Three-Day Weekends

I love three-day weekends. Just when you're on the day when you feel like it's about time to go back to work, you realize that you don't have to go back to work for another day. They are wonderful. A mini-vacation!

I bought all my floss last night at Hobby Lobby for Fairy Moon, Christmas Elegance and Rose Celebration, and made my working copies for those three, Enchanted Dreamer, Fairy Grandmother, Sleeping Beauty and Garden Verses. Then, I came home, sorted all the floss I had bought, put floss away from three past projects, and then started Enchanted Dreamer. I couldn't do all that work with the copies, floss, organizing, etcetera, and then NOT start one of them. It was a lot of fun. I have always really liked Enchanted Dreamer...the teals and pinks are so soft and pretty, like watercolors. Anyway, I just need to keep plugging along on my rotation...I was going so strong there for a while, and then I realized that the backstitching instructions for Celestial Dragon are a little unclear (grr...why won't every designer do their backstitch in color on the charts so I don't have to think about what colors to use?) and while School of Dolphins is fun, it's a little tedious working on the 32 ct. evenweave. My suspicion was confirmed last night when I started Enchanted Dreamer (I'm using 32 ct. star sapphire linen for her)...it is easier stitching on 32 ct. linen than it is on 32 ct. evenweave. Evenweave is awfully tight. So, here it is, here and now, I vow to never buy any more 32 ct. evenweave. Ever. I've got the projects I've got going right now and whatever I've got in my stash, and that's it. If I have something I want to use 32 ct. fabric for, I'm coughing up the money and buying linen. Even if it has over-one portions. And that's the end of the story.

End diatribe on stitching. Bottom line, I hope to have a new picture posted at some point this weekend, but I just don't know when that'll be.

Something else I remembered when I was at Hobby Lobby was how much I enjoyed drawing with oil pastels when I was a kid. I remember being able to use them on special occasions in school...my second grade teacher, Mrs. Lisonbee, had a set...and I remember clearly thinking how great they were. They are soft, rich, dark, and you can rub them together to blend them. I was in the aisle because P was looking at the drawing materials, and I saw them. They also have great types of sketching and drawing paper for drawing with oils. It was very tempting to buy a set and start making drawings, but I just don't know what I would draw! Cross stitch is about my only creative outlet, and even then, I'm not doing much but following a pattern. Who knows. I did buy a sketch diary though for my fires. $2.99 for a 70 page notebook isn't bad. Hopefully Queenie will agree when I turn in my expense report.

Today is going to be a lazy day. I'm going to Sharon's this afternoon to watch her daughter swim (she's preparing for swim team tryouts) and I'm going to take School of Dolphins with me so Sharon and I can visit for a bit. Then, home to change for the gym (back and bicep time) and then probably movies and stitching for the remainder of the night. We watched two movies yesterday...Radio and Twisted. Both were lacking in my opinion. At least Radio had a fairly decent plot. Twisted had the potential (and the characters, for Pete's sake) to be a really good flick, but it just fell really short. Ashley Judd, Samuel Jackson, Andy Garcia...that is a good combination...but it just didn't quite get there. At least Andy Garcia was in it. *grin* I think he's pretty cute. So back I go to Blockbuster today to trade up and get some new flicks.

There is only one meme for today...and I'm fairly sure it's because it's a holiday weekend and all the meme writers are busy doing other things, like hanging at the lake. Oh, well. Here's the Weekly Bit:

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find an image and post it. Find a photo of something beautiful. Something that really catches your eye. Something inspiring. Post it and write why you chose the photo & how it makes you feel. It can be your own photo, a photo of art...anything you want. If you can't post the photo, post a link to it.

I found this picture yesterday when I discovered a kittens website that was just precious.



This just makes me go "awwww". I love cats. I love mine dearly, as much as I whine and complain about them and make fun of them. Cats have such personality and if you treat them and love them right, they can be just as affectionate and seeking out for your affections as dogs can. My youngest cat, Taylor, is starting to be very friendly and affectionate now that she's getting a little older. It's like she's finally growing out of her kitten stage. She is always asking me to pick her up and at night, she always crawls on the bed and snuggles up to me, something she has hardly ever done before. Moira and Gab are acting the same way. I think a big part of it has to do with the dogs. The cats are all realizing that they aren't the center of the household now, and if they still want to be a part of the family, they are going to have to act a little more social and friendly, and more 'dog-ish'.

This picture also makes me wonder what they did to get the cats to sit like this, because no amount of catnip or Pounce treats would get any of mine to sit that close like that. They tolerate each other like roommates do that have to live in the same space, but I doubt my cats will ever be buddies, and they've lived together now for seven years.

And speaking of pets, Katie and Simon are sitting here sulking that I haven' t walked them yet, so I guess, off I go! More later...enjoy your lazy peaceful Sunday like I will!