Off to Niagara Falls tomorrow!

Another spur of the moment thing :) Three nights in Niagara Falls and then we head to Washington.

We spent our last day in New York today at the Ripley's Believe Or Not Odditorium. We arrived just as they were preparing to unveil a likeness of President Obama made out of gum-balls and they asked the kids if they wanted to help unveil for the press conference. It was pretty cool. CBS Worldwide were there too so family and friends in Australia and Dubai might see them. The marketing and PR ladies took our details and said they would email us any pics and/or articles. I think the experience will be a highlight of the kids' trip :)

We wandered back to our hotel in Times Square via Fifth Avenue where DH did a little shopping. Had hoped to get to Strand Books (thanks for the tip, Megan) but we'll have to save it up for next time. We all enjoy New York so I'm sure we will be back again :)

I love my camera :)

The kids were out shooting some hoops with their friends before dinner last night when DD came running in yelling for me to come outside and bring my camera! I went outside and was greeted with this gorgeous sunset!

Got a bit carried away with the photos - sorry!

Stitching: I have been doing a little stitching although not huge amounts. I seem to have the reading bug lately and my stitching has suffered because of it. Anyway, it is the Christmas/Mermaids SAL on the HAED BB this weekend so I've pulled both Dream of Purple and Sea of Roses out with the intention of making some progress. I also had Plum Gothic QS out earlier this week and once this weekend is over I intend to get back to her and work on her until she is done. Well, that's this week's plan anyway :)

I'll post before and after pics of each after the SAL has finished. Right now I'm heading back to my chair for an hour's stitching before the kids come home from school!

Sea of Roses

This is my progress on Sea of Roses which I started for the HAED BB Valentine's SAL. I started in the top left corner which is mostly background and part of her tail so there really isn't much to see yet. I've added a little more since this photo was taken but I may take her off the stand tomorrow and work on something else. It's Quick Stitch Wednesday tomorrow so I may just dig out Plum Gothic or perhaps even Snowflake (gasp!) or I may just even go non-HAED for a few days :)

Oh, and for those interested, Sea of Roses is being stitched on 25 count Light Rose lugana with DMC threads and Petite Treasure Braid for the sparklies :)

Not a happy little Vegemite!

Australian readers will understand my angst ... we ran out of Vegemite two days ago and, unusually, none of the usual places here I can get it from have it in stock!! As Captain Jack Sparrow would say - not good! After trying to sell me Promite (shudder!!) the other day, and being told very quickly that it does NOT taste the same, the head honcho at my local store has promised me he will have more Vegemite in stock "very soon, madam" :) He also probably thinks all of us Vegemite loving Australians are quite mad - lol!

I think I might get mum to send over a couple of tubes for emergencies, and DH can bring back a one kilo jar with him since he'll be in Oz next week :)

I've been stitching away on Sea of Roses as part of the HAED BB's Valentine's SAL and will try and upload a pic of my progress over the next day or two. It doesn't look like much at the moment though.

Okay, the dog is resting her head on my thigh and staring at me with those incredibly huge brown eyes of hers and I can ignore her no longer - it's walk time :)

HAED BB Challenge SAL

Remember, Linda Ravenscroft's Verdure? Long time readers may, newer ones won't :) It's been a while since this project has seen the light of day. Anyway, this weekend was February's SAL for the HAED BB's Challenge SAL - a year long SAL on a chart of your choosing. It can be an existing WIP or a new start and I decided to dig out my Verdure WIP. The chart cannot be changed during the year unless you finish one and start another (like that's gonna happen!!). We can stitch on our chosen charts any time we like, but at least 10 out of the 12 months we need to sign in and participate in the SAL weekend (the 2nd weekend of each month Fri thru to Mon).

What you see above is my progress. I managed just under 800 stitches but I only worked on it for one day (yesterday). A huge improvement from last month where I only managed about 100 stitches! I am hoping to see some significant progess on this by the year's end.

There is a Valentine's SAL starting up tomorrow on the HAED BB and I have been going through my charts/WIPs to see if I have anything remotely near the love/romance theme (I am not the romantic kind as you will see towards the end of this post!). The closest thing I have is Sea of Roses by Selina Fenech. I haven't had a new start this year and probably don't need another one but well, what can I say? I have no willpower and the joy for me is not so much in the finished product but the actual stitching of the piece :) I have had SOR kitted up for quite some time so today I printed off the chart, prepped the fabric, gridded the outline and organised bobbins. I am actually thinking of starting it this afternoon since I will be out all day tomorrow (the rescheduled field trip that was cancelled last week).

I have made progress on DT's An Open Heart - no progress pics yet as I want to finish the band I'm working on before taking it off the Q-snaps.

Thank you for the comments about the passing of my nan and the new look of my blog :) I'm so glad I found that photo - it really turned out well considering I took it from the car. I'm not sure if you can tell but the second camel rider along is actually waving to me :D.

Told you I wasn't romantic ... LOL!

Your Candy Heart Says "Get Real"

You're a bit of a cynic when it comes to love. You don't lose your head, and hardly anyone penetrates your heart. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: is all about the person you're seeing (with no mentions of v-day!) Your flirting style: honest and even slightly sarcastic What turns you off: romantic expectations and "greeting card" holidays Why you're hot: you don't just play hard to get - you are hard to get

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?