Calis has grown!

Calis is almost six months old now, and he has really grown a lot! He is a very adventurous cat, but also very loving and funny. I got a few pictures of him up in the tree in our front yard the other day. He loves climbing trees. What would have been the best picture was marred by me cutting the top of his head off, so this one will have to do. He moves so fast that it is hard to get a good picture. Hahaha!

The other cats have come to accept him a little more, but they are still not friends. That will take a little longer I am afraid. But he has a special love/hate relationship with Ming. Of course he loves to jump on her, chase her, all those good things. And she acts like she hates it. But she will also follow him around and act as if she wants his attention when she doesn't have it. Very funny together. I think they will become close friends eventually, and this is just their testing period. And his kitten period, of course.

Update on Donovan, and other things.

I am sorry that I have not posted for so long, and also sorry that I have left you in suspense about my son, Donovan's, condition. He spent three weeks in the hospital recovering from pneumonia and diabetic ketoacidosis. He was really sick, but is now just about fully recovered, back to his old self. But when he got home, he required a lot of care, and really kept me busy. So, that is why I haven't written any posts in a while.

Since I last posted, I have been doing a lot of stitching too. No photos yet, but will get some up in a few days. Also got a new phone, a Blackberry Pearl, and have just about figured out how to use it now. Sure is complicated, but now I don't know how I ever did without it.

Also had to search for a new background for my blog. When I came back, the old one was gone. Not sure I like this one yet because the other one was really perfect. I really need to find some other websites with blog backgrounds to search for another "perfect" background. Well, perfect to me anyway.

Donovan and Calis

Here is a picture of Calis with my son Donovan. Calis has grown quite a bit since this picture was taken, but I wanted to add one with Donovan in it. He is very sick right now. We had to take him to the hospital this past Monday, and found out that he has a very bad case of pneumonia. He is also diabetic, and that complicates things too. He is in the ICU and is hardly aware of what is going on around him. It is so hard to see him this way because he is normally such an active, engaging and intelligent person. We are all hoping and praying for his speedy and complete recovery. I will try to keep this updated on his condition.

We got a new kitten!

We got a new kitten yesterday! He is so cute, 8 weeks old but tiny for his age, and just so sweet. We named him Calis, from a character in a Raymond E Feist book. We just really needed another cat, what with having four already. What were we thinking! Hopefully the others will eventually get used to having him around. Right now they are warily watching him, and hissing and growling when he gets too close. That is my son, Kevin, holding him. Sorry Kevin, sort of cut your head off, but we really did want a close-up of Calis.

A new design.

This is what I am currently working on. It is a new, original design, and I am really getting excited about the way it looks. It is the first asymmetrical design I have ever done, and it has a new stitch in it that I developed. At least I think it is new, I have never seen anything like it before. 


The nice thing about this design is that there are so many possibilities for it, several different ways that it can be done - bookmark, doily, with a lacy edge. Love it!

Victoria Sampler's Spring Biscornu Contest - My entry

Once again, Victoria Sampler is having a Spring biscornu contest. Speaking of tulips, this one is full of them and other spring flowers, a real garden. I was so excited to see somethig springy, and had so many color ideas running through my head that I really had a hard time deciding on them. So I finally ended up using two color schemes, one for each side. The first one is a white linen background, with pinks and blues, and of course yellows to tie the two sides together. The other side is actually a pale yellow linen with yellow klosters and needleweaving. And the "garden" is of course the same colors as the first side. I'm not sure which side I like better. This was such a fun stitching project, and I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Thea for another great design, and for having another contest to challenge us all. To me, it doesn't matter who wins, it is just so interesting to see what everybody comes up with - such a creative bunch of stitchers!

Looks like Spring is finally here!

In my last post, I showed a picture of snow on the patio table. I think that was winter's last hurrah. Yeah, we had some minor flurries and more cold temperatures, but when April arrived, everything changed. This is the earliest spring I have ever seen in this area! In fact, it has been the shortest, mildest winter according to the weathermen. We had no snow in November (unheard of around here) and in March we actually had no snow either as all the snow in that picture actually fell in February. They say it is because of the El Nino conditions. I hope that is all, and not  due to global warming. But regardless, I am enjoying every minute of it, even the thunderstorms. This is my favorite time of year. Just can't wait to see all of the flowering trees and tulips, etc. Wow!