Ice Cream

Ice Cream
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Ice Cream

Journalling ~
I treasure this
8 October 2006

Credits~
Background paper and stars on wire from His Nursery in Expecting Sweet Stuff by Christy Lyle and Robin Carleton; Journalling papers from Journalling Pieces by Jen Wilson; ticket from Ticket Tags by Kellie Mize; Date from 110 Years by Anita Stergiou; Tags from Stitched N Squared Tags by Jen Wilson; Clay sun from Sunshine Mix Clay Shapes by Amy Knepper; Heart doodle from Spring Doodle Collection by the DDE Creative Team; Alpha from White Chipboard Alpha by Megan Leeson; Word Art from Art for Asher by the DDE Creative Team.

First Plane Ride

First Plane Ride
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

First Plane Ride

Journalling ~
12th August, 2004
Packing for your first plane ride was rather like trying to provision an army. We had your carseat, our suitcase, Mummy's TARDIS-like nappy bag that had just about everything imaginable in it, and you riding in the Baby Bjorn. I was rather nervous, as it was the first time I had taken you away by myself, but it all went well and we had a lovely time visiting all your grandparents.

Credits~
Background Paper, plane and arrow cutouts from A is for Airplane Sampler by Jan Hosford; staples by Kim Hill; paint from Brush Strokes by Kim Hill; chipboard action from Atomic Cupcake; font is Accent.

I've made the change

I have, reluctantly, made the change to Beta Blogger. I did it now as otherwise I couldn't get Flickr to post pictures for me. (Of course, it still may not as I haven't tried again yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)

So here's hoping everything doesn't go totally whacky on me - and you.

Be afraid

Just a warning that I've finally uploaded a whole bunch of recent scrapbooking layouts and they'll start appearing very soon.

You have been warned. :-)

Quick note to Erin

Yes, I read fifteen books in October, but I didn't do much else. I certainly didn't stitch much.

I spent most of the month working on decreasing my antidepressant dose so that I could shift to a different drug (started the new one yesterday and so far I've got the queasiness side effect) so reading books was a good way to hide from reality but still pretend I was paying attention.

I suddenly got the urge to go back to stitching Alpine Seasons yesterday and so far I've finished the inner border for part 8 and started on the mountains outside it. If this continues I suspect my reading for November will be severely curtailed.

Nut Brown Hares

Nut Brown Hares
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Nut Brown Hares
Art by Anita Jeram
Stitched on 32-ct Glacier Lugana from Countrystitch

I first saw this while I was in delivery at the hospital, in labour with Marcus. One of the midwives (I went through a number as I was there for about 40 hours) was stitching it. I loved it and asked her where she got the pattern. A couple of weeks later it arrived in the post for me.

I initially thought I would stitch it for Marcus, but there was too much going on to take anything else on stitching wise. When I heard my SIL was pregnant, I decided to stitch it for her and my brother's baby.

I finished it about a week after Emma was born, which wasn't too bad considering my health was all over the place at the time.

I still love it and I hope Emma will too when she grows up.

Celtic Horse

Celtic Horse
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Celtic Horse by Textile Heritage
Stitched on 32-ct Marine Belfast from Silkweaver
A gift from my sister
Completed 6th November, 2006

Hooray!

After nothing all year, I now have two finishes for 2006.

Baby Emma's gift has arrived safely and I just finished off the Celtic Horse. I need to take some pictures of the horse and then process and upload the images for both.

Once that's done, there will be some pictures on my blog for a change.

Hooray.

My October Reads

As always, ratings reflect my enjoyment rather than a carefully thought out analysis of the integral quality of the book.

1. Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey (2/10)
Fantasy. One of her Elemental Masters series and a retelling of
Cinderella. Read it for the Fairy Tales theme and didn't finish it
as I just didn't care about the characters.

2. Webmage by Kelly McCullough (7/10)
SF/Fantasy. Clever idea that the Fates use a computer network to do
their jobs. Protaganist is a descendant and hacker who is trying to
stop the destruction of free will. The execution was solid but not
spectacular.

3. Moon Flash by Patricia A. McKillip (8/10)
YA SF. I've been meaning to reread this since it was rereleased and
finally got around to it. I last read it at 16 and I really liked it
all over again now, although there was one major world building issue
I never saw before that kept bugging me as an adult reader.

4. The Moon and the Face by Patricia A. McKillip (7/10)
YA SF. Sequel to Moon Flash and published as a single edition.
Again I enjoyed the reread, but the world building issue remained and
I think the first book had a stronger story. McKillip's strength
lies in fantasy more than SF I think, although these are still well
worth a read.

5. Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale (10/10)
Romance. I tend to read reveiws and commentary *about* romance than
romance itself, and this book is always well received. When a friend
asked me to get it from the library for her because hers didn't have
it, I decided to read it first. I was surprised by just how much I
loved it and found it a really good love story. (That said, the
friend said she ended up skimming it.)

6. Apocalypse Array by Lyda Morehouse (8/10)
SF. Conclusion to Morehouse's AngeLINK series, all of which I've
loved. I thought this was actually the weakest of the lot as the
resolution felt very anticlimatic. That said, I think I can see why
she did it that way, but I'm not convinced she pulled it off. Still
a good book.

7. Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud (8/10)
Fantasy. Solid conclusion to a solid series.

8. Remember When by J. D. Robb (8/10)
Romantic Suspense/Futuristic Suspense. This was the start of some
holiday reading, so I decided to take some of the J. D. Robb books
and a romance series for nice, uncomplicated reading. This one had a
modern first half and a second half with Eve and Roarke. It was a
clever idea and an okay story, but it meant neither story got the
full detail it deserved.

9. Rising Tides by Nora Roberts (8/10)
Romance. I found I really liked this series. This was probably my
least favourite and I'm not sure why as it was still a lovely story.

10. Divided in Death by J. D. Rovb (8/10)
Futuristic Crime/Romance. This was a very solid entry in Robb's
series, with Eve and Roarke facing the most difficult difference of
values yet.

11. Inner Harbour by Nora Roberts (9/10)
Romance. Again, lovely entry in a lovely series.

12. Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs (7/10)
Crime. Good story with solid characters and appropriate rough edges.
A few disturbing moments here and there.

13. Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts (10/10)
Romance. This was my favourite of the whole series. I just wish I
had a more visual imagination so I could picture Seth's paintings.

14. Visions in Death by J. D. Robb (8/10)
Futuristic Crime/Romance. More Eve and Roarke. Yay!

15. Survivor in Death by J. D. Robb (8/10)
Futuristic Crime/Romance. Ditto.

Updating my gallery

I'm in the process of updating my stitching gallery.

Originally I had one that required me to fully html code it. I have accepted that I can't keep up with that sort of thing these days, so started using Flickr, but I still liked the gallery set up and the fact it has most of my finished projects in it.

So I've compromised. Clicking on one of the WIP thumbnails will now take you to a Flickr photo set that has all my progress pictures for that project in it. I've also updated the WIP thumbnails in the sidebar here to like to those photo sets.

But I'm going to keep the gallery for finished projects. That means I'll only need to update the html when I have a finish, but the gallery can be used at any time to find current WIP pics as well.

www.forty-two.co.nz/corner/gallery

Finish and Stash

I did it! I've finished my gift! No pictures until it has been received I'm afraid, but I promise to post once as soon as I can. I'm going to wash and press it tomorrow and then I'll take some photos.

I had a "loyal customer" voucher to spend at my old LNS here in Palmerston North (I'm down visiting my parents at the moment) so I went in today to see what I could find. They don't carry a lot of stock - certainly not of the kind I really like - so I didn't know what might be there, but since this was indulgence shopping I could pick something "pretty" that I wouldn't usually buy.

I came home with Victoria Sampler's Summer Garden Sampler which I think is lovely. The colours are beautifully bright without being in your face and I really like the whole "feel" of it. (It also reminds me to the tone of some books I'm currently reading - Nora Roberts' Chesapeake Bay Saga - which is the kind of thing that influences me to spend money.)

The only catch to this is that if I want it to look this pretty, I'll need to buy the Accessory Pack in from the States to get all the silks and special threads and that'll be more expensive than the chart.

Since I had some of my "free" money left over, I also ordered Mirabilia's Stargazer. I hadn't been sure if I liked it when it first came out, but now that I've seen some people's finished projects I find I want it for myself.

So all in all, a good crafty day.

A lovely afternoon

I spent a wonderful afternoon today, visiting Nicki. We caught up with each other and I got to check out all her lovely recent exchanges - I've even seen one that hasn't been posted yet - and we chatted about stash and stitching and cats and all those sorts of things.

Then we settled in to stitch. I worked on my baby gift - and made a nice amount of progress too - while Nicki started on a baby blanket. Nicki's husband settled down at the table behind us painting model soldiers (they are so tiny, I don't know how he has the patience, but I was very impressed). We put an episode of the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes on the TV and did crafty things for a very companionable few hours before I needed to leave to pick Marcus up from daycare.

It was fantastic, and we have good intentions to do it again. I hope we do, as it was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Encouragement please

My niece was born today. Her name is Emma and I can't wait to see a photo of her.

The only down side to this is that I'm nowhere near finishing her birth gift. I started it in what I thought was plenty of time, but my health has been so yuckky lately that I've done much less than I hoped.

I know I can't push myself too hard or I'll just make myself sicker, but I'd appreciate all and any encouragement anyone can provide to help me balance my health and working on it so she isn't too old before I send it to her.

Thanks.

Sleeping

Sleeping
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Sleeping

Journalling ~
My sleeping boy
Heading for Palmerston North ~ 5.53am Saturday 20th May, 2006

Credits~
Photo frame is from Deckled Frames 2 by Katie Pertiet; background paper is from Lucky Star by Gina Cabrera; shell and M alpha from Blue Water by Lynn Grieveson; BOY wordart from All Natural by Melany Violette; flower from Sorbet Blossoms by Melany Violette; stamp from Timeless by Melany Violette; pin from Chelsea’s Dream by Michelle Coleman; seal from Olde Worlde Charm by Michelle Coleman; starfish from Joshua’s Day in the Sun by Michelle Coleman and Diane Rigdon; font is FG Lova

Google Doodle Petition

On November 14th March of Dimes celebrates Prematurity Awareness Day.

If we can persuade Google to create a doodle for us on November 14th, we can potentially be seen by millions of internet users.

Please help us spread the word, and sign the petition for the top spot on Google!

Sign the petition

No QS Wednesday for me this week

I haven't felt well enough to stitch at all for the last week, so while I'm hoping to do a bit today, I really need to work on the present that has a deadline - of this weekend!

I know I'm not going to have it done by then, but I'd like it to be as little late as I can manage, so while I feel up to it, it's more important for me to stitch on that.

I'll get back to Aries as soon as I can.

My September Reads

I had another good reading month this month, although once again I suspect it was beacause I'm not feeling well enough to do anything much more energetic than reading. Still, it's great to be reading.

1. Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear (10/10)
Fantasy based on Celtic myth. Brilliant. Go and read it.

2. Imitation in Death by J. D. Robb (8/10)
Romantic Suspense. Spending more time with Eve and Roarke.

3. Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip (8/10)
Fantasy. Reread before reading Solstice Wood. I'm sure I picked up more this time that I did the first time around.

4. Solstice Wood by Patricia A. McKillip (9/10)
Fantasy. In the modern world which is unusual for McKillip but worked very well.

5. Lover Awakened by J. R. Ward (10/10)
Paranormal Romance. So it's smart-mouthed vampires but I loved it. You need to read the series in order though, I think.

6. Dark Dreamers by Christine Feehan and Marjorie M. Liu
Paranormal Romance. I bought it for the Liu story, which I gave 9/10. It was kind of dark in places, but very well done.

7. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh (9/10)
Paranormal Romance. Quite different from a lot of other paranormal romance and she's a New Zealander.

8. Black Powder War by Namoi Novik (9/10)
Fantasy. I love this series, I love Temeraire and Laurence and I hope Peter Jackson does turn it into a movie.

9. The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud (8/10)
Fantasy. A solid read, but Nathaniel is still a little sh*t and it suffers from book 2 in a trilogy syndrome.

10. Body Work by Fiona Brand (5/10)
Romantic Suspense. Not quite a waste of my time, but close. I'm glad I didn't pay good money for it.

11. Earth by David Brin (10/10)
SF. This was a brilliant book 15 years ago and it still is today. It's hardly dated and is being discussed on [Beyond_Reality] this month. David Brin will comment.

12. The Last Mortal Man by Syne Mitchell (8/10)
SF. A bit slow to start because she needed to build up herfuture before she could start tearing it down, but a good story and a good start to a trilogy.

13. Sea Swept by Nora Roberts (9/10)
Romance. I was surprised how much I liked this. It's about home and family and loyalty as much as, if not more than, how boy meets girl. I'll be reading the rest of the series.

14. Alpha by Catherine Asaro (9/10)
SF with a good touch of romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this, but I'm biased to like Asaro and this didn't disappoint, although it took a while to get moving.

15. Heart Quest by Robin D. Owens (8/10)
Paranormal Romance. Another thorougly enjoyable addition to Owens' Celta series and I look forward to the next one.

Note, I tend to be generous with ratings. I don't seem to be able to help myself.

Character Creations October Update

Seven Ravens - Abranda Sisson

Owl Woman - Nicole Cadet

Brigit - Pamela Matthews (both standard and deluxe editions available)

The Hermit Macro Edition - Lisa Hunt

As always, details are on the news page.

Good grief

Last night I started reading Mercedes Lackey's Phoenix and Ashes for this month's Fantasy Favorites group read. We usually vote on a book for everyone to read, but this time chose to do a theme. "Fairy Tale Retellings" won and I chose to read Phoenix and Ashes.

I have to admit to a fundamental liking for the Cinderella story and there aren't many retellings of it - Beauty and the Beast seems to be the favourite and appears often, but not Cinderella.

I read and enjoyed the first in Lackey's Elemental Masters series, The Serpent's Shadow, which is a retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, although I've tried a couple of times, I never got into the second one, The Gates of Sleep (Sleeping Beauty). So I'd decided to leave Phoenix and Ashes alone rather than have two unread books in the same series sitting on my shelf. This month's theme gave me a good excuse to buy the book after all.

So far (probably about 1/3 through) I'm enjoying the story but good grief, the editing is apalling.

There are words left out, misspellings, extra words and other fundamental errors, so that I have several times been tossed out of the story because I need to reread a sentence several times until I figure out what it is supposed to say, as opposed to what's on the page.

Probably the best one so far was "the sun shown through the window". I puzzled on that for a bit until I worked out that the sun actually shone through the window, which makes much more sense.

I don't know if the problem here is Lackey, the editor, or a combination of both. I am more inclined to blame the editor as, while I'm no long the Lackey fangirl I used to be, she can still tell a good story when she leaves her soap box at home, and I assume she has way too much experience for these kind of basic mistakes to be anything other than minor slip ups from the typing and creation process. Surely it's the editor who should be noticing missing letters and missing words as that's what he/she is being paid for.

I'm finding it highly annoying. This is basic suff that shouldn't be in a novel published by a big publishing house (Daw). Come one guys, maintain some standards please.

Aries #002

Aries #002
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

My stitching after my second Wednesday working on Aries.

I stitched 408 stitches this week, which gives me a total of 689 stitches, which is 2.2%.

There's going to be a lot of scattered stitches, but I'm still enjoying myself.

The Boy Has Persistence

The Boy Has Persistence
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

The Boy Has Persistence

Journalling ~
Sunday, 21st May, 2006

Marcus and the Gumball Machine outside KMart, The Plaza, Palmerston North

I thought you might like to watch one of the gumballs going around in the machine while we waited for Daddy to finish some shopping. Boy was I right. You loved it. You loved it so much you did everything you could to get it to happen again. You tried to get the gumball back up inside the machine from the bottom and the top and the side, but nothing worked. Luckily, when Daddy arrived he had another coin and he made another gumball spein around inside for you to watch. You didn't care about the candy, just watching it go.

Credits ~
Sketch from Baby Love by Traci Reed; papers, including brackets, from Artlines 4—Kallista by Tracy Robinson; ribbon from The Photo Shoot in Expecting Sweet Stuff by Christy Lyle and Robin Carlton; metal flower from Bloom of the Week Club by Amanda Lacey; alpha is Hand Stamped Brushes by Michelle Coleman; fonts are Pea XOXO from Karen and OCRB

Caution - Underage Driver on the Loose

Caution
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Caution
Underage Driver on the Loose

Sheepworld ~ 29th July, 2006

Scraplift of "Naked Raspberry Picker" by Emily (SheScraps) in the DST gallery
http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2305&cat=500&ppuser=432

Credits:
Frame doodle by Susan McCormack from "Art for Asher" by the DDE Creative Team; alpha is Paint Stamped Alpha from "This Love" by Dani Mogstad; everything else from "Puppy Love" on the "This Love" CD by Dani Mogstad; font is Bernard MT Condensed

A Day at the Zoo

A Day at the Zoo
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

A Day at the Zoo

How could this beautiful lady not get a scrap page?

Auckland Zoo - 25th January, 2006

Made with a sketch template from Lime; everything is from A Day at the Zoo by Michelle Coleman.

Aries #001

Aries #001
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

My stitching after my first Wednesday working on Aries.

This is a grand total of 281 stitches, which works out at 0.9% of the whole. If I can keep up doing this much every week, by my calculations I'll be finished in two years!

Except for the bit I had to frog because I had placed it out by a stitch, it went pretty well. The chart is very hard to follow though, so I'm highlighting it as I go and I'm grateful this is a small design (150 x 209 stitches).

Aries Original Art

Aries Original Art
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Original art of Aries ACEO by Sara Butcher (www.dreamflierstudios.com) as charted by Heaven and Earth Designs (www.heavenandearthdesigns.com).

I've decided to stitch this as part of the HAED BB's Quick Stitch Wednesday SAL. That means I just stitch as much (or little) as I feel up to on a Wednesday and let it take as long as it takes.

I don't feel up to my big projects at the moment, but did want an art wone going. Nicki (plushcat.blogspot.com) suggested I make starting this an anniversary present for myself (this month it is 16 years since I developed CFS) and I thought that was as good an excuse as any.

The rest of the time I'll work on my smaller projects (mystery gift, The Ice Dragon's Kingdom and Celtic Horse) and see if I can get in a finish or two by the end of the year.

Fifth Embroiderer's Guild Sampler

Fifth Embroiderer's Guild Sampler
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Wow, at last some stitching.

As usual, I did the last row, in this case satin stitch hearts. The threads were actually really slick and it was hard to keep the stitches taut, so it was a bit harder than I intended it to be.

I have two left to do and I'm just waiting for a bout of energy to get to them.

(I hope this is rotated right, Flickr seems to be being silly about it.)

Solstice Wood by Patricia McKillip

Solstice Wood
Patricia A. McKillip
9/10

What a beautiful, lovely book. Solstice Wood is a wonderful blend of the mundane and the mystical, all tied up through misunderstanding.

Two worlds collided badly in McKillip's Winter Rose and in this book, generations later the reverberrations of that are still present. After Rois Melior won Corbett Lynn back from the queen of the winter wood, spells and guardians were put in place to keep the wood folk away and contained.

If you follow tradition and the path set down by your forebears, is there ever room to re-evaluate the situation and see if perhaps, it is time for tradition to change.

This, really, is the crux of Solstice Wood. It is beautifully told through differing first person point of view characters. This manner of writing seems odd to me at first, until I realised that all of them had a different view on the same truth and only together could the full story be told and understood.

McKillip's lyrical writing still shines, but in this modern world tale, it is tempered with the everyday, and I think this probably makes Solstice Wood more accessible to the causal reader. I love the way she writes - I always imagined I would like to "write like Patricia McKillip, but less obscure" and that's how this book feels. It's still weaves magic with words, but I feel much more like I understood the story than I sometimes do at the end of one of her books.

This book makes a much deeper, emotional sense if you've read Winter Rose, but it still works alone. All the same, I'd say read both. Why miss out on another good story.

Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip

Winter Rose
Patricia A. McKillip
8/10


This was a reread for me. I have McKillip's latest, Solstice Wood and since I knew that was about descendants of the characters in Winter Rose it seemed a good idea to reread that one first.

This is classic McKillip. The writing is dense, lyrical and beautiful. The tale is told in a tangle of metaphor and illusion that drags the reader in. Winter Rose is build from the basis of a retelling of Tam Lin, but McKillip takes the tale new places and tells her own, new story all the same.

The story threads are never crisp in a McKillip tale; they are wrapped up in and occasionally obscured by her lyrical writing but the story always comes through as they do in this case.

It's years since I last read Winter Rose, and I came away with a feeling that I had a clearer understanding now than I had before. It was worth the reread and makes me want to find space to put more McKillip in the TBR shelf to see what else I can discover in her other books.

Imitation in Death by J. D. Robb

Imitation in Death
J. D. Robb
8/10

A quick read for me, and very enjoyable.

More lovely progress on Eve and Roarke's relationship and a good murder mystery this time. I did some to-ing and fro-ing on who the murderer was before it was revealed at the end.

Just one small word of warning - don't look at the cover too carefully (the US version) as it gives something away. (Which is why I haven't included it this time.)

Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear

Blood and Iron
Elizabeth Bear
10/10

Wow. I loved this book.

Bear has created a complicated and compelling world and tale in Blood and Iron. It builds on many well-known tales, particularly using Tam Lin, the Celtic faeries and the Arthurian legends, but with her own, personal and I think brilliant spin.

The writing is beautiful; evocative, complex, metaphorical and lyrical. She paints pictures with words that touch the emotions and drag the reader in.

There are layers upon layers here and I'm sure I didn't get all of them on this first reading. That's all right though, as I'm sure I'll be reading it again.

This is not a simple tale and there are places I'm sure I missed all the nuances. It's epic and passionate and tragic all at once and the reader is drawn in to care about the characters even when they are struggling to feel and care themselves.

There is no clear cut right and wrong, not obvious heroes and villians - one of Bear's themes seems to be that we are what we are and must take responsibility for what we do, whatever our motivations and reasons. I don't know if the "good guys" won, heck I'm not even sure if anyone "won" but the end of the book, but that too is part of the complexity and depth of the tale.

There is no simple story and happy ending, indeed it has a feeling of high tragedy about it at times and that is what makes this such a great book. No easy roads are taken, not by the author or her characters and as a result, not by the reader either. It's a journey well worth the taking.

I finished this just before going to sleep last night and, as I rather expected, the fae invaded my dreams. This book and its characters dig their hooks deep and don't easily let go.

Go. Buy. Read. Recommend.

Oh dear

When Martina Weber from Chatelaine announced that she was going to be doing a Pompeiian Garden Mandela, I started drooling on the spot. When she released the first picture, it was with a certain relief that I decided it wasn't for me after all. I'd been imagining gardens and statuary and columns and we seemed to have houses.

Unfortunately, I've now seen the final picture - the class started today - and I'm drooling again.



Isn't it beautiful?

Of course, with my current stitching progress, I know I can't just go off and start it. I have no time and two Chatelaine projects before it. The stash budget is also totally empty and likely to be for a goodly while, so I can't afford to pay US$250 for the materials and probably couldn't justify it even if I could. All the same, I find I'm in love after all.

I guess I'll watch the progress pictures on the board as they starting coming up and see if it turns out as beautiful if it looks now. If so, I may try at least to buy the pattern and hope I win the lottery and get fully healthy at some point so I can consider actually stitching it.

Character Creations September Update

Can you believe it? I'm actually a day ahead this month.

There are four new releases this month, two from Lisa Hunt (one of which I know is a request) and two from Abranda Sisson - one is a petite and the other has been stitched by Lyn is just beautiful.

Anne - Abranda Sisson
Tilley - Abranda Sisson
Tara - Lisa Hunt
Venus - Lisa Hunt

As always, details are on the news page.

Two Today

Two Today
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

The family on Marcus' second birthday in January. I deliberately used the same papers and things as the layout of Marcus called "Two" since they were taken at the same time.

Credits ~
Sketch by Liz Newberry; black paper from Mystic by Melanie Willman; red and medium blue papers from Sweet Liberty by Gina Cabrera; dark blue paper from Navy Fall by Amy Tanabe; light blue paper from Paradise Sampler by Amy Teets; ribbon from Summer Sunsations by Krista Mettler, Jeanine Baechtold and Jen Reed; alpha is A Child's World by Katie Pertiet; font is Grace

Handyman

Handyman
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Marcus helping Dave put a hole in the door frame for the deadbolt. (The drill is unplugged, I promise.)

Helping Daddy fix the front door
26th August, 2006

Credits~
Everything is from the Scrapmommies Collaborative Kit "I Heart Dad"; silver action from Atomic Cupcake; font is Jarman

Mad Hatters

Mad Hatters
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Journalling~
Friday, 25th August, 2006
[Daycare] had a Mad Hatters Fish and Chips Night. You didn't eat any of the food Daddy and I brought with us, but you happily munched up [daycare] sandwiches. You got tickled by Aileen, swapped hats with Daddy and had a very happy time. I had a good time too and got to meet some of the parents of the other kids in the Kingfish Room.

Credits~
Paper from Fundamental Fun by Trish Jones, alpha is Surprise Inside by Carrie Stephens; paint strokes from Painted Brush Strokes by Miss Mint; font is Big Fish Ensemble

Bliss

Bliss
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

I decided against any journalling on this one. It's a case of a picture telling a thousand words I think.

Credits~
Paper from My Sunshine by Melanie Violette; "bliss" from Fundamental Fun by Trish Jones; stitched words by Amy Martin; calender from 110 Years by Anita Stergiou

Who's Guarding Who

Who's Guarding Who
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Journalling~
I don't know who is guarding whom here, but if you are the little prince, then I suppose that makes Daddy the dragon. Is he a scary dragon do you think?

Credits~
Everything is from Prince Edward by Katie Pertiet; font is Cheryl

Beta Blogger?

Has anyone converted over to this? What do you think of it? Is it worth it?

I stitched today!

Just a little bit and it was mostly fudging around an earlier mistake, but it's still stitching.

Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sharing the Love

Stacey Tippin is a fantasy artist, whose lovely art is charted by Heaven and Earth Designs. I've just learned that she has also been designing some beautiful sampler type designs for Dinkey Dyes.

My favourites are Wave Dancer and Summer's Gate Sampler but they're all beautiful and you an see them here.

Hmmm, is it too early to drop hints about Christmas presents?

Wave Dancer


Summer's Gate Sampler

Succumbing to temptation

I went across town today to catch up with some friends today. Since I was near my favourite bookshop and I knew they'd had a new shipment in lately, Marcus and I called in there on our way (okay, slightly beyond our way).

There were a couple of books there that were on my "want to buy" list, so I decided to use up my last two gift vouchers (I asked for gift vouchers for my birthday back in March) on them.

I've decided to push all new books to the top of the TBR pile and read them as I get them, in an attempt to stop the backlog growing. Books that have already waited for ages can wait a bit longer, and I'll work on keeping up with new ones and catching up on the others in between.

I bought "Blood and Iron" by Elizabeth Bear, which I thought looked fascinating when I first heard about it on her livejournal and "Mysteria" which is an anthology of short - and apparently rather silly - stories. I read the excerpt from Susan Grant's offering on her website while looking for more info on her new series and thought it sounded fun. Since it was there on the shelf, I brought it home.


  


So I'm trying to concentrate of "Yay, new books!" rather than "oh no, more books to find time to read".

I haven't written comments for everything I've finished lately as some days I haven't felt up to it, but I am keeping the sidebar updated and my reading list is now available at Library Thing.

Loving You Through the Glass

Loving You Through the Glass
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

This photo is me and Dave by Marcus' incubator the day after he was born.

Journalling reads ~
On the walls of the long NICU corridor at National Womens’ Hospital, there were lots of posters. You were in the furthest room of the unit, which was the most intensive care level, so I walked past those posters a whole lot of times. They were all uplifting and special because they were the stories of other babies who had passed through the NICU, many starting out as small and fragile as you – some were even smaller and earlier than you.

There were two that spoke to me most.

One was about a little girl who was almost exactly the same size as you were and just as premature. I loved that one because she had made the poster herself. She was perhaps seven by then (I don't remember exactly) and she had written all the words herself, which seemed to me to be a great testament to her survival and growth, more so than any of the photos of big, happy healthy children on the other posters.

But that was only my second favourite poster. My very favourite was a poem written by a premmie baby's mother. It never occurred to me to write it down - I had a lot of other things on my mind at the time - but I remember the title and the essence what it was about.

It was called “Loving You Through the Glass” and in it she poured her heart out about how hard it was to be on the other side of incubator walls from her precious, tiny, fragile new baby. That just spoke to my heart, especially the title. That's what your daddy and I were doing, I realised. We were loving you through the glass. Maybe we couldn’t hold you unless the nurses thought it was a safe time. Maybe I couldn't hold you to my heart and have you suckle at my breast. Maybe we couldn’t pick you up whenever we chose. Or just hand you to your grandparents and aunts and uncles for a cuddle.

But we could love you. Gently, fiercely, continually, sometimes even desperately. Through the glass.

Credits ~
Alpha is by Kellie Mize; Love word art is from Love Me Tender by Dani Mogstad; frame is from Deckle Frames by Katie Pertiet; everything else is from Chelsey's Dream by Michelle Coleman; font is FG Lova

Quick reply to Erin

My one complaint about Blogger is that it doesn't easily let you hold a conversation in the comments the way you can do with Livejournal.

Erin, thanks for the lovely comment about my layout of Marcus on his second birthday.

I've taken photos of him with that teddy from when he got it at 3 weeks old so that I have a sequence. 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months and 2 years. I'll probably keep doing it on his birthday at least until he's five.

Here he is with teddy at 3 weeks to show you just how much he's grown. (Image is clickable to bigger version.)

Dangerous Tides - Christine Feehan (8/10)

I enjoy Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters series. The sisters are all lovely - if a bit perfect - and it's a nice break from the angst of the Carpathian books. Her heroes still tend to be alpha males, but they're not as totally annoying about it as the Carpathians are.

There's a lot of wish fulfillment here; seven beautiful sisters with magical powers who love each other with a depth and strength most people can only dream about. But that's okay so long as you start the book with that awareness. It's a lovely fantasy that I enjoy visiting. My only complaint is that there is such a focus on the sisters that the fiances that were found in the earlier books barely seem to figure in each new book. Of course, there were three of them at the start of Dangerous Tides and now there are four, so I guess it would be character overload. All the same, it was good to see brief cameos from the men this time around.

I like Ty. Despite his faults, he's another perfect hero - a genius scientist who is also, buffed, strong, handsome and brave. I don't care. This is a fantasy and it's a nice one. Besides, having my own share of social ineptness, it's nice to see that on the page. It was well done, especially the way Ty tended to spout out random facts when he couldn't face something emotional. And while he improved, it never disappeared completely, which I thought was good. I think he's my favourite of all the Drake sister fiances so far.

I accidently spoiled myself to the identity of the villain, which I think affected the way I saw the character before the big revelation, so I'd be interested to hear if other readers picked it up from the hints dropped.

If you're looking for a solid, realistic story, this isn't for you - but you probably didn't pick up a book about magic sisters if that's what you wanted. But as a perfect romantic fantasy, this pushed all my buttons. Sit back, go along for the ride and enjoy the Drakes. I did, and I'm looking forward to the next three books, especially as we're beginning to see just how much Hannah, Joley and Elle need to find someone to balance them and their gifts.

Reading but not stitching

I am so shattered and exhausted at the moment. I am physically tired all the time, even if I'm not necessarily sleepy. Although, give me a quiet moment to lie down and I'll probably fall asleep. I just don't get many quiet moments.

I'm not doing any stitching at all, which is very frustrating, especially since I have a project with a deadline that isn't get any progress made on it. However, right now I just can't do it. It's too much effort to hold up the Q-Snaps and move the needle up and down at the moment. Sigh. But it's silly to overstress myself.

I have been getting a bunch of reading done, but I've moved from more "serious" books to lighter ones as I can cope with them more easily. I thoroughly enjoyed my latest J. D. Robb and if all else fails, I may concentrate on that serious and finish it up.

All the same, I'm feeling very non-productive at present. I look after Marcus and I sleep mostly.

Portrait in Death - J. D. Robb (10/10)

I loved this one. I flew through it when I've been struggling a bit with other books, so that was great too.

Like most of the books in this series, while it has a good solid crime (more of one that some of the last few), it's really about Eve and Roarke's continued learning curve about love and marriage.

This time it's Roarke's past that comes up to bite them, and boy is it a biggie, as pretty much everything he thought he knew about himself gets turned upside down. He doesn't handle it well, shutting Eve out instead of leaning on her strength. They sort it out in time, as they always do, and I look forward to seeing more of the new characters introduced in this book. (Anything more would be a spoiler.)

Summerset and Eve continue to bicker, especially since he manages to fall and break a leg just as he was about to go on vaction, giving Eve three weeks of Summerset-freedom. The accident, coupled with Roarke's problems futher demonstrate the depth of the relationships between Roarke, Summerset and Eve.

Tangled in with this is a neat and tidy murder mystery where all the pieces point in the right direction, but it is only at the end that everything finally falls into place. Clearly, working with Eve is a dangerous occupation, as another of her team is injured, although fortunately all is well at the end.

I thought it was particularly telling that it is only when Eve and Roarke get their balance back and start working as a team again that the investigation begins to come together.

An excellent addition to the series.

Two

Two
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Journalling ~
This photo was taken at the Esplanade in Palmerston North on your second bithday. You look so happy, with your grin and dimples in your cheeks. You rode your bike all around the cafe courtyard and we had to keep running after you so you didn't drive into any of the other patrons' knees.

You're holding up the teddy that Great Nana Rose gave you when you were born. Back then, it was almost as big as you were - you were such a tiny, scrawny wee thing. Look at how big and healthy you are now. It makes my heart sing to see it. Now you're two, no-one would even know you had been born a whole three months too soon.

You look like any other happy two year old birthday boy and it makes me so happy to see it.

Credits ~
Sketch by Traci Reed; black paper from Mystic by Melanie Willman; red and medium blue papers from Sweet Liberty by Gina Cabrera; dark blue paper from Navy Fall by Amy Tanabe; light blue paper from Paradise Sampler by Amy Teets; flowers from Scrap Street Simple Florist by Jen Wilson; alpha is A Child's World by Katie Pertiet; font is Grace

Guess How Much I Love You...

Guess How Much I Love You...
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

I struggled and struggled with the elements for this one after having the original idea, but I'm pleased with what I finished up with. I love these pictures of Marcus. I'm not sure when they were taken and can't find a reference at the moment, but I'd guess he's under one and both were taken in 2004.

This layout was inspired by one of the DigiShopTalk gallery by slkone (http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7261) and uses the same kit.

Stitching is from Dinos by Heather Roselli; everything else is from Space Odyssey by Heather Roselli

Planning Ahead

Booking Through Thursday

1. Do you plan ahead for your reading? Work off of a to-be-read pile? A reading list? Or do you wing it, chooe whatever you're in the mood for?
   
   I have a to be read pile that is actually a bookcase shelf. I aim to read from that, although I can be sidetracked by new things.
   
   



2. If you do plan ahead, how far ahead? Do you have two or three books waiting in queue? Or are you backed up by dozens of volumes waiting their turn?
   
   I have way too many books I'm trying to read. Since I developed CFS (16 years ago now!) I haven't been able to read with the same ease I used to do. However, I can'thelp myself and still buy books at the same rate. This means I can't keep up and the books keep backing up to the point I'm rather stressed about it.
   
   So I keep the books I know I really want to read on my TBR shelf and the idea is that I can pick anything I choose from the shelf. When new books turn up I now try to read them pretty much straight away so that I don't get even further behind. Between new books, my goal is to start reducing the number of books on the shelf - then I might be able to add in some rereads as there are lots of things I'd like to read again.
   
   I try to decide what I'll read next when I start a book, but don't generally make a specific plan beyond that. And this can all be tossed aside at a moment's notice if something comes up I just have to read immediately. Or if I change my mind.



3. If you do not plan ahead . . . well, never? What about if you're reading a series? Or someone gives you a book for a present?
   
   As I said above, anything is subject to change.
   
   If I'm reading a series, I'll usually keep the next one up on the TBR shelf and once I get that read, I add in the one after that and it comes up when I'm ready for it. Then I repeat the process. For example, I have Portrait in Death on the TBR shelf right now. I'll read that when I feel in the right mood for it, and once I finish it, I'll put it back downstairs and put Imitation in Death on the shelf.

Lover Eternal - J. R. Ward (9/10)

Okay, so a guilty admission here. I loved this. I kind of feel like I shouldn't, but I'm not sure why. It's one of those books where if I had to describe it to someone else, I would probably find the premise and plot silly and would find myself justifying reading it. Which I guess is what I'm doing now.


But Ward pulls it off beautifully. Her characters are surprisingly well rounded and real - I've discovered that she posts "slices of life" with them on her bulletin board and I wonder if this is part of their charm and depth, that she spends a lot more time with them than just in the pages of the book.


I was cheering for these characters, for Mary to take a risk and let someone in, for Rhage to take a risk of his own and let go. It took a while - and I do wish he's just told her his secret a lot earlier - but they got there in the end.


There's not a lot of plot in this book, and what there is seems to be mostly set-up for the next in the series and maybe others later, but it doesn't matter. The story is carried beautifully by the characters and I got to the end feeling fully satisfied.


I'm kind of glad I read this now as the third in the series will be out fairly soon and poor Bella has been left in a bit of a hole - literally. Fortunately, the excerpt at the end tells us she'll make it out again.


I had a lovely time getting to know Rhage and Mary and I'm looking forward to Zsadist and Bella's story soon.

Song of Unmaking - Caitlin Brennan (9/10)

Like my previous read, The Dawn Star, Song of Unmaking started out slowly and I was worried that I was going to struggle to read it. It seemed to suffer from that danger that strikes a second book - lack of new action and more consolidation than story. I was happy to be proved wrong.


The beginning shows both Kerrec and Valeria being typically stubborn and refusing to let anyone know they are still damaged from the events of the first book.


Once that is revealed the action really begins, as Kerrec is exiled from the Mountain and Valeria follows him. From there they find themselves still inextricably linked to the fate of the world and now Kerrec's sister Briana has been pulled in as well, linked to the horse gods as well as the empire as the emperor's heir.


I particularly liked the parallels drawn between Kerrec and Briana, bith called to duty by both the empire and the Mountain. Before this, each thought they had to choose one or the other, where now it becomes clear that each is both and they must work together. For Kerrec the Mountain's call is stronger and he will be a rider, but he still has a destiny and duty to the empire as well. For Briana it is the reverse, her greatest call is to the empire and she will be Empress, but she is still called to the Mountain and accompanied now by one of the Ladies of the horse gods. Each has their own place, but each needs to accept the other part of their destiny and their best change to salvage the future is together.


As for Valeria, again she finds that she really is more than "just a Rider" but she begins to realise that raw power isn't enough and she still has much to learn for both her and Sabata to come into their power.


Her relationship with Kerrec is almost non-existent at the beginning of the book following the damage he suffered and the darkness she carries. It slowly builds and changes and is something strong by the end, which was lovely to see.


The visit to Valeria's family at the end was a treat, even if the reason why was sad, and I hope we see more of all of them as the series continues.


I'm glad I have book three on order and I'm lookikng forward to more of the story. I did read somewhere that the story may be going to be six volumes, so the thought that it will take at least another three years to get to the end is a little bit of a downer.

Foot Fetish

Foot Fetish
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Made using Traci's sketch from the Ezine release party at Scrapmommies.

All the papers are from Jen Reed's A Baby Boy Story kit (both the original and the updated versions). Fonts are Hanky Pankee and Genius of Crack.

Journalling
Sheepworld 17th April, 2005
Daddy and I took you to Sheepworld today. It's a tourist farm just north of Warkworth where they have lots of animals that can be fed and petted, as well as a show with dogs rounding up sheep, sheep shearing, goat milking and even a duck race. You had so much fun. You loved all the animals and you weren't the tiniest bit scared of any of them. You tried to touch all the animals - even if you did almost poke out a donkey's eye - and you laughed and thought it was all great fun. You made friends with this goat and just giggled when it tried to eat your shoes. We have lots of lovely photos from the day, but it is this one, with you laughing and showing your dimples that is my very favourite. We promise to take you back to Sheepworld again when you are older and can appreciate it even more.

Dragon Eggs

Dragon Eggs
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Marcus at the playground at Auckland Zoo in Feb 2005. They have a big concrete Chinese dragons and this is one of its eggs.

Credits ~
Striped paper from Shabby Baby Mini by Dani Mogstad; solid paper from This Love Solid Papers by Dani Mogstad; Paper tear from Atomic Cupcake; Alphas are Between the Lines by Katie Pertiet and Stitched Alpha by Laura Kaye; dragon stamps are Microsoft Office Clipart.

The Dawn Star - Catherine Asaro (9/10)

Like The Misted Cliffs before it, The Dawn Star seemed to take a little while to get going, but once it did, the story flew.


Asaro has created a fascinating world here, that gets more complicated as she ties all the various countries up into various alliances. I'm glad there is a second trilogy coming so I can find out how the events of this book change the future of the settled lands.


I love all the characters as well. I was initially annoyed when first Drummer and later Jade were introduced - I wanted to know more about Mel and Cobalt, not be sidetracked by new characters. However, I was quickly won over. Now I want to know more about Jade and Drummer as well as Cobalt and Mel. Oh, and more about Chime and Muller and most of all, more about Iris and Jarid.


Jarid and Iris actually remain my favourites in this series and I wish they'd got a full book instead of just a novella. Ah well, I can always go and reread Moonglow.


One of the lovely things about Mel and Cobalt's developing relationship in this book is the way neither of them has turned into a perfect hero or heroine. They function really well together and temper each other perfectly, but they need each other and alone neither is anything as strong. Or, especailly in Cobalt's case, as balanced. He needs Mel, not so much to keep him in check, but to keep him in touch with parts of himself he doesn't really believe are there.


As for Drummer and Jade, theirs is just a lovely - if complicated - romance and I thoroughly enjoyed how it played out.


My biggest - and really only - complaint is simply that the book isn't long enough to give everyone the screen time and character development they deserve, leaving me feeling vaguely unfulfilled. I've had a lovely meal, but I'm still kind of hungry.

Book covers

I just put up covers for four of the books I posted about yesterday over on A Cover a Day...

Oh no, all over again (books this time)

Not only have I found new cross stitch charts, RomanticSF.com have just updated their upcoming books list and there are way too many I'd like to read, including some from favourite authors that I didn't even know had new books coming out.

Sigh.

August 2006

• Cast in Courtlight - Michelle Sagara
  I'm tossing up over this one. I read the first and found it quite confusing, but still really liked the setting and characters. I suspect I'll succumb eventually, because I do want to know what happens next, and besides, I love the cover.

Fortunately (or not as the case may be) all the others that I'm interested in for August I've already got in hardcover or trade paperback.

September 2006

• Alpha - Catherine Asaro
  So it's a hardcover, but I've already ordered this one. Catherine Asaro is my favourite authro and an autobuy for me.
  
• Fairest - Gail Carson Levine
  This one sounds rather good and it has a beautiful cover. I suspect I'll resist, but I'm tempted.
  
• The Hollow Kingdom - Claire B. Dunkle
  Another one that's looks interesting and has a nice cover. I think it's YA and I know I won't buy it, but I still like the look of it.
  
• Firestorm - Rachel Caine
  Actually, this is book five in the series, so I don't want this one (yet), but it reminds me I'd like to find time to read book one, Ill Wind, which is sitting on my TBR shelf, loaned to me by a friend.
  
• Dead Man Rising - Lilith Saintcrow
  See above. Reminds me I want to read the first in the series, Working for the Devil.
  
• Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder
  See above, or sort of. I actually have this one in hardcover, just need to find the time to read it. (That's starting to sound like a familiar refrain, isn't it?)
  

October 2006

• The Sharing Knife: Beguilement - Lois McMaster Bujold
  I admit it. I've ordered this one too, hardcover and all. Lois McMaster Bujold is my second favourite author and I buy her automatically in hardcover now because I'm impatient. This is the first in a new fantasy that is coming out as two books.
  
• Magic Study - Maria V. Snyder
  The sequel to Poison Study above, I'm being strong and holding off on this one until I've read that first. All the same I'm so tempted by having a matching hardcover. I'll wait. Another beautiful cover.
  
• Spellbinder - Melanie Rawn
  I love Melanie Rawn. She writes long, complicated but lovely books. I didn't know she had a new book on the way so I'm delighted to see this, but also fruststrated that I so can't justify another hardcover right now. Maybe I need to buy a Lotto ticket, but money can only buy the books, not the time to read them. Darn it. Gorgeous cover too. I'm a sucker for beautiful covers.
  
• My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding - Sherrilyn Kenyon and others
  Already ordered for the Dark-Hunter story in it.
  
• Shattered Dance - Caitlin Brennan
  I've ordered this one. It's the third in the White Magic series and I'm reading book two right now (or rather it has a bookmark in it while I read Catherine Asaro's The Dawn Star, but I'll be back to reading it soon).
  
• Greywalker - Kat Richardson
  Another in the current paranormal trend, but looks interesting. All the same, I can't really spare the time or cash on spec right now. I'll wait for some reviews to come through.
  
• Glass Houses - Rachel Caine
  See above. The same argument applies to this one.
  

November 2006

• The Mislaid Magician - Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermeyer
  This is a fun series and I look forward to reading this one, but I don't feel the need to buy it, let alone in hardcover. Phew. Thank goodness.
  
• Bloodring - Faith Hunter
  This is a new author to me and a new series, but it looks interesting. I like this kind of book, although I have no idea why, so I'll think about it. Hopefully it will turn up in mass market paperback.
  
• Eyes of Crow - Jeri Smith-Ready
  This is the first in a new series from Luna that looks interesting. Luna remains a bit hit or miss in what attracts me, but I'd like to try this one.
  
• Harrowing the Dragon - Patricia A. McKillip
  I really like Patricia McKillip, but I'm not very good with short stories so I may give this one a miss. Still tempted though.
  

And that's only four months. You see my problem?

Darn it, Nora

It's the beginning of the month, so I've been checking out the new books page at Hoffman Distributing to see what new cross stitch is out this month (and to check if the new order he made from me is up - which it isn't unfortunately).

Nora Corbett of Mirabilia has just released the latest in her seasons in the garden series. It's Autumn, and for all the pumpkins make it look very American, I love it.


Autumn in My Garden - Mirabilia

I didn't think much of this range when it first came out - I think I was into the big, full dresses at the time - but now I really like them all and the elegant simplicity of them. I think the new Autumn and Winter are my favourites, but the others are lovely too.

I do wish I had more money and more stitching time, but sadly I have neither.


Winter in My Garden - Mirabilia


Spring in My Garden - Mirabilia


Summer in My Garden - Mirabilia

The frogs are defeated!

Well, temporarily at least.

I've been stitching on my mystery gift project for the last couple of days. Yesterday I passed the point where Leigh had pulled it all out for me and I'm onto new parts of the pattern.

Hooray!!

Today I'm going to do something totally outrageous for me and put Dawn Star on the Q-Snaps. For this month I'm going to try to swap days between the the gift and Dawn Star. I've never done this before, so I don't know if it will work for me or not.