2012 WIPocalypse

I actually have a WIP update! About a year ago or so I started 'Thine is the trick and the treat' and for some reason I didn't look at it since... until Jo who can't think of a clever name of Serendipitous Stitching put a picture of the same chart on her blog. All of a sudden I've got the urge to stitch it again. But I have a problem. All my scroll frames and q-snaps are having projects on them and I promised myself that I will not buy any more of them. I have to finish the project and then I can put another one on. My 'Thine is the trick and the treat' was folded nicely and resting peacefully in a bag. I can't stitch in hand if is a nice soft linen and that project I'm stitching on a very soft linen. Now the urge to stitch is almost unbearable, it's painful - and no frames... Like a desperate addict I dived to the stash and - bingo! I found a few pairs of stretching bars  with interlocking corners. So, I made my own frame, pinned the project to it and start stitching. What a relief! Here is the progress:

During the week I was working also on 'Stitcher's Alphabet. I absolutely adore this project.

And this is how much I have done on 'Halloween House'.

Now I'm back to stitching!

So long my friends,
Evalina

Farewell Neil Armstrong

 "One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind"

 

 I still remember these days when I was glued to our black and white TV, watching first man on the moon. I decided to do some stitching to honor his achievements. In 123.stitch I found this chart:

I really like the bottom picture. It will take a month or so until I get it, but that's OK - I have many WiPs to work on.

So long my friends,
Evalina

Little stitcher update

My new project is very addictive, look how much I have done yesterday:

and can you imagine how much I will have done by the end of the weekend? First I started stitching it on the same fabric but over 1 with 1 thread - I really wanted to make a small pincushion... It did not work! The stitches were waaay to small for my eyes. So I frogged it all and now I'm stitching over 2 with 2 threads. I love the look. Finished piece will be a little to big for a pincushion but it will make a lovely flat-fold or small wall hanging. It looks like the finished stitched area will be 6.5" x 6.5" and with a small margin around it should be about 7" x 7". Now back to stitching!

So long my friends,
Evalina

New start

Actually not one, but two new starts! The first one is one of the new charts I showed you yesterday

This project I decided to stitch on 32 ct taupe lugana with hand-dyed floss Peacock from Carrie's Creation. Too bad I had very little time to stitch because I love this little stitcher.

The second new start... well, it has been on my Bucket List for some time now. As you see on my side bard, I've joined camp NaNoWriMo and actually yesterday I started to write my first novel. It will be a memoir or maybe a novel based on my life stories. I wrote first thirteen hundred words and it felt good.A long time ago, in a different country and in a different language I enjoyed writing essays and short stories. Now, since my English is far away from being perfect acceptable, I'm desperately working on grammar and keep typing... Can I write fifty thousand words by the end of August? We'll see... The saying says "If you think you can - you can, if you think you can not - you are right!" I think I can!

So long my friends,
Evalina

Stitchy update

My sweet NaBloPoMo isn't going so well... for some, unknown to me reason, I can't post every day... hmm, I have to work on that.

In the meantime I was stitching a little. I was working on the 'Buttercup Biscornu'. It's coming along nicely and I absolutely love it.

I also put a few stitches on 'So Long Kitty'. It is almost done, just a few more leafs...

A while ago on somebody's blog I came across a lovely pattern. Of course I fell in love with it and had to have it! It took me a while and all the way to France to find it, and it finally arrived last week. Have a look:

While browsing this lovely on-line store I also fell in love with another chart, 'In her world':

Here is a close up:

And that's not all. I also received a very cute free pattern with my order:

Now I'm soooo anxious to start stitching!

Last Sunday I had a few 'visitors':

 Believe me, these are not chickens!

Last Monday was a holiday in the Yukon. It was Discovery Day. This year it was very special, I was invited to a BBQ with PM (Prime Minister)! Of course I took a picture with Mr. Harper - will post it later.

So long my friends,
Evalina

Sweet home Alabama

Today a feel like a little music, something sweet... how about "Sweet home Alabama"?

Do you have any favorite 'sweet' songs?

So long my friends,
Evalina

Dog Days of Summer

It looks like dog days of summer took over my life and all of a sudden I'm behind in my blogging, emails, stitching - you name it.

Let's go back to the main theme: What  I'm doing this summer? The last two weeks I was cheering Olympians and not much else... Now I'm back to work, the office is crazy busy and I'm facing overtime. So, my summer days got postponed a little... not all is lost though. In September I'm going to a 'Silence Retreat" near Montreal. Originally I was planning a trip across Canada but, about a month ago, an add caught my eye "Silent Retreat with Grand Master, Julie Scott. I am a member of AMORC since 1998 but have never been to any events, this will be my first one. And I'm looking forward to it! I will still do the trip but, maybe, sometime next year.

So long my friends,
Evalina

Sweet crude oil

 

Do you know that there is sweet and sour crude oil? I certainly did not... until now.

Sweet crude oil is the form of petroleum that oil refineries prefer because it contains exceptionally high amounts of the chemicals needed to produce gasoline, kerosene, and high-quality crude oil.

“Sweet” is a description of how much sulphur is in the oil. In the 19th century, oil workers would taste and smell small amount of oil to determine its quality. Crude oil with low sulphur content had a mildly sweet taste and pleasant smell. (Regardless, I wouldn't be brave to try myself...) Today, oil workers can measure the sulphur content of an oil sample and it is classified as sweet if it contains less than 0.5% sulphur.

We have been using sweet crude oil for at least 4,000 years. Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, reported that asphalt, which is extracted from crude oil, was used to build the walls of Babylon and it has been used throughout the world since that time. However, it wasn’t until the invention of the internal combustion engine, that the demand for sweet crude oil exploded.

Sweet crude oil is refined to make gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, and heating oil. Because of the high demand for it around the world, the price of it is very sensitive to economic changes. In 1946, unrefined sweet crude oil sold for $1.69 per barrel, which would approximately $17.00 when adjusted for inflation. Today it reached $113.57 per barrel and the price is keep rising! (A barrel of oil contains 42 U.S. gallons.)

So long my friends,
Evalina

Sweet little story to make you smile

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child. Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a flaming word, would cut through the sky. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school.


As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile. Another and another were to follow quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile.

When the mother's car drove up beside the child, she lowered the window and called to her, "What are you doing? Why do you keep stopping?" The child answered, "I am trying to look pretty, God keeps taking my picture".

Sweet Tooth and weight loss

I learned that there is a way to keep sweet-guilty pleasures and stay in shape. I just have to have them for breakfast!

Oprah has an awesome article on the subject.

So long my friends,
Evalina

Sweet Magnolias

A while back I was hooked on Sweet Magnolias series of novels by Sherryl Woods. Very nice, easy breezy read. I was introduced to the author by Goodreads.com, I won her book (it was even autographed!), read and got hooked, and of course I read the whole series.

 Guess, what now I found? It's 'The Sweet Magnolias Cookbook' by Sheryl Woods.  The book is full of stories and southern recipes. It went right on my 'must to buy' list. I even found it in a kindle edition! It will be released on August 28th. I can hardly wait.

So long my friends,
Evalina

Small and sweet

My Little Girl so small and sweet,
Those tiny hands and tiny feet.
Everyday I watch you grow,
You teach me everything I know.
Such a joy to be around,
Every smile and every sound.
Number one you will stay,
Each and every single day.
You changed my life in such good ways,
''Thank You'' is all that I can say.
I love to watch you sleep at night,
Cuddled warm and wrapped up tight.
As I blink the time it flies,
It breaks my heart to see you cry.
I gave you life, so proud to say,
I'll love you more with every day.
My little Girl so small and sweet,
For you my heart, It beats and beats.

Small And Sweet

by Shauna Scott

Shauna wrote this poem for her daughter, she is 6 months old and every day she loves her more and more. She wrote this poem to express what she feels for her. ''I love you'' just isn't enough for her.  Shauna hopes that one day she will read this, along with many others she hopes to write, smiles and says ''I love you too Mummy'' !

So long my friends,
Evalina

Sweet Friday

Gosh, I love Fridays! I'm tired after all week work and I'm looking forward to nice, relaxing weekend. There is so many things I would love to do: read a little, stitch a little, watch Olympics, do some baking... we'll see...

Sweet dreams my friends
Evalina

Sweet clover

I know it's only a weed but it look so beautiful and for some reason it's very abundant this year in the Yukon. It comes in three different colors: white (like on the picture) yellow and pink. It grows up to 6" and I can get lost in it since I'm only 5" (in a hat).

It is invasive but bees love it and it helps to produce the best honey ever.

So long my friends,
Evalina

Sweet Plum

It is Sweet August at NaBloPoMo and it will be a very sweet month here. I will start with Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color - Sweet Plum

The hues of sweet, ripe plums are blended with a subtle frost to create this fresh shade. This eye color is a long-lasting, fade resistant, mineral-based shade that looks gorgeous on any skin tone. It will give you intense, crease-resistant color in a single swipe. The formula contains vitamins A, C and E to help protect against wrinkle-causing free radicals. Design to fit perfectly in the Mary Kay compact.

You can try on eye colors at the Virtual Makeover.  Have fun!

So long my friends,
Evalina