Stitcheries With A Story

Only one shopping day left 'til tomorrow. 

~Author Unknown

After being away from blogland for four days, it's rather nice to be able to stop and say 'HI' to everyone.  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Ours was so relaxed it seemed strange.  We were able to spend the day relaxing even though I did spend some time in the kitchen preparing a breakfast roll for Friday morning.  I even made my very first pumpkin pie.  Yes, I know that's hard to believe after being married for over 36 years but I'm just not a pie maker.  Thank goodness for Libby's pumpkin pie recipe - it was delicious!!!  Dinner out was different but very nice too.  It was especially nice not having to worry about the clean up afterwards.  I was quite surprised at how crowded the restaurant was.  The rest of the weekend we (me, DH, DD#2, and SIL#2) just spent the day at home watching a couple of movies and playing some Wii.  No rushing out to the stores at midnight or early in the morning.  There aren't enough good deals out there for me to fight the crowds and worry about getting pepper sprayed - lol!  I did get the majority of my shopping done on Saturday sitting on my behind using the computer.  Did you get any fantastic deals?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Coffee

Are you like me and this morning really needed your coffee after the four day weekend?  I definitely needed that little extra kick to get started this morning.  How about some little facts about that rich, dark brew.

* Coffee was first discovered by a goat! More specifically a young goat herder by the name of Kaldi in the 9th-century. He noticed his goats acting strange when they ate the cherries from the coffee tree so he tried it for himself. This story does not show up in writings until the 16th-century.

* Contrary to popular belief light roast coffee actually has more caffeine than dark roast coffee. The reason for this is that the longer coffee is roasted the more caffeine cooked out of the bean.

* Espresso is not referring to a particular type of bean, it is a drink. More specifically it is a type of coffee brewing method.

* Coffee comes from a tree or bush that bears cherry fruit. The coffee bean is the seed that resides within the cherry.

* Coffee was declared illegal 3 times by 3 different cultures. The first was in Mecca during the 16th century and the prohibition was lifted after 30 years of debate among scholars and jurists. The second was Charles the II in Europe banning coffee houses trying to quell the ongoing rebellion yet it backfired and was never enforced. (People need their coffee!) The third was Fredrick the Great who banned the beverage in Germany in 1677 because he were concerned with the economic implications of money leaving the country on this new popular beverage.

* There are over 50 species of coffee world wide. Though only 2, arabica and robusta, are commonly used in commercial coffee production.

* Coffee can actually be used to fuel a car. Though maybe not very efficiently at the moment it is nice to know that there is an alternative out there that can not only fuel our bodies but our vehicles too.

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STITCHERY

It's been awhile since I shared any of the stitcheries for Gardener's Journal that I've been working on....

These will be made up into four different blocks.  The smaller ones on the left will be 2 1/2" X 2 1/2".  The birdbath on the right will be 3 1/2" X 4 1/2".  There is a little story that goes along throughout the book that is very amusing.  The little bit for the above blocks is titled The Art of Harold and reads as follows:  "Harold has taken up the art of sculpting topiaries. He has been training the rose bushes to look like members of his family. They are hideous, although I can spot the resemblance to my mother-in-law.  He keeps complaining about the thorns so I have much fun of an evening digging them out with my blunt tapestry needle.  I get such joy out of life".  Annie Downs is such a hoot!

This stitchery is called Pulling Weeds and will be 5 1/2" X 5 1/2".  The story that goes with this is titled Weeding The Garden.  "Time to plant bulbs, jonquils this week I think. Before I do this though, I have to remove the weeds Harold has arranged. He took it upon himself to go and collect my horse manure for fertilising the garden. Unfortunately he took the fresh pile rather than the aged pile so I now have developed quite a good oats garden in need of weeding. Here I am with my royal posterior up in the air and Harold decides to take a photo of me. Talk about getting my good side."  I have more to share but will save that for another date.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I plan to spend the entire day stitching.

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GIVEAWAYS

Quiltin' Grandma's Blog is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Quilt Maker Small Quilts & Gifts Magazine.  This giveaway ends Thursday, December 1.

McCall's Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win one of their 2012 calendars and some fabric.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29.

The Intrepid Thread is having a giveaway.  You could win a ten inch stacker of Sunny Happy Skies, a Cinderberry Stitches pattern, a pocket friend pattern with Echo to sew it up with, and two Thomas Knauer patterns to use your Pear Tree on.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29.

Leona's Quilting Adventure is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of The Wedding Quilt.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 9, at midnight.

Quilt n Queen is having a giveaway.  You could win a Moda Sherbet Pips Jelly Roll.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29.

Sew Kiki is having a giveaway.  You could win a kit for a wall hanging from Quilt Kit Market.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, November 30.

Our Busy Little Bunch is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a  bundle of Pear Tree fabric.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 2.

Lovin' Life At The End Of The Dirt Road is having a giveaway.  You could win a new seam ripper from Mighty Bright.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29, at midnight.

It's So Kiki is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Stash Happy Patchwork.  This giveaway ends Saturday, December 3.

Cat Patches is having her Fun Fact Friday Freebie giveaway.  You could win fat quarter.  The winner will be announced Friday, December 2.

Sew Cal Gal is having a giveaway.  You could win a silk trio bundle from Sewing With Silks.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 2.

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FINAL THOUGHT