Winter Wonderland

Happy Tuesday Folks!

Well Old Man Winter brought us a good dose of snow over the past few days. The weather went from somewhat mild to down-right freezing in record time. Sunday was a gorgeous yet cold day so I thought I would take a few photos to share. 

Glassy looking beach rocks on the fringe of our Koy Pond.

I remember, as a child, as soon as I found an icicle I would crack it off and eat it! Not particularly sanitary - but naturally I never even thought of that before devouring one of these things.  I've seen icicles more than a foot long at times, especially common on older houses where poor insulation lets heat escape out the roof - thus melting the snow on the roof and making icicles!!! Don't ask how I know this...

One of my favourite things after a snow storm is seeing the evergreens drooping with the weight of the snow. I was a little too late this time to capture it on camera but I loved how the mid-day sun had begun to melt just a little bit of the snow on this branch!

The holly is VERY vibrant against the snowy backdrop don't you think? Every time I see the holly bush I think of the song "The Holly and the Ivy"...and now it's totally stuck in my head!!!

"The Holly and the Ivy,

When they are both full grown

Of all the trees that are in the wood

The holly bears the crown..."

YOUR TURN TO HAVE IT STUCK IN YOUR HEAD! HA!

And then of course Leia snuck out the door as I was coming in from outdoors. She's been wanting to go out every 5 minutes since the snow came down... utterly annoying but so cute. So you can imagine how hard it was to entice her to come back inside once she escaped! Irish Setters I think have this thing where they freeze when you're calling to them but play deaf and continue on their merry way... Like you're not running after them screaming "treat treat" in the least. 

She looks quite mischievous here, I can just imagine what she's thinking "I see your lips moving but I hear nothing missus!". 

Surprisingly enough, there's a little resemblance between my current WIP and Leia's picture don't you think?

Except this is going to be a moose... eventually. It's "Merry Moose Wishes" from the 2012 JCS Christmas Ornaments mag. I'm stitching this on 28ct blue-ish grey opalescent lugana. I love the fabric... but not the count. So I decided to stitch over 1... I have one word to describe stitching over 1... HARD! But it's looking great and I hope to put a few stitches in tonight. This will be for my brother's girlfriend - who is obsessed with these massive creatures. 

Moose are a dime a dozen here - in fact I remember I was once driving up my street, driving somewhat slowly because my dog was in the back and the window was stuck rolled down... when a big fricken moose comes out behind a house and plants itself solidly in the middle of the road. I stop the car, praying that my dog would not go crazy and jump out at it when I see too little calves cross the road. Only when they were up the embankment on the other side of the road did the mother leave. Very cool and something I will likely remember for the rest of my life!

Oh and I should tell you I've made the switch to Q-snaps! I felt a little guilty leaving my hoops behind at first but as soon as I realized the tension on the fabric lasted a whole lot longer on the Q-snaps I was fully converted! Originally I had decided to try out Q-snaps because of the dirty hoop ring that was starting to make an appearance on cross-stitches. I was none to happy about this development - especially since I'm practically religious about washing my hands period. This problem is practically non-existent now and I love how easy it is to hold!!! Love love love!

Have a great week guys!

Melissa