I just had to laugh at this exchange on the EGA yahoogroup list.

Person 1 posted:
"I found a review of a new book of cross stitch designs. I love these
patterns!"
"WARNING: There is language on this site that will *undoubtedly* be
offensive to some. If you don't like profanity, don't visit the site."

The site in question is: Subversive Cross Stitch

Person 2 posted:
"Even with the warning I found that to be a most discussing [sic] and lewd thing to put into our yahoo groups. I am offended. It could of [sic] been sent privately to people who want to stitch smut."

Er, you said that despite the warning you went and looked anyway. So, whose fault is that? Not the original poster, she warned you not to look if you were going to be offended. Adults that refuse to take responsibility for their own actions really annoy me.

PS: I bought the book. I had already put in my order based on Anna's recommendation. But if I hadn't this probably would have spurred me to do so, we need to reward designers who step outside the safety of the tradional cross-stitch piece not censor them. I'm (im)patiently awaiting my signed copy so I can decide what rude thing I want to stitch first.

In case you think all I've been doing lately is reading, well, you're partially correct, I have been doing a bunch of that. I have two more reviews to post, but I'll give it a break for a while. I'm currently all caught up on "required" reading, so now I can just read what I want, when I want and not have to worry about writing about it unless I want.

We got a new stovetop. It's very pretty and shiny. I like this style so much better than the open burner type, where overflow can slop into the stovetop. It's so much easier to clean.


I decided that I missed having a fish tank, so we got a new one on a slightly smaller scale. This is a 10 gallon instead of the 29 gallon that we had before. I'm keeping tropical fish now instead of goldfish. The goldfish are outside in the pond. One of the first occupants is a male betta.



In crafty news, I mentioned that I'd finished two Halloween designs. This is M Designs Checkered Halloween which came as a little kit with the fabric and threads.



I'm currently working on two stitching projects and one knitting. The knitting is the garter lace shawl I mentioned previously. I'm not posting another picture, it looks just like the first one with an inch or two more added. The stitching is Ouroborus by Dracolair Designs and Little Bands of Silk by Indigo Rose

I applied for a part time, temporary position at the local animal shelter. They accepted my application and today I have to go get a physical, drug testing and fill out a bunch of paperwork. I don't know when my first day at work will be, but I'm looking forward to it. They were very concerned during my interview that I understood that the position involved mostly cleaning up after the animals. I welcome that, the less I have to deal with people the better.

Reviewed and submitted to Front Street Reviews

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot



Meg Cabot is the author of the extremely successful Princess Diaries series and several popular chick lit titles for the more mature reader. In her latest book, Size 12 Is Not Fat, she has moved into the cozy mystery genre. Her writing sparkles with the same humor and wit found in her previous novels.

Heather Wells was once a teen pop star, adored by her fans, and made into a household name. She had it all, a great career, a fantastic boyfriend and plenty of money in the bank. That is until she told the record label that she wanted to record her own songs, and not the pablum for the masses that they wanted from her. She lost her job, her mother ran off to Argentina with her money, and she caught her boyfriend in a compromising position with Tania Trace, one of Heather’s main rivals for pop queen.

So Heather moves on with her life. She gets a job as an assistant director in one of the residence halls of New York College and plans on getting her degree, in something, maybe medicine, when she passes her probationary period.

Everything is working out fine until not just one, but ultimately two, of the female students are discovered dead at the bottom of the elevator shafts. The police and college authorities are ready to write off the deaths as youthful mischief. Heather knows better, she knows teenage girls don’t elevator surf, no matter what the clever killer is trying to make it look like. Heather decides that if the police don’t care about her information she’s just going to have to solve this case on her own. And so a spunky girl detective is born.

After eliminating all the other possibilities in various hilarious and sometimes dangerous ways. Heather figures out who the killer must be, but does the killer know that she knows?

Heather is a bit weight obsessed, she constantly reminds herself and anyone who will listen that Size 12 Is Not Fat, and in fact it’s the average size for the American woman. If she spent a little less time sounding like she was trying to convince herself and a little more time being happy in her own skin she’d be a better role model. This book has plenty of laugh out loud moments, and just enough of a romantic hook to draw in both mystery fans and chick lit readers. It is the first in a planned series with future titles slated for publication in 2007 and beyond.

Reviewed for Armchair Interviews


Black Powder War by Naomi Novik



Black Powder War is the final novel in the dragon Temeraire trilogy by Naomi Novik. A captivating blend of fantasy and alternative military history, this book begins where Throne of Jade – the second in the trilogy ends.

Temeraire is a Chinese Celestial dragon; one of the rarest and most prized of all dragon breeds. He and his companion Captain Laurence and their crew have fought aerial battles against Napoleon’s armies in England and foiled a plot to overthrow the Emperor in China. Now their adventures are pointing them towards home, where Temeraire has plans to better the lives of his fellow dragons by educating them and their humans.

Feeling alone and alienated in a foreign land it was with much relief that Captain Laurence received orders to report to Istanbul posthaste to collect three dragon eggs for delivery to England. Temeraire and crew are excited to be moving again, even though it means a long and arduous overland journey.

Braving sandstorms, raids by hostile natives, avalanches and feral dragon attacks the beleaguered group make it nearly to their destination before discovering that Temeraire’s nemesis the albino Celestial Lien is exiling herself to France in the interests of revenge. To make matters worse, on arrival at Istanbul not only is the group denied the promised eggs, they are virtually imprisoned.

After great effort, Temeraire and crew recover the eggs and manage to escape Istanbul, only to find themselves embroiled in the conflict between Prussia and France. Although suffering much hardship and grievous loss, their fortunes are on an upswing when help arrives from an unexpected direction. Temeraire and crew are finally heading home.

Novik has a great sense of timing, she knows just when to insert some humor so as not to make the story too heavy. Temeraire’s reaction to the hatching of tiny fire-breathing Iskierka is priceless. This reviewer hopes that Novik has future plans to revisit the dragons of the Aerial Corps.

The Dildo Song

Not work safe, but oh so funny.

Do not click on this link if you are easily offended by songs about dildos. There, you've been warned.

We've had seven inches of rain in the past twenty-four hours. Seven inches?!? I live in Texas, sometimes we don't get seven inches of rain in a month, or two, or six. The back yard is a swamp, our fishpond has overflowed its banks. Our septic system drain field is flooded, so we have to be very careful with how much water we allow down the drains. Fortunately, nothing has backed up I don't think I'd deal well with sewage in the house.

We had quite a scare this morning when we saw that the water in the yard was rising. We realized that the dead leaves we hadn't finished removing from the yard were acting like a dam. So we had to wade out into the ice-cold, foot high flood and clear the blockage. On the bright side, most of the leaves are now spread over the neighboring field, so I don't have to go rake and bag them up.

Neither of us realized just how much work the raking and bagging was going to be, and we didn't start nearly early enough. We'll know better for next year. Next year we also have to get a cover net for the pond, there's about six inches of leaves all over the bottom which will have to be removed when it warms up enough to get in there.

I've stitched up a couple of Halloween pieces which I'll have pictures for in the next day or two.

Reviewed for Armchair Interviews

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik



Second in the Temeraire trilogy, this story begins shortly after the events in the preceding novel His Majesty’s Dragon.. Novik again captures the period perfectly, seamlessly introducing her dragons into the Napoleanic Era.

Temeraire is a Celestial dragon, the most highly-prized of all draconic breeds; famed for their intelligence, agility and most of all for the Divine Wind - their terrible roar capable of shattering the heavy timbers of war ships. He was meant to be the companion of Napolean himself not to be a companion for a mere English officer. The Chinese are very angry, and demand his return, forcibly separating him from Captain Laurence. Temeraire balks at the separation and in a show of power demolishes the building in which he is being held. In the end it is decided that Laurence will accompany him to China, where it is assumed that Temeraire will come to his senses.

On the journey, several attempts are made on Laurence’s life to no avail. The plottings and machinations only become worse once they arrive in China as the Chinese use means both fair and foul try to come between Laurence and his dragon. Eventually a resolution is achieved which allows the pair to remain together formally. Temeraire is astonished to find that dragons are honored members of society in China, earning their own money, and taught literacy. Being of a philosophical bent, this encourages him to speak out against the injustice done to the dragons of England much to Laurence’s chagrin, as Laurence can’t deny the inequity, even though Laurence is afraid that attempts at change will be futile. Having discovered how much nicer life is in China for dragons, will Temeraire willingly return to England?

Novik has written another highly character driven novel which keeps the pages turning as the reader has to discover what will happen next. This episode has less focus on combat than the first, but still manages to provide enough action to be exciting. It also further develops the relationship between Capt. Laurence and Temeraire, adding depth and yet another dimension to the story.

Reviewed for Front Street Reviews:

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik



Infusing fresh blood into the alternate history fantasy field, Novik begins the first book in her debut trilogy during the Napoleanic wars. Novik rewrites the era replete with naval battles and an aerial corps of fighting dragons. With nods to both Anne McCaffrey the grand-dame of dragons and Patrick O’Brian the grandmaster of maritime fiction she has freshened up and combined the genres.

When veteran Captain Will Laurence of HMS Reliant finally captures the French frigate he has been battling he has cause to wonder why they fought so hard not to surrender, even though it is obvious that the crew is in poor shape. A quick inspection of the hold reveals an almost hardened dragon’s egg, which on examination is discovered to be dangerously close to hatching.

Panicked and knowing next to nothing about dragon care, straws are drawn and preparations are hurriedly made, just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, nobody explained the plans to the newly hatched dragon. Finding himself bonding with the beast Capt. Laurence realizes that his naval career is over, to be replaced with service in the aerial corps. Naming his dragon Temeraire after a dreadnought battleship, Capt. Laurence soon finds himself in the closest relationship of his life.

He discovers to his delight that Temeraire is affectionate, intelligent and a superb companion. After a fortuitous meeting with “the” dragon expert Sir Edward Howe, Laurence is surprised when it is revealed that Temeraire is a rare Chinese dragon, as the oriental breeds are almost unknown on the British isles. Even more surprising is what he discovers when sent to the dragon training grounds at Loch Laggan, an isolated base in Scotland.

Novik believably integrates a dragon-based aerial fighting force into the late-eighteenth-century military. She has also written an incredibly character driven novel, which keeps the pages turning not just for the action, but so the reader can find out what happens next to Temeraire and his captain. Included at the end of the book is an excerpt from the second in the trilogy, Throne of Jade, and this only serves to whet the appetite for more.

Watch this space for reviews of the remaining novels in the trilogy, Throne of Jade and Black Powder War in the next couple of days.

I finished my 17C English Style Sampler this afternoon. Dave wanted to help me take the photos







Band 6 & 7


Band 8 & 9

Last night we went to Mattress Giant and bought a new bed. They were having a 50% off sale, so we got more bed than we expected, for less than we expected to pay. It has a pillowtop, so it's soft and cushy, yet still firm and comfortable. I can't wait for delivery on Saturday. My back has been acting up lately and our old mattress is on its last legs - which makes it perfect to become the guest bed. Nobody will want to overstay their welcome!