It was a hot one!!!!!

It was a hot and humid  Canada Day weekend here!  Thank goodness our trailer has AC.

For some reason or another my DH and I woke up at 5:00AM on Saturday morning.  We went for a 2.66km walk with the dog (or more accurately I walked and he ran - the mosquitoes were bothering him more than me although we both sprayed ourselves up) and afterwards he went back to sleep but I stayed up and before it got too hot I made the syrup for our hummingbird feeders (we have two that we hang behind our trailer so that we can watch the hummingbirds from our sofa.),

 

baked several batches of Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies and made a couple of liters of delicious Sweet Ice Tea:

and then I settled down to some stitching while listening to the audiobook First Family by David Baldacci.

I finished another piece from the Hearts of Canada Series:

 

 Pattern: Hearts of Canada - Nova Scotia

Designer:  Thea Dueck - The Victoria Sampler

Fabric: 25 ct Lugana Antique White

Threads:  DMC, Kreinik Braid #4

 and added several more stitches to the following pieces:

  It's Berry Time by Blackbird Designs (Loose Feathers Pattern 37)

Red Alphabet by Sheepish Designs:

The Second Day by  Plum Street Sampler (2012 JCS Christmas Preview issue).  I am stitching this as part of the Christmas All Year Round ornament SAL.  This month's theme is Birds.

Cappuccino Milk Chocolate Truffle by Gingerbread Girl (Kathryn Drummond).   I had hoped to start on the beading this weekend but alas it didn't happen.

and finally Husband or Wife's Sampler by Linda Myers.

As you can see, I rarely work on one piece at a time. I need variety. Only when I am close to finishing a piece will I work on it exclusively.

Sunday morning I donned my Canada Day T-shirt and hat and put the finishing touches on my Canada Day cake. (Okay, the Maple Leaf needs some work but the cake was good!!)

Despite the heat it was a wonderful weekend and my DH and I wished we could of stayed out longer but alas our holidays are still 2 and half weeks away. I finished 2 other books besides First Family - Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and Gently Does It by Alan Hunter. All three were excellent reads.

During the evenings we watched the following DVDs - Midsomer Murders - Days of Misrule, Vera - 1st Season and He Knew He was Right.  I love our local library.  I was able to rent all this for $3.30 for 1 week. We only get 1 channel out at the trailer and so we rent DVDs to watch in the evening.

I hope you all have great week (Happy July 4th to all my US friends) and happy stitching!!!!!

 

It's Rhubarb Time!!!!!!!

Well, it has only been a day since my last post and here I am again. Not bad!!!! Today I spent more time baking then stitching.  We have a rhubarb plant in our back garden and I decided to use it up today.

First I made my all time favourite recipe with rhubarb - Rhubarb Strawberry Pie (I was lazy today and decided to not to do a lattice top):

Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

 

And then I made a Rhubarb Matrimonial cake.  I use the recipe from Home for Dinner. (I made a mistake and used white sugar instead of brown for the bottom and top).  Otherwise I followed the recipe as written with the blog owner's changes - more oats, less sugar.

The only stitching I did today was on It's Berry Time from Blackbird Designs (Loose Feathers).

Thank you to all those that read  and commented on my post yesterday.  It was greatly appreciated.  Take care and happy stitching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

More Baking and my Christmas Trees

Well, I made the shortbread dough last night but I didn't bake them until this morning.

Then this afternoon I made the Voluptuous Coconut Macaroons.  I hadn't made them for a couple of years and forgot that the baking time in the original recipe was off.  It said 20 minutes but after almost burning the first batch I found that they are done after 10 minutes.

Last night I finished decorating my main tree in the Living Room

and today I finished decorating my Nutcracker Tree and got my Shepherd's Bush 2000 Years Ago tree in position and all lighted up.

I have most of my decorating done now - just few bits and pieces to put into place.  And once I  have made my Butter Tart Squares all the baking will be  done. Yippee!!!

After I finished posting here, I will go back to stitching on another one of my 2011 Crazy January Challenge starts - Believe Tree by Mary McLenon (M Designs).   I will post a picture of my progress tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by and for all your lovely comments.  I enjoy reading them.

Take care and happy stitching!!!!

More Christmas Goodies!!!

I had a wonderful day today - stitching, decorating and making more Christmas goodies.

Last Sunday I made my Christstollen.

And today I made Molasses Cookies (my DH likes these):

and some Marble Almond Bar.

I currently baking Artisan Semolina Buns for Christmas Eve. (I will be freezing them.) And I am trying to decide whether or not to make the Shortbread tonight or tomorrow.  I will let you what I decided tomorrow.   

My main tree in the living room is almost finished.  My DH still has to put the Angel on top (he said he would do it tomorrow - the procrastinator!!!) and I think there are still a few ornaments that I haven't brought up from the basement.  I will post a pic when it is all finished. 

I have three of my ornaments ready to ornamentify (I love this "new" word :) - I have seen it used a couple of times this week).  The Different Drummer just needs some backstitching and beading to be done and then that one will be done too.   I will post some pics tomorrow.

Well that is it for now!  Take care and happy stitching!!!!!

♫ It`s beginning to look at lot like Christmas ♫

(Be thankful you can`t really hear me sing or you be heading for the hills! LOL)

Christmas is my favourite time of the the year.  So today I had a great time doing Christmasy things.

This morning I baked 3 loaves of  Jack Daniel`s Classic Holiday Fruitcake .  I like this recipe  because it doesn`t have any candied cherries or pineapple.  I love candied citrus peel but I have never been a fan of the cherries or pineapple.

 And then this afternoon I made half a batch of my favourite rum ball recipe.  You can find the recipe here. I love this recipe because it is so decadent. ;)

Tomorrow I hope to make a Christstollen.  (Please note that although this is the recipe I use, I don`t put in any candied cherries.  I just increase the amount of candied citron.)  Next week my plan is to make some butter tart squares, molasses cookies and shortbread.

I also started pulling out my Nutcrackers to  decorate for  Christmas.  It takes about a week for me to get them all out and in their place as well getting my trees decorated (I have 3 trees - the main tree in the living room, the Nutcracker tree in the den and the Shepherd`s Bush 2000  years Ago mini tree in the Dining Room.)  I  decorate almost every room in the house with Nutcrackers (even the bathrooms).  The only room my DH can find refuge from them is the bedroom. :)

This is my Advent Nutcracker

and these three are the Phantom of the Opera,  Maid Marion and a Tyrolean marking the last German Mark and the switchover to the Euro.

I even managed to find some to stitch on Daffycat`s Stocking Reindeer. I hoping to have this on done soon so I can start her Ribbon Reindeer.  I have decided to keep the reindeer for myself.   Which means I am going to have find a way to display.  Hmmm..... perhaps another tree?  (Pssst.....don't tell my DH!!!)

LAST CALL:  YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT (CST) TONIGHT TO ENTER MY MINI GIVEAWAY FOR THE 2010 PRAIRIE SCHOOLER SANTA.  GO HERE FOR DETAILS.

Have a good evening and happy stitching!!!!!!!!!!!!