Opening, Opening, Open!

I said I would keep you updated on my beautiful Orchid... Over the last few weeks I would wake up to find it a little further along, the stem starting another bud, or each bud getting a little closer to opening...

I woke up a few days ago to find this little one has decided to come out of her little shell...

 And this morning she has opened to show us her beauty. A little light in the darkness, life in the death of winter. Hope when it seems there is none. Thank you, Little Orchid. You brighten my days :)

Happy Cow Appreciation Day!

1. Chenille Moo Cow Custom by MillieFern 2. Hand Drawn Egg Cup - Cow by Jimbobart 3. Mad Cow Pet Hat by PamperedWhiskers 4. Cow Thank You Notes by MariaPalito 5. Cow Hugger Necklace by RoamingRabbit 6. My Moo Moo by RkDsign88

In honor of Cow Appreciation Day, I present to you a collection of beautiful, adorable, wonderful cow-inspired art from Etsy. I just love cows, don't you? I would love to have a farm with a great big field so I could plonk a bunch of cows there. Just to watch them eat and be cows. So relaxing!

Update on Fintan: they have changed his litter, and he is on antibiotics and seems to be doing a bit better. He is playing more and coming up to people for affection, so that is a very good sign. I'll keep you updated :)

Thoughtful Thursday: New Project Update!

Here are a few interim photos of the new project I'm working on. This is a modified version of a project from my new chain mail book. In this bracelet, I am making my own rings (yup, all 200 of them), and then weaving them into a loose Byzantine chain mail weave...
In between the Byzantine weave units, I am attaching bead units that are actually a part of the chain weave. These are Czech glass fire polish beads in Crystal AB that are strung on small pieces of wire with their ends hammered flat. Then I take the other end and twist it into a double ring and attach it into the weave of the chain. After 3 hours of ring making, filing and chain making, I have about 6 inches or so done. I should be able to get the rest done today.

Tell me, what do you think (honestly)? Would you like it in silver plate or sterling silver, or 14karat gold filled? With different colored beads? Let me know, I value your opinion!

That's all for now, tune in tomorrow for a Fabulous Friday Feature.

Thoughtful Thursday: Bracelet Update and More

Here is the fourth layer started on the bracelet. I am using an Amber colored glass seed bead for this layer, and as it is built up it will look more like amber and less green, since the blue beads underneath are trying to show through right now. I am currently working more amber beads in between the rows of these amber beads, to give a cross pattern effect. More to come next Tuesday!

In other news, a good friend of mine is in need of prayers and/or positive thoughts. She is a breast cancer survivor, and is now being looked at for ovarian cancer. She had "minor" surgery on Tuesday to do some tests and the results won't be back for a bit. I say "minor" because no matter how minor they say it is, it is still painful and a real inconvenience! Please keep her in your thoughts, and pray that it is nothing so serious as more cancer, but, if it is, please pray that it has been caught early and can be cured. Thank you.

That is all for now, see you tomorrow for a Fabulous Friday Feature!!

Thoughtful Thursday: Bracelet Update!

Thank you all for your well wishes. I am hanging in there, thanks to Arwen and Brennan. I am having a nice time watching my favorite movies and working on my newest bracelet. Here is the result of about 6 hours of work....well...interrupted work. I still need to move around quite frequently, so I have maybe 3 hours uninterrupted on this so far. This is the bracelet with the first 2 layers.
Here is the bracelet looking down to show the cross sections. You can see the thread. It is funny, the beads are very tiny, yet, with this new macro magnifying lens they look huge. The beads are in fact only about 1.5-2mm in width!
Here is Arwen, doing her Night Watchdog thing. There are many birds, squirrels and chipmunks hurrying around to prepare for the winter, which is fast approaching. Arwen likes to make sure everything is in order and everyone gets their share.

Until tomorrow, we wish you all the very best of health and happiness.
and Arwen

Father's Day Update: A Great Time for All!

We got up to the track at about 1:30, which was much later than we had hoped. We had been cutting down trees the night before and were a little slow getting up. Then I kept forgetting things, like food, or water, or to charge my camera battery, so it was a slow start! We did, however, get there in time to see my dad win his second race, but lose his third. He didn't win the day, but it was great just to be up there with him. It was just my dad, Brennan and myself, so it was a small but happy group that kept a wary eye on the very dark clouds that kept rolling towards us. We were actually sort of fortunate that my dad went out when he did, as it gave us all time to pack up and be ready to take some photos of the jet car:Yes, it really does have a jet engine in it and yes, it is very fast and VERY loud, lol. It is always a treat to see them, however, and I'm glad my camera battery didn't die this time! The jet car had finished its run and we were just about to leave when I turned around behind the track and caught some really great rain and cloud photos on the Gatineau hills behind the racetrack:
As we were leaving (and heading right towards the rain) the rain got to heavy that you couldn't even see the Gatineau Hills!
We went back to my parents for some great shish-kabobs (they had beef and veggie, I had veggie) with lentil rice for me (plain rice for them) and local asparagus, YUM!
I made my dad a special card using Publisher that had his race car in it (I should have taken photos, the card turned out really well), and I got him the DVD "Horton Hears a Who" because he and my mom really like animated movies (and this one is just so cute!).
It was a great day, we all had fun, and I got home to realize that the two hours at the track had given me one Heck of a sunburn (woops, forgot that clouds and sun can burn!), but it was worth it.
I hope you had a great Father's Day too!
Don't forget to check back tomorrow for a post on my new Elizabeth 1 Bracelet, you won't want to miss it!!

Freaky Friday UPDATE!! I Identified the Moth!

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Thanks to Silver Parrot for directing me to What's that Bug? to find out what the heck that ginormous, 5+ inch wide moth was on my front step (she stayed there, btw until at least 1PM, having found a bug feast). It turns out that it is a Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), a North American member of the Giant Silk Moth family! Holy cow! We actually aren't supposed to get them this far north; they are supposed to come to Southern Ontario at most, but I guess the bugs here are just too tasty to ignore! I found out at Wikipedia.org, that these moths can actually eat "86,000 times its weight at emergence in a little less than two months". Amazing!! I guess they really do need my bugs, and boy, am I happy to let the moths have them!! Apparently they are having problems, as predatory insects, like some wasps and flies, like to eat them in the egg stage. I am certainly glad I got to see this giant beauty (even if I was a little freaked out and thought it might eat me)!
See you soon :)

Soulful Sunday Part 2 - Update on the Horses You Helped Save!

Here is an update from Dr. Deborah Wilson, who is the director of the Feathers Foundation and Circle L Ranch, who are currently taking care of the Feedlot Rescue horses:

Thanks to your help, we managed to raise $5,225.00 in an effort to save the pregnant
mares on the feedlot.
We were able to save and transfer all but two horses to a safe location and this is an
accomplishment that would not have been met without your generous support.
Regretfully, we lost one mare who foaled early on the lot, likely due to the stressful
situation. She died of a ruptured uterus. We are also sad to report that a foal also perished
shortly after birth. both of these events occurred early on in our effort to raise funds.
The moment we learned of the situation, we immediately advanced funds to move the
others to a safe location. They are all now safe, sound, calm and currently awaiting
transfer to homes, which we are still in need of. If you or a friend are interested in
fostering or adopting one or more of these beautiful and noble animals, please contact us at
CircleLRanch@gmail.com immediately. We are still working on transport at this time, but
the horses are safe and calm!
While we did suffer two horrible losses, saving the other horses is an accomplishment of
which we should all be proud! We thank you for your ongoing support and
encouragement. Without your quick assistance and continued generosity, our work would
not be possible...
Deborah
*** About donating online ***
It's very easy to support Deborah online - visit: http://www.firstgiving.com/savehorses
to make a donation.
It takes a matter of minutes, is totally secure and you can even leave a message with your
donation.

Thank You so much for your help, You are all angels :)