Meet Lapland Santa

Here he is - the third and final Arctic Circle Santa- this happy gent is from Lapland and is accompanied by his reindeer friend. He measures 3.75" w by 4.75" h. This kit series came out in 2009. In case you might want to order them or look for them at your LNS (local needlework shop), Greenland Santa is #MH20-9301, Lapland Santa is #MH20-9302 and Nunavut Santa is #MH20-9303. I love these little kits and there are always ample supplies - almost enough left to do a second one. All floss numbers and bead numbers are supplied so you could easily buy more to make additional pieces.
I'm now working on another little Mill Hill stitched and beaded piece- I'll show it to you next Monday. Here's a tiny peek at left- she's a cutie!!
My next post will be #300!! In celebration, I'm having a Giveaway- have you entered yet? The draw will be held on Thursday Nov. 25 at 9pm local time (Atlantic Standard Time). Don't wait till the last minute. Click here to see the details. Good Luck!
A fellow blogger, Marie over at SRE Deluxe, is also having a Giveaway for her 300th post. Check her out here and enter her draw too - it runs till Dec. 1st.

Peace,
Linda

Christmas is a time of joy,
A time for love and cheer,
A time for making memories,
To last throughout the year.

Post #298.. getting close!

Only two more posts till I hit the 300 mark. Check out my Giveaway here if you don't already know about it. The more entries, the more fun it is. And a Big Welcome to all my new Followers! I hope you will enjoy following my ramblings! How do you like my new Visitors Widget? That spinning globe shows us where viewers are located...what fun to see those little dots pop up all over the world! I can hardly believe in just one week there are that many international viewers! Wow! I guess there are people out there listening !! :)
I've had another busy weekend. Yesterday our Guild held a workday- members could spend the day sewing on whatever projects they wanted; I worked on several things- neither of which I can show yet (shhh- it's a secret). One is finished and ready to mail off to Laura, (I'll share pics once it is received), the other is still a WIP. You can go here to see a few pics from our workday. I'm also still stitching every evening when I finally sit down to relax. Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see the third and final Arctic Santa. Once he is revealed, I'll show you a hint of what my next stitching project is...
This afternoon, when I had planned to be in my studio, I ended up taking a little trip upriver to Northampton to an Open House at The Jolly Farmer with my brother Leigh and SIL. Having never been before, I really didn't know what to expect- I thought it was just a large greenhouse or two. Wow- was I surprised! It is one huge operation with much more than just greenhouses. They also sell fresh produce (in season), meat, honey, frozen goodies like meat and fruit pies, quiche and frozen cookie dough logs, granola, cookies and fudge. They offer agricultural and turf products like soils, growing mixes and compost tea, hardwood products like cutting boards and knife blocks... suffice it to say I was amazed! Of course the greenhouses (which cover acres!!) are full of poinsettias and cyclamen this time of year. I could not resist snapping a few photos to share with you. It was just so wonderful to look at fresh blooms after all the dreary November weather we have had... Enjoy!! If you live in my area and have never been, it is well worth the 1 hour drive. Their next Open House is in May- and you KNOW I'll be there!!
See you tomorrow- Lapland Santa is waiting to meet you!

Peace
Linda

Happiness is a journey, not a destination

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Today is my brother Wayne's birthday! I won't tell you how many "years young" he is, suffice it to say he's older than I (by "about" 10 years.. haha). I made him a batch of Nut Brittle this afternoon. Like me, he loves nuts so I thought he'd enjoy that. I thought I'd give you a little update on Wayne since many of you were so kind this past spring/summer to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. For those of you who don't know, he had a serious foot injury in May, when he crushed all the bones in his left foot. He was doing a move for the family business, picking up a Mobile Office Unit from LNG Port in Saint John. While he was lowering the trailer onto the hitch, something slipped and the weight of it all came down on his left foot. Luckily there was a "flat shoe" on the bottom of the hitch post or it would have gone right through his foot like a cookie cutter! Needless to say he was pinned there with his foot driven right into the ground (steel toed safety boots didn't help much), and if someone on the site had not been within shouting distance he would have bled to death right on the spot. To make a long story short: surgery, 10 pins in foot, wires replacing many ligaments and partial amputation of big toe; months of pain, extreme swelling, infection, meds reaction, many trips back to see surgeon in Saint John.... Happily, we're now "coming out the other side" of this whole thing. Pins are all out, cast is gone, walker is gone and he is "sort of" walking - with cane, crutches or sometimes nothing at all for support. However he cannot yet put full weight onto that foot - he is walking very cautiously. At his last visit with the Doc, he was told the bones are slowly healing but they are very thin. I guess with no walking or weight bearing for months, they have lost mass? So it will take a while to build that back up again. Methinks it will be a quiet winter for Mr. Wayne, with little to no snowmobiling, I'm thinkin'. And I suspect Mr. Arthritis will be moving in... He still has no feeling at all on the top of his foot (but does have feeling on the sole). His toes are rigid and he finds it hard to put on a boot. But he has made significant progress, for sure! We are so very grateful for his recovery and I do thank all of you who said prayers for him back in May and June - we sure appreciated it. It was nice to celebrate another birthday today. Happy Birthday Bro! Love ya!

Thought you might like my easy peasy recipe for Peanut Brittle (done in the microwave):

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup salted peanuts (I often used salted mixed nuts)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

In a 2 qt. glass measure, combine sugar and corn syrup, stir. Cook at high 4 minutes. Stir, add nuts, stir well. Cook at high an additional 3.5 minutes. add butter and vanilla, stir well. Cook at high 1.5 minutes. Add baking soda, stir gently until light and foamy. Immediately pour mixture onto buttered cookie sheet. Spread out as thinly as you can. Let cool, then break into pieces. Yield- about 1.5 pounds. Caution - mixture gets extremely HOT, be very careful not to burn yourself, and do not make this when young children are around... and DON'T lick the spoon!!! :)
Thanks to Joyce H. for this recipe (from our Guild Cookbook)

Don't forget to check out my Giveaway here. It is open till next Thursday Nov. 25

Peace
Linda

He ain't heavy, he's my brother...my BIG brother...

Time for a Giveaway!

The more I "blog-surf" the more giveaways I see, so I think it's high time I did a giveaway. My "excuse" is I'll very shortly be making my 300th post! I think this is as good a reason as any, don't you? (*wink) I don't know where the time has gone, and I certainly can't believe that in less than 2 years in Blogland, I am at this point. And to think I was worried about "what will I ever talk about?" ha!
I must say though, in all this time, I haven't gathered many followers.. of course I haven't really worked hard at that either.... Nor do I get many comments; it seems to be the same few who comment all the time.. I like to hear from you, readers - no one wants to think they are talking to themselves..haha!
SO- here's how the giveaway is going to work: 1. You don't have to be a blogger to enter- it is open to all readers. But if you are not a blogger, you will have to include your email address with your comment so I can reach you if you are a lucky winner!
2. You must leave a comment on this post to say Hello. I will choose a winner next Thursday, Nov. 25 - one month before Christmas, by pulling a name "from the hat". And - if you're not a Blogger, I'd love you to tell me where you live!
3. If you are already a Follower of my Blog, or if you join as a new Follower, I will add your name two extra times.
4. If you have a blog and mention my giveaway there (you could even link to my post!) I'll add your name two more times. Of course, you'll have to tell me that you have done this...
And what might you win, you ask? You could win one of the stitched beaded Santa ornaments shown on this post - Saint Nick (top), San Nicolo (left) or Santa Claus (below) - your choice. If I get more than 100 comments, or I reach 50
followers, I'll draw two winners. If I get both - over 100 comments AND 50 followers, I'll draw three winners! I will add a little something else to the winnings as well, depending on if you are a quilter, crazy quilter, a stitcher or whatever your passion is....
So, dear readers - I'm waiting!! I want to hear from YOU!

Edit: Mon. Nov.22 - I just realized that some viewers may not know how to comment, or become a Follower. Anyone can leave a comment - all you do is click on the word "Comments" below- a white box will open up - type your comment in the box, then below it click on "Comment as". If you do not have a Blog or Google account, select Anonymous in the drop down menu. (just remember to add your name and email addy in your comment so I'll know who you are in case you are the lucky winner!!) Then simply hit the "Post Comment" button. Simple as that!
To become a Follower, you must have a Google account. Scroll way down my sidebar to find the box of Followers, then simply click on the word Follow and follow the prompts.

Peace,
Linda

Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.

Introducing Nunavut Santa

As promised, I have a small "finish" to share with you today. Last year, right after Christmas, I started a new series of Christmas ornaments, cross-stitched on perforated paper. In January I completed the first Arctic Circle Santa, known as Greenland Santa, seen here at right. You can read what I wrote about him last year here. Greenland Santa is 4.75" by 3.25". These are sold in kit form, by Mill Hill; the kit contains everything needed for completion- pattern, perforated paper, threads, needles and beads. I have done many MH kits and have never had an issue; they are always generous with the materials, giving you more than enough floss and beads. Their pattern charts are always well done and easy to read.
Today I have the second in the series of three to show you - Nunavut Santa. I love his friend the polar bear! And his parka reminds me of my Hudson Bay parka - it is sooo warm on a bone chilling winter's day... Nunavut Santa is 4.75"h by 3.75"w. I have enjoyed working on these Santas- they've gotten me out of my November funk, and beginning to feel that Christmas spirit. Come back next Monday to meet Lapland Santa.

Peace
Linda

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say "I used everything You gave me." ~ Erma Bombeck

What a Weekend...

What a busy busy weekend. It was great to have Mark and Laura home for a few days. They were busy working on papers that are due later this month as well as spending some time with friends and family. Laura and I went to our local farmer's market on Saturday morning- one of our favourite weekend "things to do", and of course she got in some Mall time too... I spent considerable time in the kitchen so could send them back with frozen lasagna, chili, spaghetti sauce, banana bread, muffins, and fresh apples, Clementines, carrots, broccoli, and some other groceries. We lined a pair of mitts Laura finished knitting while home with fleece, so they'll be extra warm, and I got a pair of jeans mended for Mark. I was going to get a new pair of flannel pajama pants made for Laura, but that didn't happen. Maybe this coming week... Ollie is exhausted from all the extra playtime and attention he received!
I did sit down late last night and finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It was a quick and easy read, and a heartwarming story of father and son relationships, as well as young love. I didn't know much about the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, nor about the frosty relations between Chinese and Japanese at this time. Guess I didn't stop to think of the fear and prejudice there would be towards the Japanese after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Anyway, a great read, and a slightly different "slant" on life during the early 40's.
I should finish the last outline stitching and beading on my Arctic Santas tonight so may have one ready to show you tomorrow... Y'all come back !!
I will soon be hitting the 300th post mark, and since I've never done a Giveaway, I think it's time!! So stay tuned ... you will have to comment to be entered in the draw, and Followers will get their name in the hat an extra time. Stay tuned for more details soon...

Piece,
Linda

"A child enters your home and for the next twenty years makes so much noise that you can hardly stand it. The child departs, leaving the house so silent you think you are going mad." ~John Andrew Holmes

November blahs...

I've said it before, I hate November. It always seems to be a dreary month, the beautiful colored leaves are gone, and what remains is brown, grey, monochromatic November... "All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey..." I remember well that song by The Mamas and The Papas... California Dreamin' ... it was their first big hit.... I always seem to get into a bit of a funk in early November and this year is no exception. I guess I just hate the coming of winter and cold weather; I wish we could skip from October right into May... But that's not going to happen, is it? Not in this part of the world anyway....
I have my two kiddos home this weekend, so that's a little sunshine in my life. I've spent lots of time in the kitchen the last few days. Made a big pan of lasagna and a pan of brownies to "welcome" them home, yesterday a big batch of Chili to freeze for Laura, and today a big batch of Spaghetti sauce for Mark. I'll do a few Banana Breads tomorrow and maybe something else, so they'll have some homemade goodies to take back, to keep them going the next four weeks and through exams, until they are home for Christmas Break...
I'm working away on the beading on two cross-stitched Arctic Santas- will be showing you one next week for sure. Beading is slow work, especially when Ollie is around, constantly wanting to be on my knee.. he has upset more than one tray of tiny beads.... It's a good thing you're cute Ollie...
I started a new book this evening. I haven't done any reading for a while and I had reserved this book at the Library. They called on Wednesday to say it was in, and of course once I picked it up, I couldn't resist. It is soooo good, and a quick read too... Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It's the story of conflict between father and son, the sweet innocence of a first love, the cruelty of racism and the evacuation of Japanese Americans in the Seattle area to Internment camps during World War II.

Peace,
Linda

A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer's wave goodbye.

Lest We Forget

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Peace

Linda

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." ~Joseph Campbell

Rainy Days and Mondays....

...always get me down.. Do you remember that song? Well we are having lots of rain here in the Maritimes... man oh man- it just won't stop. It's been raining for four days now, seems like forever. Many communities are having serious troubles with flooding, having received a foot (300 mm.) of rain!!! At least flooding is not a problem here. As I've said before, I am so grateful my Grandfather had the foresight to buy the family farm on a hill....
I seem to have been in a bit of a funk lately... maybe it's the wet weather. I'll use that as my excuse. I have nothing to show you for my time in the last week, but I will have photos soon- I've been working on some Christmas cross-stitch. If you followed me last Christmas, I shared with you my Charmed beaded Santas. I have been working on two Arctic Santas for this year and will soon be ready to share them with you. The stitching is complete, but I still have beading to do... Stay tuned...

Peace
Linda

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. ~Kin Hubbard

F.A.R.T.S. system works for me!

FARTS. That's what I'm doing these days. Now lest you think I'm referring to something distasteful or crude, let me explain. This week is my Guild's annual Retreat. And I am not there. For a variety of reasons which I will not delve into here, I decided I would take a break this year. (You know I do have enough at home to keep me busy...) So although I'm missing out on the fun and camaraderie, I figured I should make good use of these few days and have something to show for my efforts while many of my buddies are sewing their hearts out and coming back with new projects complete or close to it....
I figured it was the perfect week to tackle my studio and do a good cleaning, tidying, reorganizing. And I'm using the FARTS system.... What?? You've never heard of the FARTS system? It's a very simple five steps that works well for tidying and organizing. I think it was Libby Lehman who taught me about this...
1. File - deal with the paper. Set up a good filing system and use it! Get all those papers filed so you can find them when you need them: notes from classes taken, newsletters, Guild Lists (membership, Library holdings, etc.), patterns or articles you've torn from magazines, etc. etc.
2. Act - do it! Do all those little jobs you've put aside- find that book your friend wanted to borrow. Put those pattern pieces back in the envelope. Tidy up those ribbons that are overflowing their basket. Renew that subscription. Make a list of all the little jobs you've been meaning to take care of - I love crossing things off a list- it gives me great satisfaction and a
sense of accomplishment!
3. Recycle - I try to recycle and find new uses for things whenever I can. I reuse containers to hold small things (especially Crazy Quilting supplies like threads, beads, etc.), recycle file folders by re-labelling and/or colorcoding, etc. Empty thread spools go to the local kindergarten classes. I have a big bag full to deliver tomorrow....
4. Toss - If you can't use it, lose it. If you can't bear to throw it out, pass it on to someone else. Bring old magazines to Guild for someone else to enjoy. Donate fabric you no longer care for to charity projects at your Guild or otherwise. It's amazing how much better you feel when things are cleaned out and re-organized.
5. Shred - Shred anything of importance...
Simple as that - FARTS. File Act Recycle Toss Shred. That's what I'm doing. Mostly filing and tossing.... It feels good....

Peace
Linda

"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned". ~Peter Marshall

Happy Halloweeee'een

The night is dark and the goblins are out
and the witches and black cats are prowling about
and costumed creatures, the strangest I've seen
are knocking on doors 'cause tonight's Hallowe'en!

Well. it's been a pretty (cold) quiet night on our street, we haven't had many visitors. Not that we're complaining! Much better quiet than the days when we were nervous about hooligans causing damage in the neighbourhood... Once again the 5 year old twins from up the street win my Cutie Patootie award. They were Fairy Princesses this year, with magical wands which lit up! It's amazing how much difference a year makes with little ones. They have always been shy and not very talkative in the past- not so this year!! They were very chatty and giggley- a little sugar rush perhaps???

And where oh where do the years go? It doesn't seem long ago that my two little ones were excited about dressing up and going out trick or treating... look at my "little" girl now.. here she is with two of her roommates. I guess they still like to dress up... That's Mary on the left (she is the current reigning Miss New Brunswick) and Becky on the right with Miss Laura in the middle.
Hope you have had a safe and fun-filled Hallowe'en.

Peace,
Linda






One last Hallowe'en joke...

Q. What is a skeleton's favourite musical instrument?
A. the trombone!

Early Sweet Treat

I am just home from a fabulous concert- my toes are still tappin' and my head is still ringing with the glorious music of the Barra MacNeils. They are presently touring the Maritimes with their new concert project "Cathedral". The Barra MacNeils are a family group of six siblings - Kyle, Lucy, Sheumas, Stewart, Ryan and Boyd, from Sydney Mines, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. They are best known for being deeply rooted in Celtic music and dance, culture and language. Cathedral is a little different from their usual performances because the pipe organ plays an important role in this show. The soaring splendour of the organ combines with more traditional instruments such as the fiddle, tin whistle, mandolin and harp. Imagine the usual jigs and reels combined with Bach and Vivaldi, Bobby McFerrin and Styx, then throw in some a cappella Gregorian chants in Latin and Gaelic... sounds like a strange mix, but it was an amazing treat!
These siblings are incredibly talented musicians, all classically trained and alumni of Mt. A. Imagine a show featuring piano, pipe organ, bass, cello, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki, bodhran, both electric and acoustic guitar, flute, tin whistle, Celtic harp, accordian, Irish pipes and probably a few more which I have forgotten. Add to this the amazing vocal talent of this group and you have one fabulous show. They are joined also by twin sisters Meghan and Mikayla Luckie-Taylor; their teenage soprano voices add much to the show, including a wonderful rendition of Pie Jesu.
If you enjoy music at all, and this show comes to your area, you must go! You won't be disappointed. Click here for a little taste....

Hallowe'en Fright

Here is my "just finished" little Hallowe'en door-hanger. It was a quick and easy cross-stitch that I saw on Jennifer's blog with a link to the pattern. So I'm passing it on to you- go here if you'd like the pattern. You could frame it, or finish it as a sachet to put in a bowl of treats, or pinecones, acorns, whatever.. I decided to make it into a little hanger for my kitchen door. I added a wired black and copper colored ribbon that's been in my stash forever, tacking it to the sides, and added a few bead "dingle-dangles". I also found in my "crafty stash" two Hallowe'en bells - a ghost and a pumpkin - which I hung from a metallic copper-colored ribbon. A quick and easy fun little dress up! Ollie might even enjoy batting at the bells!

Yesterday was a beautiful day with sunshine and warmer than usual temps.... I got a little more outdoor work completed. Today also feels almost "balmy" for end of October so I decided to take an outdoor shot of this "fall-ish"quilt to show you- so much prettier than over the back of the couch! As you can see my Burning Bush is at it's prime with bright red leaves.. wouldn't it be nice if they would stay through the winter- it would look so spectacular against the white snow! No such luck.. The quilt pattern was called Log Cabin Plus and came out of a magazine about 12 years ago. I used a variety of creams, beiges, tans and light golds for the lights and burgundies, greens and browns for the darks. I guess you would call it a "planned" scrap quilt. A checkerboard border is a great way to use up ends of strips... It is hand quilted and backed with a gold print and is one of my favourite scrap quilts.

Instead of finishing with a quote today- I'm going to give you a few Hallowe'en riddles - try them on your kids or grand-kids!!

Peace,
Linda

Q: What did one ghost say to the other ghost?
A: "Do you believe in people?"
Q: Why do mummies have trouble keeping friends?
A: They're so wrapped up in themselves
Q: What kind of streets do zombies like the best?
A: Dead ends
Q: Why do vampires need mouthwash?
A: They have bat breath
Q: What Do You Get When You Cross a Snowman With a Vampire?
A: Frostbite.