Normal Service will be resumed..... what is normal service?

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, 

all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read 

and all the friends I want to see

~ John Burroughs ~

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!

Of course that is assuming that anything I do can be considered as normal!!!

As you may have noticed, I haven't been around much lately..... but things are starting to look better and there is a light at the end of the tunnel in regards to my working days which, fingers crossed, will mean I can start doing "normal" things again!  I have so missed my regular stitching and blogging over the last 4 months - I even turned down a promotion at work just so I can get back to my normal state of mind instead of being in a permanent state of confusion and exhaustion!

I have been slowing getting back into doing a little bit of stitching over the last couple of weeks so I can even show you some stitching progress and finishes in my next post.  I have even managed to stitch on "Jingles" which will make Annette and Rita smile!  I am probably way behind the girls but there is still a few months of the year left for me to catch up!

My Halloween Ornie SAL progress is dismal to say the least...... My last update was for April, which means I completely missed May, June and July.  But I can report that I have started a new Halloween stitch for August which if I am creative with will cover me for a couple of months of themes, but it won't quite catch me up on this SAL!  Oh well.... as the quote above says each day is just too short!!!

Now seeing as how this is supposed to be a short and sweet "please don't forget me" style post... I had better sign off and get back to work!!

Til next time when I will have some stitching pics for you to drool over... happy stitching!

Happy Stitching..... and may the frog pass you by!
Stitching Noni xx

Catch up time!

Pleasure is spread through the earth

In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.

~ William Wordsworth, 1806 ~

I just realised that I have been very remiss in not showing you a couple of snaps....

1. Remember The Snowflower Diaries "Spring Witch" that I stitched for the March theme of the Hallo'ween SAL Blog?  I haven't showed you what I did with this little cutie.  So here she is all finished:

The Snowflower Diaries - Spring Witch
finished as a gift for Valérie 

When I was stitching my little Spring Witch I had a plan in mind as to what to do with her right from the start. Except as per usual, my timing was rubbish and I was very late in finishing and sending it off.

The original plan was to send her to Valérie (fée le point) for her birthday in March.  But time just ran away with me and it was April and well past Valérie's birthday before I got myself organised and sent off the little witch on her adventure to France.

2. The second thing that I have been very remiss in telling you about is a lovely gift from Kaye (Kitten Stitching) that I received a few weeks ago.

Giveaway Gift from Kaye

The package included 2 lovely pieces of fabric (a pretty yellow one and gorgeous floral one); a nail file that looks like a ruler (dual purpose!); a lovely charm and the most wonderful embroidery book.  A really lovely surprise from Kaye - can't wait to find just the right thing to use the fabric for and the book is a lovely addition to my craft bookcase :o)  Thank you Kaye, and I am so sorry that I have been so slack in showing off your lovely gift.

Well that's it for this post - I think I am now up to date with all my news.... So til the next time when I will hopefully have some stitching to show, take care and happy stitching!

Hugs xx
Stitching Noni

Catching up on the news....

“Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?“

― Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh certainly had it right!  I have been meaning to write a post for the last couple of weeks, but that is as far as I have gotten... thoughts have not gone any further than my little pea sized brain and they certainly haven't appeared on paper - virtual or otherwise!

This month I have missed both the TUSAL and IHWS again... that is becoming a bit of habit, isn't it?  But I did remember to take a photo of my poor old ratty threads though.  

TUSAL Oct 2013 - ORT's and Birthday Cards

This month's New Moon happened to fall on my birthday so I decided to take the photo with some of my lovely cards.  Also in the photo is our Dubai camel - more on him later!

Not too many ORT's have gone into the pot recently as the only stitching I have done over the last month or so is my Halloween piece for the MS Lovers Exchange.  Stitching mojo and blogging mojo appear to have both gone on holiday together!!!  The Halloween piece has now arrived at its destination in Germany so I will do a post shortly to show you what I stitched.  That will make a nice change to see a stitching finish from me!!

Speaking of holidays, Hubby and I have been away and are now back after a lovely 2 weeks in London and Paris.  We have been back three (3) weeks now, and I am only just now starting to get my head around what I need to do both at home and work.  For some reason it has been a real struggle to get back on track after our holiday this time around!  We had a wonderful time while we were away and like all holidays it wasn't long enough!

The only sad part of our holiday was that while we were in London my Nana (Mum's mum) passed away.

RIP Nana
26 May 1916 - 25 September 2013

I have fond memories of all the holidays when we used to go and stay at Nana and Pops' house in Adelaide when we were kids.  I remember watching Dr Who for the first time at Nana's house and being so scared by something on the TV that I hid behind the couch!  Nana was always making us laugh... the "fun" we used to have collecting eggs in the chook house... fun - oh yeah, being chased by the chooks, who said that was fun!!  I last saw Nana in 2010 when Hubby and I went over to Sorrento in Victoria for a visit.  Unfortunately she had Alzhiemer's so she didn't really know who I was... but every now and then during the few hours I was with her that day she would remember something that made us both laugh!  That is how I remember my Nana, happy and laughing!

Nana and I - Queenscliff, Victoria, 2010

I will hopefully get around to organising our holiday photo's over the next few days and then I will do a post or two to tell you about our lovely trip away. But for now I will leave you with a photo of someone very famous that I just had to go and see while I was in London....

Paddington Bear at Paddington Station
September 2013

Not the best photo of me... but then again cameras and I don't tend to get on too well!! Isn't Paddington Bear just the cutest thing.  We arrived in London from Heathrow Airport by train into Paddington Station but unfortunately I didn't get the chance to take a photo then, so we went back on our first day of sightseeing just so that I could get to see him!!  I know I am silly, but I just love Paddington Bear!

Well, that's it for now.  I will be back shortly with a bit of stitching update and also to show you some of the pics from our holiday.

Til next time, happy stitching everyone, see you again soon!

New Moons - 2013

3 November
3 December