Are we masochists ???

At the train station yesterday I picked up a copy of an anthology called Bump in the Night.

It has a JD Robb novella in it called Haunted in Death which I hadn't read and wanted to read.

On the train trip home last night I read the JD Robb story - loved it.

This afternoon I thought I would read more of the book.  Read Mary Blayney's Poppy's Coin and read most of Ruth Ryan Langan's The Passenger.

What a load of obviously setup, poorly written, formulaic crap I have never read !!!!  What because its Romance, the plot needs to be as obvious as Run Spot Run ???  Oooh man and woman are attracted, man and woman are thrown together in unlikely circumstances, man and woman try to hide/ignore their mounting lust for one another, man and woman discover it is love not lust and they are "made for each other" they are "soul spirits" and *then* they have hot sweaty sex that transcends all other life experiences and then we assume man and woman live happily ever after prepared to accept and love each other because of their differences and flaws rather than in spite of them.

Does anyone other than me find Romance depressing to read ????

Ok the sex is fun - I've *had* earth-shatteringly good sex !! I know that isn't an impossibility :)  But the Romance ????

If you have real romance in your life, you do not need to read about it.  If you do not, then surely reading this claptrap heightens our feelings of inadequacy because we haven't gone through somethimg similar; *we* haven't found our "one true love".

So are woman masochists?  Do we torture ouselves by reading such poorly written formulaic crap that heightens the emptiness in our lives for any good reason ????

I've never read straight Romance fiction before and frankly I'm going back to reading supernatural romance - at least I *know* they're fantasties that can never come true.

Alright I'm off to find some cheese to go with the whine .....

Mel's Its-still-Sunday-somewhere-in-the-World Sunday Update

I actually finished this piece around midnight last night but my computer was doing a large defrag so I let it be and went to bed.  Washed ironed and removed the first layer of Trub hair from the design this morning before uploading pictures.

As some of you know i have been very very frustrated so far this year, because I haven't had enough energy or time in the evenings after work to stitch.  I am finding it incredibly frustrating.  So last Thursday night (knowing I didn't have to go to work on Friday) I was determined to stitch. 

I couldn't face a complicated project like The Castle and I was far too tired to do the one over one for Gail's Butterfly so a bad case of startitis (encouraged by Denise) set in and hunted through some patterns.  I really really  really wanted to start Bunny Battle by Arelate Studio but I didn't have a large enough piece of fabric for it ...

While I was hunting through my fabrics, Silkweaver's Blue Dynasty Lugana fell (jumped?) out of the cupboard onto the floor.  Hmmm light blue light blue ... aha !!!

Thus Promenade was chosen and about 150 stitches of black was put in that night.  The rest was done over watching three afternoons of cricket and one evening of tennis.

So now I have my second finish for the year :)

Kay can't fault me over not working on The Castle - after she is the one who RAKed me with the Promenade chart :) :) :)  Tee hee hee !!!!



OH MY GOODNESS !!!!!  I just went to the Silkweaver site to get the link for the Blue Dynasty fabric and I saw in the 2007 Showcase small division - that I have two entries !!!!!  WOW !!!!!  I submitted these ages ago but hadn't seen them so I thought they had been rejected .....  oh wow !!!!!   Look at the last two entries on the Small Division.

Two Lumps - webcomic

One fo my favourite comic strips and I have had times like this.

Two Lumps

Hugs all

How do you tell if you are a true Aussie?

I listen to this guy on the radio in the afternoons if I/when I can :)  Happy Australia Day everybody :)

How do you tell if you are a true Aussie?
Richard Glover
January 26, 2008

TODAY you'll probably want to party, celebrating all the things that make us unique. But how do you tell if you are a true Aussie? Here are my 43 top ways to tell if you're a local.

You know you're Australian if …

1. You know the meaning of the word "girt".

2. You believe that stubbies can be either drunk or worn.

3. You think it's normal to have a leader called Kevin.

4. You waddle when you walk due to the 53 expired petrol discount vouchers stuffed in your wallet or purse.

5. You've made a bong out of your garden hose rather than use it for something illegal such as watering the garden.

6. You believe it is appropriate to put a rubber in your son's pencil case when he first attends school.

7. When you hear that an American "roots for his team" you wonder how often and with whom.

8. You understand that the phrase "a group of women wearing black thongs" refers to footwear and may be less alluring than it sounds.

9. You pronounce Melbourne as "Mel-bin".

10. You pronounce Penrith as "Pen-riff".

11. You believe the "l" in the word "Australia" is optional.

12. You can translate: "Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas."

13. You believe it makes perfect sense for a nation to decorate its highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep.

14. You call your best friend "a total bastard" but someone you really, truly despise is just "a bit of a bastard".

15. You think "Woolloomooloo" is a perfectly reasonable name for a place.

16. You're secretly proud of our killer wildlife.

17. You believe it makes sense for a country to have a $1 coin that's twice as big as its $2 coin.

18. You understand that "Wagga Wagga" can be abbreviated to "Wagga" but "Woy Woy" can't be called "Woy".

19. You believe that cooked-down axlegrease makes a good breakfast spread.

20. You believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis.

21. Hamburger. Beetroot. Of course.

22. You know that certain words must, by law, be shouted out during any rendition of the Angels' song Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.

23. You believe, as an article of faith, that the confectionary known as the Wagon Wheel has become smaller with every passing year.

24. You still don't get why the "Labor" in "Australian Labor Party" is not spelt with a "u".

25. You wear ugh boots outside the house.

26. You believe, as an article of faith, that every important discovery in the world was made by an Australian but then sold off to the Yanks for a pittance.

27. You believe that the more you shorten someone's name the more you like them.

28. Whatever your linguistic skills, you find yourself able to order takeaway fluently in every Asian language.

29. You understand that "excuse me" can sound rude, while "scuse me" is always polite.

30. You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose.

31. You understand that "you" has a plural and that it's "youse".

32. You know it's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle.

33. Your biggest family argument over the summer concerned the rules for beach cricket.

34. You shake your head in horror when companies try to market what they call "Anzac cookies".

35. You still think of Kylie as "that girl off Neighbours".

36. When returning home from overseas, you expect to be brutally strip-searched by Customs - just in case you're trying to sneak in fruit.

37. You believe the phrase "smart casual" refers to a pair of black tracky-daks, suitably laundered.

38. You understand that all train timetables are works of fiction.

39. When working on a bar, you understand male customers will feel the need to offer an excuse whenever they order low-alcohol beer.

40. You get choked up with emotion by the first verse of the national anthem and then have trouble remembering the second.

41. You find yourself ignorant of nearly all the facts deemed essential in the government's new test for migrants.

42. You know, whatever the tourist books say, that no one says "cobber".

43. And you will immediately forward this list to other Australians, here and overseas, realising that only they will understand.

Happy Australia Day.

Puzzle of the Week

Ok a slightly easier one - or a more classical lateral thinking question anyway:

An explorer walks one mile due South, turns and walks one mile due East, turns again and walks one mile due North.  He finds himself back where he started.  He shoots a bear.  What colour is the bear?

Oh and in other news

I made some positive changes to my lifestyle last weekend after the bust-up in regards to diet, exercise, house cleaning etc etc.

Parts of my house are now very clean (and most importantly back to being the way *I* want things).  Paul and Dad both had a habit changing my kitchen around to suit them - so now its back to having the appliances *I* use out on the bench tops and the items *I* want to use back at the front of the cupboards in easy reach.

Probably something very psychological there :)

But the other good news is I have dropped 4 kilos (a little over 8 pounds) this week.

Yay for a great start - even if it was in crappy circumstances :) :)

Mel's Sunday Update

Well I got a *little* bit of stitching in this week - it was a very draining week - both professionally and personally so didn't get as much done as I wanted.

I did however stitch on the train for three days this week - working again on the secret present project.

I also re-started Gail's butterfly pattern. 

I honestly thought this pattern, 2 over 2 on 28 count was going to be too blocky - so I decided to rip out everything I had done and yesterday while watching the cricket I restarted doing one over one on the same Silkweaver 28ct opalescent fabric.

I have to stop here and say Karen (and all other people like you who willingly like doing one over one on such small counts) are nuts !!!

You are true masochists and fruitcakes !!!!

My eyesight is being affected by this project - how the heck can you do confetti stitching on one over one on 32ct for seven hours straight ?????????????????

I'm now even more in awe of your Lady and the Unicorn project !!

But none the less I'm going to persevere with my project just so I can say I've completed a one over one project and because I this particular chart will look great when I'm finished !!!

I might be blind- but it will look great :) :)

Now off to clean house and then grid up my Gemstone Dragons which needs to be arranged stitched and posted off before 1 Feb 2008.

Oh I also have put up pics of my wonderful RAKs this week. 

Which finger are you?

You Are a Ring Finger You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything.
You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word.
Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world.

You get along well with: The Pinky

Stay away from: The Index Finger

http://www.blogthings.com/whatfingerareyouquiz/

Ok *that* was unexpected !!!!

Puzzle of the Week

When a secondhand bookstore holds a sale with a 10 percent reduction in prices, it makes an 8 percent profit on each book sold. What was the profit before the sale?

Which Alice in Wonderland Character are you?

Which Alice in Wonderland character are YOU? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Mad Hatter You scored the Mad Hatter! You are a jovial person who enjoys parties and celebrating un-birthdays, but you are not a very good host as your guests are confused by your riddles and nonsense talk. Mad Hatter 92% Cheshire Cat 83% Alice 83% Walrus 83% March Hare 75% Queen of Hearts 75% Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum 67% Flamingo 58% Carpenter 58% The White Rabbit 50% Oyster 50% The Dormouse 42% Caterpillar 33% A Playing Card 33%

Meh!

To quote Trubs, today's day has been "meh".

I woke up at 4:30 this morning when the alarm went off - it was dark. Pitch black.  It was raining.  Torrentially.  I didn't get much sleep again last night and I haven't been looking after myself foodwise - skipping meals etc.

So I turned the alarm off, rolled over and stared at the ceiling feeling sorry for myself for another couple of hours and eventually snoozed for a while.

Got up, put the garbage out and did a bit of food shopping, came home, rang in sick, had breakfast and went back to bed for the day to snooze and feel crappy.

The day match my mood - miserable. It was cold, wet grey and drzzly all day.  Very dark sky and grey everywhere.

Someone forgot to tell the weather that its January - it should be clear skies, blue skies over 100 Farhenheit and havig power blackouts from everyone overusing their airconditioning ....

Oh well - I also spent a few hours reading Evil Inc comic right from the first strip forward. Apart from the sappy bits which I find a bit painful right now, I actually enjoyed the whole comic !!!  I *like* the idea of a supervillian organisation run by Supervillians and listed on the stock exchange :) :)

I took pictures of Kay's and Tracy's RAKs and added them to my RAKs album a few hours ago.  I haven't taken the socks off since and all of the Dove milk chocolate with almonds is now gone.

The socks fit perfectly !!!  As I toungue-in-cheek suggeasted to Tracy - my ankles and calves are much fatter than hers and the socks would not be droopy or floppy on me.  I was right - they fit like perfectly tailored foot gloves.

I'm going to go and get the wrap from Claire, and leave my socks from Tracy on and go and sit on the lounge and watch the cricket for a while.  I don't know whether my mood is affected by the weather - or whether the full impact from the weekend's bust up with Paul has finally hit home - but its been a very blah day today.

No stitching.  I really don't feel doing much of anything.

OK crying now ..... (tears of gratitude)

I got a message waiting for me from the Post Office as I came out of a meeting at lunch time.  I had another parcel that had arrived.

(The PO staff are sooo nice to me !!!!)

it was a parcel from Kay.  Containing a magazine she offered to send me.  The latest issue of CrossStitcher which I cannot get here.

She also included a gorgeous little card, a block of divine dark chocolate with chili (yes its been opened and shared annd it is divine !!!!!) a Stitchin'spirations chart she had model-stitched *and* a heap of blackwork and historical costume cross stitch charts rescued from magazines ...

Oh MY !!!  I'm just ..... just ...... THANK YOU !!!

Thank you to all of my friends !!!!!

I just don't know how you manage to get things into International Post even before the bad news hits me and I therefore needed cheering up.

Are you, Tracy and Stephanie psychic or is there a conspiracy going on here .......

THANK YOU SO MUCH KAY - you are a wonderful human being !!!!!

Edited to include pics here.

Socks and Chocolate

WOW !!!!

Received a parcel from Tracy today - it was in the exact same box I sent her - so I panicked for a microsecond thinking the box had been returned undelivered !!

Inside is a gorgeous pair of hand knitted socks !!!!

Some Carrie's threads limited edition - hmmm those two skeins of blue might have to be used on a certain mystery project coming up ???

And two containers of chocolates.  The almond and milk bar may not actually make it home.

I will photograph the rest when I get home tonight.

EDITED TO INCLUDE PICS HERE.

What's a girl to do ....

When a girl has a broken heart and is back to single status - what else is she to do, except go shopping for a couple of plush toys to hug.

Meet Bookworm and Ebola.  Both courtesy of Giant Microbes.  Saw these at the Uni Book store and had to bring a couple home. 

Will go looking for Syphilis and Mad Cow Disease next time ....

Mel's Sunday Non-Update

Well going back to work really put a crimp in my stitching time this week !!!!!

My manager took this week off and I didn't know until I came back to work and found the half page of cryptic notes left for me of where we are up to in certain projects.  I worked long, I worked hard.  I had a very happy successful week - I think.

Tuesday: Go to work, Come home, Check emails, Go to bed.
Wednesday: Go to work, Come home, feed the cat, Check emails, Go to bed.
Thursday: Go to work, Come home, cook dinner, feed the cat, Check emails, Go to bed.
Friday: Go to work, Come home, feed the cat, fall asleep wile checking emails.

The commute wasn't that much better.  It all started off Tuesday morning.  I took M designs Rejoice ornament with me. 

Stitching on 32ct opalescent PTP fabric in poor light, in hand and after getting up at 4am is not a good thing to do.  I made 31 stitches in 45 minutes.  And then I realised that I had started 5 rows above where I was supposed to - so I frogged it all and went to sleep.

Tuesday afternoon: I slept.

Wednesday morning and afternoon: Read James Patterson "Double Cross".  Read half on the way up and finished it 2 minutes before pulling into my station on the trip home.

Thurs morn: travelled with a friend.
Thurs afternoon: slept.

Friday morn: Stitched on a present.
Friday afternoon: Fell asleep with the needle in my hand on the train.  Apparently this afforded great amusement to some teenage boys who equated me with a wino falling asleep but still making sure he didn't lose or tip over his bottle ....

Saturday - did a little bit of backstitching on Spotted Butterfly.  But not enough to finish it.

Back to Sunday and a new week :)

I did however received three RAKs this week.  A belated Christmas present from Hilary - the Season one DVD of Dresden Files.  I also received two stitching RAKs from Gail and Stephanie.

Thank you so much to the three of you.  I will be diligently watching Dresden Files, stitching on Birdwing and dreaming about fabric for Valentines !!!

Today's pic is for Claire - one for Stuff on my Cat :)

WIP - Queen Alexander Birdwing

Queen Alexander Birdwing
Copyright Gail Jones.

This chart designed and created by Gail Jones. Gail RAKed me with this chart so of course I had to do an immediate floss toss.

Presents and RAKs 2008

From Sisu.

Received 8 Jul 2008.

* * some lovely black fuzzy socks ...... (Goth Bed Socks !!!!!!)
* * Fractal 10 by Cross Stitch Collectibles
* * Undo what you did by Susan Saltzgiver Designs
* * 22" x 23" piece of 28ct antique white evenweave
* * and .... a package called "Mel's Sex Slave Audition Kit"

I think I'd better leave that one until I get home tonight to open it .......

RR - Gemstone Dragons

Gemstone Dragons

Dragon Dreams
http://dragondreams.accra.ca/Cross%20Stitch.html

My six person private RR.

Puzzle of the Week

If to a rope, passed over a frictionless pulley, is suspended a ten-pound weight that exactly balances a monkey at ther other end, what happens to the weight if the monkey attempts to climb the rope?

Mel's Sunday update - an almost finish ....

Well its been awhile since I posted a Sunday update....

All of my 2007 finishes, including all of the pieces I gave as gifts are all now listed in my finished album.

I've updated and added to my Lust List.

I spent Christmas with my Dad and New Years with my mum and will be going back to work on Tuesday. 

Christmas was quite fun this year.  I received wonderful gifts and lots of cards and threads from my stitching buddies on the BAPXS list.  I received a new microwave from my Dad, a set of really good cutlery, ovenmits and socks from mum.  Jewellery and CDs from Paul. Oh and chocolate, chocolate, more chocolate and two books on chocolate (one from mum and one from my non-stitching friend Alison).

I've been working on a new piece since New Years Eve.  Spotted Butterfly by Szulet Designs.  It was a chart mum had in her stash, and I bought enough fabric (28ct Monaco "Sky" by Dreams with Angels) for both of us to stitch this one up.  When I was at mum's I pulled out her chart, checked I had bought enough fabric for two, cut it in half and then promptly nicked the chart and some of her DMC threads and started to stitch it.

Wasn't planned - just happened.

I brought the chart home with me spent a half day scrabbling around my local Spotlight and Lincrafts stores for a spool of Kreinik #4 Very Fine Braid in 001 Silver.  Finally found one spool in dubious circumstances in Lincrafts.

The plastic casing had been opened and it looked like the thread had been unwound ... possibly some removed ?????  Anyway it was the *only* spool available so I took it to the front counter and explained the circumstances.  No reaction from the staff and no discount on the cost of the spool. I took it anyway as I wanted to finish this item before I went back to work on Tuesday.

I finished all of the cross stitching while watching the cricket yesterday and then ran out of Silver braid (used for the back-stitching) this afternoon.  So no finish yet for me.

It feels silly ordering one single spool of metallic from Karen@Dragonflydreams so I will put this one away now and get the thread delivered with my monthly fabric of the month club in February.

Tomorrow its onto  Gemstone Dragons from Dragon Dreams.  This is needed for an RR to go out so its the first priority.  Then if I have any time left in the week - I might work on my The One.

Especially as I haven't worked on it at all since last July when we started this SAL.

.... or I might have to start Peridot from FireWing Designs. This was a birthday present from Laura that thanks to the vagaries of International Mail arrived a couple of days ago ( 5 months late).

I'll see after I work on my RR ......  time to go and get some dinner now and then relax for the evening.  Tomorrow will spent washing cleaning ironing and doing everything else needed to facilitate an easy return to work the next day.

About me - for Karen

If you're in the mood for a few moments of answering some questions, So I can get to know you better. Just put your answers in the comments section, OR feel free to post it in your own blog.  Just change the answers, and answer them as if I were asking you. 

YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST... I WANNA KNOW YOU...

I wanna know 36 things about you.

1.)Q. Can you cook?

A. Kinda.  Had my confidence shattered in this area a while ago and still freak out about cooking for others.

2.)Q. What was your dream growing up?

A. To be an Astro-physicist.  Combination of growing up in the shadow of a Radio Telescope and reading lots of Isaac Asimov.

3.)Q. What talent do you wish you had?

A.   To understand toher people - to understand why they react and behave the way they do.

4.)Q. If I bought you a drink, what would it be?

A.  Non-alcohol - cup of tea, banana smoothie, ice-cold water.

Alcohol - a wheat beer or a glass of super dry crisp white wine.  Depends on the weather and my mood.

5.)Q. Favorite vegetable?

A.  Cauliflower - I love steamed cauliflower..

6.)Q. What was the last book you read?

A. The Golden Compass trilogy by Philip Pullman.  Yes I have not picked up a single book since I went on holdays 21 December ....

7.)Q. What zodiac sign are you ?

A. Leo - as if it weren't obvious.

8.)Q. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?

A. No tattoos, 1 hole each ear.

9.)Q. Worst Habit?

A.  Not listening enough.

10.)Q. If you saw me walking down the street, would you offer me a ride?

A. yup - as long as I knew it was you.

11.)Q. What is your favorite sport?

A. To watch?  Cricket.

To participate?  Ummm is sex a sport? Its about the only exercise I get .... 

12.)Q. Pessimistic or Optimistic outlook?

A. Outwardly I'm a realist, dealing with how things *are* not how they should be.  But I know there's a closet optimist inside me screaming to get out.

13. )Q. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

A.  Make bad jokes about getting stuck in a lift.  Ring the maintenacne people. Then then pull out a book so I can ignore my urgent insistant need to pee.

14.)Q. Worst thing to ever happen to you?

A.  I've never really had a "worst day of my life"  I've been really lucky.  I guess the worst for me was walking into a crowded hall andhave everybody in the toom turn their backs on me.  It was shocking because it was so unexpected and so personal.  It was an SCA event and I later found out my recently-ex husband had been bad-mouthing me behind my back for months before we split up.

15.)Q. Tell me one weird fact about you.

A. Thanks to constant criticisms from above-said ex-hubby, I can happily and cheerfully put on a banquet for 200 people but I freak out at having to cook dinner for two.

16.)Q. Do you have any pets?

A. According to Troublecat *I* am the pet she tolerates having around ....

17.)Q. What if i showed up at your house, unexpectedly?

A. I'd invite you in, apologise for the state of the house, offer you a drink and immediately start talking WIPs and stash .....

18.)Q. What was your first impression of me?

A. KEWL !!!!!   I *like* her!

19.)Q. Do you think clowns are cute... or scary?

A.  Disturbing.  I had seen Dr Who and read Stephen King long before I ever saw a clown at a circus.

20.)Q. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

A. Drop the excess fat I am carrying and tone up my muscles.  Perhaps make my toes prettier.

21.)Q. Would you be my crime partner... or my conscience?

A. Depends how stupid the plan is.  If its really stupid I would be your conscience or just deny all knowledge (of the plan *and* you).  If it was fun and didn't hurt anyone .... welll we can take my car.

22.)Q. What color eyes do you have?

A.  My eyes change colour under extreme emotion.    Usually they are hazel.

23.)Q. Ever been arrested?

A.  Absolutely not - never done anything to get arrested for.

24.)Q. Bottle or can soda?

A. no thank you.  Prefer no soda or pop or fizzly sugary drinks at all.

25.)Q. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?

A.  Pay it straight off my loan for my car and furniture. I need that paid before I could start saving for the great getogether.  Mind you I would probhably spend a hundred of it on stash .... 

26.)Q. If you could write a book, what would it be?

A. Fantasy.  With a strong female lead that isn't either e kick-ass bitch or a weepy damsel in distress (something a little more real).  And my fantasy would not be derritivie .... I'm tired of reading books where whole plotlines and characters have been taken out of other authors universes, slapped on a new name and been listed as new.  No more Victoriana Aurtherian legends, no more Lord of the Rings copycats ....

27.)Q. What 's your favorite place to hang at?

A. At home, on balcony with a friend eating nibblies and drinking a glass of wine watching the sun go down ....

28.)Q. Do you believe in ghosts?

A. Not deciding one way or another until I meet one.

29.)Q. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

A.  Cross stitch, read watch movies, hang with friends.

30.)Q. Do you swear a lot?

A. Unfortunately yes.

31.)Q. Biggest pet peeve?

A.  Stupid arrogant people.

32.)Q. In one word, how would you describe yourself?

A. Unique or eclectic.

33.)Q. Do you believe/appreciate romance?

A.  Dunno - I do it to others but haven't really had it done to me.  I would like to think there is someone out there who thinks I'm worthy of doing silly pointless romantic things for ......

34.)Q. If you could spend 12 hours with me, and ask/do anything you like, what would it be?

A.  Wooo!  That would be an interesting question askk a more intimate friend ... as to us - stitch, eat, laugh, watch movies, quote dialogue together as the movies goes on ....

35)Q. Do you believe in God?

A. Which one?

36.)Q. Will you re-post this, so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

A.  Yes Kanren, just for you :)

End of visit

It's after 11pm at night 2nd Jan.  I'm off home first thing tomorrow morning.  I'm all packed and ready to go - even if I'm not quite sure I want the holiday to end yet ...

Had a fabulous visit - saw a few great movies, got *some* stitching done, did *some* shopping and lots of stitching - even though it was not as much stitching as either of us wanted  - but isn't that always the way when two stitchers get together :) :) :) :) :)

Will be back to normal tomorrow night {sigh}

Pic above and here is how much I got done on Spotted Butterfly.  I was hoping to get it finished, but twas not to be.  Maybe before I get back to work?

Puzzle of the Week

Mum gave me a Puzzle of the Day calendar for Christmas.  I thought I might post some of these, perhaps one a week?

Today's puzzle (no its not the 1 Jan puzzle) is:

Ten red socks and ten blue socks are all mixed up in a dresser drawer.  The twenty socks are exactly alike except for their colour.  The room is in pitch darkness and you want two matching socks.  What is the smallest number of socks you must take out of the drawer in order to be certain that you have a pair that matches?