Welcome To The Party!

A warm welcome to new visitors...and one to my many regular readers as well! I started this blog November 1st, 2007 with this awkward post. I blog to share my love of cross stitch and my general joy of life. From that first post with no comments to five years later of having 1300 subscribers is unbelievable. I never once dreamed I'd have so many beloved friends from ever corner of the globe. Blogging is truly an incredibly important part of my life. We've shared our ups and downs, had arguments (not many,) given advice, cheered our victories and mourned each other's losses. I'm terribly grateful for every single visitor here. 

Vicki over at 2 Bags Full had the wonderful idea to throw this Grow Your Blog party. While I am not hurting for readers I remember the excitement of that first comment:

1 comment:

Rachael said...

Hello Daffycat and welcome to the world of Blogging ;0)

November 3, 2007 at 4:02:00 AM CDT 

I remember the thrill of that first "Google Follower" Mine was Patti.

I remember the fun of hosting my first giveaway and then coming up with a silly way of choosing the winner.

Yes, I remember just starting off, thinking no one would ever care a whit what I had to say. I learned early on that the more blogs I visited and left comments on the faster my own blog grew. To make friends you gotta BE a friend! Go make friends! Visit some blogs. Leave comments so people can find their way back to your blog. This Grow Your Blog party is an awesome way to start. 

Click Here

to see Vicki's Grow Your Blog guest list. 

Now for some more good stuff...

I promised a giveaway right? I'm offering this treasure box I made last year. If you would like to be included in the giveaway leave a comment on this post. This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere...no hoops to jump ~ except for the comment!

I will put the names in my "hat" and draw a winner on February 1st as the Grow Your Blog party instructions indicated.

Hmmmmmm, the box looks empty...I just might have to fill it with something for the winner!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Guilty Pleasures

I am not a zombie girl. Not much for slasher films either. I've never seen any of the Saw movies but I admit I may have seen Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street in my younger, wilder days. But zombies ~ how hokey is that?

I have become addicted to a zombie show. Hopelessly. Addicted. I am suffering withdrawal since season 2 is on a bit of a break until February 12. Don't call me on the 12th. Don't email. I'll be busy. Until then, I'm re-watching season 1 on Netflix and the first half of season 2 on DVR...for like the millionth time. The Walking Dead is so totally freaking awesome. And I am NOT a zombie girl.

If you haven't watched The Walking Dead on AMC because you aren't a zombie fan, you might be missing out! This show isn't really about the zombies but the zombies are an integral part of the story. This is a story about people. These characters are incredible ~ with all the faults and complexities of real people and the zombie bits (pun intended, sorry!) are done completely realistically, as if this horror really happens. I'm hoping AMC keeps this show in their line-up.

With eye candy like that, why would I watch anything else?

Tell me your guilty pleasure. Even if you are into zombies.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Daffy Cat

People often ask where I got the name DaffyCat. Yes, there was an actual Daffy cat. I adopted her from the animal shelter in December of 1990. She was a white Turkish Angora with lovely blue eyes. She was named Daffy because when she was young she would go tearing through the house, leap up three or four feet and kick off the wall...Daffy Duck did much the same bouncing off walls in one cartoon episode. Daffy was the light of my heart. The best cat, the sweetest friend. We lost her in September 2006 and still miss her to this day.

This is Daffy on the dog crate, photo taken when Sheba was a puppy. The crate was a favorite resting spot until Sheba was housebroken.

This beautiful photo of Daffy was taken by my friend Joan only a couple of months before Daffy died.

This is the earliest digital photo I have of Daffy, hiding in an empty box with the Christmas wrapping supplies. She was quite a character sometimes.

A million years ago, when we first got a computer and signed up for the Internet, Rick helped me create an account and asked what I wanted for my screen name. Uh, um, uh....I looked down at the cat and typed in DaffyCat. And DaffyCat was born. I've used it ever since.

>^..^<

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

First Finish

After I stitched those little Christmas ornaments I think I messed around with a few different projects. These were always unfinished and I am pretty sure it was because of how the stitching looked. Even back then I was OCD and if I couldn't make it look how it was supposed to look I would be frustrated with it. There finally came a semi-maturing point and I completed a project.

I started this Garfield right after I married, so I was 17 years old when this was stitched. Ride 'Em Reindeer...worked on 14 count off-white aida with DMC. This was stitched for my brother and carefully mailed to him for Christmas that year. I think it held some bitter memories for him after he divorced and he asked if I'd take it back.

Oh, Lord, do you remember these plastic hoop frames?

Take a giggle at these pea-sized knots. Can you even call that a French knot??

I'm pleased to see my backside has improved by now. No knots but still lots of carrying. It was this design I learned half-stitches, not fun on aida, I can remember being soooo confused trying to figure out the direction of each half-stitch! We've come a long way, baby!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

First Stitches

Lee, (Lake Stitcher) headed off to camp, (lucky girl) was instructed to bring some "first projects" for showing. I thought this was a fun idea. It's interesting to see how tastes and styles change though the years. Lee mentions we (stitchers in general?) were very into "country" back then. And oh, God, it's true. Every stitch design out there was "country". Fat bows. Cows. Hearts. Flowers. Pink & blue. I've still got all those oldie charts and don't they look dated?

As I'm doing NaBloPoMo I thought this would make for an interesting post. For those reading this, find yours! Show & Tell!

Here is the very first thing I ever stitched. I dug this out of the drawer today and gave it a wash and ironing. This is so old! It has a little staining and there are circles drawn in pencil around the designs. I think I must have meant to put these into little plastic frames after they were stitched.

Stitched with one thread on 18 count aida. Supplies were from my sister's stash. She used these designs to teach me to stitch. I must have been around 13ish? I'll have to ask her if she remembers this. I remember...sitting in the kitchen of her trailer house working on these. Those were golden days for me.

Best of all is the back side. Knots, carry-overs and thread tangles.

ROFLMAO

Obviously, I wasn't paying any attention when Carol showed me how to start a thread and end off. These knots really crack me up. Somewhere around here is my first "finished project." A cursory look didn't turn it up but I will have a good search and find it to show you some time soon.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Tagged by Annie

Annie tagged me for the bookworm meme...

The rules:
1) Pass this on to 5 blogging friends.
2) Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56.
3) Write out the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that...

I am currently reading Standard of Honor by Jack Whyte, a whopping 774 pages. I love historical fiction and I love long books. This is Whytes' second Templar Novel...

Page 56:

"The first one worked wonders for you, so this next one should do even more, and if you improve as much between now and tonight as you did yesterday, then you'll be able to walk on your own and I will not have to break my back again."

He busied himself then mixing the powder with water while Sinclair watched, and when he was done, the sick man swallowed the potion down obediently, with only the wrinkling of his nose denoting any unpleasantness of thought or taste.

"I'm going out now, and as I say, it ought not to take me long, but we are in the desert, so it makes sense to take precautions against my being delayed. I might get lost, or have an accident, or even meet some of Allah's faithful servants. You are not strong enough to come looking for me and it would be foolish of you to even try. I'll leave this bag of food above you, hanging from this peg provided by our thoughtful host, and with it will be this bag of water. I'll take some food and the smaller water bag with me, since it is lighter," He tilted his head, smiling down at Sinclair, whose eyes were now dull and unfocused beneath fluttering lashes as he fought against the powerful opiate. "Alec? Can you still hear me? Your eyes are closing. Will you remem..."

Thanks for the blog idea Annie, I needed one today!

Notes.

Lori, I knew you'd like that kung fu lamb!

Suzanne, yes, Jessie reads my blog. She appreciates the positive feedback very much.

Terri, tell your son he is that good. Jess liked his Star Wars comic and said it was very sophisticated and complex.

Tagged, again!

Sharon at One Life To Live tagged me for this. I tagged her with the 6 Random Things and she played along; so it's only fair...

The rules: Find the 6th folder in your photos folder and then the 6th photo in it.
* Pray that you remember the details *
Post it on your blog.
Tag 5 others, leave a comment to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Nature's Creatures


At least this was a picture of something I can write about!

I stitched this a couple of years ago but I had the kit since I was first married. Probably since 1985 or 1986? OMG! When we were newly married we lived in Virginia, near Newport News. Rick was a Marine, stationed at the Naval base near there. Anyhoo, we would go to the mall but never could really buy anything as we were always broke! There was a needlework store in the mall and I used to look at this kit every time we went. I think it was like $12-a fortune to us. One day, Rick up and bought it for me! I was just a beginner stitcher and I did a quite a few stitches in the tree before becoming completely intimidated with the size of the project. It sat in my stash through many moves until a couple of years ago when Jessie spotted it's cuteness and begged me to stitch it. I rekitted it with DMC and stitched it on white 22 count aida.

The only thing I don't like is my little worm in the apple. He is supposed to be a bullion stitch but after many unsuccessful attempts I gave up. Defeated by a damn worm. Rats.

I tag: Paula, Julie, Kendra (she might need blogging ideas.) Jennifer and Karen.

Tagged!

OK! Enough, I cave! Sandra, Sadie, Sharon and Michelle all all tagged me for the 6 Random Facts About Me meme going around. I think Cathey tagged me with it a long while back too?

Rules are...

Link back to the person that tagged you.
Post the rules on your Blog.
Share 6 non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
Tag 6 people at the end of your post by linking to their Blog.
Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their Blog.

1. I can easily recite the alphabet backwards.

2. I used to work in a pet store. I have actually been shopping and heard little children squeal in glee, "Mom, look; it's the hamster (fish, rat, bird) lady!"

3. I detest blog music. If you have music on your blog, the first thing I do is hunt that sucker down and pause the dreadful noise. Besides, it scares me to pieces when it starts unexpectedly. Don't get me wrong, I love music...just not when I'm reading your blog.

4. I have to be really careful when I start cleaning house. Sometimes I can't stop.

5. My favorite beverage is (3 parts) iced water with (1 or 2 parts) fresh lemon juice. Tart and deliciously refreshing.

6. I never had a paying job until I was nearly 30 years old.

My six tags are: Sharon, Jessie, Lori, Janice, Martha and Jan. Don't worry girls, you aren't that obligated to join in...fun only!

Who are you people?

Saw this on Chiloe's blog and couldn't resist.

It is really funny to watch your blog stats. Some days you have a lot of visitors; some days not so many. Some days your tracker goes haywire and doesn't record any! I sometimes post freebies (free cross stitch charts) and the link to my blog gets posted about the web...last June I had 2,318 visitors! In one month! How crazy is that?


So who reads my blog?


1. Comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! And if we’ve never met in real life, leave me a comment of your favorite post I wrote and why it was your favorite.


2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It’s actually really funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you.


3. Do you read my posts from a reader, blogroll or is this your first visit?


Thanks for playing!

Stitching meme

1.) How do you hold your fabric? I stitch in hand. No hoop, frame or q-snaps for me. I roll up the top and bottom of the fabric.
2.) Floss licker? Yes, why not? Floss tastes great! :o)
3.) How do you thread your needle? I spittie on the end and pokey it though the hole.
4.) What needle do you like best? I like John James 28 petites.
5.) Are you a needle loser? No, never. That would freak me out! I have magnetic needle minders everywhere.
6.) What fabric do you prefer to stitch on? I prefer plainweave. Count depends on my design.
7.) Bobbins or floss bags? Floss bags.
8.) Are you a scissors collector? Not really. Every now and again one will catch my eye and I must-haves it.
9.) Do you do your own framing, and if so, do you lace or pin? On small projects, usually; I lace.
10.) Are you a floss floozy? Guess so. I can't resist floss!
11.) Silk? Love it. Can't use it. Alas, I am ALLERGIC to it!
12.) Railroader? Always. I am so used to railroading I attempt to do it when stitching one over one!
13.) Are you a pattern or designer snob? Not sure what that means... but I do have favorites.
14.) Do you get antsy when you give someone a stitched gift? Not antsy really, but excited.
15.) Have you reached S.A.B.L.E.? Oh my, yes! I've enough stash for several lifetimes.
16.) Do you wash your projects? Almost always. The only time I don't is if I'm using non-colorfast materials.

Books, not stitching

From Lindsay...

Look at the list of (100) books below. Bold the ones you’ve read. Italicize the ones you want to read. Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in. (Movies don’t count.)

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)