Emerald (1991-2008): Tuesday's Show & Tail!

I got Emerald when she was around a year old from some good friends in San Diego. Actually, it was my then-husband Pete who adopted her for us and I eventually kept her when we divorced. We had five cats at the time so I kept 3 and he kept 2. Anyway, Emmykins (as I called her) was my travel buddy. I moved around several times after the divorce and she always sat right there next to me in the vehicle. She traveled to Las Vegas, Flagstaff (AZ), DeWitt (MI) and finally Zephyrhills (FL). In 2008, my Emmykins became very ill and her kidneys began to shut down so I decided the best and humane thing was to let her go to the Rainbow Bridge. It was a very hard decision since she was 17 years old and had been my constant companion for almost her entire life. I decided to create a small scrapbook in her honor shortly after her death (click on the picture to be taken to a slideshow): 



I do have to explain some of the pics: I pulled the drawer open and found her there asleep; the one where I am holding her, I was around 2 1/2 months pregnant (1995); the one where she is eating something off the table, that is a piece of pancake; next to it is her sitting on the balcony at our Las Vegas apartment; and of course the little girl petting her is Ariel around age 4.

Emerald was by far one of my favorite pets and I still miss her from time to time.

Tuesday's Show and Tail!

After much thought, I decided to join this fun endeavor! Maybe it will prompt me to spend more time on my photography, especially now that I am wrapping up my MA Thesis. Maybe it will entice more people to follow this blog and offer feedback on my photographic skills. Maybe it will just be fun! So, here's my first ever entry for Tuesday's Show & Tail:

SANDY

She likes to stretch out when she sleeps

Or strike a pose if she dares

She's always crawling into things, and under as well

She can sleep so sound and peaceful

Her best buddy is a DOG! Joey is my neighbor's...

And of course, she is a Spartan!!!

I adopted Sandy from my vet about a month after I lost one of the funnest kitties I have ever owned (I will post more about that one next time). What's funny about Sandy is that her name was originally "Mickey James". When my dad saw her for the first time he said "Sandy" and it stuck! She's been a joy and a pain, but I love her just the same...

Cats, Cats, Cats

Sibling to the flower sniffer (below)

Grandma calls these two Holly and Molly.

Muffin and one of her babies

 I think this little one has the right idea: take time to stop and smell the flowers!

Max(ine), I love your eyes!!!

A New Start, A Sandy, and a Frog

First off: WELCOME to my newest followers!!! I appreciate you all hopping by every now and then to visit me in my little world.
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We’ll start with the cat! Sandy can be such a handful at times. Then there are those times where she is just too cute for her own good. When I got home from work Monday afternoon, I walked in and found this:

Yeah, that’s my Sandy laying on her back trying to stay cool! My dad said she stayed like that most of the afternoon. Well, I’d say so since it is just about right under the ceiling fan and a nice breeze from the a/c blowing her way. 


As for the new start – it’s that baby sampler I have been mentioning. My nephew’s son is due on or around Aug 22nd. I say on or around because even though she is scheduled for a section, the baby may come early anyway. I am getting rather excited to meet the newest member of the family! Anyway, the sampler is one that I dreamed up! 

No, really!! 

I thought it would be neat to have an alphabet block border around the “what little boys are made of” saying. Since there are several variations of that saying I chose the one with frogs and snails and puppy dog tails. LOL! So, here’s what I started last night:

As I stitch, I may make some color changes as I feel the red and purple are just a tad too dark (any suggestions?!). For now I am using DMC: 209, 350, 722, 744, 966, and 3755 for the alphabet blocks, and it is stitched on 16ct White Aida. I am using 3 strands for the blocks and 1 for the backstitch. For the animals I will use 2 strands in varying colors of DMC. As for the saying, I plan to use one of my Silk’N colors since I have so much left over from the Cricket Collection piece I did earlier in the year. I’m thinking Aqua Clouds will work best! I will have the pattern completed after I am finished stitching so all of the correct colors will be on the listing.

To finish things off, I had a little stow-away this morning on the delivery truck. I had to stop and fill up on diesel and when I opened the door to the tank this is what I saw:

Now look at the lower left corner of the photo and then the upper right of the tank area. Yup, that’s where this little creature was hiding! He/she hopped on out and onto the side where you see it in the pic. When I finished fueling, I helped it off the truck so it wouldn’t have to hang on for dear life as I drove back to the shop. I do love these little things, but will never EVER have one as a pet. 

Be sure to visit my photo-blog to see other pictures I have taken recently!!!

Gizmo

Gizmo was one of two cats I rescued (for lack of  a better term) back in 1993. He was a cute fella and I really loved being around him. At the time, my then husband and I had 3 cats and really no room for more (small 2 bedroom apartment in San Diego). While I was in the Navy and stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, I heard a bunch of mewing coming from somewhere in the hangar near the hangar bay doors. Well, it just happened that a mama kitty left her brood inside the half-wall where the doors opened into. Several of us wound up with one kitten each after rescuing them from that nightmare. So, Gizmo came home to be with me and Pete and Lucy, Emerald and Mignon.

Me and Giz in 1995

It wasn't long after that when we received Buster (aka Miss Buster T Kitty or "the combustion chamber"). She was found in some wooded area in North County while some co-workers were camping. They said "Hey, Brit will take it in!" and the rest is history!

Me holding Buster (L) and Gizmo (R) in 1993

Buster passed away in 2002 having lived 9 long and stink-filled years (hence "combustion chamber". Gizmo, I have no idea what happened to him. After Pete and I split he took Giz and Lucy. I got Emerald, Buster and Mignon. I think he gave them away when he left California in 1997.

*All pictures are scanned from photos in my albums. They were taken on a point-and-shoot 35mm, probably a Canon.

And now she’s 1!

Yup, my Sandy is 1 year old now. She has been a joy and sometimes a pain, but hey what cat isn’t? I adopted Sandy from a local vet last summer, about a month after the loss of our beloved Mrs. Beasley. I want to take a moment to share a slideshow of our first year together:

In stitchy news…

I have been sick all week. It started last Friday evening while eating Jordan Almonds. I managed to chip a tooth (#14 for those who know their teeth names!). On Monday, the 19th, I went to the dentist to see about getting it fixed. What I hoped would be just a filling turned into a crown replacement. I am wearing a temp right now and get the permanent crown on May 5th. Can’t wait!!! I am so afraid that the temp will fall off and that I will swallow it. Plus, it’s inconvenient when I eat as I have to chew on the “wrong side”. LOL ! Guess this means I am getting old.

Well, as the novocaine wore off, my throat became sore. I thought it was par for the course, but NOOOO! I have to go and get sick. So, I didn’t accomplish much on the stitchy front, and even less on my thesis. I did manage to get a few pages written this morning to make up for the bad week. What I did accomplish on the stitching is shown below:

 Progress photo on Comin' Home for the Holidays

 

Start on Ink Circles' Cirques des Carreaux

28ct Lakeside Linen Tarnished Silver

2x2 Carrie's Creations Epiphany

I have decided to stick with the Lakeside on Cirques. After cleaning out my stitching stash, well organizing it a bit more, and finishing a couple of pieces I am now able to better utilize my q-Snaps and the Lakeside stays more taut now. Woo Hoo!! Also, I am in love with Carrie's Creations Epiphany! The colors are just gorgeous (as you can see in the close-up). Now, can I get this done in time for Christmas this year?!?! We'll see! It's going to be framed for my mom to go on her "French" wall in the living room. For some reason, she is really into all-things French. I don't know if it is her dad's heritage seeping through or being around my best friend (who is from Nantes and should be back in the US soon).

And one month later…



Here are some pics of what my orange blossoms look like:

They are starting to form into little fruits! Maybe my dad will catch them early enough to try one and if they are good to eat, then we may have some fresh fruit in a few weeks/months, LOL! A friend of mine in PA already called “dibs” on some, so we’ll see.

A Start and Finish and a Question

(Warning: Picture Heavy)

I will start with an update. I have (almost) completed part 5 of the HalloSAL, although I am counting it as complete. I just need to fill in the eyes on the pumpkins and for that I need to buy some petite seed beads. I tried without success to do the french knots. I just don't have the patience for them. Here is an updated picture:


Yesterday morning I awoke thinking that I would spend the day working on the Butterfly and Shamrock Wreath. Well, my wee little mind started spinning and I remembered another design that I picked up last year at The Black Sheep Shop in Orlando by DebBee's Designs. It's her Holiday Highlights St. Patrick's Day. So, around 10am I began stitching the design. I worked on it on and off all day and by 9pm here is where I was at:

There was a new stitch in this design for me: the herringbone stitch. I think I am fairly comfortable with that one now, lol!

This afternoon, I picked it up and finished it. I even finish-finished it! Woo Hoo!! That frame I recently purchased fit it perfectly. Here are some pics of the final product:

Holiday Highlights St. Patrick's Day by DebBee's Designs
28ct Hand-dyed Jobelan Watercress
Crescent Colours: Bejeweled and Shamrock
Kreinik: #4 Braid 085 Peacock
Mill Hill Seed Beads in Emerald (oo332)
By Jupiter! Antique Gold Open Shamrock Charm

I have also been learning how to make biscornu's and scissors fobs. While I have only completed the one mini biscornu that was sent off with one of the giveaways, I do have several fobs completed. I even made one yesterday in the theme of St. Patrick's Day (the scissors attached to it are new). Here are some pics:

This one is blue glass beads with a charm at the end "Joy", sent to another blogger.

(L-R): St. Patrick's Day, Blue with Palm charm, Shell with Palm Charm

My cat was being a bit lazy today and I caught a couple of pics of her just chillin':



It's hard to believe she will be one year old on April 24th!

And now for the question (for the designers out there). What is the best way to design a chart? I have an idea in my head and asked my dad to draw a picture for me. Now I need to transfer that picture to a chart. I have PCStitch Pro, but it is not working the way I want it to. I bought graph paper, but the squares seem just too big. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

A Cat's Eye View

Christmas Design SAL update

Well, I finally put the last stitch in part 3 of my design for Yoyo’s SAL! Here is a picture of it:

As you can see, I am 1/3rd of the way finished! I think I will take it across the bottom and then work up making the last section the very center.

There will be no card inserts this month as I just do not have the time…

As I sit here and enjoy a bowl of strawberries over pound cake (I can’t call it strawberry shortcake as the strawberries aren’t mushy enough and I don’t have any whip cream), I am trying to decide if I want to work on HalloSAL tonight or not. I am a bit tired after working in the flower shop today. We’ll see how it goes!

You may notice some of my posts being very different in appearance than others. I am trying to decide if I like Windows Live Writer or not. I saw that someone else was using it and thought I would give it a try. So far I am undecided. One thing that is on the Pro side is that you can use more fonts than what blogger allows. Stay tuned…

I hope you all are having wonderful evenings with your families!

 I will leave you with a picture of Sandy. I caught her “begging” the other day. It was too cute!

Sandy Begs?

Section One Finished!!!

Well, I finally finished the first of nine sections on the Christmas Design SAL with Yoyo. Here is a picture of it so far:


As you can see, I have little red "tick marks" (actually a piece of floss) to mark the center of the design and to section off the first couple of areas I will be working. A couple of markers are missing as my kitten amused herself one day and pulled them out. Oh well, such is life! LOL!!! I wasn't sure until tonight if I was gonna go across then the middle and across etc or just continue down the right side and then the mid and then the left...well, I am gonna continue down. My needle is marking the area I will begin working on next.

Speaking of kittens, here are a couple of January 1, 2010 pictures of my Sandy:



She just loves her cyclops from the movie Monsters, Inc (I believe). My dad won it for me in the local Wal-Mart crane machine and I gave it to her. She's just like a dog with her dolls (she also has one of the bears from the movie Country Bears and a green Care Bear).

Cats: Sandy

Cats: Max

Old Finishes, New Beginnings

Well, I managed to turn in a rough draft of one chapter of my thesis, so I have turned my attention to Christmas. Over the next few weeks I will be working on another chapter as well as a SAL for Christmas 2010. I began stitching this piece on the evening of Dec 5th. Here are a couple of pics of what I have done so far:



The top picture is what I completed on the first night. The bottom is what I did last night. So far I am pleased with how it is turning out!

I also managed to get a couple more pillows made from old designs that I finished stitching a while back. The first on is the Polska Sampler. I used a bright (Christmasy) red as the backing fabric. The second one is Forever Wild, which I used a blue backing fabric. Here is a pic:



These, along with Astral Lions, was sent off to MI this morning to be distributed for Christmas.

I almost forgot! I have completed the 2nd part of the HalloSAL Sampler. Here is a pic: