Those Little Things

... that make you grateful: wrapping your child's presents in the middle of the night.

Those little things that were once so unlikely.

1998: Giveaway reminder, Very Good Things and stuff

First I would like to remind all my stitchy friends about the AMAZING giveaway here at my little blog.

Very Good Things

As some of you may have noticed I have been celebrating certain event in near future at Facebook and also in form of a little ticker on top of my blog...

We found a way to get reasonably priced tickets for Mr. Wonderful (as for some funny reason tickets are cheaper when purchased from here - of course purchasing them online always helps) and... He is coming home for the holidays!

Though the bad news is that he has to return Spain in January to wait for The Papers. Gah. And from there He travels to Nigeria for a while, luckily His brother arranges the tickets for Him.
Which is good news, and in the end we pay for all the plane tickets (Spain-Finland-Spain, Spain-Nigeria-Spain) 80€ which is very good news. (Rough estimation of the whole cost, had we paid them ourselves, is appr. 1100€ ($1,621)...)

Knowing that He is coming home has made me go ga-ga. Had I the money I would redecorate whole apartment for holidays, but I guess it's lucky that I don't have the money, so I have just bought little things... like gorgeous satin bedsheets.

But I am waiting to cook Him all the Finnish Yule specialties and I guess we will have more food than we need when I am done.

Dear Santa

I have been a good girl (ermm... well, relatively) and all I want for Yule is my Wonderful and this:

All I can say is:

I got curious and just checked that the design, accessory pack and postages would be only 45.5€! I may be tempted... even more if I get more money on 15th than I anticipated (I will get rest of my holiday pay (actually rest of the payment for returning from your yearly holiday - funny term, and thought) in addition to my wage) - but that would mean getting 1300€ (because there are bills to pay and stuff) and I really don't think it will happen (I am paid twice a month, which makes it highly unlikely to get such sum after taxes even though I get rest of my holiday pay).

Spain is not all THAT bad

After everything nasty I may have said or thought about Spanish system I wish to voice out that there is at least one good thing in there (in addition to my Wonderful): money transfers through bank from .es to .fi are much faster than from .fi to .es - though it is also more expensive in there.

Basically money transfers within EU should cost only as much as they would cost within the country of origin because, like people and things, money should be able to move freely within Union area. BUT when I make EU transfer at bank counter it is 30 cents and when the same thing is done in Spain it's 3 € - admittedly it is also faster, though I was just thinking that transfers to Spain may take three days (instead of appr. 1 from there to here) because Spanish banks want to make money with the interest as it is stated that EU transfers can, but should not exceed (otherwise one is applicable for some kind of refund, afaik), take as long as three days.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that local banks wouldn't do the same thing, but obviously they like to play that trick with local transfers: I noticed one day that even my pay came ~00:45 and all the bills which were due that day were taken from my account, but still showed in my "Confirmed Future Payments" until 8 am when bank day started.
And transfers between banks (companies, not locations) take 1-2 days even though the payments could be made instantly with modern technology.
But then, I don't pay much service fees so I don't mind that too much. As long as I get my money.

But, now I have to head to get our satin sheets from the post office. See you later. ^^

The beginning and the end

It is few seconds past 2008...

As seen last year firsts of firsts' and lasts of lasts'.

Firsts

January: As it is few seconds past 2007...
February: 1. Dye fabric for Loy Krathong, Seasonal Dragons RR and for the Hand-dyed Fabric Exchange.
March: Yes, it's official now!
April: Testing my tolerance for mushrooms with a hearty midnight snack.
May: 1. ... you get extreme high from just launching designs?
June: Appetizer: Name something you think is “the best.”
July: Three out of four (I'll reveal the secret of fourth design soon...):
August: Kristine Herber from Dragonfly Stitches is apparently having a hardanger bookmark Stitch-A-Long in her Yahoo group and guess who has expressed her willingess to join?
September: I say ... and you think ... ?
October: Sometimes you get the best of ideas when you are in fever delirium... like this one:
November: It's November already...! O_o
December:Ladies, gentlemen, goats and lifeforms from another planets, let me to introduce you a herd of homing dragons!

Lasts

January: Do I need to explain why my goaling failed this badly? *grin*
February: 7 hours, 46 minutes.
March: (It has been odd piece in a sense. I never have had a need to modify the chart while stitching (other than fix drawing errors - I do those),but I spent last night stitching it and redrawing parts of it.)
April: And all the sudden I notice that I remind myself of someone by quoting this... but I do it just because it fits.
May: It seems to me that good things are beginning to happen in certain areas of my life, and, some parts of me don't think it's a coincidence as good things began to happen after I made the decision (maybe I should begin to refer to it as The Decision...) to take a break and concentrate on important things.
June: I think it's there... now, off to make my morning coffee! (I have been up for hours, but I got this stupid idea to finish designing T3h B1g S3kr1t Pr0j3ct...it's almost done, I just need to decide between two little details and two layouts - and, of course, the floss (I'm quite sure that it will be stitched on 36 count Edinburgh flax linen).)
July: (And of course I forgot to call and book new call for another day...)
August: (Cross post from Tales from Periphaeria... I am sick so I hope you bear with me.)
September: I had some manic tootbrush fun while cleaning (i.e. all the tiny places have not just been wiped and rinsed, they have been toothbrushed),which means that I am not only getting better, but that my ADD symptoms are decreasing (- or getting worse, who knows).
October: That is why I posted about the Fang as I knew some people may miss it otherwise - I have been waiting for this design since she launched her new site so I was well prepared.
November: 0.
December: I keep it short and sweet, just to give me less space to stitch what I really want to.

It has been hell of a year: the birth of Periphaeria Designs, health issues with Neko and Ronja and my own health failing worse than ever... it has been very difficult year and I could have survived without certain parts of it, but everything happens for a reason: I am just not ready yet to understand why.

I have also learnt what real friends are and managed to let go those who just don't fill the requirements. I have learnt to stand on my own more, and I have had to learn to be less harsh for myself.
I want to specially thank Jenna (and Terry) for helping me to make Periphaeria Designs to come true faster than I anticipated, and I like to specially thank Jenna, Leena and Linda for their continuous support at the right times as I have had my share of self doubt during these months, even I haven't admitted it.
And thank you all who have been supportive on my quest, even the smallest words of support have meant and mean the world to me.

I would also like to thank the man who once was my sunshine because of the long chat we had only couple of days before the year changed.
Yes, those dreams about Sol saying that he is sorry were messages from him... saying that he is sorry for hurting me.
Sol, if you read this: thank you for everything you said. I really appreciate it.

I realised today that for a first time in ages I have the feeling of having a future, that life is not just concentrating on this moment because I can't think of the future.
I have goals, I am in process of acquiring tools to achieve my goals (I have 2nd interview for the $COMPANY in Thursday and an interview in another place in... Thursday. *grin* And the goal is clear, to add yer another continent to my Visited continents count - and acquire at least an experience, if nothing else.)

Happy New Year to you all!

May this year be prosperous in every possible way - and may stash fairies grow your stash!

שּׁנה טובה

(Completely evil header... *grin*)

Anyway, my allergies have been behaving lately because I am well medicated and I stay away from allergens... but today I got an image of how bad my allergies really are.
I can't be in the same room with a plate of buns and cookies (made of wheat), not even heavily medicated (20mg of ebastine and 400mg of mometasone furoate), without getting a sinus induced migraine...

And this is "only" cross reactivity... (maybe I should reconsider that Epi-pen prescription...)

Blah, maybe I just should get back to bed and continue my nap until 6:15 tomorrow...

Oncoming holiday, exchange things and model scheduling

I will leave you for a while... as I am packing cats with me and going on my mother's cottage for a bit over a week.
I will be offline from 6th to 14th and when I return this blog will be filled with backdated entries of all the stitching I managed to get done and the fabrics I dyed.

I will also get my new camera when I go there so I will probably have loads of pictures to show - as I need to get used to it, right? *grin*

Halloween Exchange

I modified the design I had in mind for Halloween Exchange in a way which I had in mind and I have to say that it turned out way too cute (I just hope that my receiver is not afraid of spiders as there's few of them too).
My intention is to stitch it on a fabric which I dye by myself specially for Halloweeny use. I also know what finishing method I will use and the finished item will be cute, cheeky and useful, perfect exchange item - and I am quite sure I will have hard time to part from it when the time comes.

The Big H. (... project formerly known as The Big Secret Project)

I just got a big envelope from Violarium filled with DMC's 4210. This means that now I have everything I need for The Big H. (14 skeins of DMC 4210 and piece of Zweigart's 36 count Summer Khaki Edinburgh linen), now I just need to make some room into my schedule and start it.

I have been thinking of the schedule of Big H. itself and if I make a goal of 22 hours per month I should get it stitched in ten months. Therefore I need to give it at least five hours per week, which means more or less two evenings. If I get it done faster I am one happy camper, but I think that is quite good goal - anyway I have to work on other designs while stitching the Big H. and notice the possibility that I get to work/ studying (I have applied to one course which is directed to people with health related employment issues and I am quite hopeful on getting on it as my employment rehabilitation councellor (she's really great, by the way) made it obligatory for me to apply -> that obligation may weight enough to get me in when they choose people on that course (and in my opinion they should choose me anyway as I am young i.e. I still have decades before retirement and therefore it would be good investment from government's point of view too)).

Cross post: It's time for a Halloween Stitch-a-Long!

Love Halloween? Love Periphaeria Designs' designs? Love SALs?
If you answered yes to one or more you should join Halloween Tree Ornaments Stitch-A-Long in Wonderful World of XS and enjoy stitchy gossip, stitching and, of course, over 40 exclusive Halloween designs designed for you by Lady Periphaeria of Periphaeria Designs and Helga Mandl from HM Designs.

Here's preview of few my ornaments, but there is nine more and more is still to come!

© Periphaeria Designs/ O. Peri

Basics:

1. SAL Rules
2. Start day 1st of August
3. Ends 14th of October, followed with a competition hosted at CraftGossip (details to follow ;))

You can join the SAL by joining the group and emailing Helga that you wish to join the SAL.
By joining to the SAL you agree not to distribute the charts to anyone within the SAL group, or outside it - you know the rules.

These designs are exclusively designed for this project so it really pays back to join! :)

I recommend that you also read Heather's latest article at CraftGossip called Are You Ready for Halloween Yet? as she is way better with words than I am - and CG's needlework blog is always a good read!

Nevertheless, I hope I will see many of you in there!

(Cross posted from Tales from Periphaeria.)

(Mmm?... yes, this is the project with lots of black, orange etc.. *grin*)

Midsummer, just another weekend

Traditionally Finns drink themselves to death and drown into a closest lake with their zippers open during Midsummer celebrations... or at least drink like idiots and behave like ones too.
I really don't get it (I admit, I think I have done it once and as I was still 17 back then I have an excuse: I was young and stupid (and booze was free, advantages of being only female in a group of people *cough*)). Therefore I celebrate Midsummer working (actually I already wrote new pages needed for next launch) and stitching Leslie's dragon.

Midsummer is also one of those little oxymorons in this Christian country: it has been renamed by John the Babtist (Johannes Kastaja) to cover old pagan celebration (as it goes with everything else actually), but still the majority celebrates Juhannus in very pagan way - even though great majority of Finns are Christians.
The thing what bothers me is not their Christianity, but the fact that they aren't aware the origins of their habits and how pagan they actually are... same goes with my amusement regarding New Year's Eve and rockets.

Maybe I am just plain boring (and annoying) because I wonder about it, but I find it very curious.

The beginning and the end

As it is few seconds past 2007...

As seen last year firsts of firsts' and lasts of lasts'.

Firsts

January: Still alive, but very tired.
February: No pictures today (Did I hear sigh of relief?), but I've been stitching and there's some progress
March: Latest, and last issue of Stitching Olympics Gazette.
April: After threatening Christine with a whip - and I thought it was well hidden behind my back - she was nice enough to reveal April's Broaden Your Stitching Horizon theme, which is... Fantasy!
May: We've been wondering one thing for some time (once again yesterday, for example).
June: Snatched from Bea.
July: ... one breath of his hair, one kiss from his mouth, one touch of his hand, than eternity without one.
August: *throws a tantrum*
September: You remember this little fellow?
October: For reason or another blackwork didn't want to play with me today.
November: How much our choice of partner does actually affect to the success of a relationship?
December: Appetizer: Have you ever flown in a helicopter?

Lasts

January: And I don't know anything about English literature or grammar if you ask from me.
February: So, it seems to me that I haven't done anything else in February than cross stitched, whined and cross stitched some more.
March: Something good in everything - even sometimes it might be nicer to bathe in heartbreak sea instead of wade in swamps of singledom.
April: Design is a freebie (Orange tile) from Better Homes and Gardens' site
May: Now it's fit enough to type, but I wouldn't strain it more than this.
June: (As it's very much possible that my head is not completely back in order yet...)
July: I foresee angry glances from local female population as male population seems to like it...
August: And I noticed that I want 2004 JCS ornament issue... there have been quite a few adorable designs.
September: I've it, though I need new cat head if I do another (well, I've four of them sleeping around the house... ).
October: (No Panda today as I don't think I'm fit enough to hold the frame...)
November: It boggles the mind...
December: Thank you Wolf for being you.

It has been year of sorrow and joy, love and loss. It has been sweeter than sweetest nectar, it has been more bitter than most bitter of lemons... And I'm still alive. I'm still (in)sane. And I have no regrets.

Happy New Year to you all!

May this year be prosperous in every possible way - and may stash fairies grow your stash!

I miss my memes, but how could I answer to them at the moment when they're all about Christmas..? Never celebrated that thing, and therefore I've no experience on it. (I'm very meticulous when it comes to etymology of words. *evil grin*)

Official YouTube

I know I've said that I don't do YouTube, but exception makes the rule: Free hugs, anyone?
This link was waiting for me in my email when I woke up today... (I should almost wonder how some people just seem to be connected... or maybe it's all about odd coincidences.)

"For eight days they celebrated..."

חנוכה טוב

:P

Snatched from taelle

Ngh

I woke up with a migraine. But...
I got a message from our mother and she's coming over some day and bringing me 1. gifts (O_O I thought she already gave me my Yule gift...) and 2. traditional Finnish Yule food!

Now, the cuisine of this season may sound very poor, as it originates from times when Finland was poor agricultural society, but Oh Mi Gosh it's so good! ...Freshly salted salmon, casseroles... it's a real pity I can't eat bread anymore, as that sweet bread is... ah, pure heaven.
What makes my mothers offering to bring some so great is that those casseroles are somewhat time consuming, and as I live alone I'd no interest to make them myself (and I can't eat ready made, due the wheat). So, in the end I'll eat myself silly around the winter solstice.

And talking of food... I should drag my hiney to the store...

'tis the season...

Tabloids scream: "Every fifth Finn spends too much on Christmas/ Yule presents!"
And I giggled inside of me... one of the reasons being that I got gifts to three kids with 16,5 euros (good quality children's books, so I'm amazed).
But my shopping trip made me also think... why I give presents to people I don't know? As it's general pain in the hiney to guess, and I fail to see the general point in giving gifts to my nieces and nephew just because they happen to be related.

I also bought things for me... (that big one) (I kind of collect tin containers, though usually old ones, but cuteness/etc. can also be a factor) ^^ (Ok, I admit... I bought something else too: this. As you may guess my latest new userpic is result of playing around with it.)

Things you find trough Google's image search

The Dance Of Colors.

6th of December, 89th take

"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it."
-- George Bernard Shaw

Ezzy v 2.0.

I like this version much more.

Latest CSC came yesterday... and once again: nothing of interest (ok, that John Clayton design isn't that bad). Blah. And next issue seems to be as interesting... Blah^2.

Goals for December

Hereby I announce my goals for December (where the heck this year went?!):

1. Finish Turtle Dove.
2. 1/3 of Casa de Ezmeralda
3. Finish Small Needlebook stitching wise
4. Finish Valentine's Exchange
5. Finish Snowball's Chance In Hell
6. Finish Santa's Trimmings
7. At least 50% of Futurecast
8. Frame Panda
9. Finish 2nd part of Alter Echo

As I'll be at home over the holidays I'll get enough stitching time for sure. (Though, as we all know me you never know where I am at that time of the year... *rolls her eyes*)

We're planning to have cozy family Yule at our IRC channel, as our mother is, once again, working over the holidays (she's social worker, you see) - something we're very used to - and anyway it'd have been interesting to transfer two sets of cats (mine and bits_2_whole's) to our mother's place as none of us has a car (we use our father's when needed *evil grin* (or rather those who know how to drive))...
(Actually this topic raised my blood pressure in form of SIL, who doesn't seem to grasp the idea that given situation may be a bit different for us singles than them who have herd of kids around. And better that they stay away from computers over the holidays, as I prefer to relax. *g*)

Apparently I haven't been reading news well enough as I happened to notice by accident that there's more space for links in my LJ link list.
I appreciate that. With five I always had problems to decide what I put in my sidebar, but now I don't know what to put in there.

Official example of bad taste...

(I'm usually against these things, but even best have to act against their rules sometimes:)

Happy New Year!

I hope you all have fun in New Years eve. Don't blow yourselfs up with firecrackers. And I hope happiness to you all (and of course to me - I could use some) for coming year.

I'll be back next year. Now I'll begin to prepare myself for celebrating with friends (In fact we have two reasons to celebrate: Dan has his 27 th birthday 20 past midnight), and maybe I even do some stitching before I leave from home. (I haven't been stitching in last week because that nasty flu.)

Behave!

Happy hanukah

First of all I managed to get sick once again. It begun with sore throat yesterday and at this moment my throat is killing me and my sinuses are full of icky stuff... and of course it´s Sunday and shops are closed so I can't get ice cream to soothe my throat.

But well. Hanukah begun, Yule has gone. Time for gift listing...

• Renewal of my Cross Stitcher's subscription
• Clothes
• Stephen King's Wolves of the Calla (Black Tower V) - in Finnish, "of course"
• "drawing board" for my computer

And few tens of euros, but I've used those for basic living ages ago...

Anyway, still alive. Tired (slept <4 hours last night), sore, etc., but alive.

Checked

Ok, there's this and that and no one will starve, but it seems that I'll conquer kitchen tomorrow (which means I've to wake up really early...) and everyone just have to shut up - and someone else does the dishes.

My daily fix

First of all I claim that laptops with touchpad are the natural way for human beings.

I've been using Dan's laptop hour or so now and this is so easy - if we don't notice that his OS is WinXP and I'm not used to use it ("proud" owner of Win2kPro). But, ah, I love this thing.

Anyway it seems that I've to make inventory of our food stuff, as it seems that our mom hasn't completely thought about few little things, like my allergy or that there's four adults who use excessive amounts of milk (either drank with coffee or just as plain milk)...

Well, we'll survive. There's grocery store nearby...

Cats (All 11 (4+5+2)) haven't been killing each others -yet. In fact they have been enjoying more or less, at least my kids. It seems to me that my cats like to meet new cats, even if there's some tensity between them and others.

(I know I do not sound very intelligent at the moment, but I haven't ate anything today and I just don't sleep very well on hard matresses. In fact it's odd as in past I used to like hard matresses...)

...and I miss my stitching. Haven't been stitching in last 24 hours, and I'm so restless - addict, me?

About that booklet

She'll get it for me!

Preparations

I think I could wash cats' travel box in the evening and do all the other stuff tomorrow (like sweep floors, empty fridge, pack up, "wad" cat box with blanket (My siamese is extremely sensitive for cold - and it has been about -10 C few days)) which means... I'll stitch whole evening.
I just feel like stitching at the moment, so I think it's better do like my mind says. And I'm bit tired anyway, so I couldn't even do anything "organised" (Stitching isn't that kind of activity, never...).

...and then

There wont be any progress pictures in about a week (not a great loss in the end, I think ) - at least I don't think so. And anyway I'm not sure how much I will stitch during holidays.
I've internet connection though, so there will be blogging in case I've something to say/ vent.