Well apparently I lost a month somewhere, LOL. So apologies for this late posting! Basically, I've been on the run, so no finishing being done at the house (though I have made poor Adriane (our oldest DD) paint one wall in the library 3X so far, as we search for the right shade of yellow), and nothing but work-work-work ... which I can't talk about here (wink).

So what can I tell you about? I did slip away for a weekend women's retreat with my sister... our mom was going with her, but dad had a bad spell and she didn't want to leave him (even though he swore he was fine, and I offered to look after him).

Long story short (too late, LOL), she told me to go, so we had a sister's weekend away, which we haven't done in ages. It took about 1.5 hours to get there, so we had a nice catch-up chat on the way up Friday night.

It was a church-sponsored event, so the singing was heavenly, LOL, but the family camp where it was held was just gorgeous. Chris (my sister) and I took a canoe out on the water Saturday afternoon, went for a horse-drawn wagon ride, and had a lovely 'tea'. We also did some shopping at the very nice gift store they have there, and I bought our hostess a gift, and my mom a scarf.

I did leave late Saturday (rather than staying to Sunday a.m.) as Bill was coming home, and the next day was our own church's anniversary service. We had a wonderful tenor who took the service, I always love to hear Paul MacKay sing, so didn't want to miss that!

I'm not sure I've ever mentioned how much I love music. Although I don't play an instrument, I have sung all my life in church choirs, and school choirs, in duets and trios, often with my sister. When we were growing up we would harmonize while we did the dishes after supper, and she's still the easiest person for me to sing with.

Whenever I have the radio on you can be sure it will be tuned to a station I can sing along with - and most often the wonderful Christian music stations they have now. Our local one (out of Belleville) is UCB (102.3), and I just love their music - both entertaining and inspiring!

Anyway, I'll have lots to tell you about in my newsletter (where I'm allowed to talk business LOL), so I'll talk to you next month (or in a few minutes, for those of you who know I didn't post May until June, ROFLOL)... happy stitching!

Everything is short and sweet this month, as we are busy getting ready for the Creativ Festival in Mississauga... so I don't have a lot else to tell you (sigh).

I did go check out a Fibre Arts Show in Kingston with my DH and MIL last Friday. While the work was impressive, there wasn't nearly enough of it, so we were kind of disappointed. Good thing we were going down anyway to visit MIL... and we got a good lunch at Red Lobster out of the deal, LOL.

The weather has turned fabulous this week - finally! No jackets, sun shining... and no black flies yet, so HURRAH! Lots of quick walks with Miss Mo - though Bill has taken her to the woods a couple of times (where she can also jump in the lake), and today he got his bike out for the first time, and running along beside him while he tested and repaired both his and our oldest DD's bikes has worn her plumb out (GBG), she's up on the couch fast asleep!

I haven't been exercising (on my elliptical machine) as much as I usually do, so I added 5 pushups to the 30 I do every morning, and an extra set of 30 situp (making 90 in all). DN quite make up for 3 - 20-minute sessions on the machine, LOL, but will keep my muscles toned until I get back at it.

Well, much as I love to visit, I better run... I want to cross at least 3 things off my list tonight - not including the blogs I just posted (wink)... talk to you next month!

Happy birthday to me... happy birthday to me...

Wow, another year has come and gone, but we're still here, happy, and relatively healthy, LOL. Poor Bill picked up a chest cough from work that got so bad he actually tore his throat up coughing, and lost his voice for most of a week! He finally went to the doctor, and they gave him some antibiotics that were so strong you only get 5 pills (!!), but he started feeling better almost immediately, so I guess it wasn't a regular cold.

He went back up to work a couple days ago, so hopefully he will continue to improve, and be all better when he comes home again... neither our DD (who works for us) or I caught whatever bug bit him, another indication it wasn't a common cold.

In spite of his being under the weather, we had a wee birthday gathering here on Sunday, with my folks, and my sis and BIL, and our DD (Adriane - the Dree I often mention). Our youngest is still living in England, so she didn't make it, (GBG). Had some cake, got some prezzies and flowers, spent the afternoon playing Mexican Train (which is a fun domino game), so was a good day.

Got the dishes done up and a ham and scalloped potatoes in the oven, and they were cooked just as more company arrived in the form of one of my besties from high school, and her DD. My family had left by this time, but my sis came back over, as she knew Kim from high school as well (my sis and I are only 13 months apart in age). Another lovely visit, as we haven't seen each other in over a year, so lots to talk about!

I have been quite blessed in my life, with the friends I've made along the way. Some are casual acquaintances to be sure, people you're friends with because they're around, but that you quickly lose toch with when one of you moves away... but if you're very lucky there are a precious few that stay with you. I am fortunate enough to have TWO such wonderful ladies in my life. In fact, our youngest (Katie) is named after one of them! I had the... hmmm not sure if it was the opportunity, or the misfortune, LOL, to attend FIVE high schools in FOUR years!

No, I wasn't a juvenile delinquent, LOL, I started high school, and my dad got a job in another city half-way through my first year... so I finished at my second high school. The next year they decided we needed a new high school for kids from this and that area... but it didn't get finished in time, so for a year we SHARED a high school (#3) with another school. This was an interesting arrangement, as we only went to school Mon/Wed and half of Friday! The rest of the time we could go for help at centers they set up... my BFF Kate and I would take turns taking the bus to the centre closest to the other ones house, and spend all our time together. We were inseperable, to the point that kids I didn't know would stop me (if they saw me by myself) to tell me where she was, ROFLOL.

The next year our high school was finished (#4), and I must say it was the best school I ever attended. The teachers were all young, there was so much school spirit, it was a wonderful year... but then my dad got transferred again... so high school #5 was were I ended up, and where I met Kim, the lady who came to visit this weekend. She and her brother were part of our 'gang', which was actually more a church youth group, LOL. We have lost touch once or twice over the years, but always manage to find our way back to each other, and she is truly a blessing in my life.

Well, this month's blog turned out to be a walk down memory lane, rather than anything new happening around here... but since we are spending day and night gearing up for FOUR shows in April, May and June (see the newsletter this month for more details), there's not much else to tell you...

Though I may have to purchase the last 2 seasons of Downton Abbey (which I was talking about last month), as they aren't on Netflix yet... but I did watch the finale, and everyone got a happy ending, so I was happily sniffling along with them, ROFLOL.

Till next month, may you all enjoy the people in your life, and not take them for granted! And of course - happy stitching....

I can hardly believe that another month is almost over! There are so many things I had to do... have to do... want to do, LOL. So instead of doing most of them I'm having a DOWNTON ABBEY fest, trying to catch up on the past few seasons through Netflix...

But that DN mean that I have been idle. I somehow managed to end up on not one but TWO committees this year (sigh), and I've been typing up notes for a meeting on Friday while I've been watching - and of course now I'm working on my blog! But I really have to go to bed soon, as it's my day to work at the church tomorrow.

I also find it hard to write w/o talking about my work, as it's such a big part of my life... but I try to save all design talk for my newsletter, and keep this blog informal and a bit more personal.

But somehow I doubt you want to hear about the friends we've had to dinner, or the movies we've seen (GBG). Though we DID have a lovely Valentine's day. Since it fell on Sunday this year, after church my sister and her DH, our parents, Bill and I all went to a local brunch that is only held once a month. The food is all homemade (and quite good), and they have a wonderful selection! I believe it's a fund-raiser for the Legion. Anyway, one of the things they do is raffle off a delicious carrot cake (so yummy, with thick cream cheese frosting) - and you even get to keep the cake holder it comes in! The last time we went Bill bought the last 2 tickets, and he won... this time, my sister bought the last ticket - and SHE won! We said they won't let us come back next month, if we always leave with the cake, ROFLOL.

Everyone skipped dessert (mostly) and came back to our house, where we had carrot cake and tea/coffee, and spent the afternoon playing a domino game called Mexican Train, which my family really enjoys. It was quite a nice way to spend the day, surrounded by people we love, who love us. I hope everyone had the chance to do the same.

However, yesterday wasn't nearly as much fun - at least for poor Bill! He got a notice from Air Canada that his flight (today) would very possibly be delayed or cancelled because of the weather they were expecting. In the ten years he's been flying out to work this is the first time they've ever done that, so he took it quite seriously. He was considering changing his flight to Friday (since the bad weather was supposed to be Wed/Thurs), but he takes ANOTHER flight up to the mine site, and they don't fly on weekends, and he wasn't sure he could get in to Saskatoon in time to make the last flight to camp on Friday.

Anyway, I said "what if you left today", which set off a whole flurry of activity, LOL, as he hadn't thought of that. He checked for flights, and there was one in the early evening, but he had to leave almost immediately in order to get from here to Toronto on time. So I fed and walked the dog, while our DD grabbed some lunch and he went to pack... then I made him some sandwiches and apple slices to eat in the car on the way, and she drove him to the airport... in less than an hour I had an empty house again - it reminded me of the first time he went to this job, our girls both went to University just a few days before he left - and they even took the cat with them, LOL, so I went from a house full of people to just me - didn't even have Miss Mollee to keep me company then!

He called last night to let me know he made it safely to Saskatoon, and again today to let me know he was in camp, so all is well... and since he got in a day early, the extra day's pay more than covers the expense of changing his ticket, LOL, so we ended up coming out ahead of the game. Except that Tuesday is our date night, so we missed out on that - but we'd gone out to dinner on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday - then had friends in for dinner on Sunday - so that wasn't too too bad, LOL.

And it seems that for once the weatherman got it right, as first thing this morning it started snowing... then raining... then hailing... and then seemed to settle in to a sort of sleet / freezing rain combination. Miss Mollee insisted on an after dinner walk, but we only made it as far as Nana's house (my mom & dad's place just around the corner). I was dropping something off to mom, and Mollee decided she was staying there, so I turned around and came back home. In just that short time my boots were soaked right through about half way up! There was slushy, mushy, icy water EVERYWHERE. When Mo finally came home she was coated with ice and water, and very happy to stay in for the rest of the night!

I'm afraid I don't have anything more (or very exciting) to share this month, as I have been working almost non-stop (and into the wee hours of the morning) to get caught up on my designing, and not much has been happening with the house. I'm very pleased with some of the new ideas I've come up with, and can't wait to work on my newsletter, so I can share some of them with you (wink). And of course with year end, and now tax season approaching, Bill and Dree (our oldest DD who works for us) have been busy getting bookkeeping finished up and trying to get a jump on tax preparation.

I still haven't found the right color yellow for the library, but Bill has started planning out this years work on the house, so hopefully there will be more to tell you in the months to come... Talk to you soon - and HAPPY STITCHING!