Thankful Thursday - So Glad it Turned Out the Way it Did

An Unexpected Visitor

 You know those days that start out so well, anything could go wrong? You know those days that start out well, and then go wrong, but then right themselves so you can go on and have a great day anyway? Yesterday was one of those days. It all started out so innocently. It was humid, hot, the kind of day that quickly becomes incredibly hot and melty, but in the beginning of summer is still very welcome. I got out of bed with only a little help from the alarm and managed to get the dog fed and watered, Brennan's lunch, breakfast and tea made, got myself fed and watered, and all in good time. I was laughing that the dog had gone back to (my) bed, and I was about to sit down to write yesterday's blog post when I heard it...
Ting, ting-ting-ting. scratch.
It came from the top of the chimney. I wasn't worried, but Brennan immediately thought that a squirrel had climbed onto our house and was in our chimney.
"Don't be ridiculous! The squirrel would have to climb twenty feet of siding, and then another 2 feet of smooth metal to get into the chimney. It is just another bird catching bugs on the top of the chimney, I've heard it before." I grab my tea and a glass of water and put them beside my laptop, which is in the living room, right in front of the fireplace.
"Babe, I'm telling you, it is in the chimney!"
"Brennan, it is not in the chimney, it is at the top of the chimney. If it was IN the chimney, you'd hear a Whump and a clatter" My last words are, of course, interrupted by a "whump and a clatter" and then a little screech and flapping sounds.
Crap. There's a bird in my chimney, right above the flue if I am hearing things correctly.
Brennan says, "QUICK! Grab a box to grab it!" and gets a shoe box (which I'll have more details on later, LOL) for me to put in the bottom of the chimney to "catch" the bird. How I'm going to close the lid on it, I have no idea. But, I put the box in the bottom of the fireplace and then close up the doors.

The Unexpected Visitor Tries to Get Out

 I pray a little bit, something along the lines of, "Please God don't let this actually be happening," and then, "Please God don't let me kill the poor little bird," and then, "Please God, don't let me get my eyes pecked out or get rabies from this damned, poor little bird."
I open the flue.
A rather sooty little black bird comes clattering into the fireplace and starts to panic as it finds its way blocked by the doors and screen of the fireplace.
Okay, next plan.
"QUICK!" I say to Brennan, "Grab a big recycle box, close all the curtains, get the dog into a bedroom, close all interior doors, and open all the exterior doors!" I'm telling him this, of course, as I'm doing it, and he is staring at me like I'm crazy.
"If we close the curtains, and the interior doors, it won't have anywhere to fly but out the doors!"
Comprehension dawns on his face.
I grab the giant recycle bin and my gardening gloves, just in case. I curse myself for not being fast enough to grab my sunglasses so that I don't get my eyes pecked out, or rabies, from the poor, damned bird.
I pray.
"Please God, don't let this poor little bird die from stress in my house." and
"Please God, don't let this bird crap all over my house."
I open the doors to the fireplace...

The Unexpected Visitor, Gone

And he flew right out the door, no scrabbling or freaking out at all. Just flew out like it was the way it was supposed to be all along.
Which it was.
And it allowed us to have a really good day after that.
Especially because I didn't get my eyes pecked out or get rabies from that poor, damned bird ;-)
Have a great day,

Thankful Thursday: A Dog With a Sense of Humor

She must have heard Brennan and I discussing how much we want to go and see the new Alice and Wonderland movie...she is doing her impersonation of the Cheshire Cat...er...dog. You have no idea how much I had to lighten this photo to get her to stand out from the background, she literally was blending in just like the Cheshire Cat would have.

Alice in Wonderland, eat your heart out :)

Incidentally, I had JUST cleaned the window when she decided to smush her nose all over it, trying to catch flies (one remnant of Gandalf's teaching). I am rather embarrassed that you can see the streaky nose marks on the window to be honest, it looks like I never clean my house, which I do, I swear!

Sorry for the short post today, but I have my CT scan for my tummy issues today, and we're rather pressed for time. See you soon!

A Great Big Thank You Tuesday

~Dreaming of Spring - I just put in my seed order for this year!~

I just wanted to write a quick thank-you to everyone who has commented, emailed, Facebooked and sent prayers, well wishes and kind words after my post last week. I'm still on PB and rice cakes. Though I have tried to introduce vegetables and fruits back into my diet, it still meets with incredible resistance from my system. However, I will NOT give up! I am craving salads, lentils and lasagna like crazy and I am bound and determined that I will have them again. As soon as possible, maybe even all together, who knows??

On a good note, I have an appointment with a specialist next Wednesday... I suppose living in a rural community can have its good points - mainly that the specialists out here aren't nearly as overbooked as the ones in the big city an hour away. Hopefully after this consultation I'll have a better idea of tests to come, with a hopeful diagnosis and then treatment.

...Until then, I'm going to go have lunch. Hmm...I wonder...should I have peanut butter and rice cakes or rice cakes and peanut butter?? ;-)

Until next time,

Thankful Thursday: Happy Turkey Day!

On this very Thoughtful Thursday I wanted to wish all of my American friends a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving!! I am very thankful for all of my blogland friends, all of my family, and everyone on Plurk, Twitter, MySpace and Facebook who has followed or fanned or chatted with me.

Arwen also wants to let you know how thankful she is for all of your wonderful compliments and comments that are directed to her. She sees every one and wags her tail as she receives them.

What are you thankful for? We wish you a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving!

Thankful Thursday: Cooking Class Success and Award

I am happy to say that my first ever cooking class was a terrific success! Partnered with RHN Melody Busuttil, in conjunction with Nature's Way Select Foods in Kemptville, and hosted at the Kemptville college, we had over 12 students and a fabulous time.

This past class was all about Quinoa (keen-wah) and many delicious and gluten free recipes were made (and eaten!). More classes are on the way, thank you to everyone who came out, I hope you will come to the next ones!
Also, Audrey from Audrey's Country Crafts gave me this award! This award focuses on friendship, and Audrey certainly deserves it as well. Please check out her blog to see her shop, as well as all of the fabulous artists she features each week.
I am passing this on to anyone who reads this blog - you all deserve it! Also, I don't want to single people out, as I give out awards to many people and don't want to over do it :-)

Arwen wishes me to thank everyone for their overwhelming responses to yesterday's post - she would blush if she could from all of your praise, and I certainly did over your liking the bracelet I am working on. Thank you!

Until tomorrow,
and Arwen

Thankful Thursday: At Last - New Couches!

Whew! I can't tell you how happy I am to get rid of our old, embarrassing couches. They had been a gift from my parents when Brennan and I first moved in together 8 years ago, but at that time, the couches were already 10 years old! Not that I minded - you know how tight finances are when you're first moving out, and they have definitely served us well over the years. However, we had noticed that lately, every time you sat in them, you tended to sink slightly lower than the time before, so we knew what was coming...

For the first time ever, Brennan and I bought new couches! We got a call on Tuesday telling us our delivery date, and they arrived yesterday! I can't tell you how excited we all are here. We purchased them from a Canadian store, The Brick, in late September and we were not supposed to get them until after the 20th of this month, but surprise! They came yesterday. Brennan and I spent all of Tuesday night cleaning the living room and using an at home floor refinishing kit to get the floors nice and shiny again (not that you can see it in these photos!) before the couches came. We were very fortunate to get these on sale ($200 off each!) and even better - they are made in Canada! I thought for sure that couches at this price would have been made in China (not that there is anything wrong with that), so it was nice to be able to support a Canadian business and manufacturer. Brennan also got some nice quilted blankets to protect the couches from MadameArwen , and they just happen to go perfectly with our curtains (did my man deliver or what??). Unfortunately, the living room is ripped apart in these photos - we had a fabric protector kit come with the couches and I spent the majority of last night applying that so the couches had to be pulled out from the walls, cushions taken off, etc. It is a non-toxic, water basedprotectant, not that cancer-causing stuff, so that was a relief (though it still smelled icky).
Of course, as soon as I got up this morning and let Arwen into the living room (we kept her out of it to avoid breathing in the protectant while it was drying) Arwen was up on the couch, trying it on for size. Success! She loves it, and, as you can see, seems quite happy with the size. What is great is that we got two full sized couches, not a couch and love seat, so that if Brennan falls asleep on one couch,Arwen and I will both fit on the other one!

That is all for now, Arwen and I are going to go and sit on the new couches, and marvel in the fact that we don't sink up to our eyeballs in them!
and Arwen

Thankful Thursday: SURPRISE SALE!!

As mentioned yesterday, I have a big announcement today, and that is a surprise 2-day sale! My birthday was last week (the 10th), so I thought I would celebrate it a little late (hey, it's better than never, right?) by having a sale in my Etsy store.
For Thursday and Friday the 17th and 18th, everything in my Etsy store is 20% off! I'll refund you the 20% after you pay, or send a revised invoice, whichever you choose. Discounts are on the items only, and do not apply to shipping or applicable taxes. There are no discount codes to worry about, you'll get 20% off everything in my store :-)
What are you waiting for?? Get shopping and take advantage of this great deal!

Thankful Thursday: Some Recent Press!

I have been so fortunate to have been featured on some great blogs recently, here they are - please do go and visit them!I was featured on Fuzzington's Blog for giving them their 200th heart on Etsy! Congratulations to you Sharon and thank you!
http://fuzzington.blogspot.com/2009/07/200-hearts.html

I was featured on Dragon House of Yuen Blog after making Annette a wonderful custom ring - thank you Annette!
http://dragonhouseofyuen.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-meet-meghann-from-etsy-shop.html

And finally, I was featured on A Little Piece of the Madness in exchange for featuring Redd a while ago - thanks Redd!
http://www.damenamedredd.com/blog/?p=825

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER THE CONTEST!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.

Thankful Thursday: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

~Weathered Copper Bangle~

Last year I was given some great copper wire from a friend of mine, with the hopes that I would do something with it. It had originally been copper wiring, but had been removed from where ever it had spent its original intent and stripped, allowing it to patina naturally and wait for its new purpose.....I ran into some problems when it took me 5 minutes to cut through it (cramping my hands in the process), but kept it on my jewelry table anyway, waiting, watching, hoping for some inspiration. Imagine my surprise when I realized that, yes, sometimes the simplest design is also the best! Here is the first of a few VERY limited bangles. I sanded the wire lightly to wear away some of the patina, and gently hammered it to harden it slightly and further smooth the edges. That being said, it will easily adjust to almost any wrist size. Simply slip it onto your wrist and you are ready to go! Talk about eco-chic! Now you get to help the environment and look great doing it :)

This would also look good as an upper arm bangle - just slide it on up your arm and voila! It will adjust in size with a little bit of pressure.

I should mention that this is bare copper wire and may cause some color transfer to your skin, though some non-sticky hairspray or clear sealant may help prevent this.

I hope you like it, it will be added to my Etsy store sometime today, so please check it out!

Time is Running out!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.

Thankful Thursday: I'm Featured!

Audrey, over at Audrey's Country Crafts Blog, has done a feature on me! I can't thank her enough, please go on over to her blog and visit and see the great work she did :)

Also, I'm sorry I didn't post Arwen's Walking Wednesday yesterday, I haven't been feeling well, and when I have been feeling moderately better, it rains and I can't take photos in the rain! We will (hopefully) be back next week. Until then,Arwen says hello and reminds you to sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here. I've changed the links so that you can see this contest, even if you can't see my Little Studio Photography and Jewellery Blog!

Thankful Thursday: I've Been Tagged and Given Awards!

I had to laugh when Audrey of Stage 3! Who Me? Said I'd been given the above awards: Audrey from Audrey's Country Crafts had just contacted me saying I'd been tagged with a 10 Things about Me MeMe. 2 Audrey's in one day, what are the odds??
I have to give the awards to 5 people, so I am giving them to the first 5 people who commented on my blog yesterday (please don't hate me, and don't feel like you have to rush to pass them on - if you even do pass them on, take your time!)
1. Daisy the Curly Cat
2. Rksign88
3. Equine Epiphanies
4. Fireseed
5. FriendsFurEver
You each get both of those awards :)
Now for the 10 things about me:
1. I'm super-shy and don't really have much confidence with things, despite how I may come across.
2. I love my dog and fiancee (obviously), and can't imagine where I'd be without them
3. I used to do gymnastics as a kid, and was supposed to go into serious training
(read possible nationals) when I got "too tall and too fat" so I had to stop - I was 11 years old, 4 foot 9, and not very heavy at all - go figure!
4. I LOVE to garden! Even though my pain and the weather have been conspiring against me, I LOVE getting out and smelling dirt and flowers and yes, even pulling weeds.
5. I love to learn new hobbies and crafts - knitting, crocheting, you name it, I want to try it!
6. I need a new bookcase...again....I've filled all my old ones...anyone want 4 years of Horse magazines??
7. I LOVE to cook for people! When I'm cooking for me, it is simple, but when I get to have people over, it is game on and I have an absolute blast.
8. I'm a computer and video game nerd. There. I said it.
9. I'm a sci-fi and fantasy nerd. Might as well go for the gold in nerdiness.
10. I believe that with a good book, some time and patience to allow yourself to make mistakes, you CAN teach yourself anything. So go ahead! Learn something new!
I'm going to pass this 10 Things About Me MeMe to anyone who wants to do it - I'd love to learn more about you!
Have a great day, I'm off to take advantage of the sun and do some serious weeding :)

Thankful Thursday: I'm Featured!

Wonderful artists LindaG has featured me on her blog! Check it out HERE :)

Thankful Thursday: I've Received an Award!

Well! I was so very pleasantly surprised to get an email from the delightful Sonia at The Dark Ravens Nest saying that she had given me a blog award! I am so happy to have received this award. This is the "One Lovely Blog Award" and the rules are as follows:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.
3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

As I am a fan of so many blogs that have already received this award, I am going to say that anyone who reads this blog is welcome to have it for themselves also.
Thank you Sonia!