The summer may be Gone, but it's Hot here

Summer was really slow in arriving on the West Coast of Canada, but the last week has been beautifully warm....unseasonably warm for September with temperatures around 30 Celsius.  I LOVE it.  My husband and I love going up to a small lake that is only a 10 minute drive from our home and if we don't go during the summer, it seems like summer didn't exist for us.  We almost didn't make it this year, but on Wednesday we packed up our floaty chairs and headed to the lake for a gorgeous afternoon of just floating around in the water.  Heaven.


Last weekend we were up in Whistler, B.C. It's about a 2 hour drive from our home, but when you're there you feel like you are in a different world. I was lucky enough to score a Groupon coupon for a 3 night stay in a suite for $208.00. This is an unheard of price for Whistler. Since neither of us ski, summer seems like the best time for us to enjoy this gorgeous spot.

View of Whistler Mountain from our suite

View of Blackcomb Mountain from our Suite

The front of our Hotel - The Cascade Lodge (Highly recommend)...our room was right above the entranceway and yes, it stretched across the whole thing....the Balcony was HUGE

The Pool - a little cool but once you got in, it was fine...

Street Entertainers on the stroll in Whistler Village - a 5 minute walk from the hotel

In the summer Mountain Bikes take over Whistler Mountain.  There are bikes everywhere...this was the view from the restaurant where we had lunch.  The first picture, for some strange reason the biker in the front reminds me of a gopher who has just popped up out of his hole to see what is going on....

enjoying the sunshine and some Smirnoff Ice - awwwww, life is good...

Leftover from the Olympics - Future Olympic Hopefuls playing in the rings (not our children)

Happy Couple

The morning we were leaving I woke up early and went out onto the balcony to enjoy the solitude.  The sun was just coming up and to my surprise a large Black Bear popped out of the bushes across the street, looked both ways and then crossed the street and came onto the property of our hotel.  I ran in to get my camera, but he'd already disappeared when I got back.  Bears are a common sight in Whistler, but I've never been lucky enough to see one until now.  I think it's very nice of them to share their home with us, but I don't think I'll ask to give him a hug or to shake his hand....and I definitely won't feed him.  That can be a death sentence for a bear as they become a dangerous nuisance and why would you want to put these magnificent creatures in harm's way?

Stitching Update

I've finished the top 12 rows on Leo now - that light blue background was a challenge - boring.  I can't decide whether I just hate stitching light colours or really enjoy confetti stitching, but all I know is I'm really glad the "sky" is finished.

Leo is going for a nap now as I start something new

Here is my latest project.  I fell in love with it as soon as it was released....NOTE that there is no light colors..YEAHHHHHHHH

It's Called "Gypsy Firefly" and is another Heaven and Earth Design (these are pretty well the only designs I stitch now).  The artwork is from the brilliantly talented Aimee Stewart.

This is just the start of the first page.  I'm stitching it on light Beige 25 count Laguna and doing my usual "tent" stitch (half cross stitch) using 2 threads over 1.  The picture doesn't do justice to all the lovely blues, teals and greens and also it looks like you can see a lot of fabric showing through.  In "person" it doesn't look so obvious and from a distance (like hanging on a wall when framed) you won't even see the fabric at all.  I think I'm going to love this design - lots of confetti to be had and no boring blocks of light colors.....Even my hubby loves this one....and not a fairy to be seen...

Till next time



Update on Leo

I've been stitching mainly background on "Leo"....and here he is now

I was hoping I would be further along, but it gets quite boring just stitching 1 colour..dare I say it?  I really like stitching confetti as you can actually see progress.  When this background is finished I'm hoping to get back to working on "Deidre" (I miss her)

I've been really busy lately as I'm involved in a special project for my friend Chelsea who passed away last month.  It's all behind the scenes stuff right now, but will be a WIP very shortly by 20 various stitchers.  I can't wait !!!

Chelsea's memorial was yesterday in New Orleans and I would have loved to have been there.  What a tribute to her.  It's amazing how many lives she has affected in the short time she was here on earth.

My Quilts

As promised, here's the quilts that I have made in the past.  I went gung-ho when I first started quilting.  I took an 8 week course which taught me tons of stuff....Sadly I stopped quilting about 10 years ago and haven't done anything since.....but I will again....I have to as We need a new bed quilt....and I always thought as our kids start getting married I would make them all one..so I'd better start thinking about that too (not that anyone has any marriage plans, but I just want to be prepared)

My First Quilt - Made in the Class - A Sampler

Second Quilt, made for my son Richard

My heart Applique Quilt

Vagabond Quilt - from a design in a Judy Martin Book - This quilt is pictured on one of her CD's...I'm so proud

Made for a friend's Baby

Another Friend's Baby Quilt

another Friend's Baby Quilt

Another baby quilt, made for my Great Niece Robin

Another For a friend's baby...do you see a trend

Baby Quilt for my Great Nephew James

Dresden Plate Quilt - Given to my sister

My Library Quilt - hangs in my dining room

Small quilt that hangs in my kitchen eating area

Tumbling Blocks...started out as a big quilt, but took so much time, that I stopped and it became a wall hanging...

On my dining room table

I only display this at Christmas..duh

The last one I made..can't remember what it was called...

All My Needlework Finishes - WELL, all that I can remember anyway...

I decided to post all my stitching finishes

My latest were the 3 HAED designs that I had framed by Jill Rensel in Utah in June....I love them all...QS Gwenevere by Linda Ravenscroft, Sugar Plum Fairy by Myrea Pettit and Sylph by Brigid Ashwood

Ashes of Rose - by Fancy Works anf Fantasies.  This piece took a LONG time to finish, mainly because I put it away for about 10 years and then dragged it out again to finish it around 2006

This one was a fast stitch and I can't remember even what it was called or where the pattern came from...I think it was a kit though as it came with the mat....it's still not framed..

Dreamin by Lanarte...was one of my favorites for quite awhile (before I discovered HAED)

"Her Eyes" - can't remember the name of the company I got the chart from....

Lavender and Lace - Nantucket Rose - Loved the design, hate the framing job..too cut off at the side ...I should have complained when I picked it up, but I didn't

Two more Lavender and Lace designs - framed myself and I'm considering having them re-framed with mats etc..

Tea Party - From an Old "Just Cross Stitch" magazine

These 3 I stitched around 1984...2 from a chartbook called "Good 'N Country" and I can't remember the name of the 3rd

Stay tuned for another entry where I show you the quilts I made.  Sadly I haven't quilted now for about 10 years, but I sure loved it while I was doing it and I have enough fabric stash to probably make 100 more...

Ramblins about Weight Loss

When I was young (so long ago) I never had to worry about my weight.  I was so skinny as a child that mom even wrote a poem about it

"Skinny you and Squeaky too,
But we love every inch of you"

She wrote that in my autograph book and I still remember it...I think it was because she said she loved me and my family was never big on expressing their love for one another.

Then I hit 30 and had a baby.....I was only 115 lbs when I got pregnant and at the height of my pregnancy I only weighed 130 lbs.  I felt great !!!!  Then, the weight wouldn't come off and it started to climb.  What was happening to me????  This went on for about 2 or 3 years and finally I'd had enough and started to lose some weight.  It came off fairly easily and pretty soon I was back down to around 115 lbs.  I guess I wasn't meant to stay there though as it quickly went back up to 125 and I stayed there for quite sometime.


Then menopause hit me in my early 40's and I blossomed.  It didn't help that I have always hated exercise.  I wasn't worried, I just bought bigger clothes.  Then I met my future husband and the weight started to increase AGAIN.  I think it's true what they say...if you're content and happy, you eat more.  When we decided to get married, I had reached around 170 lbs...UGH...I went searching for wedding dresses and I hated myself.  I wanted to look good for the wedding and at 170 lbs, it was going to take a pretty amazing dress.  That is when I joined a weight loss program.  For 3 months I ate only their food and weighed in weekly.  It was expensive, but I lost 30 lbs.   I bought a gorgeous dress and I felt "pretty" for the wedding.  Within a year after ending the program, the weight had crept back onto my body...  I should add that DH also gained about 20 lbs after we got together and he loves me no matter what my weight is.  The problem is I don't love me when I get heavy.

So after 8 years of wedded bliss I found myself heavier then I'd ever been.  That's when I started on Monavie's RVL weight management program.  Couple of shakes a day, couple of snack bars and I'm all set.  I can still eat a normal meal and go as fast or as slow as I want to.

As of today's date, I have lost 27 lbs and only have another 19 lbs to get back to my goal weight.  I feel GREAT, like I'm not even on any kind of a diet.  I cheat without guilt as there is life beyond a diet.  And the best thing of all is I know that with this program I am putting healthy stuff into my body.  When I've lost all the weight, I can continue to drink the shakes (which are delicious) and can maintain at my desired weight.

Will I ever be 125 lbs again.  No, probably not....that's not how skinny I want to be.  All my wrinkles would show, but could I be if I wanted to?  You bet your sweet bippy !!!!

Stitchin, stitchin and More stitchin

I've been busy stitching on "Leo" and I've made a LOT of progress.  Unfortunately I left most of the background and now I'm forced to go back and stitch all the boring parts....At first I didn't think it was much, but realize there is probably almost 2 pages of just really light blues...

When this is finished I plan on going back to "Deidre".  She's been feeling neglected.

My friend Chelsea had been working on a piece from Scarlet Quince called "All is Vanity".  It was for her husband and she'd been struggling with doing it as it is all blacks and grays and quite a dark piece.  Chelsea was more drawn to bright colors.  I am going to be finishing it for her husband and when he is ready to let it go, he is going to mail it to me.  I'm not worried about stitching it and I know it probably won't take too long, but I am a bit worried about how emotional I may feel when I begin it.  Chelsea talked about this piece of stitching a LOT, mainly because she felt guilty about working on her other projects when she had promised Robert she would finish it.  My on-line group have been watching it grow slowly for over a year and I think I'll somehow feel connected to Chelsea when it arrives.  I hope she's happy that it will get finished and will be smiling down on me.

Greg and I went to a party at a friend's home on Sunday.  We didn't know a lot of people that were there and it was different then the usual get togethers with friends.  She has a lot of friends who are musicians and they had constructed a stage of sorts and the band played throughout the day.  It was mainly country music with a little rock and pop tunes thrown in.  Thankfully the rain held off and although it wasn't sunny, it was pleasant.  We had our cooler with wine and and other concoctions and there was plenty of food.  What struck me while there was the age of most of the people.  Had I gone back in time and was at a party with my parents and their friends????  Or have I just got old.