PS cube again

Thank you *very* much for your comments on my PS cube! :)

Elisabeth posted two beautiful photos of the goodies I sent her along with the cube (two new charts, one kitted, a small Santa, a little chest made of one piece of wood, a hand-decorated traditional Polish chocolate cake, a hand-painted silk card and a box to decorate) and she kindly let me copy them here.

Exchanges can be soooo much fun when you have the privilege to spoil a little someone as gifted, talented and lovely as Elisabeth is! :)

I can't wait to discover what she stitched for me but I won't be home before next Monday, I think.

Hyttekos

Or 'cozy time' in a mountain cabin. For anyone interested in Norwegian traditions, HERE is a nice photo series on that theme, with comments in English. Aren't these cabins amazing... I remember each of my stays in one of those old houses... oh, we just have to plan something again!

Gingerbread cookies

We spent the week-end baking and decorating gingerbread cookies. A great time was had! All the family, big and small, everyone helped around a big table. And then we decided that from now on, we would always decorate - eggs at Easter and gingerbread cookies for Christmas, all the family together. Here are those I decorated, aren't they adorable? :)

My aunt created more traditional versions:

One of my cousins and my aunt...


His wife made funny couples, here is Mister and Lady Ghost:

Futher on, she painted a handsome little guy ready for a night at the opera (my cousin and his wife are big opera fans)...


...soon joined by the lady of his heart:

Prairie Schooler - recent finishes

Here is my exchange piece for Elisabeth - I created a four-sided cube (of which just two sides are shown). I was ambitious: it took me about eight hours to sew-it together and do the decoration in the upper part. Haven't I said I could never earn my life as a finisher at that speed? LOL But I was proud of the result :)
That was from Button up - Book # 143.

The three other photos are all also from a recent leaflet, Cranberry Christmas - Book # 142:
- the one with red fizzy finishing stays home
- the gold/red one with smaller and bigger beads is a PIF for Mylene
- and the last one also stays home - you'll notice I did it in colors and added beads etc. It is a constant source of frustration because no matter what I did, I was never able to take a good shot of it and it *is* really nice.I have one more to show but it has to wait till someone receives it... ;-)

Be blessed

A small recent finish that stays home - I love it way too much to part with it! LOL
I added a green thread around the cording, it was such a good idea.

Plumpudding Needlearts freebie
Stitched with my choice of overdyes on Silkweaver hand-dyed linen.

Family time

I am spending a week at my aunt, grandma, with regular visits from both of my cousins and wifes, kids - a wonderful time.
Today my cousin's children are staying overnight. They consider it a rare treat when I come to stay a bit and they insisted in staing at my aunt's for two days this week-end. And as we are busy cooking and baking traditional Christmas specialties, we also have a great time together, we laugh a lot and enjoy being together.
On the pictures, just some of the many trays of miniature gingerbread Christmas cookies we bakes today, my aunt and my cousin's kids.

Elisabeth - my dog and cat never lay together like on the picture. At the beginning, Toska tried but Happy was too scared. It was just a one time shot LOL!

Donna - I don't think H. will let her stay but from what I hear daily, she's having a great time and he's spoiling her totaly, so who knows with 7 weeks left... :)

Linda - your comment made me think. I was first surprised, then I realized I would have *never* given my own pet(s) to anyone else. And then I realized also why I let Toska go so easily with H. - it's because it's him, it's H. I know he's the most caring person with both people and animals and I know the way he is with both of mine :) I wouldn't have let her go if I hadn't known that apart food and going out, she gets a huge daily dose of care and warmth. She does :)

About weird cats

Toska is a highly intelligent, very opiniated and in many ways, difficult cat I rescued from a shelted in February 2006. For one long year, nothing changed in our relationship. Who thinks all animals are grateful for being rescued is wrong. She wasn't. I do not know what her past was before the shelter. All I know is that her owner (?) dropped her there one sad day, on Dec. 23rd, one day before Christmas, adding he is "cleaning before Christmas". She was not afraid of people, actually she was not and is not afraid or intimidated by anyone or anything. She came to sleep with me on the pillow on the first night. But she didn't like cuddles and remained unaffectionate for one whole year. She bites and scratches easily, as I say, she has an 'easy paw' LOL. And then I took her to Norway for 3,5 months this summer. And the moment I picked her at the luggage place at Gardermoen airport, she had changed. While Happy the dog was highly unhappy in his transporter and wanted to be taken out *immediately*, she was calm, curious, patient. And then for 3,5 months, she had a biiiig house, a biiiig garden and tons to do. She started to love me. She started to look deep into my eyes and she let me do anything I wanted, including scratching her belly. It was pure cat love for her own human. And the day we returned to Warsaw everything was back to what it was before the stay in Norway. No belly scratching, not much affection if I wanted to stay alive. She had again that angry look and that banging tail most of the day. I was sad. That all led me to think she must have had a big house and maybe also a garden in her previous life. And that she hates my small flat and the boredom. She doesn't even look at windows. Of course, she plays a lot, but it is not the same.

This week H. took her with him back to Oslo so that I can travel more easily, stress the pets less during the pipes works and spend less on the pets pension. I'll bring her back from Oslo with me in January.

And you know what? She is again a super happy cat. A calm cat who loves you with all her heart. She sleeps with H., walks after him like a doggie and disappears for short (it's cold in Norway!!) trips in and around the property. H. says she's plain happy.

I don't have much hope that he'll let her stay more than till January but who knows. He had been refusing till now - he travels a lot and doesn't want to have pets when I am not there. That said he LOVES all sorts of animals, after all he's a zoologist by education, it's just that he's much more reasonable than me. But maybe if you all cross fingers and send some good vibes, this time he'll agree to keep her? I love her to death and she loves me, but she *is* much more happy there and for me, that's what counts. Plus, I would spend 3 months with her next summer...

And the weird thing is that she really is not impressed by travelling - alone, in the luggage compartment. I read horror stories and Happy himself travels worse and stresses more each time - but not her. You deliver a calm cat, you get a calm cat, who just waits patiently many hours till the doors of her transporter open at the final destination. But then, in many ways, she is exceptional, many experienced cat owners tell me that.

Now I just have to talk to her on the phone and convince her to stop walking and purring on H.'s body all night! He tried to close the door to the bedroom but she opens door so he prefers her heavy presence on his back to several minutes of noise till she opens the door :)

Here is an older picture I love. You'd think they are good friends ;-)

Monday update

I haven't been blogging for a while, I know. After two months of being submerged with work, I know have very little on my plate, but I've been busy otherwise. The pipe works in my flat (yes, I know you've been hearing about it for a while LOL!) will finally happen sometime in December, hopefully before I leave for Christmas at my fathers and to Oslo! I can't wait to celebrate the New Year in the fresh Norwegian air. Anyway. The preparations for the pipe works took a *lot* of time. I emptied furniture after furniture, sortied stuff, threw a lot, still have piles of magazines in the living room to sort, then cleaned otherwise unaccessible places with H.'s (great) help. H. was here for 3 days - 3 days of hard work helping me clean and move and unscrew the furniture etc. But, we had a delightful birthday dinner - I was inviting of course and the food was heavenly, but not the bill - the ....#$^#^#... - made me pay half the price of the dinner for ONE bottle of wine. Arrrrrgh. They didn't have a wine list and I assumed that when I say "reasonably priced" it won't cost 70 usd!!!! Ah, good I had a budget for that. If not for that bad moment, everything was perfect and I had an excellent idea of a gift for H. - I got him a laser meter and he was soooo happy! This will make it much easier for him to change the bathroom etc. I was so glad with my idead, but then I must say I am good at choosing the right gifts for people I know well.
Healthwise I still need to check things out and I worry a bit [...]. I am leaving for a week or two at my aunt though, with Happy the dog, to breathe some family atmospehre. I'll be working normally though and receiving me mail as usual.
I have lots to show but not before a few persons receive their gifties :)
I also received a huge order from Theresa at Shakespearesppeddler, one that I had been gathering for 2 or 3 months, and it was one happy, happy day. I got some charts as doubles to send out as gifts.
I've sent out my Prairie Schooler exchange to Elisabeth, a PIF to Sharon, a PIF/Birthday/Xmas to Mylene and my Birthday exchange (the one organized by Becky) to ----. I hope they all like what I picked and/or stitched for them!

Busy week-end

I've been very ill the last few days and I need to do more medical checks but I am close to completely fine now. I've never been that sick in my whole life and it wasn't funny, but hopefully it was a one time problem. When the main pain attack was over, I spent the next three days sleeping most of the day and night, I was very weak. Then on the fourth day I decided to spend the whole day doing finishing on many gifites that were stitched and were waiting for inspiration to strike on me. Actually I think I worked on that for two full days. Oh, I don't like finishing. Only sewing and decorating my partner's Prairie Schooler exchange took me 8 full hours.... LOL! Too bad I can't show you the result yet, but I am very satisfied with it. In total I did the finishing on 8 pieces, including a little box. Oh, I am also very happy with that one. Two PIFS (for Mylene and Sharon) are also waiting to be sent as soon as I feel strong enough again to go to the post office. It was lots of work but I am as happy to have it behind me as I am happy with the result! I certainly couldn't earn my life as a finisher though! :)
I've just posted a fall pillow that stays home (lousy picture though! it is much nicer in real) and I'll be posting more in the next days and weeks, when these gifties reach their future owners :)
The works in my flat are approaching and H. might arrive from Oslo this Friday instead of Monday, two days earlier, because he wants to help me empty the kitchen furniture into boxes and unmount the furniture. I don't look forward to all this work but it can't be avoided either. he was supposed to fly in on Monday for his birthday but this way we'll get to spend 5 days together instead of 3, even if they will be quite busy. I will make sure though to organize a lazy and/or attractive day on his birthday. I plan a dinner in a good restaurant and I've already ordered his gift online - not sure of the name in English, it is a laser hand device for measuring distances in a building, instead of using a tape. Something tells me he'll be delighted :)

Fall pillow finish

Stitched with Fallen Leaves (Crescent Colors) on Autumn Gold 36 ct linen (Lakeside Linen).

This is from Tante's Zolder (aka My aunt's attic). The pattern can be found in the August folder.