallway and in a sinister voice called through the door, those famous words all older siblings know ......."The Boogeyman's gonna get you".... funny how you look up to older siblings... I still wonder why I just didn't turn the hallway light on....

But I digress.... what would it be.... to fly... be invisible... super strong....to be able to transport... see through walls... oh... how about being able to freeze time?

Oh can you imagine? ....all the stitching and crafting time in the world .... speaking of stitching.... can you believe I did NOT finish my project I started last night. I had visions... ok fantasies of having another one done to post here tonight... but alas... lack of sleep catches up to you sooner or later.

Now there's a thought.... to not ever have to sleep! All that stitching time... might even make a dent in my stash... and then I'd have to visit Gitta's! whoo hooo....   

Well, without further ado, I give you my own very special vintage super hero....

Super Banana!

What? You've never heard of him???

A relic from my university days....

 ... but that's another story.

PS - check one of my prior posts for the Blog Party giveaway!

Blog Party!

strength

Sunday January 20, 2013

Caution is advised. The following post is for mature tastes only. There may be a shocking sweet sensation.  

I love Lindt.  (**gasp**... I know I know...it's true...)

They so inspire me. 
(See one of my previous posts that inspired my blog name ;)

Their quotes are just ...so... ummm.... well... uhhh... intriguing... yeah that's it!

Let's just look at their latest conundrum:
"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces."

Really? Now who in their right mind would even consider eating a chocolate bar that can only be broken into 4 pieces? And why would you punish yourself so? Heck I just use my teeth - Save the whales? No - save the hands for the stitching! Multi tasking simplified.

Now wait a sec... there is that 50 pound bar at the Hershey store in Niagara Falls that one possibly could break into 4 pieces...

oh wait a sec... 5lbs

ok, so it was over 1.5 years ago that I set my eyes upon this... 

you know how memories grow over time. 

It's like the 15 feet of snow we had to trudge 100 miles to school in...

Oh, and by the way, strength is in that bear's hands.

 The point is - the real strength lies in not feeling guilty.

Besides. I am a mom. I have survived the test of dirty diapers. Now that's strength. 

Purdy's, not to be outdone, came up with their own have to know witocism today...

Fact #1: An average American or Canadian will consume about 12 pounds of chocolate per year. 

Fact #2: The Swiss are the world’s largest consumers of chocolate, eating about 22 pounds of chocolate per person per year.

I would like to know who the heck keeps track of how much chocolate they eat. Why? What's the point? Where's the proof... ok don't go there... there is no leftover chocolate remember? I say just enjoy the stuff - no need to fill a quota.. or is there? Being one to not measure, nor keep historical idiotic records - I have no idea if I need to catch up statistically... Maybe it's better to be safe than sorry.... where did that bunny go....


The other interesting ponderable I saw was from Hoffman Distributing:

"Is it possible to "Sew Every Day?"

Now there's a thought. At that rate, I might use up my stash in..... 50 years? lol ...Better do some strength training of that needle holding muscle. Sadly it's a vicious cycle...Impossible strength required to resist new stash...Gitta's way to close and New Mill Hill's arriving soon.....sigh..

I would love to stitch every day. Life somehow gets in the way. But, I'm off to a good start this week.. yup, another finish.

why yes - another Mill Hill.

Rootbeer Dragonfly

Did I mention I like Mill Hills?

Did I mention I'm a fast stitcher?- stitched this last night.

I know someone who'll be drooling over this one...hehehe.

Thinking of birthdays.. well, at least I was (It is my birthday month ya know!).... I think I need to revisit that Hershey store to make sure they haven't come out with a bigger bar...I would sacrifice myself to do this research for you. I'll have to gather some strength to resist actually buying it. I'll leave that up to anyone who might like to give me a birthday present. HINT HINT

         ...resistance is futile.... but that's another story...

adventurous stitching

Saturday January 19, 2013

Space. 

The final frontier. 

These are the voyages of the star ship stitch-a-lot. To boldly sit and stitch where probably no one has before. With reason.

I take you back. Hours earlier. Today. 
Target: birthday party. 
Location: Laser Quest. 

Mission: Should you choose to accept this insane task, your goal will be to find a quiet corner, sit and stitch whilst young aliens run around trying to conquer the world.

Now I have stitched in some interesting places before... but I think today took the cake. Yes, I was at Laser Quest. Yes, I was the crazy woman trying to stitch by the window, among a room of loud roaming , nay dare I say screaming two legged whippersnappers, with a few hobbledehoy thrown in. (now there's a word of the day). 

Can you picture this? Really? I mean, who in their right mind would even think of taking along some stitching to such a place. ummm....me? I was wondering about those two men in lab coats at the door.

I did stitch for a bit... but when you wind up recounting for the... 10th time.... and then a basketball from an arcade machine narrowly grazes your eyelashes (oh, did I forget to mention there were all sorts of arcade games for the wee folk to play while they waited for their turn to run rampant in the mazes) ... it's clearly a message that this is not a prime spot for stitching. You needn't pull out the Bugs Bunny mallet. 

The music was loud but bearable. Now I keep humming Aerosmith's ,  Stitchin' On The Edge. (I so feel another poem coming on)

So in case you heard a rumour that this might be a good location to hold a stitch retreat- I checked it out for you. Yeah, that's it - there was reason to my madness! Reasearch. All for the good of the masses.

Clearly I was on a desperate mission. My reputation is at stake. I have stitching to catch upon. Alas I did not get too far in today's project.

But wait! There is good news sayeth this stitcher. My fans you doth need rejoice! (And I don't want to hear  about the comfy chairs in that luxurious hotel you're staying at this weekend!)

I finished something last night.   :)

I may have made a few changes to the original... 

ok lots of changes... 

all the floss colours are different, 

used some DMC rayon & sparkly Jewel Effects, added different stitches, 

and used more of the beads, since there were lots extra.

I was feeling adventurous again.

Will the stitch patrol be after me for not adhering precisely to the pattern?

All is well in Stitchville tonight. The Mill Hills adventures are a calling....

along with some much needed quiet chocolate therapy...

 but that's another story.

PS----> I'm participating in a Blog Party . You can check out the details here: 
2 Bags Full . There's over 400 blogs participating!

So, in honour of this blog party- how about a give away? hmmm.. how about the Winter Lizzy Kate in the photo above? I'll even finish it for you! Only requirement is that you read all my posts since January 1 ... just kidding (at least read Jan 16)... leave me a fun comment :) Winner to be announced February 1!

my reputation

Friday January 18, 2013

I'm worried.

Seriously.

I'm thinking the stitchy patrol will be at my door any day now.

You see, I have a reputation. And it's gone all out the window. My fans have left me... somewhere on a road trip to Ottawa. Or so they say. Perhaps that's just a cover up and they've gone into hiding.

Mind you, I don't blame them for not telling me exactly where they've headed... no advance notice...poof... off they go. It might have something to do with the past.

You see once upon a time, two of my devoted fans went to Florida... on a cross-stitch-detouring-hold-no-needle-back-extravaganza road trip. They made the mistake...err, I mean they told someone that they would stop at a particular cross stitch store... and on exactly what day. hehehehe...

So perchance 'someone'  emailed the joint, and told them that two very knotty Canadians would be visiting. Further to this, the store was made aware that the Canadian Stitch Institute was aware of said Sitchoholics whereabouts and  that they had  exceeded their stash allowance 10 years ago. It was suggested that perhaps the store should not sell to any Canadians, lest they encourage such excessive addictive behaviour.

The visit by these two particular wandering stitchographers resulted in oodles of giggles... or so I am told.
Apparently there was a note found at the store which may have pointed a finger at the culprit ...

Sadly or luckily, the said store let the stashologists get away with yet numerous enhancements to their already overloaded stitchmobile. Did they offer chococlate or promise to bring them a DQ? Me wonders....

Next time they should consider taking along someone who has access to a camper van...

ehem...

Well, not that I have any reputation for being an enabler extraordinaire or anything... 

Say have you ever been to Gitta's ?  You know you really should go. It's like the Camelot of stitchery. Anything you need they have it - or will get it for you.  ... oh!... the New Mill Hill's will be in next week,,droool... oh!...did you know you can order online from them too!

Anyway, I digress... OK, I admit, I may have some stash enhancement persuasive abilities.

I seem to have acquired a reputation of  doing some silly borderline mischievous things. 

Not like I would encourage innocent bears to have some fun...

I also have a reputation of finishing a lot of projects - and quickly. 

Sadly, I am letting my fans down already this month. 

Let's just say I have been resting and am now gearing up for major stitch fest.

Either that or some more shenanigans.

I just found out where my fans are in Ottawa... they've posted the hotel... but that's another story

the day after

Thursday January 17, 2013

I was feeling quite sentimental last night, and decided to wait until today to share a bit more about  James' birthday.

First there were the hot dog... cookies. Made a batch for his class and another batch for his Cub Scout friends tonight. They were fun to make and everyone loved them.

I decorated a bit.

Set up the table for breakfast.

Then, 100 balloons magically appeared while James was at school.

.. my arm is still sore from pumping them.

I set up a trail of chocolate shoes. On each sticky was a positive attribute about James.

Of course there was cake... twice.

(someone might notice that there was a swan on this one)

 I feel like I can finally breathe.

So that's it for another year. I had fun doing all this for James and he had a wonderful day.

Now  I deserve some 'me' time... I think I know what I will do.. but that's another story :)

Freezing time for the last times

Wednesday January 16, 2013

Where does the time go? 

I'm sure all parents wonder this from time to time. Today was my son's 11th birthday. Wow. How did I survive?

Sure we all reminisce and celebrate the past. That first word, the first step, first haircut, first tooth, first solid food, the first day of school. But what about the lasts?

There's no photographs of your last nap (although I clearly recall desperately wanting you to take one so that I could too), the last time you ran and I lifted you up, the last time you came into our bed at 4am, the last time I had to cut your food for you, the last time I wrapped you up tightly in a towel after a bath, the last time I had to dress you, your last tricycle ride, your last blanket fort.... there's only fleeting memories and images in my mind.

If I could only freeze time.

Today seemed to pass just as fast as the past 11 years. My how you've grown. But so have I and you've made my life all the richer for it. 

I am truly blessed.

Happy birthday James!

the night before

Tuesday January 15, 2013

"twas the night before the birthday

and all through the house

the teeth they were gnashing

were they after a mouse?

The cookies not baked

flour all over the floor

when first the recipe I saw

It did not seem like a chore.

But the stitchings all done!

For a present you see

Not assembled it is

But soon it will be.

The thing is so horrid

So scary 'tis true

Such stitching I never

Did ever I brew.

My son will just love it

It will hang from his door

A sleek nasty beast

It won't be a bore.

So what is it this thing

With a bite and so dark

It's the meanest stitch yet

- beware it's a SHARK!

So there you have it - all stitched, as of this afternoon :) I'm going to make it into a door hanger tonight.

The cookie dough is in the fridge, as it needs to set, and shortly I'll be making the world famous hot dog cookies. OK, maybe not world famous, ... well, OK, so I only made them once before... but they LOVED them!  .... more photos to follow on them... that is if they turn out. If there is no further mention of them, you'll  at least know who that mad woman is that's frantically running up and down the cupcake aisle yelling "But they have to be CHOCOLATE!!!"

So last night, I decided I needed to get some sleep (I know shocking), and here's where I left the menacing beast:

I did have fleeting thoughts of leaving the word like that.... somehow 'dang' just doesn't suit a shark. Interesting idea for a project though.

This is the first thing I've ever stitched that was downright 'mean'. I think this calls for tea and chocolate therapy. Although I could savor the emotion for the tennis court tomorrow.

Plans have been finalized for the birthday boy for tomorrow and Saturday. Should be fun. Details will follow. I may need an afternoon nap  tomorrow. Tonight I'll be up late setting up my traditional birthday decor for him... but that's another story...

and the beat goes onnnnn....

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2013

The beat goes onnn, the beat goes onnnn....
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brainnnnn
La de da de deeeee, la de da de daaaaa

Do you remember that Sony & Cher tune?  hehehe, bet you can't get it out of your head now...

Well, I tried something new today ... ZUMBA!  I decided it was high time to try this form of exercise - seeing that I love music of all kinds and dancing. How hard can it be? uh huh....I can't believe I lasted the whole hour. The music was great. The moves were a bit harder to follow. I wound up at points just making my own moves up. Fantastic exercise and I'll definitely be going back!

la da dddaaa dee daaa....the moves like Jaggggerrrr...my toe is still tapping....not that they played that song, but they did play one from one of my all time favourite movies 'Grease'..... oh could you imagine if they combined Zumba with tennis.... I worked up more of a sweat than I do when I'm on the courts... wait, don't tell my coach that...lol..

Preparations have been slowly underway for the birthday boy's day on Wednesday. A number of issues have been settled:
1. No, you do NOT get the day off school just because it's your birthday.
2. No, we will not be going out for breakfast and lunch and dinner.
3. No, we cannot book a room at Stage West just so you can use the pool with the slide.
4. Yes, I will make those hot dog cookies. (Had to have a yes in there).

James asked me recently what I would do if I was president. I said that I'd first have to move to the US and become a citizen. (Not that I was stalling the obvious question). Then he corrected himself and asked what would I do if I was prime minister. That's a tough question. Perhaps he was hoping I'd say give everyone their birthday off. Oh, could you imagine?

So I've been stitching some more. And another finish of course....

Yes, another Mill Hill kit. Pear Tree Partridge. 

As I was stitching, I was mulling over the idea of perhaps stitching all my Mill Hill kits this year. Then I came back down from Mars. Crazy thoughts... but then again, I do like a challenge. It's better than the wacky idea I had once of stitching every single kit I own ....sometime. If only new kits and patterns didn't get in the way.

So, what we're going to do for James' birthday is not quite finalized... but we've narrowed it down somewhat. He did make up a wish list and near the top, along with Lego, chocolate and DS games, was a trip to the cheese boutique...yes, I kid you not. Cheese and chocolate. Yes he's my son.

Now what's on MY list?.... something to do with dancing ....but that's another story :)

you've come a long way

Saturday January 12, 2013

I pulled out a Mill Hill kit today that I've had for ... well...let's just say 

 ......a looong long time ago ...

It's among the first Mill Hill kits I bought.

.... maybe this was the start of my bead addiction,  lol

A bear!  I'm still wondering why it took me so long to do this one!

Yup.. another finish :)

I changed a few things... added a fabric bow and used different beads for the heart and eyes/mouth.

This kit came out in 1991 and the beads they included do NOT look like the photo. There were bright red beads for the heart and bright green for the bow.   I thought a fabric bow would look much cuter.

I've noticed several differences between older and current Mill Hill kits. The pattern is much smaller than they are now. The floss was cut to length too. They are more detailed now.

 ...and much more numerous...  can't wait for the new ones!

Speaking about bows... I had a thing for those one Christmas. I decided to make bows and put them on all sorts of things around the house - lamps, staircases, chairs, Larry the loon figurine...and even on one of my favourite composers

Did you notice the wee Lego Beethoven?

Ah - it just dawned on me why I likely didn't make the bear when I bought it - 1991 was the year I got married :)

Did I tell you I have a new addiction in the chocolaty world...Lindt Sea Salt, Dark...mmmmm....

my birthday month present to myself :). I stitched some more on James' present today too... but I'll update that when it's done.. not to leave you in suspense or anything.... besides nobody has guessed what it is yet.

AHA! I know how I'm going to finish off the bear.... but that's another story  :)

workin' up a sweat...

Friday January 11, 2013

Temperatures will be skyrocketing this weekend to 12C.... 14C...

With such balmy weather it's only appropriate to break out the Frrrrrozen Hot Chocolate!

This was absolutely yummy! It was more like eating ice cream...mmmmm.

Speaking of  warmer things... my first sort of finish for the year!

Mill Hill kit of a spring birdie :)

I say sort of finished, since it's not been cut out, no backing and the fuzzy stuff hasn't been sewn on. 

But it is all stitched!

 I was wondering just how long one of these kits take me... I've never really timed myself, and not that I did an exact timing, but it was all stitched in under 3 hours.. with interruptions. So, I guess it goes in my "to be assembled box" now.

We've also been trying to figure out something fun to do for James' birthday. Lots of ideas, but no final plans.
I guess I better get back to work on his present.

Speaking of birthdays, James was counting the money in his wallet today and then declared that he had enough money to go buy me a cross stitch kit! Now how sweet is that :) I guess I trained him well. Mind you he also asked me last week if there was a Lego kit I might like for my brithday , lol. Now training in the Lego cleaning up department is still a work in progress ... but that's another story...

Put on a smiley face :)

Thursday January 10, 2013

It was a smiley day...

The first encounter was smile stickers in a doctor's office - there was even one the ceiling..... :) And I was told I had to look at them  :)

Then,...oh torture....  I had to sit and stitch in a car as I waited for someone.... :)

speaking of stitching... can you guess what this is? :)

You are absolutely right!  :)

How did you know I started stitching something for my son's birthday today?

You CAN tell what it is now can't you?

:) heeheehee :)

This is about an hour of stitching... I need to have it done before the 16th.

Rumour has it that might be possible. :)

More smiles when I found out today of NEW released Mill Hill kits 

on the way to the best stitchery store in the universe :).... 

Some of my stitchy friends think that I'll be camped outside Gitta's door ...

or possibly stalking the stitchy delivery van...

...apparently they think this is not normal behaviour

seesh...

On a somewhat happy but sad note... my last cookie.

It wasn't smiling for long.

This was the last one of a tin of special cookies my mom made me for Christmas. Every year 'some' people get a tin of these scrumptious cookies...they melt in your mouth. Total bliss. Totally healthy... uh.. yeah...

Alas the classic recipe calls for ground almonds... but this year she surprised me and made me a batch with pine nuts - which I can eat. This is one of the most thoughtful presents I've received and will always treasure this memory :)

Tonight I'll go to bed smiling... since tomorrow I don't have to get up too early. :)

... oh, and of course there was chocolate today... but that's another story :)

Go Bigger

Wednesday January 9, 2013

It's a big world I tell ya....

Big things still seem to be filling my week.

So have any of you seen the GIANT cross stitch installation by Laura Carwardine??? 

Holy Guacamole! (and I can't believe I spelled that word correctly, lol)

You can see more about it including a time-lapse video about making it :
http://cargocollective.com/lauracarwardine/CROSS-STITCH-INSTALLATION

Just how big? ....21 separate 4'x8' panels... 17,000 stitches... 485 hours!!

Now my son was at Gitta's , and asked if there was a kit he could give me that would take me more than a few days to complete.... the kind sales lady there told him "I don't think that exists". Gosh I love Gitta's. Their staff is just the best! :) 

Well, I think this project might qualify. I think  Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling in cross-stitch might also. I've been ooogling the Chatelaine Mandala series and thinking I must do a really big project this year.   ohhh , The polar beauty,,Autumn Knot garden,,,butterflies,,,oh drool Alpine seasons...oh my - hummingbirds...oh and a Vienna Mandala... oh dear..this is all Kathy's fault and her darn Desert one! .. now if they come out with a Chocolate Mandala, I'm done for....

Ok, so back to that giant installation - be still my beating heart - it's located in TORONTO - Patria Restaurant , a Spanish tapas restaurant  - whoo hooo! I know where I want to go on my birthday. Wonder just how many visitors they get saying  "Oh, can I just look at your wall?". Wonder if there's a waiting list for the tables closest to the wall.

So other BIG things I've come across this week... of all places in my son's OWL magazine 
 - a Colossal Ice cream Cone - 13 feet tall!

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/07/worlds-largest-ice-cream-cone/

So just how many people did that feed? Apparently the sprinkles didn't stick. can you imagine if that had been chocolate ice cream... there might have been massive mob hysteria.

There's also the giant snow patterns Simon Beck makes in snow with his snowshoes - they are so pretty! You can find him on Facebook under Simon Beck's Snow Art...he takes crop circles to a whole new level. All in just about 10 hours.

That is just so pretty! I just love snowflakes and geometric patterns.

Oh there's so much more... like the enormous train layout in Hamburg .... 
Even if you're not a model enthusiast, you will love this :
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/   
Amazing video - would love to take James to see this!

hmmm... I think I need to scale things down and stitch something for myself. I seem to have lots of energy now. You see I had a nap today... errr.. a rather BIG nap ... but that's another story.

Is Bigger really Better?

Tuesday January 8, 2013

Ok ladies - mind out of the gutter! LOL

I think this theme is permeating the week.

The thought first came to mind when I found the perfect birthday present for someone I might happen to know. ... except now I must patiently wait until.... yeah, like I'm going to tell you when ...HA!
Let's just say that it a rather unique LARGE item, heehee

When we first got married, we had a 2 foot tall Christmas tree. After James was born we moved and bought a 3.5 foot tall tree. I was looking at it this year and thinking...hmmmm... maybe a bigger one would be nice and I could hang all the ornaments on it. When he was a toddler, someone gave us these lovely wooden ornaments, and we hung no breakables on the tree. I had the brilliant idea (I know I am sooo modest), to hang a greenery with lights above the windows, and from there hang all the fragile ornaments. I've continued this tradition - into three now - one holds all my angel ornaments and the other the bear ornaments... well ok.., MOST of my bear ornaments, and the third one hangs around James' window with his own collection of ornaments.

So now that my son is past the stage of exploring gravity, I thought - maybe next year we can get a bigger tree.... mind you, then again I think I'd rather spend the money on... oh say  stitchy goodies... or chocolate.. and that road trip to the chocolaty capital :)

Speaking of chocolate... and who doesn't... I discovered that those wee gold bunnies taste just as good as the BIG ones... in case you were wondering... and in this case, small is easier to hide :)

I played tennis tonight... and had an exceptional game. Got to play singles, which I don't get the chance that often any more. I've played for over 34 yrs and I just LOVE winning - especially against men. .. and I won tonight 6-2....hehehe, snicker snicker. Somehow playing against a guy just makes me try harder. An ace always makes it sweeter.   I'm not that tall or big... so in my case, bigger isn't always better.

Oh - on the big news side... I now have 8 followers!!! I think that's amazing and humbling. That's practically a follower a day! Can you just imagine at this rate  - after a year? Or are they just conspiring to find my chocolates or hoping I'll do a give-away???

Now on to stitching. I did a few more stitches.. but still no finish! My stitchy pals are going into shock and will think I've been replaced by an alien. So here's an updated photo:

I really love how this is looking on 25ct, over 1. 

Yep that's small!

Now here's a photo of our Christmas tree when it was still up.

And my my my.. who is that GIANT parrot?

 Well, it's all in how you look at things - the tree is not a miniature, and Quaker parrots are not really THAT big... this is Kiwi...and he talks tons....but that's another story.

it's a Conspiracy...

Monday January 7, 2013

I think today was bound to be one of those days.

The morning started out calmly enough - being able to share in the joys of a child going back to school after a holiday. My son has already declared that he is taking is birthday off. He's been working on a birthday list.
Wouldn't it be great if that was homework.. oh that's a whole other topic.

And then what goes up must come down - I started taking all the Christmas decorations down. I'm still working on that one. There always seems to be that one small item that you miss - and discover on the first day of spring.

I do hate to take down my stitched ornaments though... so they are still hanging, along with the hand painted plaster ones...

 I just LOVE Mill Hill kits :) 

I stitched all 6 in the snowflake series - but on fabric. 

The one above I made for my son this past Christmas.

So I guess you're all wondering - did I get any chocolate in MY stocking? Well after there being a conspiracy to usually not fill my stocking , or very rarely getting a treat in it - I decided to take matters into my own hands... let's just say I was inspired by something I found in my closet I had buried and most distractedly forgotten about... heehee... stored in a cool dry place, chocolate can last quite well :)

I'm thinking James needs a carrot in his lunch tomorrow....

Speaking of conspiracy - did you know...there is a company called "The Chocolate Conspiracy"....but the real conspiracy behind this, all their products seem to be located in the US! I guess it'll be a while until I discover what they call "pure , raw chocolate joy"... my keyboard has drool over it just perusing their web site.... apparently a chocolate alchemist there consumes 40-50 pounds of chocolate a year.. and offers free health consultations... hmmmm... 

And why didn't anyone tell me that there was a class action that applied to anyone in Canada who bought chocolate made by Nestle, Hershey and Mars... conspiracy I tell ya...they're after my stash... 

And I would REALLY like to know WHY there are no chocolaty health products? hmmm? 

Sure they claim that :

"Chocolate can give you whiter teeth"

...so why is there no chocolate tooth paste hmm??

 and that you can 

"Ease a Cough With Chocolate"

... but do you see a bottle of chocolaty syrup in the medicine aisle???

Wouldn't the world just be a happier place if we did though? ..can you imagine the kids - they wouldn't leave their toothbrush alone... but would there be anyone at work then?.. that would of course be another conspiracy.

...oh and you would think that's all there is to chocolate conspiracies ......

                  ...... oh nooooo.. 

..there is the claim that  Canada's Chocolate Town,  is  in St. Stephen, New Brunswick!   AND it will be hosting the 29th annual Chocolate Fest from Saturday, August 3rd, until Saturday, August 10th, 2013.

Of course the best part is the Hand Dipping contest. I kid you not..... does this mean people running around with missing digits?

Good thing there's no conspiracy about stitching... I think... mind you I thought I had some 'friends' out east...hmmmm...

I 'm conspiring to go on a road trip... but that's another story...

Chocolate Heaven

Sunday January 6, 2013

mmmmmm... now what would you do with these...

and this...

silly question....

and there you have it...

First time I ever tried dipping things in chocolate, 

at least that I will tell you about.

They were delicious!

I used some Chippits and most of a bar of milk chocolate 

(do you really  think that I'd have a full one around?)

 - simple, easy and yummy.

The amazing thing about these - young son who hates most fruit, unless in a shake, LOVED these.

He wanted to get a strawberry shortcake for New years - until I reminded him it had chunks of strawberries... we settled on the triple chocolate mousse cake.

Here's what that looked like.. but not for long, heehee...

ahhh - but wait there's more!

now.. what do you do with the rest?

Chocolate milk of course!

Chocolate leftovers do not exist Mr. Lindt!

Now most kids would bring their mommy flowers, pebbles, perhaps some chocolate

(that is especially true when he's done something...)

So what does my darling son bring me from the neighbour's garden.. in the middle of winter?

carrots - white ones too.

He hates carrots.

No - that is not chocolate on them.

Now there's an idea.... 

what if I dipped everything in chocolate ....hmmmm

We sent some chocolate strawberries over as a thank you.

I better go check on what young son is up to... 

I just realized my watch is at 1:50... 

it's really about 9pm... 

You see, my watch is at Kiwi time...

but that's another story...