Double Bubble! TUSAL & IHSW Update June 2012

Hello again!  Long time no post....  I do seem to be a bit behind in everything this month for some reason.  Not sure if it's the weather or just getting over the stress of losing Miss Dinky Dog....

Things are getting back on track now... so July should be a better month for stitching and blogging (I hope).

This post is a bit of a double bubble for you - a TUSAL update as well as an update on the IHSW that was last weekend... or wasn't as is the case for me.

My ORT's jar is full of lovely thread this month but as all my stitching was secret stuff I can't show you any pretty pictures.  Sorry.... pictures will come once the packages arrive at their destinations around the world.

ORT's and Dragon - June 2012

Now for my IHSW report - well there is not a lot to report here.  All I managed to do was a bit of stitching on Sunday as we were out most of Saturday.  My little bit of stitching is to be turned into a card for the Craftbubble Crazy for Kitties birthday exchange... a card that is late!!

Cat Alphabet - Designer Maria Diaz
Cross Stitch Crazy

I can't remember the issue of Cross Stitch Crazy this design came from but the designer of the kitty alphabet is Maria Diaz.  Such cute kitties!  I should get this made into a card over the weekend and then in the mail on Monday to the UK.

If you want to see what everyone else has done over the weekend, drop in on Joyce's post for this month's IHSW and click on the list of links!  There is lots of visiting to be had and no doubt a lot more stitching to see than I have to show you this month!!


Before I go I have to show you the gorgeous package that arrived for me last week on a day of rain and fog and cold winter winds!  Nia from Caixinha de Pirlimpimpim sent me a lovely box that she painted and then added this delightful Margaret Sherry hedgehog to the top.  And look what is inside!  Nia made these gorgeous flowers and filled the box!!  Thank you Nia :o)

Cute little hedgehog

A box of sunshine from Nia

This lovely little gift from Nia was a replacement gift from when the Spring Exchange didn't work for me..... I think I have been well and truly spoilt by the ladies on the MS Lovers Blog!  Thank you all so much :o)

Well dear readers, that's it for another ORT report and an update on last weekend dismal stitching weekend.  See you all again same time next month.... Pop on over to Daffycat's blog if you are interested in signing up or keeping in touch with what is going on with the 2012 TUSAL.

Til the next new moon on 19 July 2012, happy stitching and may your collection of ORT's keep growing!

New Moons - 2012

19 July

17 August

16 September

15 October

13 November

13 December

Giveaways and Candy for all

Hello again!  I have been meaning to do a giveaway post for ages and just haven't got my butt moving... now I find that all the lovely giveaways that I wanted to tell you about have all been done and won.... so as usual I am little behind in the news department!  I do have a very bad habit of reading a post on my iPhone, saving it there to come back to when I'm on the laptop, and then forgetting all about checking my iPhone when I am using the laptop.... needless to say time waits for no one and certainly not for me!!

But, I do have a saving grace - there are some lovely giveaways happening right now so lets get them out there and shouted about!

Kitten Stitching - Lovely Kaye is having a giveaway to celebrate her 1st Blogoversary.  She is also hoping to get to 200 followers before her giveaway closes on 18th June 2012.  If Kaye gets to 200 followers before the closing date then there will be a second winner... and for every 10 new followers over 200 another winner/s!  So pop on over and say hi to Kaye and become a new follower.

http://kittenstitching.blogspot.com/2012/06/nearly-my-first-blogoversary-must-be.html

Doll's Musings - Sweet Anne is having a giveaway to celebrate 200 followers.  To join in with this giveaway pop on over and say hi to Anne, but be prepared because you will also need to tell Anne what your very first cross stitch finish was and/or what your first blog post was.  Anne's giveaway closes on 22nd June 2012.

http://dollsmusings.blogspot.com/2012/06/200-follower-giveaway.html

Bizzi Hands - Me ole' work mate Sally is having bit of a card making / stamping candy surprise candy giveaway to celebrate her birthday.  This birthday candy giveaway is going to run for 48 days (from 25 May) - not sure why she chose such a strange length of time for a giveaway!! :o)  Now Sally has said that for every 5 people we get to join in the fun she will keep adding to the goodies.  So why not pop on over, sign up and let Sal know I sent you.  By my reckoning this giveaway should close around mid July, but I never said I was good at maths!!

http://bizzihands.blogspot.com/2012/05/birthday-candy.html

I know that there are some more out there, but for the life of me I can't remember where I saw them!  If and when I see them again I will update my sidebar and do another post - if I'm not too late that is!!

Til next time, happy stitching and keep those frogs under control!

Thank you...

Mental note to self - don't let the cat step on the laptop keyboard while typing a post..... whole posts can just disappear!!!  And to make matters worse the auto-save happened at the same time so I couldn't even salvage what I had sitting in my drafts from earlier today when I started typing!!  So let's try again....

Today's post is one big Thank You!  Thank you to everyone who has commented on my last post about the passing of our beautiful Daisy dog.  I have tried to personally reply to you all, however a couple of you had "no-reply" on your comments and I haven't been able to locate an email address for you.  Both Hubby and I thank you all for your lovely heartfelt comments, thoughts and hugs.

It has been a very sad week but we managed to survive the first week without Daisy.  Each day gets easier.. although coming home and not having a big bouncing puppy waiting for you is still heart wrenching and can be a struggle.  Daisy's ashes were returned to us on Friday - while it's not the same as having her here with us we both feel that her spirit is still here in house.  I am sure that I have felt her here many times over the last week and I felt her presence very strongly just before the door bell rang on Friday when Lawnswood returned her ashes... Very strange I know....

Now I also have some other Thank You's as well.  Remember I mentioned in a previous post about the exchange that went a bit awry?  Well, since receiving my replacement exchange pressie from the lovely Valerie a couple of weeks ago I have since received another 3!  Lovely pressies have arrived from Claire in Belgium and Francesca and Laura in Italy.  I wonder what my mail man thinks with all these international parcels arriving for me?!?

Pressie from Claire - Dulcinella's Chaos

Pressie from Laura - con le mie manine

Pressie from Francesca - Violetta: a cross stitch lover

I have such lovely friends on the MS Lovers Blog and I thank you all so very much for being so generous.  The gifts are all lovely and have certainly put a smile on my face.... especially this last week.  Thank you :o)

Before I go, I just remembered that I haven't mentioned the postcard exchange that I recently did with Shannon from A Bit of This and That.  Shannon sent me this lovely postcard from your home state of Michigan.  Doing a postcard exchange was great fun.

Thank you Shannon

Now for a quick stitching update.... I haven't done a lot of stitching this week but what stitching I have done is all very secret squirrel stuff for the MS Lovers Blog summer exchange, so unfortunately I can't share this with you just yet!  Once it is finished, mailed and has arrived at it's destination then I will share.  I am hoping that what is in my imagination for the final finish actually works.... otherwise I will be in trouble!!

Well dear readers, that is it for this week.  Hope you all have a wonderful week and for those of you in the UK, enjoy all the wonderful celebrations that are taking place for the Diamond Jubilee for our fabulous Queen.  An amazing achievement for a great lady!

Til next time, happy stitching

Daisy

Daisy
July 2004 - May 2012

I write this post with a very heavy heart.  This is a post that I didn't think I would be writing for a few more years yet, but as often happens Life deals us a dud hand sometimes, and this weekend Life has dealt us an extremely bad hand.

In the early hours of yesterday morning (Saturday 26 May 2012) we sat with our Daisy dog as she went to sleep for the last time.

For some unknown reason Daisy developed bloat during the early of hours of Saturday morning and even though we rushed her to the emergency veterinary hospital, time was running out and we had to make the hard decision which ultimately ended her time with us.

I keep asking myself - what did we do wrong?  Why did this have to happen?  I know there is no answer to those questions but it doesn't stop me asking them??

Daisy was with us from September 2004 when we got her as a puppy at 10 weeks old.  At the time she was a funny little black ball of fluff, but she soon grew, her ears straightened, her coat changed colour and she turned into this beautiful black and tan long haired German Shepherd and became our most treasured companion.  Daisy has been a big part of our life together. We have been together for nearly 10 years and Daisy has been with us for 8 of those years.

I have been thinking of what to write in this post all day... but I find when it comes time to put pen to paper (so to speak) I don't know what to say.  How do I describe the wonder of this gorgeous dog to you all?  She was loving, playful, cheeky, smart, a pain in the butt when she barked for no reason at all, and more!  She was always there when we came home, always happy to see us, bouncing around in circles, wagging her tail - so excited that we were home.  Coming home will not be the same now - the boys will still be there purring and happy to see us, but our bouncing puppy will not be waiting at the gate or the front door!

We have some lovely memories of Daisy.  Going through the photos on the laptop earlier bought back so many special memories as well as more tears.  Walking around the house over the last 2 days has bought many tears - seeing her beds and the places she used to sit, hearing other dogs bark in the neighbourhood and waiting for her to bark back, walking outside the front door and seeing the tree that she always had to go and sniff every time she went out the front; even having breakfast and leaving the toast crusts for her.... little things that are so Daisy.

Mark used to laugh at me with all the names that I used to call her - Dinky, Mouse, Daisy Dog, Princess Daisy.... Don't ask me why, I just did!!  She wagged her tail and answered each and every time!!

Daisy and Hubby - 2005

She was frightened of thunderstorms & would often end up on our bed in the middle of the night if there was a bad storm raging outside.  She would sit out in the rain and get absolutely soaked and she loved playing with sprinklers, but she didn't like getting a bath!!  And boy, she did so dislike getting her tail and back legs brushed!!  She could handle being brushed for a short time, but after awhile enough was enough and it was time to go and play again!!

Daisy & Adam (my nephew) - 2006
Boy, dog and sprinklers

Daisy & Adam - 2006
Boy, dog and sprinklers

Not having Daisy in our lives has left a huge hole - a hole that seems to be insurmountable at this time, but I know that the hole will eventually heal and cover over but at the moment that time and place seems a very long way away.

We will be getting her cremated and she will come home to us again and will sit on the sideboard with the ashes of Winston and Sasha.  So every morning I will still be able to say good morning to her and pretend that she can hear me.....

Daisy - January 2012

We miss you Daisy, and will do for a very long time to come.  Thank you for all the love and laughter you have given us over the years.  You were taken from us way too soon.

Today's post was going to originally be a post about the Craft Show and to wish my wonderful husband a Happy Birthday.... but unfortunately the events of yesterday morning changed my plans.  We did go to the Craft Show yesterday to try and take our minds off our sadness and emptiness, but I will leave that for another post.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart.  I wish that today's birthday had been a happier one for you with all the joys that a birthday should bring....

So how to end this sad post... I really don't know how to end my post except to say Goodbye Daisy - we love you and miss you.  Sweet Dreams my dear sweet Dinky Dog, one day we will meet you again on the Rainbow Bridge.

IHSW May 2012 Update

Hello!  Here we are again for the IHSW update.  Isn't it great that TUSAL and IHSW both ended up on the same weekend again :o)  Unfortunately though I don't really have much to tell you.....

This weekend was busy but not for stitching!  We were out on Saturday wandering around the garden centre and spending money on lovely new plants for the garden.  We also had lunch at the garden centre with my brother and his very new wife!  Such a nice way to spend a Saturday. Sunday afternoon was spent out in the garden planting all the lovely new plants after all the chores were done of course!!

On Friday I spent the afternoon making up the kitty card that I showed you in my last post.  But I did manage to get some stitching done here and there over the weekend and guess what - I finished the Tiny Rose Garden Mandala!  Well actually I finished the last bit of beading last night.  But near enough is close enough!

Tiny Rose Garden Mandala completed 21 May 2012
Chatelaine Designs - Martina Rosenberg

So that's it for my stitching update this IHSW!  Told you there wasn't much to say.....

If you want to see what everyone else has done over the weekend, drop in on Joyce's post for this month's IHSW and click on the list of links!  There is lots of visiting to be had!!

Now while I might not have too much stitching to show you this month, I do have something else to show you.

My very lovely friend from France, Valerie from Fele le point, went to Paris a couple of weeks ago and while there she purchased a Paris snow globe and sent it all the way over here so that I could add it my very small collection.  I have been a bit slow adding a pic to my blog so you can all see my lovely new snow globe!

Paris snow globe from Valerie

But the surprises don't stop there.  Last week Valerie sent me a lovely surprise to make up for me not getting a package in the Spring Exchange.  For some reason my partner in the MS Lovers Blog Spring Exchange has been out of contact so we are not sure what has happened and why she hasn't sent anything but never mind!  The lovely Valerie wanted to put a smile on my face, and she certainly did that...  Look what she made me!

Gift from Valerie - Spring Exchange replacement

I had seen the pin cushion on Valerie's blog when she made one for a friend and I absolutely loved the fabric - so Valerie made me one too, as well as stitching the cute fishing cat and turning that into a little bag.  I am going to use both in my stitching basket so that they can bring a smile to my face each time I see them!

It is very disappointing when an exchange doesn't quite go to plan, but the ladies on the MS Lovers Blog are so lovely.  A number of them offered to send me something to replace my missing package!  Aren't stitchers and bloggers just the most generous people around?

Thank you Valerie for your lovely gifts - they are wonderful and I really appreciate you taking the time to stitch them and sending them to me.

Ok dear readers, I think that is about for tonight!  It is getting way past my bedtime and the carriages are about to turn back into pumpkins!  Daisy and the boys are already in bed so looks like Mum and Dad had better follow them!!

Til next time, happy stitching.