Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Frantic Knitter with the Wonky Shoulder

The other evening my shoulder started to hurt and by the next morning I was in a ridiculous amount of pain. I have a knot or something under my shoulder blade but the pain runs up the back of neck and down my right arm! YOWZA!!! It seriously hurts! I'd love to know what I did so that I won't do it again. Well, because of this little inconvenience knitting and stitching was not on the agenda for yesterday...I spent the entire day flat on my back trying to find a comfortable position. Luckily I had a book to keep me distracted! I finished reading The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.



It's set mainly in Indian during the Indian-Nepali insurgency. It portrays a judge, his granddaughter, and their cook in newly acquired squalor. It blends the scenes in Indian with the judge's youth in England and the cook's son in America. I've got to say this is the first Heather's Pick from Chapters that I wasn't too impressed with. It took me about 250 pages of a 300 page book for me to feel any connection with the characters. However, the prose is beautiful...I think that's what kept me reading! There are some really funny scenes of Indians trying to blend into American and British culture and also one terribly funny scene at the American embassy when they are trying to get travelling visas. One character is trying desperately to get the coveted visa and was advised to say that he is Mexican...when he gets to the desk he can't remember what he was meant to say and tells the clerk that he is Texican!!!! LOL!!!

Today my shoulder is feeling much better and I am in a mad flurry trying to get my sweater done for tomorrow! Just call me Bex the Frantic Knitter!!! LOL! I am determined to get it done!!! Wish me luck!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe New Year's Eve! See you in 2009!!!!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a great Christmas this year! I definitely did!!! My husband and I joined my parents at church to do something completely different this year. We helped to cook a meal for a group of people that would otherwise be alone that day. We had about 40 people there and it was so nice to meet all those new friends! Santa showed up with gifts for the kids! The kids were thrilled to bits because they thought Santa had missed their house in the morning...but little did they know that he was going to make a special visit at dinner time!!! I really had a great time this year and am looking forward to doing it again next year. The best part was that I didn't have to clean the house from top to bottom!!! LOL!

I didn't get my sweater done but I'm hoping it will be complete for New Year's day...it's lucky to wear something new that day! LOL!!!! Yep, I'm superstitious too!!!

It snowed like crazy up here last weekend. We got 40 cm in about 2 days! Here's a picture of it coming down from out the back of our house:



Needless to say, I hibernated last weekend and it was lovely!!! I picked up my Elegance of the Orient cross stitch and it was sooo nice to work on her again. I'm sure you know what I mean...it's like putting on comfy old shoes or something! Here's a pic of my progress:



I also got a lot of reading done while hibernating. I finished The Thirteenth Tale (soooooo good!!!!) and today I finished The Birth of Venus.



I wasn't expecting this book to be as carnal as it was but I suppose in hindsight I should have realized that with a title like The Birth of Venus it would end up that way. However, I love historical fiction and this was a great read.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Tendancy to Ramble

I finished Helen of Troy!!! I seriously plowed through the 600 pages in no time at all! It was ssooo good! Now I've moved on to The Thirteenth Tale.



I know you're not meant to judge a book by its cover but that's partially why I picked this one! This cover is gorgeous! This is the author's first novel at it was a New York Times bestseller within the week it was published. I totally think the cover had a lot to do with it!!! LOL! Also, this was a Chapters/Indigo Heather's Pick. I've always had good luck with her picks and hopefully this will be no exception.

I haven't been stitching much in the past few days. I'm madly trying to finish my white sweater for Christmas. I REALLY want it to be my Christmas sweater! I've finished the front, back, and one arm. I'm about a third of the way up the other arm so all I have to do is finish that bit, do my blocking, sew it all together, and do the cowl neck. I can do it!!! But wish me luck all the same... LOL! Hopefully I'll have a picture of my completed masterpiece before too long!

My husband and I don't have cable, we don't bother with tv. Our friends joke that we're training to be amish! LOL! Anyway, I have recently gotten in to the show 24. I borrowed season one from the library and I am HOOKED!!! I love to knit while watching a few episodes in the evening. I noticed that my library has up to season six so I am set for a while with something interesting to watch on tv! LOVE IT!



I have a few additions to make to my wishlist for Santa. I went through the Heaven and Earth Designs website and found a few little wonders that I mustlet Santa know about.


Here is A Mid Summer's Night Dream. I have this dream to have my library one day have accents of my cross stitch work on the walls but in the library they will all be literature related. This one's for my future libray!!!


This is Cinderella on the Stairs...another one for the library!!!


This is Cleopatra...one kick ass library lady!!!


The Lady of Shallott...I just ADORE this one!


Merlin and Arhtur. I took a course in university that was all about Arthurian legends. From that point forward, I was hooked!


This is The Owl and the Pussycat. I think I was read this story EVERY night as a child. I love love love it!


This one is called Alernative Reality. I think it's the dress that I adore in this one!


This is Musical Fete. I love theaters...so much potential for so much beauty. I spent so much of my childhood in theaters, either in the house or on the stage...so many memories!


This is Catch Me. I feel like a spend a lot of my life falling off of a precipice and hoping someone will catch me! LOL!


This is Pisces. I'm totally into astrology...I'm a big dork, I know, but I'm a true Pisces and it's just in my nature!


And this is Capricorn for my husband. These can hang side by side somewhere in the house...the fish and the goat...what a funny pair we make! LOL!


This is Beckon. While on the HAED website I found the artist Jonathan Earl Bowser (I hope I got the name right...) I LOVE his work!!!! It's so ethereal!!! The following are all his so I'll just give you their titles.


Cascade


Cathedral


Celestial


Forest Light


Forest Mist


Goddess of Tides


Invariance

Santa, I have been VERY good!

Wow! This was one long blog entry...once I get going, I have a tendancy to ramble...LOL!

Again, I'll leave with a funny kitten. This one is good because last week I took my cats the the Humane Society that I volunteer with so they could have their picture taken with Santa...they didn't enjoy it too much...When I got my cats home one was under the bed for 12 hours and the other went straight upstairs and peed in my closet!!! LOL!! I think the cats are voting that next year we take up Judaism...LOL!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Updates, Updates, Updates!!!

I made a book selection!!! I'm now lost in the lovely world of Helen of Troy! Has anyone read this one? I read another one by Margaret George called Mary, Called Magdalene. (Also very enjoyable!)



I went a little buck wild with holds at the library and they're coming in in droves so there will be much fireside reading by Bex coming up! I LOVE IT!!!

Well, here's the picture I promised of me in my new sweater. This is the first sweater that I have ever made and am mostly just grateful that it looks like a sweater and not a potato sack!



Don't I look happy? I'm soooo happy!!!


And at long last here is my update picture for Lissandrea! She's so gorgeous!!! I go to work on her and I find myself staring at her instead!!! Much more stitching to come though. I love the winter because there's so much stitching time in the evenings! January and February are the best months for getting lost in projects!!!



Here are just some random pictures of my hubby and I at a family reunion we went to this past autumn. We look a little goofy but you get the idea!!!





I'll leave you with a final word from the LOL CATS:



Until next time ladies and gents! (Do any men read this...if so PLEASE drop me a line...I would love to hear from you!!!)

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Winter Reading

It's been snowing here in Canada and there is nothing like curling up by the fire in the evenings with a good book! That's probably one of my favorite pastimes...after stitching and knitting of course! LOL! The last few days, I have been ENGROSSED in The Glass of Time by Michael Cox. If you haven't read this book, I totally recommend it!!! I love this guy's prose! Just incredible!!! I got it from the library and it is due back today and there are about a million holds on it and so I was determined to finish it before I had to give it back!!! Thus, my life has been completely on hold to accomplish the task!!! The novel is the sequel to The Meaning of Night. They're set in Victorian England at the estate of Evenwood (I could easily move in and happily live my life there!) It has murder and deceit and romance and everything in between!!! Honestly...pick up these books if you can!!!! You will love them!!!

Any recommendation on what to read next?





And here's one more funny kitten just because it made me howl with laughter this morning and I wanted to share the giggles!!!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Dear Santa...

With Christmas just around the corner I decided that it is time for me to write to Santa...

Dear Santa,

I was on the Dimensions website and found a few cross stitch kits that caught my eye. This is only a few of the items that I love...I don't want to look greedy! LOL!

Thanks,
Bex

PS - YES!!! I have been very good all year!


This is The Mighty Samurai and he is the last in a series that I want to go up my staircase wall. I have completed one and am half way through the second.


This is Enchanting Geisha and the colors are incredible! I'm such a girly girl! I LOVE the pinks and purples! LOL!


This is Aurora Cabin. I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights like this! BTW Santa, if the cross stitch kit is unavailable I will gladly take a trip to the cottage instead! LOL!


This is Dreaming of Tuscany and YES I DO!!!! Again Santa, if unavailable some tickets to Tuscany will be graciously accepted! LOL!


This is A Stroll in the Park. I LOVE this era!!! I would glad move right in as long as I could bring a few amenities with me! LOL! The next few are all in the same vein.


This is M'Lady's Chateau. Again Santa, the chateau in the background would be a wonderful surprise...don't worry about fitting it under the tree...we'll work something out! LOL!


This is Gracious Era. Gracious indeed! I LOVE it!!!


This is Romantic Floral. I don't normally go in for stuff like this but it really calls my name for some reason!


This is Innocent Guardian. I wonder if my guardian angel is this well dressed?!


Last but definitely not least, this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE: Ballerina Beauty. I was a ballet dancer for many many years and it was my first true love! This lady looks nothing like me but I might be able to adapt her into a brunette! I remember having a costume just like this one! It was soooo lovely! I miss dancing but if I tried it again now after so many years off I'd probably look like a drunk bear in a tutu! LOL!

So Santa...please remember that I have been VERY good this year! I look forward to your visit...do you want milk and cookies again this year or something different...maybe pizza and beer? LOL!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Giggle Time

This post is completely not stitch related but not to worry....it's GIGGLE TIME!!!! I love these "LOL CAT" pictures and I wanted to share them with you! These are a few of my recent favs. Take a break and have a chuckle from your buddy Bex!!! (I might have gone a bit over board with the amount but it's so hard to choose!!!) LOL!