Embroidering in English

ILCS Winter Smalls Exchange: Part I

2012-02-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

I received the floss my partner sent to me for the exchange- Carrie's Creation in Baby Blue & Polar Bear.

A very heartfelt

to Angela!

Fare well,

A Giveaway & Not-Quite Updates

2012-02-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Giveaway

Mary Louise is having a giveaway on her blog to celebrate having 100 followers. The prize is a stitched surprise! It ends on Valentine's Day.

Not-Quite Updates

I didn't work on my Oldest UFO at all in January because I needed to finish an exchange piece (still hasn't arrived, so no pics yet) and an ILCS competition piece. So Tree Frog Trio still looks the same:

I haven't done any more work on Happy Hour for the Stitcher's UFO Challenge since I set it down to work on the exchange & competition pieces.

I'm looking forward to picking this piece back up once I finish the competition piece. I think I'll go watch a movie & work on the competition piece.

Fare well,

P.S. I was reading an intriguing article called "The Crime of Being Married" in a Life magazine from 1966. A really interesting article, but the thing that made me burst out laughing was this Goodyear ad:

Can you imagine them running that ad today? There would be riots!

2012-01-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

Gifts from Thailand (to me, from me)

In Bangkok, I found these beautiful necklaces. Unfortunately, I was fiddling with the peridot one (my birthstone :D) in class last week and it fell apart. Only about five or six beads fell off, but I can't repair it myself since I don't have my jewelry making supplies here. So it will be staying in a ziplock bag for quite a while!

I also found these cross-stitched belts! There were only about four choices, and these were the best. I haven't worn them yet because I don't have anything they would look good with. But you know how it is- I had to have them (at $3 each, how could I not?!)!

Stitching Supplies

As I've mentioned before, Cambodia lacks stitching supplies. So I ordered some things from 123Stitch & Stitching Bits & Bobs and asked my dad to bring them to me. I was really excited because I finally ordered a lap stand!

I LOVE it! I stitch with my left hand, even though I'm right handed, so I had to switch it around so that my hand wasn't always hitting the stand's arm. But after I did that- FANTASTIC! I have no idea how I ever lived without it!

Also on the list were twin-pointed needles.

I tried using them, but I'm not sure if I like them. I was trying to finish my piece for the Winter Smalls Exchange, so I was getting a little impatient with having to learn how to work them. So I put them away and decided to try them again at another time.

I also ordered more wool floss and iron-on transfers & pens for my crewel work. This method HAS to be better than that plastic stuff I've been using!

I ordered a laying on tool because I've been having floss tangling problems of late.

It looks lovely, but after I got it, I realized that I have NO idea how I'm supposed to use it!

On a whim, I ordered a skein of Belle Soie floss in Fresh Raspberries.

It's gorgeous! I love raspberries, but I haven't had them in nearly two years because they are $12/pack & I just can't convince myself that it's worth the money!

$12?!

Other Stitchy News

Over at CSE, we had a Kitted Up Freebie Exchange. I sent Heart Throb by the Drawn Thread and all the necessary supplies to Lynn. I haven't received my package yet, but this isn't an unusual occurrence for me. I mentioned in another post that I participated in the ILCS Winter Smalls Exchange. My small is in the mail, hopefully on its speedy way to the States. My partner mailed the requisite two skeins of floss a couple of weeks ago, and they haven't arrived yet. The way things have been going over here, they'll probably show up in June!

The Exhaust Pipe is NOT your Friend

You probably already know this. And you probably rarely think about the stupid thing. Much like myself, except for when I'm stuck in traffic, contemplating how I'm going to get lung cancer before I'm 33 and it won't even be from smoking!

But this isn't about the environment. My mom sent me and the boyfriend a Christmas care package, which was really sweet of her. It's just that the box was rather large, and motos aren't exactly known for their storage space! I did manage to make it to work with the box, but when I got off, I was trying to balance myself, the moto, and the package. I SUCCEEDED! In balancing all three and in burning my leg on the exhaust pipe!

My boss happened to be at the school that day and said "Ah, well, now you've got a Cambodian tattoo, haven't you?"

The Cat

...was attacking my monkey!

Okay, okay, it's funny, but we decided that he needed his own stuffed animal and got him a small giraffe, which we put in the monkey's spot.

Results have varied. Sometimes he likes it, sometimes not.

He played with the monkey more, but I hid it, so he'll have to make do with the giraffe!

Fare well,

Wat Pho

2012-01-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

Wat Pho is undergoing some reconstruction, so you can donate some money, write on a tile, and that tile will be part of the reconstruction project. Which is what the boyfriend is doing.

Wat Pho is home to the largest reclining Buddha, and it is truly impressive! I knew it was big, but WOW! it's just splendid to behold!

Detail of Buddha's hair

Detail of Buddha's feet

This cat should've been in Alice in Wonderland.

AHHHHHHHHH!!! Creepy statue!

Earlier this month, ILCS was sharing memories of Rene La Frog; it inspired me revisit her blog, where I noticed a picture of some beautiful orchids. These orchids, to be precise. I hadn't realized they were the same ones when I was at Wat Pho; when I did realize it, I really wanted to share it with Rene, but I can't, and that made me a little sad. Her birthday has just recently passed, and I know she is missed by many, including me.

Purple & white orchids

Gold-leaf? If not, it still looks interesting.

Lazy wat cats!

I really enjoyed Wat Pho- more so than the Royal Palace & possibly Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)- it's a tough choice! So if you ever wake up to find yourself in Bangkok, stop by Wat Pho. It's entirely worth it.

Fare well,

Temple of the Emerald Buddha/ Royal Palace

2012-01-28T14:12:00.000-08:00

The boyfriend & I spent Christmas & New Year's in Bangkok. I took a bunch of pictures but have been very lazy about actually sharing them! So here you go!

Even though I've lived in Cambodia for a year and a half, I haven't been to Angkor Wat. I know, I know! I'll go...one day. But now I can proudly claim that I have been to the model of Angkor Wat!

Model of Angkor Wat

While the model was impressive, I imagine it's slightly less impressive than the real thing. :)

Very large guardian statue

Detail of dragons

Mythological painting

Monks contemplating the mythological paintings

Photographs of the Emerald Buddha are prohibited from inside the temple, but there's a window sans glass that you can take pictures through.

The Emerald Buddha

Door of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Me & the boyfriend: Temple of the Emerald Buddha

The Royal Palace

Royal Palace guards

Up next...Wat Pho!

Fare well,

Name the Floss Giveaway

2012-01-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having a fun giveaway! Name her new floss collections, and you could win some floss!

Good luck!

First 2012 Finish!

2012-01-24T16:15:00.000-08:00

Today, bright & early, around 5a.m., I finished my project for the ILCS Winter Smalls Exchange. Some time around 11a.m. I completed it and had it all stitched up & ready to mail. Since I just mailed it today, I can't show you any pics until it arrives safe & sound in its new home in Georgia.

This is only the second time that I have done this kind of finish, and I actually learned quite a lot. Like, for example, having a sewing machine would have been A LOT faster! I might have to make one of these for myself soon.

As soon as I receive word that it has been received- pictures galore!

I also won a giveaway, but I can't tell you about that yet either! But very soon.

Fare well & soo sday chhnam chnai,

Another Giveaway

2012-01-21T23:50:00.000-08:00

The Victoria Motto Sampler Shoppe is having a Valentine's giveaway. There's 8 chances to win, so stop by & sign up!

And if you mention that you got there through my blog, I get an extra entry- WOO HOO!

Fare well,

BLOGGER!!!

2012-01-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else having Blogger problems?

I can't post comments because the Add a Comment button shows up then disappears. Sometimes a comment box will appear so I can comment, and sometimes it doesn't appear.

And God forbid if I want to look at the comments on a post! I can click where it says # Comments, and then Blogger just keeps loading and loading and loading...

If I click a link to a post, it will load that page and then start to load the page AGAIN but never actually load it.

It's driving me crazy! I've stopped reading people's blogs the past few days because once the page loads and I start reading to read it, the page starts reloading.

It started happening just after Blogger added the Reply to Comments option. Wonder if they're related issues.

BLEH! Thanks for letting me rant!

Fare well,

Happy Hour Progress

2012-01-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

In Thailand, I worked a bit on Happy Hour. Just a few hours or so.

Before:

After:

I've had to set it aside for the time being to work on the ILCS Winter Smalls Exchange. The more I stitch this, the more I want to keep it! Of course, I won't, so I might just have to make one for myself!

I also need to put in some stitches for the Oldest UFO Challenge, which is my Tree Frog Trio. A Happy Hour & TFT rotation, perhaps?

Fare well,

P.S. Will post Thailand pics soon. I've already spent three hours on the computer today, and I really want to get some stitching time in.

A Plethora of Giveaways!

2012-01-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

More and more giveaways abound!

The Southpaw Stitcher is having a very generous giveaway that ends on Jan. 20th. It's celebrating her one year blog anniversary!

The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having another giveaway, which ends on Jan. 30th. If you mention that you got to her blog through my blog, I get an extra entry!

Nicola of Stitching by a Cornish Seashore is giving away a beautiful chart called The Color of the Heart. It ends on Jan. 22nd.

Carolina Stitcher is giving away the pattern Sergei by Plum Street Samplers, along with some other goodies!

Simone of Soed idee is having a surprise giveaway with a twist- you have to post about who you would give the present to! This one ends on Feb. 20th.

Heather of Heather's Stitching Story is also having a giveaway. She is giving away one Country Cottage Needleworks pattern and five Little House Needleworks patterns! The deadline is Jan. 14th, which is today in Cambodia!

Good luck!

RAK!

2012-01-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

Mel of Epic Stitching was so sweet and RAKed me the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of JCS, a skein of Crescent Colors in Cerise, and four skeins of limited edition GAST thread! The GAST skeins don't have color names on them (I looked at their website, but I couldn't match skein to picture), but I can assure you that they are beautiful.

Thank you so much, Mel! You totally made my day! It was the first day of work and also a 12 hour work day & this gift really did raise my spirits! THANK YOU!!!

Fare well,

Airlines: You Can't Live with Them; You Can't Get Anywhere without Them

2012-01-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

The boyfriend & I left for Thailand on Christmas Eve. About a week prior, we booked out tickets (separately, as the boyfriend had to return earlier). He got his confirmation email & e-ticket in about 2 minutes. Air France (hereafter AF) had sent me a confirmation but no e-ticket ever showed up. No big deal- I had the confirmation number, so I went online on Christmas Eve just to check. I put in the confirmation number & am promptly told that no such reservation exists- and the flight is set to depart is approximately eight hours.

Envision me gaping at the computer in horror. Because I was.

So I Skyped AF in the States, and the lady was very helpful & booked a new ticket for me (again, got the confirmation email but not the e-ticket BUT this one was booked). Apparently there was a computer glitch & it reserved a ticket for me but didn't actual book it & reservations expire after X number of days. At one point she said "Well, I'm glad to see the price hasn't changed at all." So yes, I got the price I was expecting, but if it had gone up, should I have had to pay more because AF's computers screwed up? IMNSHO, NO! But it wasn't an issue, so I let it be.

And off we go to Bangkok, have a good time, boyfriend goes back to Cambodia, Dad arrives in Bangkok, we fly to Phuket, and have a great time.

And then today happens.

10:10a.m. flight from Phuket to Bangkok on Thai Airways (hereafter TA). Transfer to AF in Bangkok for a 1:45p.m. flight to Phnom Penh. Simple. Easy. Plenty of time to transfer.

Can you see where I'm going with this?

The TA flight gets delayed until 11:30a.m., which means I will miss my connecting AF flight. Which I explain to the TA lady at the counter, so she takes my TA boarding pass and AF ticket, goes back out through security, and disappears. Okay, she's working on how to get me to Phnom Penh today. But she's gone for an hour. With both of my tickets! I eventually asked a young man who works for TA about my seemingly vanished tickets, and he calls/walkie-talkies around & finds out that they're still working on it. Okay. At least I know that.

It's 10:30a.m. They're trying to get me on the TA 10:55a.m. flight because then I can still make my AF flight. But no. It's full. So back onto my delayed flight I get scheduled. I know this because I've basically been following the TA guy through the terminal ever since I figured out that he could get information. At this point, I'm tired (mornings aren't my thing, no fault of the airline industry), a *little* stressed out (after all, work starts again tomorrow), a little fed up of being kind of out of the loop & not knowing what's happening, and I'm thirsty. My dad bought me business class tickets for some reason, so I had access to the TA lounge, which I had been in earlier. Nice. Free internet (guess where I am now?!). Food. Drinks. Drinks! AHA! I decide to go back to the lounge and get a Coke.

But wait. That lady that made off with my boarding pass that proves I'm flying business class? She still hasn't returned. So I explain my predicament to the TA guy & he says no problem; he'll call & tell them. So I go back to the lounge, they let me in, I get my Coke- no problem.

While I'm checking all my piled up emails, two TA women come in & tell me that the first flight they can get me on is a Bangkok Airways flight that leaves around 5p.m. *groan* Who wants to wait at the Bangkok airport for five hours? What's there to do?

I say that's fine, but when I get to Bangkok, I want to be able to use the business class lounge even though I'm flying economy. I've been highly inconvenienced, so I should get at least a little perk for it (like free internet, food, and beverages and more comfortable seating). They say they'll see what they can do & disappear.

They come back. Now it's a TA flight at 6:20p.m. because my luggage can be checked all the way to Phnom Penh & they can authorize me to use the lounge. I agree.

When I got off of the plane in Bangkok, where I am currently killing time, I was greeted by a lady with a piece of paper bearing my name. She put me in a van, drove me over to domestic arrivals (my flight was classified as international), escorts me up to security, tells me where the lounge is, and sends me on my way. As we were walking to the security check, an announcement comes on that says something like this:

"Air France flight AF274 to Phnom Penh is boarding at gate G2. Would all passengers please make their way to gate now?"

I nearly stopped dead in my tracks (well, as much as you can stop dead on a moving walkway!) and demanded to be put on that flight! After all, it was my original flight. But I didn't. My suitcase never would have made it; it would have been just another hassle. It's bad enough that I'm not getting home until 8p.m. tonight, that I have to do my laundry & pick up my moto tomorrow instead of today- the path of least resistance seemed really appealing at that point. So I went with it.

I'd like to stitch, but that's in my suitcase because of the scissors. I really should have gotten one of those round thread cutters when I was back in the States, but I didn't, and really, that's about the least of my worries right now!

Here's hoping for at least one on-time departure today! I'm going to indulge in the free food and make myself a free drink. A stiff one. Okay, a mildly stiff one because I don't want to fall asleep and miss my flight after all that!

Fare well,

A Couple of Giveaways

2012-01-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having a giveaway for a kit of your choice. They sure are on a giveaway roll over there!

Sarah of Crafty Moo is having a giveaway for a stack of patterns, fabric, a gift certificate, and an organizer/holder thing- just go look at the pic! LOL

Fare well,

A Very Peary Christmas!

2011-12-26T01:08:00.000-08:00

Peary Christmas!!!

(It's an inside joke between me & the boyfriend, but I've forgotten what the joke was!)

The boyfriend and I had a nice, relaxing, unconventional Christmas yesterday. We woke up around 9a.m., went downstairs for our terrible free hotel breakfast (who serves spaghetti & salad for breakfast?!), and came back to the room and goofed around for a while, looking for stupid e-cards to send to our parents. Then we decided to go the mall in search of a movie theater and a bookstore. The first mall we went to was city themed- the ground floor was Rome, the 1st Tokyo, the 2nd London, the 3rd Istanbul, the 4th San Francisco, & the 5th Hollywood (where the theater was). You would be forgiven for thinking it was a major tourist attraction based on all of the people taking photos near the "Golden Gate Bridge" or in the English phone booth.

We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant, and they gave us a two inch tall lucky cat & vase for Christmas. Alas, we could not find a bookstore in that mall, so hopped the Sky Train, and went to one of the malls on the Siam stop.

One of the best things about civilization? Besides indoor plumbing and electricity- BOOKS! All of this knowledge just waiting to be absorbed! I really miss book stores. So naturally, off to the bookstore we went.

I picked up another book on crewel embroidery- the new crewel by Katherine Shaughnessy. This one has some cute & quirky patterns, but I was more interested in the instructions & pictures to be honest. I'm still struggling to get the hang of crewel, so I figured that it never hurts to have another guide! Plus the patterns in this book are simpler than in A-Z of Crewel Embroidery. At the beginning of the new crewel, there is a circle sampler with the basic crewel stitches; I'm thinking about starting over using that pattern until I really understand what I'm doing, and then going back to the pomegranate pattern. Katherine Shaughnessy has another book called new crewel: the motif collection that I would like to get if I decide I actually like doing crewel!

Since my dad is flying out to Thailand next week (which is also next month & next year :P), we are going scuba diving in Phuket. Last time we went, back in April, I didn't have a fish reference book, so while I saw a lot of gorgeous fish, I never managed to identify them & now I've forgotten which ones they were completely! I asked my dad's friend for a book recommendation while the boyfriend & I were staying with him in Malaysia, and he said that Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific was excellent. However, it was $50, so I didn't get it. But yesterday was Christmas, and I really wanted the book, which was still $50, almost twice the Amazon price!, but I decided to get it anyway. It really is excellent. I haven't even used it for fish ID & I already love it! There are some interesting looking fish out there in the oceans & seas, & I really hope I get to see them in my life. There's also two other books- Reef Creature & Reef Coral (did you know there's such a thing as Depressed Brain Coral? Learned that from Reef Coral while I was in Honduras!)- that I would like to get, but 1) the bookstore didn't have them & 2) thank goodness because that'd be $150 on three books! But someday!

I was thrilled to find Mary Boleyn by Alison Weir since it was just released in October. I've read many books on Anne Boleyn but never any on Mary (there aren't that many out there to begin with), so I'm looking forward to reading this one.

The store also carried another book, Isabella (apparently published under a different title in America), about Edward II's queen, but since books are so expensive here, I decided to pass. Maybe I'll pick it up later. Or find it used! There are many used book stores here, so I can hope! I really like Alison Weir's writing. She has the ability to make history seem real and interesting, even with the most dull information. I'm currently reading The Wars of the Roses, which covers a century of English history, yet she still manages to portray the characters as authentic human beings. I find it all rather interesting, though I know there are many who would disagree!

After spending something like two hours in the bookstore, we emerged, wallets lightened, and went upstairs to the movie theater & saw Mission Impossible 4 on the IMAX. It wasn't bad for an action movie, although the script was a little, ah, predictable at times. It was nice just to be in a theater & watching a movie! Then we took the Sky Train back, stopped at a little Italian place with five resident cats, and walked home. It was a lovely end to a very nice day.

Today, I am staying in the hotel room. The boyfriend has gone to wander around, check out the Tesco-Lotus for cookware (we need an oven-safe dish, and if they are sold in Cambodia, they're very well hidden!), and browse some used bookstores. I have a stomach thing again, so I didn't feel like going out. I've had it for a week, but since I'm going to the doctor tomorrow for something unrelated, I'll just get all fixed up at one time. I've already had three Cambodian doctors and one American doctor tell me that, according to the tests, there's nothing wrong with me. Might as well add a Thai doctor to the list! From my medically-uneducated perspective, it seems like losing 9kg/20lbs in one month & then having diarrhea off & on for 11 months is not normal. So back to the doctor I go.

Anyway, on a happier note, Happy Boxing Day!

Fare well,

P.S. That mystery gift basket? Still don't know who sent it!

2011-12-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

I know I said I wasn't going to post again before the new year, but I forgot some things, and well, I have time on my hands.

Christmas

First: the Christmas Tree!

It's small, but it's real! We picked it up during Water Festival at a plant shop down the road for about $5. I think it's really cute. There was a small bell ornament that I stuck on the top, but it seems to have gone missing. Can't think of anyone who would be responsible for that in this household!!!

Giveaway

I've heard from Vicky that she received her winnings from my last giveaway. I sent her a stitchable keychain, a Preah Vihear temple bookmark, a Phnom Penh keychain, and an Angkor Wat magnet.

The Cat

What's a post without saying something about the cat? I was doing the dishes this morning, and he decided that the best place to watch my intense labor was the drying rack! I can't get over the look he's giving me- hysterical!

Fare well,

Whodunnit?!?!

2011-12-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

My phone starts ringing around 9:30 this morning. An odd event in and of itself as people just don't call each other here. My first thought is that it's the boyfriend, he's left something at home that he desperately needs for work...except that his class is over for the day. Hmmmm...

I normally don't answer calls if I don't know the number. But whoever is on the other line called back four more times. So I give in.

It's a Cambodian man. He wants to know my address. Apparently he has something for me & my address is given as my work address (where I'm not, it being Christmas vacation), so to deliver whatever this is, he needs to know where I am now.

Yes, I'm a little suspicious. But he knows my name & where I work & these things are generally a bit more difficult to figure out here. So I tell him where I live, which is always an involved task.

About 15 minutes later, he arrives, bearing...

a chocolate & cookie Christmas basket?!?! I don't see a card, and I'm absolutely clueless about who may have sent this, so I send in the cat to investigate!

He sniffs out a card, and I think "Aha! It must be the boyfriend!"

But it's not. The card sings a very tinny version of Jingle Bells, and inside is a strip of paper addressed not only to me but also to the boyfriend.

The plot thickens! If it's not the boyfriend, who else could it be? My mom? A friend? Definitely not Work! WHO???? Perhaps Cambodia Flowers (I think that was the name; there's no card.) got it wrong, and the card was supposed to be signed by the boyfriend?

To be continued...

Love You Mom!

2011-12-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

Stitching

Finally finished my final finish of the year- Love You Mom by Bent Creek! I finished it on Sunday, but I had to wash it before I could show it off. I'm happy to say that none of the WDW or GAST threads bled, even though they aren't guaranteed to be colorfast. So here it is...

I had planned on finishing it when I lived in the States (HA!), which I obviously did not do, so I had made a frogging needle to go with it.

The frogging needle is at my mom's house (in the jewelry box...maybe?), so I'll have to get her to dig it out & find someone who knows how to frame needlework. Big fat chance of that where she lives. I had originally planned to attach it somewhere on the piece, but since I won't be there to do it myself, I'm not sure if that's what I'll tell her to do. Oh, well- I can only hope for the best!

The Cat

Popped out of the bedroom this morning to grab a Coke, and when I came back in, the cat was bolting around the room like a maniac- with my camera stuck on his head! Both the camera & the cat appear to have survived none the worse for the wear.

Holidays

The boyfriend & I finally booked our tickets & hotel for the holidays, so it's official. We're spending Christmas & New Year's in Bangkok. Keep your toes crossed that maybe this time I'll stumble across a needlework store!

I probably won't be posting before the New Year, so I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, no matter which holiday(s) you celebrate (or even none at all!) & a fantastic New Year! Just remember, if 2012 starts out badly, the end of January is Chinese New Year, and you can start over!

Fare well,

New Year's Giveaway

2011-12-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having another floss giveaway! Go check it out!

Perpetual Summer

2011-12-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

I've finally settled on what to stitch for my coworker for her birthday.

TA DAH!

I really like the flops in the top left & bottom right, but I'm not so hot on the other flops. So I'm thinking about changing the colors on those two (theme of the week?!). I'm leaning towards a bright grassy green for one of them, but that's all I've got for now.

Any suggestions? TIA!

Fare well,

More Christmas Giveaways

2011-12-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

The Victoria Motto Sampler Shoppe is having a huge giveaway for multiple winners! Floss, fabric, & charts! They're also having a floss giveaway as well.

Terri at Dixie Samplar is having a Christmas giveaway as well, as is Cucki at Cucki Stitching Cove.

Good luck to everyone!

Fare well,

Changing Colors

2011-12-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

Your help, opinions, & advice are needed!

I am stitching a present for the boyfriend, a JCS Christmas Ornament issue Brittercup design. It turns out that the boyfriend likes Brittercup, so I decided to stitch this pattern for him:

Consumed by Gifts- Brittercup Designs

The problem is this: I don't really like the color of the fabric, and if I change the fabric, I might have to change the floss colors. I'm going to frame it, but there's a pretty good color variety available here, so that's not a problem. I just can't decide what color fabric to use.

If you were stitching this pattern, what color fabric and floss would you use?

I'm off to mark papers & finish Love You Mom (only 1/2 the M to go!)- then to kit & start Consumed by Gifts.

Thanks a million in advance,

Love You Mo...

2011-12-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Almost finished! This morning I completed the final white flower & the word mommy on the right side. Now all I have left to stitch is a giant M!

You know what's delicious? Contact solution. Just ask the cat.

Fare well,

2011-12-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

In Jennifer's giveaway, you can get an extra entry by posting about your favorite scissors.

These are mine:

Elizabeth I scissors by Kelmscott

I love that they are miniature. I find them much easier to wield than normal sized scissors. And naturally, I love the Tudor roses on them. That was the initial reason that I bought them.

I also have these scissors:

Tudor Rose scissors by Kelmscott

Like the Elizabeth I scissors, I bought these because they had Tudor roses on them. I do like them. The quality is excellent, and the design is beautiful, but as I said before, I like the miniature scissors better.

So I'm curious-

What are your favorite scissors?

Fare well,

Christmas Giveaway from Feathers in the Nest

2011-12-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Jennifer of Feathers in the Nest is having a lovely giveaway. If you like samplers, scissors, & linen, you should stop by to see what she's offering. Good luck to those who enter!

Fare well,

Love You Mom Update

2011-12-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

The bane of my existence- ANTS!!! I set my cup of tea of the table, did some stitching, looked up, and my cup was covered in ants. Oh, how I hate them!

They are everywhere: bathroom, kitchen (of course), living room, balcony. Once we left a pizza on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes, and when we came back- covered in ants!!! I think the boyfriend is tired of hearing me rant about them, but I just can't stand them! They get in everything!!!

The cat has taken to burrowing in the bed. I thought it was hilarious that he only burrowed his head here!

On the stitching front, I have some progress on Love You Mom. I just need to finish the dark brown "mommy", the M on "MOM" and one more white (ugh!) flower between them.

I like the buttons, but I'm not thrilled about them. I don't think the pink matches the stitching colors, but what am I going to do?! No button store here!

Fare well,

2011-12-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

Good morning!

Has anyone seen the magic paper-grading fairy? If you have, could you send her my way? Finals start on Thursday, so I am marking the last of the in-class essays, and some of my students (okay, the one class in particular that drives me up a wall!) are showing little to no improvement. Perhaps if they paid attention, did their homework, etc., and so on, and so forth, they might learn something. Did I mention they're driving me nuts?!

On to better things!

Holidays!

The end of October/beginning of November is always a holiday here: the King's Coronation Day & the King Father's Birthday. Apparently it was also the 20th anniversary of the King Father (he was king at the time) returning from exile, hence the 90/20 poster. This year was his 89th birthday, but a coworker told me that when you're born, they start at 1 year old instead of starting at 0, which would explain the mathematical discrepancy on the poster. As usual, Independence Monument and surrounding sidewalk area were decorated, and you can see the wat expansion in the background.

Flowers!

The boyfriend & I have been expanding our balcony garden. We got a couple of more plants and a "Christmas tree". We even got a decoration for the tree, but we haven't put it on yet. Being the feline that he is, Peece just HAD to get into the picture & look deceivingly cute!

These are the new plants we got, none of which are actually blooming anymore.

My white orchid that the boyfriend got me for Valentine's Day has bloomed maybe twice since then. A couple of weeks ago, out of the blue, it started blooming again! The purple one has some buds at the moment but no flowers yet.

Stitching!

A couple of weeks ago, I was stitching & watching John Adams on HBO. I got up to get some water, and when I came back, there was this:

So I tried to move him, to no avail!

In the end, we compromised- he doesn't eat the floss, and I let him sleep on my lap!

Here's the point I was at when I was going to update my blog last time:

Christmas Cards!

I joined the Christmas card exchange this year on Chatty Stitching Exchangers. So off I go to the bookstore, decorated thusly...

because I know they have Christmas cards. I've seen them all year round. So naturally, there's this:

What?! Not a Christmas card to be seen! So I calmly tell myself not to worry, there's that NGO on Norodom that does handmade Christmas cards. Except that when I get there, they're either closing their business or doing inventory, and there's nothing in the store. AHHH! Okay, so now I'm a bit panicked, as I said I would participate & I can't find any %%#^*!@ cards! I waited a few days and went back to the bookstore, where, not only do they have their fake Christmas trees, but they also have those blow up plastic decorations that I can't stand and CHRISTMAS CARDS!!! Whew! Close call there! One of the million small frustrations of living in Phnom Penh.

Random!

I can't resist showing off the wall paper in our living room- pink dandelions & every one of them is outlined in clear glitter. Seriously. Notice the curtains? Brown & orange?! I suspect that our interior designer didn't actually go to school for this!

Here's some more random cat pictures. He likes to hide in the shower, where he thinks I can't see him. I turned the shower on on him last week- did he run away? No! He just cowered in the corner of the bathtub where the water couldn't reach him (our shower sucks). Then I felt bad for him, so I turned it off.

Here we are on the balcony, him nibbling on my finger & looking possessed, which I suspect he is.

Until next time, fare well,

Expanding the Collection

2011-11-25T21:52:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, I find a great treasure at Psar Thmei (Central Market) in the area of rocks & minerals. These are two of my recent aquisitions:

Fare well,

Migraines & Medicine

2011-11-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

I was going to post an update this morning, but I woke up with a migraine. I HAD to go to work since I teach two classes on Wednesdays, so I took a small dose of medicine and went in. I managed to plan both of today's classes and one of tomorrow's classes, and after an hour, I just knew I couldn't teach. The light was hurting my head, and when the other teachers came back from lunch, the noise (which wasn't actually loud- just people talking) was almost unbearable. Thankfully I had all of my prep done, so I wrote a note for whomever ended up covering my classes, went downstairs & told the appropriate persons that I was leaving, and came home. I took more medicine when I got home, and now I am sitting in bed with the cat (who's being really sweet- he must have some evil scheme planned for later!) curled up at my feet.

So much for that blog post!

Here's a random picture of the cat in my closet. He really, really likes to sleep in the closets- maybe because it's dark?

Fare well,

2011-11-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

It's a pomegranate...or will be eventually.

Ack! I almost forgot! The whole reason that I only put about 10 stitches into Love You Mom yesterday: crewel embroidery!!!

I decided to finally try my hand at it. I've been making the stitches too large, as you can see the pen marks underneath. I probably should've practiced doing a twisted chain stitch, but no, I just drove right in! Now I'll have to frog it (does frogging apply to crewel?) and redo the large stitches.

I'm using some rather costly Australian wool that I bought at Needle Ny-dle Noo, which made me think that I should get some less costly floss until I get more experienced. Does anyone else do crewel? Any recommendations for supplies and/or ONSs? Any advice is appreciated!

Fare well,

2011-11-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

Love You Mom

I've finally made some progress! The unfinished word at the bottom is a giant MOM & then there is a word down the right side & some other small words to fill in the space, but I can see it all coming together now- thank goodness!

November Celtic Knot

Yesterday, I got a bee in my bonnet that I wanted to work on NCK. However, when I took it out & looked at the colors I had chosen, I decided that I was done with this one. What was I thinking?! It would've looked terrible! The pattern is still in the stash drawer, but this particular piece of stitching is going in the trash. Except that black fabric is impossible to come by here, so I am thinking of frogging all of the stitching & keeping the fabric. Then I could restart NCK. Opinions?

This particular color is not the problem; it would be the finished combination that would be dreadful.

A Rather Larger than Usual Visitor

We get a lot of tiny geckos looking for bug soufflé on our balcony, so I was a bit surprised when I walked out the other night and saw this guy. He had beautiful coloring- blue with reddish spots, but really it was his size that made me do a double-take. He was about a foot long and of great interest to the cat (the boyfriend & I were betting on the gecko!).

Have I ever mentioned that the cat is evil? Here is proof:

Warcraft

I'm having connection issues with my Mac. Every time WoW patches the game & I need to download the patch, the launcher program won't connect. Apparently I need to open some ports, but I can't figure that out either because Apple made it "easier" when they upgraded the OS. GAH!! It's driving me crazy!!!! I have yet to try restarting the router (it's for the whole floor, so I can envision some evil glares from young Korean men) & dumping my cache. I guess I'll try that now. It's only 9a.m. on Friday, so there can't be too many people using the internet right now...right?! Normally, I would hop on my moto & drive up to the little coffee shop where I don't have this problem, but THEY'RE CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY!!! It's awful, terrible, horrible, and extremely unfair (the boyfriend doesn't have this problem on his computer; he can play all he wants)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, if anyone has an inkling of how to fix this, I would be more than grateful!

Happy Water Festival! Happy Veteran's Day!

Fare well,

Stitching Goodies from Vacation

2011-11-10T23:59:00.000-08:00

You may not realize this, as I did not before I needed to know, but OttLights are not dual voltage. Which meant that I couldn't bring mine to Cambodia *sniff!* Much to my surprise, however, I found a battery powered OttLight while I was in the States, so of course I bought it! I haven't used it yet, but I'll be sure to let you know how it works out.

I stumbled upon this gem of a book when I was browsing Barnes & Noble- luck & timing! There's no stash shopping, especially pattern stash shopping, in Cambodia, so I had to indulge! Who knows when I will get around to stitching these, but I do love Joan Elliot's patterns.

You might recall (or might not!) that I went to Perth, Australia, last December. While I was there, I stopped in at Needle Ny-dle Noo, which was an adorable little shop that has unfortunately had to give up their brick & mortar shop recently (they're still online, though.) I loved their little shop, so I was disheartened to hear that they could no longer keep it. The times being what they are, I understand, but I feel a small loss for the international embroidery community. But I digress..

While I was in the shop, a very nice lady whose name escapes me (it's been a year!) convinced me to try crewel embroidery. She was stitching this gorgeous blanket called Arabian Nights and the most lovely camels on it. I WANTED IT! THEY WERE OUT OF THE PATTERN! Then some time this summer, I received an email from their email list saying that they were having a SAL/ class using this pattern- AND THEY HAD IT IN STOCK!! Oh, yes, needless to say, I ordered one and promptly had it shipped to my mom's house in the States, where it currently sits. I just tried my hand at crewel for the first time today (!!!), but that's another post. It will be quite a while before I am ready to take on Arabian Nights, so I'm keeping it safe & sound at my mom's house.

And finally...has anyone seen my hardanger piece?! Looks like the picture below, just barely unfinished. I had plans for this piece! I was going to bring it back to Cambodia, summon up all of the patience in the world & finish wrapping those bars & attach the beds & voila! it would've been finished. Just in time for Christmas too.

But I can't find it. Anywhere. I looked & looked & pulled out drawers & it's MIA. GGRRR!!!! So if you happen to see it traveling the world or something, please let me know. :P

And that's all for this riveting update.

Fare well,

Remember, Remember, that Trip I Took Back in September?

2011-11-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

The boyfriend and I took a two week whirlwind vacation back to the States in September. We went to Wisconsin, Illinois, & California, which was exciting, fun, and exhausting! It started off by me ripping off half of my big toe nail:

and ended with us arriving home at 1a.m. & getting up that same morning to go back to work.

But it was completely worth it! I just wish I had gotten to see Shelley on this trip. Next time, I promise!

The Wedding

One of my close friends was getting married, hence the trip to Wisconsin. Her husband is Sikh, so there was a Sikh wedding ceremony in the morning & a Western wedding ceremony in the evening. Somehow, the boyfriend & I did not manage to get our picture together. (I was sick, thanks to a girl on the plane, so we left a bit early.)

The boyfriend, Sikh pirate style
(He had to cover his head.)

Me & the bride after the Sikh ceremony

Me, bringing Cambodian "style" to Milwaukee, pre-wedding

The Derry Crew: my pals from our semester studying in N. Ireland (and the groom in the middle)

My friend A. (on the right) & his friend, showing off the kramas that I brought him from Cambodia

Visiting the Boyfriend's Family

We made it!

The boyfriend's family was really nice to me. His sister even came out from Utah, but I imagine that's because the boyfriend hadn't been home in six years! Alas, all of the family pictures were lost due to a camera malfunction. :(

Pyramid-shaped house down the road from the boyfriend's parent's house

I have a nice-size mineral/rock collection, and it turns out that the boyfriend's dad shares this interest. By the time we had left to go to California, his dad had bestowed all of these wonderful treasures on me!

Carved by the boyfriend's dad.

Amethyst, pyrite, & unidentified white stuff

Copper & galena

Except these two. These I bought in a store. The first one is (I believe) celestite & something I can't quite figure out, and the second one is a fossilized sand dollar- how cool is that?!

Visiting My Family

If you have to entertain the boyfriend, you might as well take him to Target. I could barely get him out of the place! To be fair, it's so nice to be able to buy almost anything in one place. Ahhhh...how I miss that.

The boyfriend's first trip to a Super Target

My mom's done some minor redecorating, and there are three or four of my stitched pieces in the den (I'm so proud!)

My stitching gets a place of honor over the TV!

One night, my dad, the boyfriend, and I went to the county fair. I got to see minerals, rocks, & cross stitch; the boyfriend got to buy a cowboy hat & Mexican wrestling mask. Good times!

EWWW!

Double EWWW!

Replica of Buck Owen's Crystal Palace

How to bore the boyfriend in five minutes or less

Apparently the blue mineral is quite rare (can't remember which one it is though!)

Beautiful orchid cross stitch piece

First prize winner for cross stitch

Of course, the biggest perk of going home is seeing the family- which includes the pets!!! I don't have a picture with my dad, but I didn't get to see him as much as I would've liked. He did bring me some Costa Rican money for my coin collection & a Costa Rican magnet for my tacky magnet collection.

He also brought me a beautiful silver opium pipe from Thailand. I was eyeing a different silver pipe when we were in Bangkok, but it got sold before we could buy it. However, I just love the laughing Buddha on this one!

We stayed with my mom while we were home, so I got to spend a lot of time with her & with the pets.

My mommy & me!

Stuart, my bud

Gabby, newest member of the herd

Dear old Elsie

Me, Monty, Rocky, & Sid

Lizzard pie!

Scooter- after the disability insurance!

Returning to Cambodia

Peece's guilt trip look for leaving him at the vet's for two weeks??

A new favorite spot from which he can spy on the entire neighborhood

Holiday Giveaways Have Begun!

2011-11-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

1 Billion 2 Go is having a holiday giveaway that ends on December 15th.

Check it out!

Fare well,

The Winner!

2011-11-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Vicky on winning the 200 post giveaway! I will be off to the shops, perhaps tomorrow, to see what's in stock. Also, to see if they're open. Water Festival is this week, and everything shuts down. It's definitely not getting posted this week, but soon, I promise!

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Fare well,

200 Post Giveaway

2011-11-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I have passed the 200* post mark! WOO HOO! I think I'll have a giveaway!

*technically, this is post #204, but who's counting?!

I will send the winner a Cambodian keychain and a cross stitch keychain kit (Pinn Stitch has pictures- only the square ones are available to me.) I might throw in a few other things, depending on what I find while I'm out shopping. [Completely OT: The power just went out & it's 11pm- I can't see anything!!!]

If you would like to enter, please leave me a comment with your email address. That's it! You don't have to follow my blog or post the giveaway on your blog or stand your head while spinning in a circle three times! (If you want to do any of those, however, you are more than welcome to!) Just let me know you're interested, and I'll put you in the running.

The giveaway will end at 11pm on Sunday, November 5th.

Fare well,

Candy Madness

2011-10-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm updating my Webshots albums, so I'm reading my older blogs. On one of them I'm bemoaning the fact that Reese's peanut butter cups aren't available in Cambodia.

I'd just like to revise that and say that not only are they available, but they also carry my favorite candy bar in the world (Boost, only ever previously found by me in the Republic of Ireland) and NutRageous, which I also love.

Fare well,

A Birthday Gift- to Me, from Me

2011-10-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

Last year, I ordered a pattern of Anne Boleyn from Odds & Ins Online, so now they send me a birthday coupon every year. Last year, I spent it on Catherine of Aragon, so this year I bought Anne of Cleves.

I know I skipped Jane Seymour, but I don't really like her portrait, and frankly, I find the Anne of Cleves portrait much more interesting. I would just rather stitch her than Jane- you know, once I finish Anne Boleyn & Catherine of Aragon. ;P

I will get to them all one day!!!

Fare well,

ILCS Birthday Floss Club

2011-10-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

As I've previously mentioned, I'm participating in the floss club this year. I'm late in posting blog birthday wishes to Mark, Janet, LeAnn, Debbie, & Debbie Jo. This is what I sent them:

For Mark: Carrie's Creation Blue Glacier & Denim

For Janet: Carrie's Creation Holly Days & Desert Bloom

For Debbie: Carrie's Creation Chocolates & Mojave Fire

Unfortunately, the card & floss that I sent to Debbie never made it, so I sent her a new card & new floss while I was in the States:

WDW Peach Fuzz & Peach Cobbler

I'm still secretly hoping that the first card will arrive one day!

For LeAnn: WDW Raspberry & Raspberry Tart

For Debbie Jo: WDW Cornbread & Pumpkin

I love picking out floss for others, so I'm having a wonderful time with this club, though it was a *bit* hard to part with the floss once it had arrived at my house! I'm really glad that everyone liked the colors I chose, and I hope they come in handy someday!

Fare well,

2011-10-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

It's 12:30am. The internet problems at home have finally been fixed. I'm sitting out on the balcony, thinking of life and how mine turned out the way that it did. I've been reading a book of poetry, written by my Composition Theory professor at Sac State. (After Being Somewhere Else by Cherryl Smith). It's about leaving your homeland and returning and the impact that it has on you. Granted, I've left & returned & left again, but somehow it seems very poignant- that we change because of our experiences but those around us either do not notice or choose not to notice. Leaving home changes a person. I would like to think that I have been changed for the better. But as I sit here, I find myself believing that Cambodia is a lonely place- there are friends, but we do not get together much. That is not to say that these people are not real friends...it's just that...people here seem to be very independent in the way of friendship. It leaves me feeling lonely with no one to confide in. A person needs dear friends, people to love you and to whom you return that love. It's rather a hard thing to come by here, and tonight, I find myself feeling lonely in this great big expanse of the world. I wish you well in whatever part of the world you find yourself in today.

Fare well,

A Small Update

2011-10-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

This year I am participating in ILCS's Birthday Floss Club. I received cards & floss late because I had them sent to the States instead of Cambodia (much safer that way), and so I am in late in posting a very heartfelt thank you to all of the participants and Meari, our moderator. I was very grateful to receive the following:

Vicky L.- DMC 824 & 3706
Heidi M.- ThreadWorx 11583, Caron Waterlilies African Violet, & Caron Wildflowers Mediterranean
Pam K.- DMC 725 & 349
Debbie M.- DMC 3761 & 912
Glenna M.- DMC S798, Carrie’s Creation Indigo & Jewel of the Nile
Melissa M.- DMC 3031, 3687, & 5282
Georgena B.- Carrie’s Creation Rainbow & Plum Passion
Lori B.- GAST Sugarplum, WDW Lagoon & Squash
LeAnn S.- Crescent Colours- Organza Pink & Perfect Piecrust
Mark S.- Carrie’s Creation Spring Delight, Caron Wildflowers Night Sky
Debra S.- DMC Ecru & Blanc
Mary B.- Carrie’s Creation Silk Tropical Water & ThreadWorx 01004
Janet S.- WDW Ultraviolet & Celebration
Karen A.- DMC 3831 & 954
Lily L.- Caron Waterlilies Fresh Pink & DMC 310
Marion E.- Crescent Colours Little Pink Peony & Lavender Louise
Ethel S.- Star Six Strand 1013, Hand Dyed Fibers VetchGreen & Weeping China

While I was in the States, I picked up some Floss-A-Way baggies to protect my floss from the unending Cambodian dust and also the darling Cambodian cat!

I really love these baggies. They come with a pre-punched hole in them, so you can hang like flosses together.

I haven't done much work on Love You Mom, but it's coming along slowly. To be honest, I haven't touched it since probably the end of August. What with the end of term, vacation, and the new term starting, I haven't found any stitching time. Here is my progress thus far:

Maybe next weekend I can get in some stitching time.

Fare well,

The Internet Blues

2011-10-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back in Cambodia. Got home two weeks ago, about 1 a.m. on a Saturday, went to work that day, and then started teaching on Monday. One of my coworkers was still on holiday that week, so I was covering her classes, which required me to work a 60 hour week. Seriously, I don't know how people do that on a regular basis.

That's done now, so it's back to my usual 40-50 hour weeks. I haven't been online much due to work. Also the wireless internet at home isn't working. Let me rephrase that. The wireless internet at home isn't working for us. As the maintenance guy so helpfully pointed out to the boyfriend & I in Khmer this morning, it works for all of the other floors! Yes, wonderful, but it still doesn't work for ME! I put in the password, it gets accepted, then the computer shows the internet is connected but there's no internet connection available. GAH!!!

Yesterday, my internet phone stopped working; it refuses to charge anymore. I have another phone I'm using, but this one doesn't have internet on it. So I'm going to have to shell out a few hundred for a new internet phone or just suffer- can't decide which is worse! (It will probably be suffering- I really like having internet on my phone.)

Right now, I am at a café with wifi. I had hoped to get a non-whiny post up, but the post I have in mind will be very picture heavy & seems best left for at home where I can go do other stuff while waiting for the pictures to upload. However, that would require me to have internet access at home! Oh, the circular arguments I get into with myself!

Anyway, that's where I've been & why I haven't been posting to ILCS, responding to emails & the like. Hopefully, the situation will be rectified quickly!!

Fare well,

Four Great Giveaways

2011-08-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Daffycat is having a gnome-themed giveaway that ends on August 23rd (that's today!)

Sarah is having a Highland themed giveaway over on her blog; it ends on August 29th.

Lynn is having a Paris & cupcake themed giveaway to celebrate her 3rd blog anniversary. You can enter until August 28th.

Finally, Pumpkin is having a giveaway for three winners that ends on August 30th.

Fare well & Good luck!

Bloom Café & Lots of Love

2011-08-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

A former coworker runs the Phnom Penh Stitch 'n' Bitch group. I don't often get to go due to scheduling conflicts, but last Friday (the 12th), I finally managed to squeeze it in. Unfortunately, it was scheduled from 1-5p.m. at Bloom Café and when I arrived at around 4pm, no one was there! There is another meeting this Thursday night, so I will try to attend that. I have to wake up at 5a.m. on Friday, so I might not go. I can't make up my mind.

Bloom is a beautiful little shop that sells delicious & adorable cupcakes, and they have chai tea! I was thrilled! I haven't had chai since I left the States.

I am working on a gift for my mom: Love You Mom by Bent Creek.

It's smaller than I thought it would be, but I like the colors more than I thought I would, so it all works out. Here is my progress so far:

I forget what color the fabric is. It's pale but not quite white- probably the recommended fabric. The problem is stitching white on what often appears to be white fabric. It's driving me batty!

I love how it looks, but every time I get to another section of white, I let out a small whimper-groan and have to convince myself to keep going. I would like to have it done by the time the boyfriend & I go back to the States in September, but I don't know if that will happen.

I also have Love You Dad waiting in the wings:

But there's no way that's going to get finished before vacation! I'll probably mail it to him for Christmas, and then he can choose whatever kind of framing he wants. I don't think he'll mind. I've never stitched anything for him before, so I hope he likes it.

Well, I'm off for now. The boyfriend is sick with a cold, and we have a birthday shindig in an hour for a coworker. Which reminds me that my birthday is next weekend, which seems an odd thing to forget, but I keep forgetting because it's the end of term, we're moving to a new apartment, and we leave for the States the day after term ends. No pressure! I don't have any set birthday plans yet, but it will be relaxing! I'm contemplating getting my gift buying done, and I need to get a dress for my friend's wedding in Wisconsin. I want to get a Cambodian style dress (read: flashy!) for the civil ceremony. Here are some samples of my dress options:

I also need to get a more conservative dress for the Sikh ceremony in the morning. If all else fails, I guess I could wear this:

HA!

Fare well,

Rainbows & Reading

2011-08-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

I saw my first rainbow in Cambodia the other day. It was beautiful and unpretentious, so I had to take a picture.

Last month, the boyfriend came home with the first season of Game of Thrones. We're hooked! So much so that in the past two months, I have already read the first three books (between 700 & 1000 pages each). The series is called A Song of Ice and Fire.

I was thoroughly fascinated by the first three books. I don't want to give anything away, but a lot of unexpected events occur throughout the series. No one's safe- traumatic events and death happen to characters that in most books would be protected from such events. That's all I'm saying.

I'm currently reading A Feast for Crows (Book #4), but I kind of have to force myself to read it. It focuses on different characters, and, so far, there hasn't been much action. The boyfriend is already on book five, and he says it's a lot better than book four. I highly recommend this series if you like this genre.

Fare well,

ILCS Birthday Floss Club

2011-08-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

This year I am participating in the ILCS Birthday Floss Club. Everyone sends the birthday person a card with two skeins of floss. Wednesday was Marion's birthday. I had planned to post on that day. but Cellcard/Mobitel thwarted me yet again! So, Marion,

(Can I blame the frogs?!)

The cards here are a bit garish, so I tried to pick one of the less gaudy ones. I sent her two skeins of Carrie's Creation: Boysenberry & Graphite.

Happy birthday, Marion! I hope you enjoy the floss!

Fare well,

Malaysia, Orchids, & Hellcat

2011-08-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

Last term break (end of June, beginning of July), the boyfriend & I went to Kuala Lumpur for a few days. Can't say we did much. Many hours were spent in bookstores and movie theaters, and many more were spent eating. A family friend from back in the Saudi Arabia days lives there now, so we got to stay with him. He happens to be an excellent chef and lives a quick walk from the Petronas Towers and shopping malls. I never thought I'd miss a shopping mall, but after living in Phnom Penh, it was nice to visit civilization.

Petronas Towers from the mall entrance

The boyfriend & I on the bridge

View from the Towers (our "hotel" is out there somewhere)

Top of one of the Towers

The view of the ground between the Towers

The explanation for the geometrical design of the Towers

The boyfriend at Starbucks

View from the "hotel" room

Last Valentine's Day, the boyfriend got me some orchids, and they are blooming again. In the States, they only bloom about once a year, but here in Cambodia, they bloom all the time.

Hellcat is doing well. Here he is sitting on the porch swing like the little prince he thinks he is!

He's growing really fast. This is him in July:

and this is him in February, when we first got him:

We had to take him in for the snip today, and the vet said he was heavy! I doth protest! He's healthy. He only weighs about 4kg (around 9 pounds). He just looks heavy because all of the strays in town are skinny as sticks!!!

Fare well,

Cellcard/Mobitel Sucks!

2011-08-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

I was finally going to post a few updates, but I keep losing the connection on my computer (on my phone now). If you are hearing screaming from afar, that's me!

Fare well,

Anne Sans Tete

ILCS Lizzie*Kate Exchange

2011-07-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

Last month, I participated in the ILCS L*K exchange, which was a lot of fun. Below is what I sent my partner, Kate. The colors in the flowers didn't turn out quite as I had envisioned, but Kate says she likes it- I hope she's not lying! ;P

And this is what Kate sent to me. The pictures don't do any of it justice. I just love the wall hanging & the floss she sent me was beautiful as well. The butterfly notebook is much prettier in real life!

Thank you, Kate! I had a great time doing this exchange!

Fare well,

Unlimited, as defined by Mobitel

2011-07-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

The boyfriend and I got unlimited wireless internet from the aforementioned cell phone company. Unfortunately (for us), they failed to mention that unlimited applies only to uploading & there is actually a 40GB downloading limit on the "unlimited" service. So we got cut off and have to wait until tomorrow to restart service.

I'm on my phone now, but that means no pictures, which is rather boring, so I am still holding off on a true update. I went to Malaysia for the first time, saw some old friends, participated in an ILCS exchange...all waiting for the internet to be restored so that I can wow you (?!) with my spectacular photos.

Thank you for your patience with my few & far between posts. I love your comments; I really do. As a token of my appreciation, I am contemplating a giveaway for my upcoming birthday (1 month, 4 days to go). I just need to find something good to give away! Ideas include a small stitchy kit, something made of authentic Cambodian silk, perhaps some Kampot pepper (and salt, if I can find it), Ratanakiri coffee (I'm not a coffee fan, but this stuff is pretty good). Any other ideas or suggestions are welcome! Or if the winner is not a fan of such things, I can always browse the maze tjhat is O'Russei Market in search of the embroidery section (the boyfriend swears he's seen it- I have yet to find it!).

Until the internet is up & working again,

Fare well,

Anne Sans Tete

2011-06-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

Term 2 has ended. Tomorrow the boyfriend & I are off to Malaysia at the invitation of my dad's friend from back in the Saudi Arabia days. More when I return. I also need to post an updated pic of his cat. He's grown so much! But he's still a pain in the ankle!

Fare well,

Kep

2011-05-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Just home from the long weekend in Kep. It was relaxing and wonderful and I want to go back! The first night we stayed at Le Bout du Monde, which we both loved, and the second & third nights we stayed at Jasmine Valley, which was just okay. I got started on Love You Mom by Bent Creek, but I didn't get very far. The lighting wasn't that good, the fabric is 32 count, and I was stitching white floss on heritage (light pinkish?) fabric. If I could get off of the computer (and finish my lesson plan), I could get some stitching time in before bed, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking for me.

The boyfriend snoozing in the hammock at Le Bout du Monde.

Our balcony at Le Bout du Monde.

The view from the balcony.

The path to our room.

These petals have a velvety feel to them.

Almost stepped on this not-so-little dude on the way to breakfast.

A beautiful flower, unknown name (to me).

A pink hibiscus, after the rains.

The view from the restaurant.

Our room at Jasmine Valley.

The view from the patio at Jasmine Valley.

The boyfriend with his one true love.

Lovely flower.

A statue of a guy with pointy shoes, a pointy hat, and a bow and arrow. Near the Crab Market.

Jackfruit & mangoes

Kampot sea salt

Kampot black pepper, white pepper, & unknown clay-like substance.

The Crab Market.

Fried squid, a popular snack.

Some kids tormenting a shark.

Beautiful souvenirs. Shelley will be heartbroken that I didn't buy her one.

The boyfriend's dream shack (probably an old French colonial house).

The Siren statue.

The Blue Crab statue.

The Kep Provincial Hall, complete with golden chicken statue and grazing cows.

The boyfriend, pretending to be serious at Breezes.

The view of Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island) from Breezes.

Handmade beads I got at Lili Perles.

Handmade necklace from Lili Perles.

Fare well,

P.S. If you made it all the way through that, I've added a couple of Songkran pictures on the previous post.

1st Finish of the Year!

2011-05-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

Whew! I finally made it over that hump! Except for the bead eyes, I finally finished Chillin' Out by Calico Crossroads.

Both the pattern and the fabric (Summer Sky jobelan, though it's hard to tell in the pictures) were birthday gifts from Rene for the ILCS Birthday Club 2009. She was a very thoughtful person, and I miss her, as I'm sure many stitchers out there do.

I did go to Phuket to see my dad for Khmer New Year. We participated in Songkran, which was exciting & exhausting! You spend basically the whole day standing in the back of a truck with giant containers of ice cold water, driving around town, throwing water on people- sweet!

It was a ton of fun, and when we ran out of ice & water, we picked up some more ice, then it was off to get more water- at the fire department! I swear! They were filling up our containers with the hoses at the fire department. Songkran is a huge deal in Thailand- I had a blast! Although my students were less enthused than I was since there's that touchy little border conflict going on between Cambodia & Thailand right now. But I digress. I also got to go scuba diving, which was amazing- the fish, the coral, the crinoids, everything was so beautiful and colorful- I can't explain with words just how gorgeous under-the-water is. Just perfect.

In mid-April, my friend from grad school & her friend from the Peace Corps came to visit. They're both teaching for the Peace Corps in Thailand. It was so much fun to have someone from home visit! A friend of mine had his mother and sister in town from New Zealand, so it was riotous fun at Saturday Club that weekend!

If you have a moment of free time, may I suggest going to YL Angkor Stars and voting for the mad scientist of your choice? One of my coworkers teaches in the Young Learners program here, and each term, he has them do a class blog (to see past blogs, click here). They've just done an activity where they had to pretend they were mad scientists & cross two animals. Voting is enabled, and the students love it when other people are interested in & excited about what they are doing. To vote, just click the link on the top left that says MAD SCIENTISTS READ and VOTE HERE! If you're interested in more, there's also Young Learners 15 and YL ELEVEN (the numbers refer to levels, not ages). Many thanks for keeping the students actively interested in learning English!

Friday (the 13th) is the king's birthday, so many happy wishes to HRH King Norodom Sihamoni, who was a ballet dancer once upon a time (nope, not kidding! Completely OT, but last night I learned that Hun Sen, the prime minister, has a glass eye. I love random trivia!). Many happy wishes to me because that means Friday is a holiday! The boyfriend and I are going to Kep tomorrow night. It's a sleepy little beachside town with nothing to do but relax, sleep, read, eat, & stitch! Oh thank god!!! Only 24 hours to go, and they're not going fast enough!

Tuesday is also a holiday, Visak Bochea- there's a monk in my class who said that it's Buddha's Enlightenment Day. But last term there was a holiday that students told me was to celebrate Buddha's Enlightenment. I'm confused. But anyway, it's another holiday- no complaints here! Can we get some more holidays please?!

Dec-Jan-Feb-Mar

2011-03-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Where have the first two New Years (read: Western New Year & Chinese New Year) gone?! I haven't posted since December, and I haven't even stitched- not one, single stitch!- since December. Suffice it to say that the new job is keeping me very, very busy. Fortunately, tomorrow is the last day of the first term, so I will get a little time to stitch & just relax.

Some catching up...

In mid-December, I went to Perth for a few days. It's a beautiful city with friendly people, and I wish I could have stayed for more than two days.

While I was there, however, I did pop into Needle Ny-dle Noo, which is a fantastic little shop! The owner was so nice to me & convinced me to give crewel work a try. Mind you, I haven't actually gotten around to this yet, but I WILL! She also has a Cat's Whiskers pattern that I really want (I'd have to change the colors to match my other projects, but still...), but I decided to buy a pattern with a local connection to remind me of my trip. Apparently, fairy wrens are native to Perth, as is Cat's Whiskers!

La Roseraie by The Cat's Whiskers
(The one I still long for!)

There are Fairies at the Bottom of my Garden...
Splendid Fairy Wrens that Is! by The Cat's Whiskers
(The one I bought)

I highly recommend stopping in, if only to browse, if you happen to be in Perth.

The main purpose of popping on over to Australia for the weekend was to attend a U2 concert. It was fabulous, and I loved it. As usual. Sometimes I think they should stop releasing studio albums & just release concert albums because the songs sound SO MUCH better!

I left Perth on a Sunday, spent Monday in Cambodia, flew to Korea on Tuesday, spent the day there, then flew out to the States on Tuesday night. Three continents in three days can be a little exhausting, but it was worth being home for the holidays!

I finally finished Moody Blues for my mom. She loved it as we have an ongoing joke about how I want her to kick the bucket so that I can have her Moody Blues CDs.

I framed And Nature Sing in the States, & brought it back to Cambodia for my roommate. She really liked it & put it on the bookshelf in our living room.

So I started the new job (and survived the first term! [I only thought of becoming a scuba instructor and/or Formula 1 racer and running away to join the circus a few times!]), but the best part of that deal was my new boyfriend. He's so sweet & respectful that I sometimes feel like I need to pinch myself!

This is us at CamTESOL, pretending to be responsible adults. Mind you, this was after a day of sleeping & lazing about for me & a 12 hour work day in the beautiful Cambodian sun for him.

And this is his cat, PC.

For Chinese New Year, we went to Kratie, in the northeast of Cambodia, because I wanted to see the quickly disappearing Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins. Kratie is a tiny town with nothing to do, but I had a grand time seeing the dolphins & hanging out with the boyfriend.

There be dolphins, I swear!

So that brings us up-to-date. Tomorrow are my last classes, then I am just going to do whatever I feel like for term break- stitching, sleeping, beating the boyfriend at Clue, wandering the streets of Phnom Penh, going to some provincial town on a spur of the moment whim...whatever strikes my fancy.

We start back to work on April 8th, then Khmer New Year is from 13-17 April, so I am flying to Phuket to meet my dad & go scuba diving. W00T!!!

I really like having a New Year every month- it's like if the month was awful, you can just start over again! Unfortunately, this only goes on through April. The rest of the year you have to suffer with your decisions!

I wish you all a joyous & wonderful weekend!

Fare well,

A Sort Of Homecoming

2010-12-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

A Sort Of Homecoming

And you know it's time to go
Through the sleet and driving snow
Across the fields of mourning
To a light that's in the distance

And you hunger for the time
Time to heal, desire, time
And your earth moves beneath
Your own dream landscape

Oh, on borderland we run
I'll be there, I'll be there tonight
A high road
A high road out from here

The city walls are all come down
The dust a smokescreen all around
See faces ploughed like fields
That once gave no resistance

And we live by the side of the road
On the side of a hill as the valley explodes
Dislocated, suffocated
The land grows weary of its own

Oh come away, oh come away, oh come
Oh come away say I
Oh come away, oh come away, oh come
Oh some away say I

Oh, on borderland we run and still we run
We run and don't look back
I'll be there, I'll be there
Tonight, tonight

I'll be there tonight
I believe
I'll be there so high
I'll be there tonight
Tonight

Oh come away, I say
Oh come away, I say

The wind will crack in wintertime
This bomb-blast lightning waltz
No spoken words, just a scream, oh

Tonight we'll build a bridge across the sea and land
See the sky, the burning rain
She will die and live again
Tonight

And your heart beats so slow
Through the rain and fallen snow
Across the fields of mourning
To a light that's in the distance

Oh, don't sorrow,
No don't weep for tonight, at last
I am coming home
I am coming home

- U2

Birthmas Giveaway

2010-12-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

Jolene is having a Birthmas Giveaway!!

Fare well,

Cat Biscornu

2010-12-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

Since I finished And Nature Sing, I decided to work on Moody Blues, as I previously mentioned. However, the light in the living room was not conducive to backstitching, so I pulled out the Cat Biscornu instead.

Here is where I left off:

And here is where I was as of last night:

Now I'm off to find some mindless TV & continue stitching!

Fare well,

2010-12-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

Mel is celebrating her 200 followers by having a giveaway at Epic Stitch! There are two prizes- check it out!

Fare well,

The Winner is...

2010-12-14T21:59:00.000-08:00

Deborah!!!! Congratulations!

Fare well,

P.S. The weather gods are mocking me. It's supposed to be dry season and yet it's pouring rain. In the middle of December. In Cambodia. So not cool!

Non-Christmas Christmas Giveaway

2010-12-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

In honor of an unexpected Christmas gift from my mom, I am having a non-Christmas related Christmas giveaway! I will be gifting Lizzie*Kate's Sisters Forever to one lucky person!

I was going to have a 200th post giveaway, but I'm feeling the Christmas spirit (even if it is 88F outside!), and I want to offer it now. The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Please leave a comment with your name and email address (very important!). If you would like a second entry, please post a link on your blog & leave a comment letting me know.

The giveaway closes at midnight (Cambodia time [+7 GMT], which would be...uh...9:00am Pacific time) on 13 December 2010.

Good luck!

P.S. My unexpected Christmas present was a return plane ticket HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME for Christmas & New Years!!!! WOOOOO! I am SO excited!!!

And Nature Sing- Finished!

2010-12-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

I managed to finish And Nature Sing with many hours to spare before the roommie gets back from Thailand!

Fare well,

And Nature Sing Update

2010-12-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've almost finished And Nature Sing. Record fast stitching for me! I hope to finish it today, as my roommate returns tonight.

After that I *plan* to finish Moody Blues for my mom. I'm soooo close to having it done & I would really like to give it to her for Christmas.

Fare well,

Christmas Stitching & Other Things

2010-12-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

It's a lovely Saturday morning, the heat is minimal, and my roommate is in Thailand. It's that last one that's really important. In October, I ordered the Halloween and Christmas issues of Just Cross Stitch & had them mailed to my dad's house. So when I was in Thailand, he gave them to me. All of this is just a roundabout way of saying that I'm stitching a present for my roommate for Christmas. It's supposed to be an ornament, but I didn't have any fabric that was small enough, so it's going to be a something-that-isn't-an-ornament.

I am stitching And Nature Sing by Little by Little Design Co. from the JCS Christmas 2010 issue. It's supposed to be stitched on brown fabric, which I don't have, so I had to use an oatmeal shade, which is actually rather nice, but the white doesn't show up that well. Whoever thought I'd be longing for brown fabric?!

So here's it will look like once it's completed:

And here is what I have stitched so far:

My roommate has actually seen it; she asked me what I was making & I told her an ornament-that's-not-an-ornament. She just doesn't know that it's for her. I hope she likes it.

For my dad, I bought some Kampot pepper (Cambodia's first Geographic Indicator certified food!) from Kurata Pepper. Kampot pepper is spicier than normal black pepper & comes in four varieties: green, black, red, & white. I know that green is fresh off the pepper "tree", but I don't know the difference in the others. I also got him a little bag of Kampot salt & ground Kampot pepper and a tasty bag of cashews with lemongrass, chilies, garlic, shallots, and bergamot leaves (they tasted like Kaffir lime leaves to me, but what do I know?!).

For my mom, I bought a handmade, silk Christmas tree ornament, a little bag of Kampot salt & pepper (she doesn't like spicy, so no big bag of pepper for her!), and Kampot pepper essential oil. Apparently this will be a food themed Christmas!

And for Shelley, I bought........ha ha! Both you & she will have to wait to see what it is!

At the Christmas fair at the Intercontinental Hotel, I got myself this cute little elephant, whom I've named Alphie. He's sitting up against my Tiny Kampot Pillow. (There's a lot of Kampot in this post!)

I also got some nice, hand-painted cards as well.

That's all for now. It has occurred to me that I never blogged about my trip to Kampot- it was quite interesting, so I'll have to do it one day. Right now, I need to check if the water guy has delivered the water. I'm leaning towards no!

Fare well,

More Christmas Giveaways

2010-12-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

No, no, not from me. :) Rebecca at A Gathering of Thoughts is having a giveaway for Christmas. She is giving away a lovely Christmas pillow, so head on over & sign up!

And Terri is giving away two Christmas baskets full of surprises over at dixie samplar designs.

Fare well,

ABCs of Me

2010-12-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

ABCs of Me

A - Age: 30

B - Bed size: 2cm shorter than my roommate's (that's what the landlady said & I'm
sticking to it!)

C - Chore you hate: Cooking (it's the only chore I do here)

D - Dog's name: Rocky, Monty, Sidiqi

E - Essential start your day item(s): Caffeine

F - Favorite color: Purple, but blue & green are close seconds

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5' 6"-ish

I - Instruments you play: "Mary had a little lamb" on the piano

J - Job: Teacher

K - Kids: None

L - Living Arrangements: An apartment (with a/c, so I'm allowed to stay) & a roommate

M - Music you love: Brainwave music that makes me go to sleep- it really works!

N - Nicknames: None

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Yes

P - Pet Peeve: Being lied to & being treated differently because I'm female

Q - Quote from a movie: "This is WAR, Peacock!" (Col. Mustard, Clue)

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: None

T - Time you wake up: 6:30-7:00AM (NOT by choice! It's that darn sunshine.)

U - Underwear: I own some & I often wear it.

V - Vegetable you dislike: I'm not too fond of the cucumber.

W - Workout Style: Imagining it in my head

X - rays you've had: Ankle, Mouth

Y - Yummy food you make: Sausage Skillet (It's the best!)

Z - The best place to visit: HOME!

And now you know my ABC's, won't you play along with me?

Tudor Themed Nail Polish

2010-12-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

Will someone please win the lottery & buy me these Tudor nail polishes?!

Catherine of Aragon:

Anne Boleyn:

Jane Seymour:

Katheryn Howard:

They still need to make some polish for Anne of Cleves & Katherine Parr. Not very nice to leave them out!

Fare well,

2010-12-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

I'm watching a SciFi movie on the tube- Polar Storm. Who cares, right?

Since the SciFi logo is in the lower right corner, I decided to look it up & see what movie I was killing my brain cells with. Turns out that Polar Storm doesn't air in the States until Saturday! Who would've thought that I could be in Phnom Penh, watching a SciFi movie that hasn't even been released yet?!

I find these things much more amusing than they probably are!

Fare well,

2010-12-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Carol is having a giveaway on her blog. The winner gets a really cute scissor fob!

Fare well,

New Books!

2010-12-06T16:31:00.000-08:00

Since I am headed home for the holidays, I decided to order some books to bring back to Cambodia. I'm a nut for Tudor history, and two new books have just been released! I ordered them both & can't wait to read them: one on Catherine of Aragon and the other on Katherine Parr. *Happy Dance!*

I can't wait! I love new books & especially new Tudor books! Today I finished reading Wolf Hall, recommended to me by Shirley from ILCS.

I found it in a second hand bookstore in Kampot, Cambodia, which was slightly odd, but I was happy! A really good fictionalized read about Thomas Cromwell if you're interested.

Fare well,

Christmastime in Cambodia

2010-11-28T16:32:00.000-08:00

Today, my roommate and I went to a Christmas fair at the Intercontinental Hotel in Phnom Penh. I got an oil incense burner and a little stuffed elephant for myself and a couple of Christmas cards.

And yes, we did get a picture with Santa!

It was fun! Next weekend, there is a Christmas village at Le Duo, where Shirley and I had dinner during her visit. Looking forward to it!

Fare well,

2010-11-28T16:04:00.000-08:00

For American Thanksgiving, my dad, my roommate, & I went to Freebird on St. 240. I had a chicken shwarma- very American!!! It was great to spend the holiday-that-wasn't-officially-a-holiday with my dad! (And my roommie, too, of course.)

The arrival of my dad heralded the final batch of ILCS Birthday Club gifts- floss that I ordered with my gift cards. Silks and more silks!

Melinda sent me the cutest little scissor fob, but all of my scissors have fobs, so I put it on my keychain. Isn't it adorable?!

Thank you again, ladies, for the great birthday!

Want some floss? If you go to Hand Dyed Fibers, you can get a free skein! Just click on the link beneath the Mission Statement. Below is the color that I received- I love it! The lighting in my room is terrible, so the real color is somewhere in between the colors in the two pictures.

I tried to go to the cross stitch store in Bangkok, but it wasn't there! ACK! The place where the store was supposed to be was actually a shipping place. They put me on the phone with the shop's owner, but I couldn't really figure out what she was telling me, except that I could email her if I needed anything. Which is cool, but I really wanted to browse! It was alright, though, because we got to the airport pretty early, and my dad bought me a foot massage- awesome!!!

Fare well,

Thailand

2010-11-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

The best part of Thailand? Seeing my dad!

The second best part? Petting tigers!

I saw this guy at the River Kwai, and I thought he was a statue.

He wasn't!

This is the River Kwai and the Jeath Museum.

It was a full moon last Sunday, so it was Loi Krathong and there were fireworks and krathong floating down the river. It was really pretty.

On the last day we were there, we took a boat ride on the river, which was a great way to see Bangkok.

Our boat driver/ tour guide gave us a loaf of bread to feed the catfish outside of this temple.

Our only stop was at the Temple of the Dawn, which is amazing!

All in all, a great vacation!!! But I do miss my dad.

Fare well,

A little Thai cross stitch shopping

2010-11-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Thailand safe and sound. I am in my dad's hotel room, looking up the address to the cross stitch store listed on the DMC website. I'm really excited to see what they have to offer (please, cross stitch gods, let there be fabric!). Also, it's strangely odd to see skyscrapers & freeways again. Anyway, more on that later. Right now, I am off to shopping bliss!

Fare well,

My First Finish in Cambodia

2010-11-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

I finally finished Tiny Little Quaker! I don't really like how it turned out, but I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the white thread on the light blue fabric. At any rate, it's done!

Fare well,

2010-11-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

Today I discovered a marvelous thing: free e-books.

Loads of them! Tons! Books that I would borrow from the library but can't because Cambodia doesn't have a library system (even if they did, it wouldn't be in English)! I have been downloading books like crazy- historical books, children's books, books in Spanish, books to learn Spanish, needlework books- there's so much choice that I'll never be able to read them all!

And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing!!!

With love,

Carefree Cooking

2010-11-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?

(Satchel Paige)

Right now, I would like to be five. With a box of crayons & a coloring book.

But, since I am not, I made myself dinner (I've been trying new recipes lately), and it was delicious! I got the recipe from 101 Cookbooks. I had to make a few changes- no food processor, more garlic, no cilantro, yellow zucchini instead of asparagus, added soba noodles. It was still pretty amazing! This is the second recipe that I've tried from 101 Cookbooks- the other one was fantastic as well. I really hope she posts some good, non-oven Christmas recipes.

Fare well,

Happy Independence Day!

2010-11-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

Today is the day that Cambodia celebrates it's freedom from France!

Happy birthday, Cambodia!

Fare well,

2010-11-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

Strangely enough, now I feel okay. Hopeful even. I am sitting on my bed, planning my lessons for tomorrow, thinking "Hey, maybe everything will be okay." Odd how my brain works. Maybe it's because Tuesday is a holiday?!

Also, I am trying to focus on the positive aspects of my job: there are many, and I need to keep them in mind. When that fails, there's always...

Bangkok!

I am meeting my dad in Bangkok...next week?!?! It's Water Festival here, which apparently is pure madness, so I'm running away! Y'know, for four days.

In December, I am off to..

Perth!

to see...

U2!!!

That does make me a happy camper. I love U2 concerts!

Fare well,

2010-11-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post the picture of when Shirley from ILCS came to visit! This is us at Le Duo in Phnom Penh- really good Italian food!!

Fare well,

2010-11-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't stitched at all since my last stitchy post. My job has sent my anxiety through the roof, and I just want to crawl into bed and sleep. I guess that will teach me to research the people I will be working for before I start working for them. Will I last the year? Hard to tell. Sometimes I think I won't be able to last the quarter.

This is not a reflection on Cambodia. I like Cambodia, but I don't feel like I work in Cambodia.

Fare well,

2010-10-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

happy halloween!!!

2010-10-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on Tiny Little Quaker. When I arrived in Cambodia, I had only completed three sides of the outside box. Here is where I am today:

Fare well,

2010-10-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

Veronica is having a scissor fob giveaway on her blog. They are really cute!

Fare well,

Goodreads

2010-10-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

If you're on Goodreads, add me as a friend!!

Fare well,

Pinn Mini- B11

2010-10-10T23:04:00.000-07:00

I've completed one side of the keychain I bought last week, but I can't get the backstitching right. The "fabric" seems like a rubber/plastic type material, and the backstitching just doesn't stay straight on it. I will have to get all of my braincells working & figure out how to fix that!

Fare well,

Look what Shirley brought me!

2010-10-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

FLOSS!!!! HOORAY!!! HAPPY DANCE!!!!!!!!!!

Fare well!

2010-10-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

Alyssa is having a giveaway on My Stitching Corner for one of Lizzie*Kate's Halloween flip its. Head on over & check it out!

Fare well,

2010-10-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Since I've arrived in Cambodia, I've been working on two cross stitch projects: the Wiehenburg Mystery SAL & Candy Shop. Here are the before pictures:

And here is the progress I've made so far:

I haven't gotten very far on the SAL, but I did get quite a bit done on Candy Shop. In fact, I only have the right third of the pattern to do & I'll be finished! This picture is slightly out of date.

I am going spend my Friday evening watching The Big Bang Theory (Seasons 1-3: $7.80) & stitching my keychain that I bought the other day. Shirley will be here on Sunday, so I am going to take her to the little cross stitch store in the mall. Hooray!

Here is a random picture of my mom's cat in the laundry room sink. Isn't he cute?

Fare well,

2010-10-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

So I told my dad that when we are in Bangkok that I want to go to a needlework store. I told him he could sleep off his jet lag while I went shopping & he told me that he would go with me since I get the great honor off accompanying him to the silverware store!

Wire-wrapped silverware- I may have to invest in some!

WOW! Am I lucky or what?! Apparently he wants to round out his silverware settings, and this needs to be done in Thailand. Or maybe it's cheaper in Thailand. Or...maybe he got his existing silverware set in Thailand. Whatever the case may be, I certainly wasn't expecting to make a trip to the silverware store. I wonder how long he can hold out in the needlework shop. I'll have to test it & find out!

Fare well,

2010-10-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of the mall. But I'm also not a fan of the heat & humidity. Plus I needed some shirts. So yesterday, I found myself at Sorya Mall, looking for clothes (BOR-ING!) I wandered around a lot, found two shirts for $6 (I hope they fit!). I was just browsing when I passed by a cross stitch shop. Wait- what?! Oh, yes! There was this small shop with a bunch of Asian-inspired patterns, some white 14 count Aida, a few skeins of DMC 310, and about 10 different colors of a floss called Venus! It wasn't the greatest selection ever, but IT WAS THERE! I was so excited that I bought this cute little keychain kit.

I swear Cambodia has everything you could ever want! Well, except for Reese's peanut butter cups, but really, you can only find those in America. So I'm happy as a [insert generic simile]!

I have to work up a short introduction lesson for my students for tomorrow, so I should probably get back to work. I just had to share the good news!

Fare well,

Callie

2010-09-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

I have a new baby cousin! Her name is Callie & she was born on Tuesday!

Fare well,

2010-09-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks, everyone for your comments on my DMC dilemma. Many suggested that I order some, but there's a really good chance that it will get stolen out of the mail if I do that. There aren't any craft stores here, so no matter how expensive it might be, I can't buy any here.

BUT! Stitchers are wonderful people, and Shirley from ILCS is visiting Cambodia next week & has kindly offered to bring me a selection of DMC! How awesome is that?! Shirley, I can never thank you enough!!!

I am going to Thailand in November- does anyone know if there are places to buy cross stitch supplies in Bangkok?

Fare well,

More of my apartment

2010-09-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

Sunset from my balcony

My room with curtains

Random cover that came with foam padding for my bed- classy, huh?!

$6 handmade nightstand

Finally hung up my gift from Shelley

Living/dining room with curtains

The people who wake me up at 7am every day!

Fare well,

2010-09-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Lavender & Lace's Celtic Seasonal Ladies series:

I've just come across a color conversion for Celtic Autumn. Here is the pattern done in the original colors:

And here is the pattern done in the colors of Little Cat at the Celtic Lady SAL.

Which do you like better? I really like the conversion, but I can't decide if I like it as part of the set of patterns, simply because the pale colors seem to be a theme. I guess I'll just have to stitch it twice & then decide which I like best!

Fare well,