A GIFT FROM A FRIEND

I fascinated by Julie's email address, so......I just asked her about it! It seems that Bagpuss is a beloved character in England. In books. On TV, I think. He's just adorable.

I was-and am-getting ready to order Bagpuss. I went to the mailbox earlier this week and Bagpuss was there waiting for me. I can't thank Julie enough.

He's found a home on a bookshelf in my den. He's on Rose's shelf. That's the two of us (Rose and me) playing around in the photo. And my new friend is there, too, standing guard.

Thanks again, Julie

CAJUN CREATIVITY

The pictures from Saturday's parade are ready. Go to my kodak album site (password is rosecottage), click on My Gallery, and then Mardi Gras 2009.

Tomorrow is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and the end of festivities (and king's cake). Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which begins 40 days of Lent, leading up to Easter.

Traditionally Mardi Gras is a time of total fun. True, there maybe a LITTLE drinking going on, but Saturday's parade is proof-perfect that you can still have all the fun with nothing to ask forgiveness for the next day. Except for over-eating.There was a lot of barbecue, jambalaya and white beans. It's great fun catching all those beads (which will go on my Mardi Gras tree next year).

Google "Mardi Gras" for some great info and pictures.

A GOOD TIME ON SATURDAY

Here is the Loose Feathers Keepsake Box and Pin Cushion that I finished last week. I used fabric, threads, all the materials it called for. The lining fabric was my choice: I like anything that is old fashioned English rosy looking. It didn't take anytime to do the stitching and a couple of days to put the box together. The only thing different was that I didn't put the center divide.

We took the day off and went to Springfield yesterday. It was great and the parade was a hoot. Hopefully tomorrow I can download the pictures and get them online by Tuesday, which is Mardi Gras. My pastor mentioned the holiday in his sermon today. I wanted to jump up and yell that not everyone takes the opportunity to get rousing drunk. Some people just enjoy the beads, food and family time. And it wouldn't hurt some Baptist folk to do without for 40 days, either. Food would be a good choice!! Oh, I've found the best King Cake. The ones yesterday were from the Navarre Bakery in Springfield. I think I'll make a pilgrimage tomorrow. They (the cakes!) go away for a year starting Wednesday. These were WONDERFUL. Not pre-made pastry like Albertson's or Winn Dixie. And the cream cheese filling tasted like sweetened marscarpone. The icing wasn't in dark Mardi Gras colors. They were pastel. Oh, my mouth is watering. No wonder I'm a hundred pounds overweight.

There's no news on my friend's killer. She stays with me, in my mind, all the time. I hope the police will catch the creep soon. The Bible says to forgive. This one will take awhile to forgive-and forget, if ever. Prayers are appreciated.

THE LOSS OF A FRIEND FAR TOO SOON

I had been feeling pretty sorry for myself today: trip to the doctor, not being able to see my grandchildren until tomorrow. Then things fell into the proper perspective.

I have been on the ABC Board (Alcoholic Beverage Control) with Chiquita Tate for several years. She was so intelligent, so caring, so funny. She called me the "old lady", one of the few people who could get away with this. She wore the craziest shoes: sometimes odd clothes. Clunky jewelry. She drove a huge maroon hummer. She always spoke her mind.

I sat just across from her and sometimes we exchanged glances, showing if we agreed or disagreed on a matter. I always listened to her and reminded myself quite often that, if I were ever involved in a criminal matter, I would call her first.

Last night someone went into her office and very brutally murdered her. Stabbed her multiple times. She was only 34 years old. So much left to do. She was found this morning. As I sit here writing this I remember over and over that she was alive this time last night.

I hope Chief LeDuff and his guys find the murderer soon. And I can think of several of us who would like to spend some quality time with her killer. I can honestly say that I can be creative when I put my mind to it.

I'll see Chiquita again. She was a Christian and didn't mind admitting it. She will be forever young. And this old world will be much less of a place without her.

So Chiquita, rest easy. And "have a good one".

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/39907042.html

A SPECIAL KISS

I "borrowed" this picture from Coral at A Stitcher's Life. I kept going back and back to look at it. All of you may remember the picture from several weeks ago of the firefighter rescuing the little koala from the Australia fires, giving her a drink from a bottle of water. This is a recent photo of the two meeting again. Koalas are supposed to be naughty little creatures-a bit ill-tempered. Not this cutie now named Sam.

One of my 1,000 things to do before I die is to pet a koala. They are SO cute.

And this firefighter must be some special gentleman. But I don't want to pet him!!!

Thanks, Coral

AH CHEW, COUGH, COUGH

We have the most unusual weather here. It can be 40 degrees one day and 70 or 80, the next. Of course, everyone gets sick. A nasty respiratory virus. Naturally, I got it. It started Sunday night and my chest is still congested and I'm coughing so much my throat hurts. Thank goodness for Mucinex and Robitussin.

The good news is that ENT specialists make a fortune down here. The bad news is that it's possible to re-infect. I had this stuff in the fall. Here we go again.

So, hang on for a few days. I have a couple of finishes to snap. Unfortunately my attention span is short right now, so stitching is here and there. I am ready for the Friendship Sampler RR to get under way.

Ta, Marian

VALENTINE'S DAY--EARLY

These beautiful flowers came this morning. DH sent them, of course! He has such good taste. And Mary Margaret at Marino's knows that I have a thing for pretty containers. This one is definitely a keeper. We're supposed to go to a Senior Adult Valentine Banquet tonight-when did I get to be a Senior Adult?????? Tomorrow is a wedding at Most Blessed Sacrament. Good day for a wedding. I don't know either party but they are clients of David's. Besides, Catholic weddings and receptions are ever so much more fun than Baptist ones. Can't believe I said that!

On the stitching front, I have the starting heart in place for the Friendship Sampler Round Robin. It will go to the next person-which happens to be Ann- and eventually will go to Canada and the Netherlands. I'm going to do it in the original colors because they're the colors in my house. I had originally planned to do a companion piece to match with names of my "ancestors" on it. Now I'm thinking I will use the fabby for Papillon Creations Ring O' Roses, and stitch it up as the stitching necessity. I pulled the colors in DMC but am now considering the GAST colors, which will be more muted. It is really a pretty piece.

All for now. It's been a ho-hum day-other than the flowers- and I could be persuaded to stay at home tonight.

NATIONAL RED DAY

National Wear Red Day
Today, February 6, is National Wear Red Day, an observance aimed at raising heart disease awareness. Heart disease remains the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. In fact, many people are surprised to learn that heart disease claims the lives of more women than does breast cancer. More specifically, one in three American women will die of heart disease. But it doesn't have to be that way.(The whole month of February is Heart Month -mh).

"Today we have the knowledge and tools to prevent heart attacks and strokes," explains Dr. Arthur Agatston, preventive cardiologist and author of the bestsellers The South Beach Diet Supercharged and The South Beach Heart Health Revolution.

"The first step toward preventing heart disease is to lead a healthy lifestyle," says Dr. Agatston. A weight-healthy lifestyle plan like the South Beach Diet — which emphasizes the right carbs and the right fats, along with 20 minutes of interval training every other day and a total body workout on the other days of the week — can reduce the risk of many conditions that contribute to heart disease, including high blood pressure, high LDL ("bad") cholesterol, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, and chronic inflammation. "We now know that this type of inflammation, which is a revved-up response to the body's natural infection-fighting mechanism, is a key factor underlying heart disease," says Dr. Agatston. "By embracing wholesome eating and an active lifestyle, you'll be taking critical steps toward saving your life."

Support women's health today by wearing an article of red clothing, a red ribbon, or another red item. In addition to advocating heart-health education, you can encourage the women in your life to lower their risk of heart disease by improving their eating habits, exercising more, and scheduling regular visits with their doctor. At SouthBeachDiet.com, we want you to do your part to change these troubling statistics.

For more information about Dr. Agatston's revolutionary, aggressive, prevention-oriented approach to cardiac care, order The South Beach Heart Health Revolution today or visit SouthBeachDiet.com/heart.

I borrowed this from Dr. Agatson's South Beach website. I have followed his diet and it's very good. Now comes the lecture:

The American Heart Association and Go Red are my favorite non-profit organizations. I have both congenital and hereditary heart disease. With medication and a few house rules, I live a normal life. Heart disease, especially in women, is a hidden disease. If you've never had a stress test, now is a good time to start. It could save your life and keep you with your family a lot longer. The one problem I have is controlling my weight and it's probably the worst habit for a cardiac patient. If you're of normal weight, stay that way. If you're not, then do what I say and not what I do. If there is heart disease in your family-especially on your mother's side, tell your physician. He or she can take it from there. We all have a lot of living-and stitching-to do.

Check it out:

http://www.goredforwomen.org/

I BELIEVE!

It's cold here so I guess ole Phil maybe right.Perfect time to stay inside and stitch.

Here's my progress on the Bea Potter sampler. It's coming along okay. I try to take a few stitches at least every other day. And, like another sampler I finished, I've added special dates to the sampler. You might have to look closely to find them. The chart shows some initials worked in. Like some others in the SAL, I'm holding back, thinking that I might add my choice.

I've stitched a couple of ornaments for Stitching For A Cure. Plan to do more. I still have to put them together. Come on, those of you that stitch. Let's get busy. Donna's goal is $5000.

The big stitching news is that I've finished the Loose Feathers box. I've done the stitching on the pin cushion and will show a snap of them both later.

I've also started the Victoria Quaker. The picture shows it as a framed piece, but it may be completed as a stitching kit, which is what I'm doing. I'm also doing it in a complete color change and adding the wording in French. More later.

Until then, I'm going to drag myself up, get dressed and go to On The Boulevard, my favorite beauty place, and get a nail repaired and---ta da---a hair change. If I still have the nerve when I get there.

Until then, stay warm. Especially my friend across the pond. England is being snowed in.

WOULDN'T YOU JUST KNOW!!!

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. – The world's most famous groundhog saw his shadow Monday morning, predicting that this already long winter will last for six more weeks.
Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn in front of an estimated 13,000 witnesses, many dressed in black and gold to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl victory the night before.
"There's significant buzz from the Steelers win and quite a few Terrible Towels floating from the crowd," said Mickey Rowley, deputy secretary for tourism in Pennsylvania.
The annual ritual takes place on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney, a borough of about 6,100 residents some 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced the forecast in a short proclamation, in which Phil acknowledged the Steelers' 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
According to German superstition, if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early.

FROM YAHOO NEWS