It Was Like Christmas 94 Days early!!!

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends... first let me again thank everyone for you continued kind comments!!  They make my morning so much brighter - I do love reading them and answering your questions and one question from Maggee got me to thinking.....  "What are Stone Fruit...?"  What a good question - and here is the WIKIPEDIA definition that says it much better than I....  "Stone fruits (or stonefruits or stonefruit), in botany, refers to drupe, fruits in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin; and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a shell (the pit or stone) of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries. The definitive characteristic of a drupe is that the hard, lignified stone (or pit) is derived from the ovary wall of the flower.

More specifically, "stone fruit" refers to members of the genus Prunus, which includes plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and almonds. It is traditionally placed within the rose family Rosaceae as a subfamily, the Prunoideae (or Amygdaloideae), but sometimes placed in its own family, the Prunaceae (or Amygdalaceae)."  I love reading about things and learning something - I just thought "stone fruit" where fruits with big pits, now I know a bit more - thanks for asking Maggee!!

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Now, on to what brought about today's Post title.....  a while back I was one of the winners of Terri's  Give Away over on her Blog - Dixiesampler - well, yesterday the package arrived and I was without words as everything tumbled out.....  here is a snap.....

Look at this pile of goodies!!!  How generous!!  I still can't believe everything - there are charts, there are three cuts of beautiful over dyed linen, there are numerous skeins of gorgeous over dyed floss,  the are skeins of linen floss, there are Cinnamon treats, there is yardage of finishing fabric, there is trim, there are magazines, there is the cutest puchwork pin, there is a super darning egg (I do love darning eggs - not that I darn anything, but I like the shape)  there is candy... and it goes on and on and on!!!!  Thank you so very much Terri!!!!  There you have it - my "Fall Christmas Present!!"

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There you go sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by - do come again.

Take care,

edgar

And the Winners Are.......

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends thank you all for your continued kind words and interest in my little ole Blog!!   After gathering all the entrants for the drawing there was quite a bowl full of slips of paper.  (I had some snaps but Blogger is acting up again so I can't post them).  I had the Hag Claw Pull three winners from the Bowl of Destiny......  In no particular order...... 

The First winner is.....

Patricia - she left this comment...  Simple Pleasure said... I would love to win the delicate porcelain bowl...seems most fitting, as St. Patrick is my name/saint! Busy Hands...Happy Heart Patricia

The Second Winner drawn was....

Carolyn - she left this comment.... Stitchinowl said...Throw my name into the Bowl of Destiny. I would be honored to win any of the Beleek pieces. It would be a nice reminder of reading about your Estate Sale weekend adventures on your blog.  Carolyn 

and last but not least.....

The Third Winner is...  

Lisa - she left this comment....Lisa said...Oh, Edgar I would love to win that piece of Belleek! Please, please enter me in. I have a little glass case that contains 3 shelves of Belleek. My great-grandmother collected Belleek and when she passed away, I received her whole collection. Since then, for every special birthday (like when I turned 25, 30, 35, 40, etc) my mother and grandmother continue to add to the collection. I have some really old pieces in the cabinet as well as some new ones...and ones that were signed by a member of the Belleek family.
The reason my great-grandmother started to collect these porcelain pieces w/shamrocks is because of the small amount of Irish blood that ran through her veins. As she would tell the story...her mother, Katherine O'Connell who was Irish married the milk man who was German. The romance of the story always intrigued the family...however, Katherine was not from Ireland, but from Iowa :) Oh, well - you gotta love family stories.

Take care...I hope that I have the luck of the Irish in order to win the bowl :) 

Congratulations to everyone and Thank you all again for entering!!!!  If the three winners could send me their addresses I will get the three pieces of Belleek out next week!!

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I hope everyone had a super St Patrick's Day - did anyone watch "The Quiet Man" - I certainly did, and loved every minute of it!!

There you go sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by - do come again!!  Have a great weekend.

Take care,

edgar

Happy St Patricks Day

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends hitting 400 followers just makes the whole day for me!!!!  I do thank each one of you and send out a big collective hug to everyone!!!  For it to happen on St Patrick's day - how lucky and wonderful!! 

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Remember today is the last day to sign up for the St Patrick's Drawing - you can click HERE and leave a comment - but do so before3:00pm PST as I am closing it out and having the drawing this evening.  I need a little time to clean up the entries, clip them into slips, fold them and mix them up in the Bowl of Destiny.

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For tonight's flick I have waiting "The Quiet Man" - 1952 - starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara - the quintessential film for today - set in Ireland - an American born Irishman returns to his family's home in Ireland and falls in love with local colleen.  I think this is a really good film and beautifully shot on location in County Mayo Ireland.  Maureen O'Hara never looked lovelier!!!  Supporting cast includes Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Mildred Natwick.  You can't go wrong with this John Ford directed film!

Last night the flicker was a film from Netflix - "The Jane Austin Book Club" - 2007 - starring Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman and Jimmy Smits.  I found this film doing a search for Emily Blunt Films.  Being so young she has quite a few really wonderful performances to her credit.  You can click HERE to read her full Bio on IMBD.  I think what just kills me is that she was born after I graduated from High School - boy am I getting old!!!!  All that aside she is a very talented actress and you should check out some of her other films.  Getting back to "TJABC" it was a nice ensemble film that used the structure of reading Austins books and how they reflected the Book Groups contemporary stories.  I liked the film  - and at 106 mins the time just flew by.

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There you go sports fans - thanks again for stopping by - I will post the winners of the Belleek Gift-a-way tomorrow at some point....  it may be in the evening, so check back to see who won!!!

Take care,

edgar

TWO Days Left

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends thank you all so very much for the kind words about Shores and the new start.  Both are wonderfully entertaining and relaxing projects to work on - and isn't that what this is all about.  Although at times it can be frustrating - running out of floss, wrong colour used, mis counting, the dreaded frogs... most of the time it is a great hobby - this stitching we do.  Last night I worked some on ABC Hornbook, but not enough was accomplished for even a craptsatique snap.

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I just wanted to mention that there are only TWO days left to throw in for the St Patrick's Gift Away.  If you wanted to enter - and all are welcomed - just click HERE and leave a little comment letting me know.  That's it, no fuss, no muss (I have always wondered what "muss" is??) 
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There you go sports fans - a short post today.  Thanks for stopping by, do come again!!

Take care,

edgar

A March Gift-Away, a Couple of Books and a Flicker

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends a few weeks back at an estate sale I found a great little piece of porcelain.  I didn't talk about it then as I knew I wanted to have a gift-away for March and it would be perfect.  What I found was this lovely......

....little bowl covered in shamrocks from the Belleek Porcelain factory in Ireland.  It is very well marked with the 3rd green Mark which dates it to 1965-1981.  I have it nestled in among my other bits and pieces.  If you would like to win this piece then comment on this POST only and I will draw a name on March 17th - celebrating St. Patrick's Day.  Anyone, anywhere can enter - so if you collect Belleek or just like the shamrocks throw your name in the mix.... you have to comment to win.

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I usually don't write about the books I 'm reading - I read lots - and usually have a few books going at one time and in a few different places.  Well, I just finished up two really wonderful "travel" type books.  Both by Marlene de Blasi - I read them out of sequence - the first was " Lady in the Palzzo: at Home in Umbria" - about her move to Orveito and the search and eventual restoration of a Ballroom/Apartment .  The Second book was "A Thousand Days in Tuscany:a Bittersweet Adventure" - a lovely book about her life in this lovely region of Italy.  I was totally taken with her writing style and adventures.  I would highly recommend them!!

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The flicker last night was another colonial extravaganza - but from the Golden Year - 1939 - called "Allegheny Uprising" - starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne and George Sanders.  With Trevor getting credit above Wayne - she was the bigger star at the time.  I enjoyed this film, but found Trevor a bit much.  Wayne and Trevor acted earlier in 1939  together in "Stagecoach" a much better film and one where she was more suited to the character she played than in "Uprising."  Overall a good film and at about an hour and half not too long.

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There you go sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by, do come again.

Take care,

edgar

The "B" Word - a Small Give-a-way and a LHN Start

GR&DF another foggy day by the Bay - so much fog that even the news this morning was babbling about the thick layer over us. Thanks for the great comments - Jeanne mentioned another of Rosalind's flickers - "Trouble with Angels" - 1966 and its sequel that is not as good..."Where Angels go Trouble Follows" - 1968. There are other fine performances out there...like.... "His Girl Friday" - 1940 - co-starring Cary Grant and her break out roll in "Craig's Wife" - 1936. So many fine performances check them out if you get a chance.
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About the Give-a-way, Rico got an engagement calendar for 2011 that he will not use and thought that there might be someone out there who could use and appreciate the snarky humor of this little gem. Here's a snap of the cover...


and here is one of the great pages inside....

Some of the pages can get a bit racy, but they are all really funny. So..... if you would like a chance to win this great little calendar, just leave a comment on this post only and we'll get out the BOD this weekend and have the who hound pick a winner. I'll announce it on Monday. Anyone, anywhere may enter and I will send it to wherever you are, but you have to post a comment to win.
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I couldn't help myself.... last night I needed to get a move on the LHN Monthly Squares. I got a great piece of linen out of the stash heap and slam bam I had a new start, Thanks again Ma Teakettle!!!!! Here's a snap..

It's not too exciting but this is the outside border of January. I changed up a floss colour - I think if something says medium green then it should be a green colour and not beige/brown, but that's just me. I think I will go along like that for the whole piece - change out where I thinkit will be a better choice. I have lots of CC Floss and so substituting the colours around will not be a problem.

That's about it for today sports fans. Thanks for stopping by - and remember if you would like a chance at the Give-a-way just leave a comment on this post. Thanks again!!

Take care,
edgar

A Lovely Package

GR&DF so sorry to have a blip in the posts here at the Sheep - but as I sat here trying to get through some of my emails and then I got wrapped up in reading through back postings on other Blogs - the time just got away from me. There is really not much happening here - I am stitching away on a replacement piece - that I think is totally cute, but then what do I know!! :)

We are all trying to stay a bit on the less than frozen side and also trying to stay dryish. We had another day of "rain." It really was not rain in the real since of the word, but just some miscellaneous drops, lots of mist and windy spattering. Just enough damp falling to keep a person less than dry - and the four hairs on my pointed head where plastered down like I had pomade in my hair!!
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There was a super bright spot yesterday afternoon - the mail brought a wonderful win from Ma Teakettle - over at The Teakettle Corner - I won the Follower's Gift-A-Way she was hosting. Here is a snap....

Along with the complete LHN Monthly Squares series was included a cute pair of scissors, some sparkly pins, a darling floss minder and really lovely piece of linen. I saw these charts last year and thought to myself, hey self - wouldn't they look cute stitched up together in sampler form. I heard no laughing or anything negative so I knew it was a pretty good idea. :)
Now to get on the stick and get a largish piece of linen and get January stitched up as I see this a year long fun stitch. Thanks you so much Ma Teakettle!!!!!!!

So that's about it for today sports fans. Thanks for stopping by and for you sweet comments. I think we have another egg under le Poulet Ville (City Chicken) ... would that be "la" as it is a girl sitting there on her eggs.......? ......... so we might get three sweet little peepers. I'll keep you updated.

Take care,
edgar

A BP Companion c'est Finis - and a Drawing!!

GR&DF I do thank you all for the kind comments for yesterdays post - and the who hounds thank you also - those little bundles of delicious cute-a-tude relish any and all love thrown at them!!


Well, last night I put the final stitches into a mega WIP - here is a snap...... from the left



and from the right....



and here is a full frontal shot.... ( jeez this sounds like stitching porn!!)

April 22, 2008- June 22, 2010

Beatrix Potter Companion Quaker Sampler - Needleprint -
32ct Mystery Over-dyed Linen - Belle Soie "Moss" silk

I couldn't believe that I started this back in 2008 ( I had to dig back through my posts to find the start date and was dumbfounded!!) - this had really sat around in the basket languishing for attention!! I decided to fill the wreaths with my parents and paternal- grand parents initials and the years they were married. I also added my initials and a 2010 date mark.

This was a really nice piece to work on - but I am happy to have it done and rolled away with my other finishes - I think the guilt of seeing it not worked on kind of gets to me after a while. I also found that in my continual panic to not run out of silk - that I had purchased and additional 6 skeins of "Moss." It is a really great gray colour that I will put to use in some other projects.

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I had a couple of comments/questions yesterday - I usually do some stitching every evening - now that can be from a hour to all evening which would run into 4 or sometimes 5 hours, but I usually feel the need to put a needle in my hand every day, just to keep my sanity if for no other reason. Rico does no needlework, he can identify an needle and thread but beyond that he is pretty useless domestically - I do all the mending with needle and thread at our house - he has two hobbies 1) his cell phone and 2) Face Book - two things that just push me over the edge and I avoid at great cost. I hardly ever - like never - have my cell phone even turned on much less on my person and I avoid the computer away from work like the plague and do not have a Facebook page - I have this here Blog and enjoy what I do here.

The BBD #40 being the last one - I am sure I read - but at the moment can not remember where - that this was to be the last one - my recollection also has a bit about -they may release some LF later on but for now its a wrap. Since they are so very busy with teaching at different places - and are now working on the AotH series - and- all the great Quilt books and stuff I certainly couldn't see them putting out any LF anytime soon. It would be great for other LF to come out - but they can only do so much.

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- THE DRAWING -

With the finish of BP Companion - I now have a chart that I will never restitch - so let's have a Drawing. If you would like to have this chart for your very own to stitch just leave a comment on this post only - mention in the post that you want to be in the drawing - and I will get the BoD out and draw a name on this Sunday - June 27, 2010 - announcing the winner on Monday. You do not have to be a follower, or a commenter or have a Blog or even live in the US - All you have to do is comment on this post and have an address somewhere on the planet that I can mail the chart to. Remember that along the folds it is a bit worn - from folding and re-folding ( a hazard of the Needleprint charts), but the chart is perfectly fine and can certainly be stitched from again.


There you go sports fans - Thank you again for stopping by a continuing to make this a bright spot in an otherwise bleak world!!!!

Take care,
edgar

The Mails Came

GR&DF along with all the rain we got yesterday the mail brought two super packages.

Let me start off with an exchange piece. A group of us are in a bi-monthly Christmas ornament Exchange. Round 5 mailing is coming up on the 1st and I think I am the first to receive mine. My partner was Julianne - who lives here in the Bay area so the package got here supper quick.
Here is a snap -

It is a wonderful piece of Santa holding the traditional symbol of hospitality - the Pineapple!! I just love this piece as it brings back so many great memories. In the South and growing up we used lots of pineapples in decoration during the Holidays. He will be a great addition to our tree. Thank you so much Julianne!!

The second package was from Marie - I won her Earth Day Give Away - and here is a snap -


It was two of her special tea towels that are embroidered with windmills. I had already gotten one of these great towels with a pumpkin on it - and now have these additional ones. They are really nice!! Thank you so much Marie for the wonderful drawing!!

My stitching is still secretive exchange stitching - so still no snaps of my doings.

The flicker last night was "Leave Her to Heaven" - 1946 - starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain and Vincent Price - the usual top actors from 20th Century. This is a film I had always heard of but had never gotten around to seeing it - can you believe that!! The movie is gloriously filmed in rich Technicolor that accentuates deep reds, warm golds, and luscious shades of turquoise. The Maine and New Mexico interiors are just great and look like they came out of a contemporary magazine, including the simple little lodge by the lake A real A picture. Tierney never looked lovelier and has the most perfect lipstick control ever - no matter what is happening!!! (and some pretty psycho things happen) Told in flash back this "noir" story - is all melodrama - from the first meeting in a beautiful club car to the last fading light on Moon Lake - I thoroughly recommend this film -

There you go sports fans - thank you again for stopping by, do come again!!

Take care,
edgar

The Mail brings some Goodies

GR&DF how very kind you all where about the goofy snap of myself and my beautiful scarf - which btw I was told is made from a blend of cotton and silk and not wool and silk - it is still lovely and soft no matter what it is made from.

I was a winner over at Jolene's Blog back in January - she had acquired some grab bags and wanted to share the bounty. The package went into the mail on January 22 and it just arrived yesterday - and it only had to came from Utah..... such a long time it must have gone by way of outer Mongolia or something - usually the mail is so much quicker. Here is a snap of all the goodies....

There was some really cute charts and a chocolate/caramel treat also - Thank you so much Jolene!!!!!

There where some questions in the comments.... Donna asked if I used the soap I got - I do - and I love it. For some reason my old rhino hide is dry as a bone and using handmade soaps keeps my from being a flakazilla - I will cut the bars in 1/2 as they are really big and it makes them easier to use. Terri mentioned a flick "The Uninvited" - 1944 - an excellent spooky film set at the seaside in England. Sharlotte mentioned a film I had not heard of "Onionhead" - 1958 - I will need to look out for this film as it does sound interesting, thanks!! Ariadne wanted to know of any Sea Themed samplers - the one the immediately springs to mind would be Carriage House Samplings - "Shores of Hawk Run Hollow"... I am sure there are more out there - any suggestions??

I am really enjoying my venturing into the world of trading charts - and will be post some more charts for trade today - check it out HERE.

Keeping it short today - thank you again for the kind comments I do appreciate them all!!

Take care,
edgar

Hallowe'en Fun, Sampler Stitching and a Movie Give-Away....

GR&DF this past weekend went a little different than most. There was no estate sale, consignment shop, thrift store or Garage sale shopping at all!! How odd is that - I think I am having withdrawals!! :)

We did however get to Dales Annual Haollwe'en Blow Out Bash!!! Once again it was over the top and lots of fun - Nicole and Kurt came over and went with us - Nicole as the Red Witch, Kurt as an Acid Rocker, Rico as Amy Winehouse and I in devil horns and mask - we where an odd bunch!! I thought the best costume of the evening was Dan - here is a snap

This was after a few hours and is makeup had started to smear a bit - but doesn't he make a great Beetlejuice - 1988. His girlfriend Amelia came as a great flapper - all be-fringed.

Before the weekend started we stopped on the way home Friday in the Mission to pick up some avocados (we brought some of Rico's delicious Guacamole to Dale's). Across the street from the produce stand is a super Panaderia we like and so we stopped to get some Day of the Dead Bread and couldn't resist some of the other fabu pastries they always have....

From l to r - DotD bread, almond muffin, custard horns, sponge cake with fruit and cream and a version of poppy seed bread.

On the stitching front I am still a'stitching on exchange pieces, but I also got in some time on Hetty - here is a snap of her progress....


She is coming along fine - at the moment I am not sure if I want to put Hetty Child's name and date on it or some other name and date........ decisions, decisions....

There were a couple of flickers this weekend - starting off with "Operation Pacific" - 1951 - starring John Wayne, Ward Bond and Patricia Neal. A pretty good flick about the submarine Thunderfish. The secondary story was an on again off again love story. Although I did enjoy the film it did get pretty hokey when you could see the wires pulling the torpedoes - not once or twice but every single time. I think they could have worked on this a bit - but what ever - it was still a good flick. The next film was also a war film - "Go For Broke" - 1951 - starring Van Johnson - This film told story was about the Japanese-American soldiers and their superior service during WWII in the European Theatre. I enjoyed this flick also as it showed the men from basic training in Mississippi to fighting in Italy. I also started rewatching the BBC mini-series "Brideshead Revisited" - 1981. I am once again enjoying this great mini-series!!

Now for the Give-Away..........I thought it would be nice to have a give-way in honor of the Birthday of Marie Antoinette -

She was born on November 2, 1755 - just a mere 254 years ago. The drawing is for both Marie Antoinette DVD's - the 1938 version starring Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power and the 2006 version starring Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman. If you would like to enter the drawing please leave a comment on this post only - the only requirement to enter the Give-Away is that you post a link on your blog about the drawing (if you have one). These are Region 1 DVD's but will play on any multi-regional player. I will have a name plucked from the BOD this weekend - so be sure to enter by 3pm PST Friday, November 6, 2009.

Thank you once again for stopping by and your very kind comments!! Do come again.

Take care -
edgar

A Bunch of Stuff with a Bunch of Snaps!

GR&DF how is that for a title! It was one of our regular weekends with no drama and no stress. Just busy with weekend things.

Let me begin with a finish and happy jig!! I put everything aside and focused all the stitching on TiTD Sampler - and she is now finished - here is a snap...

I really enjoyed this piece - except for all that white stitching - that did get a bit tedious. I shifted some of the colours from the recommended - it is stitched on a BoF 36ct "Meadowlark" piece of linen. I was looking through the stash box of linen and I have quite a bit of Meadowlark.... I guess I sort of like the stuff!! I also started another sampler - Hetty Child - and here is the tiny bit I got stitched -

This is actually the second start of this piece. I started the first one on another piece of linen. I was stitching away and just couldn't wrap my head around the linen's colour and count so I pulled it all out and began again on this piece - 32 ct "Fog" from Silkweavers. This piece I have changed all the DMC floss' to Belle Soie Silks. I like stitching so much better in silk and BS is always a winner!!

We also went shopping - to Japan Town, to the Farmers Market and Estate/Garage Sales. There were a few things to get at the Estate/Garage Sales .... and a snap...


I found a great old Thermos - I have been looking for one for the longest time and this $1 find was just the ticket! I also found a frame and a 2 cup measure - along with the two icons and books I spent less than $8 - now, you can't beat that with a stick!! The Hallowe'en light I found in a thrift store for $2 - now how's that for buying back your childhood. Here it is with a light in it -

What is so crazy is that at the Antique Fair we went to a couple of weeks ago I saw a few of these - and those where all priced at $30+ - so this was a bargain. It is dated 1969 and looks pretty good. Keeping with the Hallowe'en theme Rico got the hounds "costumes" out and before they could get away they got dressed up - here is a snap of that -

Aren't they having a ball!! Well, at least we had a good chuckle and the second they got down they were both pulling off their costumes -
Shopping yesterday included a visit to the Farmers Market at the Civic Center - and of course I got some snaps of there...




The Fall things are looking beautiful!!

We also ran over to Japan Town - here is a snap of the Peace Tower and some Fall foliage...

I didn't find what I was looking for - but I did pick up some new incense -

It is a new kind for me and is Sandalwood - the guy at the incense shop suggested this brand. It is very good!! I like the more woodsy- spicy incenses.

We did have the drawing picking the winner of the Sail Away Chart - as with all drawings here at the Sheep - we had the Hag Claw draw from the BoD....... now, with the crazy Peach watching - it draws forth a name.......

and that name is.....


- Lisa over at Hockey Mom Stitchin' Hobby. Congratulations!!! I have sent you an email for your snail mail to get the chart out this week. Thank you all for your interest in the SA Chart. Lisa mentions that when she has stitched it up that she will also be passing it along to another stitcher - so keep an eye out for that Give Away.

I think that wraps it up for today - Thank you for stopping by and do come again!!

Take care,
edgar

A Gift, A Give-A-Way and a Gully Washer

GR&DF it's Tuesday and I pushed it a bit on the title - sometimes I just haven't a clue as to what to head this sucker with. At some point I know I will break and just put nothing, but until that time I will keep trying for the clever and descriptive - :)

Yesterday the delivery guy brought me a Birthday Gift from a dear sweet friend that already does so much!! We all know and Love dear Vonna - she sent me a great gift box of goodies from Dillman Farm in Bloomington IN.


Included in the box is some Apple Butter (a favorite of mine), some Strawberry Jam (yummy) and two kinds of fudge - can you go wrong with any kind of fudge!!
What a great way to wrap up a Birthday!!

Keeping with a friends sort of Blog today - I wanted to have a small Give-a-way - As you saw yesterday I have finished up Sail Away - this was also a gift from a dear friend - Becky - a while back. Made even more special by doing it with a group of friends as a SAL!! I want to make a gift of the Instructions and chart to a stitcher out there that might want to kit it up their self.


Here is a snap of everything including the remaining silks - there really isn't enough of any one colour - but you can get the idea of the colours required if you wanted to use some other floss. It is in very good condition as I always stitch from copies of the chart and not the original charts. So, if you would like this copy of Sail Away to stitch - and it is a great stitch!! - just leave a comment on this post before this Friday, October 16th at 3 PM PST. I will have the Hag Claw draw from the BOD (Bowl of Destiny) and announce the winner next Monday.

My stitching for the last couple of nights had been throwing a couple of strands of floss at TiTD and working on my exchanges. I do love them so but they do seem to stack up don't they!!!

The flickers on the tube have been that superior BBC series - Upstairs Downstairs and not I Claudius. When I was standing in front of the DVD's looking for IC I saw the UD set and thought "I hadn't seen that in a while." So off the shelf it came and I am working my way through the 4th Disc. The complete series is 81 episodes so it will take me a while to get to the end. Rico gave me the whole series a few years back and I watched it then but haven't in a while so I am very excited to rewatch them. I was also poking around on the Internet yesterday and found that they are in production for a 2nd UP series which follows Rose the house parlor maid a few years later into another position as a Housekeeper. It should bee airing next spring (I think) in the UK and eventually here in the States - I can't wait!!! If you have never seen the series I would highly recommend it. Each episode can be watched individually but it is always better to see it from the begging. To watch the progression through the years and see how all the characters develop.

Last but not least - we are in the midst of our first big storm of the season - a bit early - but a total downpour right now!! Here is a snap of it rolling in over the city last night.....

This was the last bit of sunlight breaking through from the west and hitting the buildings of downtown SF - aren't the clouds lovely!!

There you go sports fans!! Thank you once again for all the super nice comments - I do appreciate them and your time for writing!! Have a great rest of the day!

Take care,
edgar

Giving Away a "Rare Treasure"

What a wonderful way to start off.
This beautiful sampler "Rare Treasures" is a first in what I hope is a huge collection -

Click here to enter in the drawing. Congratulations Jan on a super beginning!!!!!

A Post with Many Snaps - Wednesday was a full Day!!

GR&DF where to begin...... well, yesterday was the weekly farmers market and I trotted on over there and got my usual - onions, tomatoes, kettle korn, nectarines...I also picked up some pistachios and cucumbers - I got a couple of pretty snaps - this first one is of the larger of the two flower sellers.....

The colours of the flowers are becoming a more fall palette - and I thought this was a nice snap. The second picture is also because I liked the composition and it was pretty...


The peppers were so nice they almost look fake. I also noticed an egg seller has joined the ranks of farmers - I think next week I need to get some farm fresh brown eggs. Sometimes there is music and yesterday there was this group playing...

They had lots of flute type tunes and it was very nice and added to the mix of the visit for me.

The mails brought a bounty of wonderfulness - starting off with Margaret's package - I won her 200th posting Give Away - and I must say - it was a super package to receive!!!!


It was beautifully wrapped as you can see - lovely fabric for finishing and a gorgeous ribbon for an extra special package in the future. Here is a snap of what was it contained -

Starting in the lower left - there is a lovely piece of linen and some NPI silks - some delicious chocolates and a super notebook with a piece of Margret's stitching on the cover - what a great finish!! I see this finish in my future.... :) Thank you so much Margaret!!!!!

The mail also brought back home my Halloween RR piece from Carol. She was the last stitcher on my piece and what a great job she did (as always!!!) Here is a snap -


Carol stitched the skeleton in the grave from BOAF's "Remember Me on Halloween." How perfect was this choice!! I couldn't have asked for anything better - I am so very grateful everyone that stitched on my piece - and all I can say is THANK YOU!!!! I loved doing this Holiday themed RR. I am still planning to go back and add another tree, and some more pumpkins, leaves and other bits to fill in around the motifs everyone has stitched.

My stitchity evening was filled with the "Sail Away" SAL - here is a snap of the bits I got to last night.

I got the wreath done and all the white on the little lady - I will finish her up tonight. This piece is such a great stitch - so even and calm - I am really happy to be doing it as a SAL.

The flickers for the evening where both based in real life - the first was "The Fighting Sullivans" - 1944 - about the lives of 5 very close brothers growing up together - then enlisting in the Navy right after Pearl Harbor. They all served together on the USS Juneau and all perished with a day or so of the ship being sunk during the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. This was a nice movie but a tear jerker - the print that was used to make the DVD sort of sucked in places but what can one do. The second flicker was another WWII film called "The Colditz Story" - 1955 - this is a film about a castle called Colditz that is used a "escape proof" POW camp. There a various nationalities incarcerated in the camp and they are all trying to break out. Very entertaining and some great photography. I enjoyed both flicks very much, but you know how I like my WWII films!!

There you go - I have bent your ear enough today I think!! Thank you all for stopping by - do come again!

Take care,
edgar

And we have a winner....

...but first there must be the ceremony of the BOD - (bowl of Destiny) - an icy - sparkly - miracle of light and fire - yet no chihuahua was harmed whilst dancing....... the fog clears and out from the mist come our sniffing Who-Hounds. Around and around they go....... then into the bowl for the decision......

...yet they were hesitant - and why we ask????? no thumbs - silly - so from the misty nether regions comes forth a hags claw - from whence did this horror occur? Yet into the sparkle and fire dipped the claw..... pulling forth.... a paper on which a single name has been scibbled. The mysterious HC (hag claw) doth present the winner -


We must now leave the worn and slumbering chi's....

Her Highness - The Peach - and we hear her catch phrase -
"Scratch my butt fool - don't just stand there!!"
and

His Imperial Snackasaurusness - Pete - while lolling about he thinks upon which item he must wet before sleep comes - or - in other circles - he is wont to utter "That better be a piece of ham, or there'll be trouble!!"

and we must thank the claw - Merci!!!

The flicker for the evening "Autumn Hearts: A New Beginning" - 2007 - the title in the USA - Released elsewhere as "Emotional Arithmetic" - a Canadian film that is full of beautiful crane shots and vistas. Starring Susan Sarandon, Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer and Gabriel Byrne. A film about a reunion of deportation camp survivors and the residual emotional baggage each carries after 35 years. Not a happy film - but a thought provoking piece about a noy so nice piece of WWII history with a story line that plods along at a steady clip clop.

I worked a bit on TitD -

Getting the grass in.

There you go sports fans that wraps up another blog-babble. - Into the mail this morning goes my PS Round 3 - that should take a week or so to reach its new home overseas. Thank you for stopping by and for entering my little Give-a-way - there will another soon.

Take care -
edgar

A mid-week Posting and a Drawing

GR&DF - Thank you once again for so many nice comments -
I do appreciate your time a trouble!!

I think I Will answer some of the questions that were asked.. I looked around on line and found that the name of those scissors is "Criss." Last night while I was stitchin' away on an exchange and was using them that they are pretty heavy for embroidery scissors. or at least in comparison to the Dovo pair I usually use. They work very well but they a thicker and heavier - just an observation.

I was thinking about what might have happened to the baby pidge - I think that it was a weaker and smaller bird - like a runt in the litter. A sad point in nature.

Mary Beth - what Musicals are you watching???? I got my "Now Playing" TCM Guide for next month and the actor they are highlighting is Claude Raines - such a great actor be sure to catch some of his films. Colleen - I love that movie "The Nun's Story" and it is also in my collection.
Last night the flicker was "Frances" - 1982 - starring Jessica Lange and Kim Stanley. This is a flick I had never seen but had heard of - a very gritty biopic of the life of Frances Farmer - from her super rise to stardom on the screen and the stage - and her fall into mental illness - a really compelling film at 2 1/2 hours it moves along a good clip - I would recommend it just for a look at how the studio system in the 30's could create and destroy actors -

I finished up a very good book that I wanted to pass on - so lets have a little drawing-giveaway...

This is the book - The Sisters - about the Mitford family as a group but focused on the lives of the five girls -

Jessica, Nancy, Diana, Unity and Pamela -

A really good book - that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you would like to throw your name in the BOD (bowl of destiny) then leave a comment on this post and I will have a name drawn on Monday evening 8/17 with an announcement of the winner on Tuesday - leave a email or way for me to contact you so I can get the book in the mail as soon as possible.

There you go sports fans - Thanks for stopping by - do come again!!!

Take care,
edgar

A RAK, A Winner and A Gift Arrives

Good Morning Dear Friends - I am always amazed at the generosity of this community. Just read a handful of Blogs and you see over and over again how kind and giving this group is. A week or so ago a dear friend I made through the stitching Blog-o-sphere, Shay, sent an email about some Royal Memorabilia - and would I like them. Knowing my love of the Windsor-Mountbatten's I said yes of course, and yesterday a box arrived. Dear Shay sent all of these lovely things....

She included with the Royal Wedding Wedgwood plates a darling cream and sugar and a couple of pretty doilies. How wonderful are they!! I couldn't believe it as I was unwrapping them, Thank you so much Dear Shay!!!!

Moving on to the winner of "Let Live" - I popped all the names from the comments into a Randomnizer and out popped Sherry's name at the top of the list. I will get it in the mail in the next day or so. Thank you all for entering my little give away - and for the very kind things everyone had to say - I do appreciate them.

I saw on the SBBC that my partner got her Birthday Package - I was getting worried, but there was no need - everything arrived safe and sound. My partner was Pirjo in Finland. Here is a snap of everything I sent - a chart with buttons from her Wish list, some scissors, candy, bath salts and a California magnet and seeds-


and a closeup of the Pyn-Keepe I made -

This chart is from the Crown and Thistle Seasons - this is from the Spring Summer. I picked up both the Spring/Summer and the Fall/Winter set when they came out but had never had an opportunity to stitch any of them - I wanted to make something that had a Summery feel and a busy Bee skep and vine worked out really well. Happy Birthday Pirjo!!!

There where plenty of flicks over the weekend - Some of the highlights would be - "The Easiest Way" - 1931 - starring Constance Bennett, Adolph Menjou, Robert Montgomery and Anita Page. The film is a pre-code with the basic story line about a good girl who becomes less good for a lovely life and a ton of jewellery then gives it all up for love. A pretty good film with some silly dialogue and situations - but very watchable. Another early film - "Looking Forward" - 1933 - starring Lionel Barrymore - Made in the throws of the depression this story juxtaposes two families one very wealthy and the other a working class one and how they handle it as their lives fall apart in losing everything. Everything works out in the end as most movies do. An interesting side note is this is one of eight films that Barrymore appeared in 1933 - he was very busy!!! I had two Netflix Pic's - The first would be "The Eddy Duchin Story" - 1956 - starring Tyrone Power and Kim Novak - This Bio Pick is the story of the famous Band leader of the 30's and 40's and his life. As with most Bio Pic's it is very slick and Hollywood - but some very good music and Kim Novak is stunning on screen. The second film was a BBC production of "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" - 1996 - based on the 1848 novel of Ann Bronte's. The production is superior and I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys Jane Austin or the like. I had never seen this before and I was so glad I gave it a chance. It is a mini series on one disc broken into three parts - so you can watch it over a couple of evenings.

I have droned on long enough!!
Thank you for stopping by and for all the comments!!
Do come again.

Take care,
edgar