Just for a while. I'm taking a small blogging break. I find that I'm addicted to blogging these days. I'm going to enjoy family time for a little while, but I'll be back and I'm sure I'll have some adventures my friends.
I'm still embroidering around here. This is my latest FO. The original picture can be seen here. This is part of my airstream fantasy series. I'm thinking I will either frame them both, or turn them into pillows. I envision them backed with vintage barkcloth and pom-pom trim. I think the retro theme would carry through quite well.
Tara, my friend from Days Missed on a Hammock, graciously awarded me this award. 
A perfect day in my town starts normally starts with a coffee & a book. That amber coloured liquid in the mug is not beer, just a spritzer that Lizzie was enjoying the day I took this picture. Lizzie is away for a few days camping with friends so today my day was child, husband, and work-free. I stayed in bed until the shameful time of 11:00. Got up and fetched a coffee. Came home, read for a while & spilled most of that coffee. Kept reading, trying not to get the tears I was shedding for my lost coffee all over my book. Went out, did a few errands. Came home and read some more. But that's not all...
This is the other book--Some Kind of Miracle. It was written by the same author that wrote Beaches, which was that totally wonderfully sentimental classic chick-flick from the late '80s. You know the one that made many of us cry our eyes out. This book didn't make me cry, but it was a touching story about two cousins, one of whom suffers from schizophrenia. I'm working part time this summer as an undergraduate nurse on our city's psychiatric unit, so I've seen a few patients with schizophrenia in my work. It's a frightening & fascinating illness treated with the very scary medications with some horrible side effects. This book was another quick read, but thoroughly enjoyable. I had difficulty putting it down even to have a shower--I was forced to read and blow-dry my hair at the same time!
Miss Lizzie came downstairs last Sunday with a plan. She decided to collect bottles and give the recycling money to charity. My favourite animal lover chose our local SPCA. Lizzie recruited her grandma, borrowed a wagon from our neighbours, and collected $28.05 in cans, bottles, and outright donations. Our plan was to take the money in and hopefully be able to take a dog or two for a walk.
My sweet girl proudly handed over the baggie full of cash, but unfortunately, you have to be a volunteer to take the dogs out. So we signed up! She was a bit disappointed that we couldn't go for a walk that day, but we still spent time with some of the animals. She spent a little time with this doggie.
But it was the bunnies that one both our hearts. This adorable little guy was only 6 months old and very cuddly. He was our favourite and for $15.00 we could have taken him home. Fortunately for my marriage (& my furniture & electrical wiring), reason kicked in and I realized the insanity of bringing a helpless little bunny into a house with two cats.
This little white bunny was also pretty cute, but someone else already had our heart. 
He looks sweet & innocent but I think he was giving us the evil eye, or hypnotizing us or something. I kept hearing "take me home, take me home". It was hard to leave him behind.
This is a little chinchilla who also tried to charm us. Pretty soft fur, but he couldn't turn us away from the bunnies.
These two little guys came home from New York on a recent trip my in-laws took. I put the spoon behind them to illustrate how tiny they are. They are made of glass.
They live on the kitchen window ledge with this little wooden owl. Isn't he lovely?
These guys live on top of the cupboard overlooking the kitchen and living room.
This sweet little guy lives on the piano.
These two pieces are waiting to be hung on the wall.
A close up photo of the smaller owl. Guess who embroidered this?
This was her first owl, starting the whole collection.
My mother brought me a bag of old aprons from my grandmother. I think most of them came from my great-grandmother and they are all handmade. What a treasure! These are a few of my favourites.
This is not one of the aprons from the selection I received yesterday. This came from my Summer Sassy Swap partner, Amazing Mae, in June. She used fabric from my favourite designer, Amy Butler for this reversible beautify. She made the apron based on a vintage apron. Isn't it incredible?
The other side is this citrus print trimmed with a summery stripe. She also included this tea towel trimmed with jumbo ric rac and a matching pincushion which I absolutely love! Thank you Traci! You are amazing.
Yes it's true. I made myself an Airstream. I figure if I don't actually get to have one, at least I could have a embroidered picture of one around the house. And once again I realized--embroidery is much better than medication. This is a very rough picture I traced from a photo off the internet, but I think it turned out pretty cute. Maybe for framing, or I've also seen these made into throw pillows.
Thank you to my new friend Asthma Girl for this cute blog award. This always makes a girl feel better. After careful consideration, I pass this award onto
See this woman? She looks so innocent and cute in this photo holding her precious baby girl (uh, it's me). Who knew that one day she'd have the power to turn my adult self into a pouting, resentful little girl in a matter of minutes. Just a shadow of my normally confident and MATURE self. The one that is both a wife and mother. In fact, I will become quite similar to the young girl you see in the photo below. 
Don't let that smile fool you for one second. I was in fact both pouty and resentful for most of my 14th year. Actually, that probably describes most of pre-teen and teen years.
Can you just imagine pulling into a campsite with this baby? Okay, maybe not all of you are campers and really can't imagine, but just check out what's inside.
This is not your typical trailer. Check out the flat screen plasma tv against the back wall.
I could definitely wake up happy with all these windows surrounding. My own bedside table!
This little couch is just begging for me to sit down and read a book. I'd have to get busy maing some cute little pillows to spread around.
However, I am officially adding this little beauty to my fantasy wish list. A sweet collaboration between Airstream and DWR. 
Look at this! It appears that this ancient civilization had contact with some alien race. Perhaps they originated in space and were welcoming more of their own kind to this plant. Interesting that they already had such advanced written English skills. I wonder if they were visited by some Old World missionaries at some point. This could be evidence of diffusion of cultures in centuries & millenia past.
It looks like they also enjoyed the childhood ritual of "sleeping over". I wonder what significance this had in their culture. Was it a right of passage perhaps, or some display of bravery?
Very interesting. It appears they still got bored. Despite the wonders of nature surrounding them and the company of each other, they still could not find enough to entertain themselves. I wonder if this may have led to the extinction of their culture. Sad.
I leave you today with a pic of this cute little car the girls and I discovered on our recent trip to Calgary. I can imagine myself zipping down the street in this sweet little roadster, perhaps in ballerina flats, capris, and a shirt a la Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face! The vanity plate said BEATNIQ. So Cute.
