November in April

A Prairie Year - November

I got behind on my Prairie Year months at the end of last year so I thought I'd get them all finished since I only had two more to go. It felt a little strange stitching a turkey in April! He must think he's a spring chicken!

Here's what he whole thing looks like now...

I know I should continue on with December, especially since it's so cold and grey outside today. I have the fireplace going so I might just grab a cup of coffee, tuck myself under a blanket, and at least get started on it.

Thanks for visiting!

Spot the Cat

Spot the Cat

by La-D-Da

stitched with Needlepoint Silk

You would think I'm a machine with the way I've been cranking out finishes lately! This one didn't have much left to do, mostly just the stars and moon and a few bits here and there. Makes me question why I put it down when all I had was maaaaaybe three hours of work left. Oh well! That's just how we roll in the Empire!

I wish I could tell you what fabric I used but I haven't a clue. It calls for 30-ct. Confederate Gray from WDW but I'm pretty darn sure that's not what this is. If I ever figure it out, I'll be sure to let you know!

We have another bee-yoo-tiful day ahead of us here! Unfortunately I have to stick around the house waiting for the appliance repair folks. Our fridge has been out since we got back (over two weeks!) and it's been one wrong part after another and a lot of phone calls and waiting. We do have another fridge on the lower level we've been using but after the first week of trudging up and down the stairs every time I needed something cold, well, let's just say I'm ready to be done with that!

At least I can pop some windows open, put on some music, and stitch while I wait!

And Another!

May Word Play

by With Thy Needle and Thread

stitched on 32-ct. Cobblestone linen

with Gentle Arts Sampler Threads

This was so much fun to stitch! I love all the little motifs! From the birds and bees to the white picket fence, just a heck of a good time! And the best part is I have the June Word Play waiting in the wings! Woohoo! I really want to finish this as a door knob hangy thing with the rusty jingle bells and all. I saw the model at my LNS and it was just too darn cute to pass up!

My Big Basket of WIPs is calling to me but first I better put away some thread and get the ottoman cleared off. I have vowed to be more organized here at the Empire instead of leaving things in piles that seem to keep growing and growing. Something about my thread though... even when it's organized it still seems to be a huge mess. I may have to come up with a whole new system.

Thanks for stopping by!

Woohoo! A Finish!

At Home With Jane Austen

by The Sampler Girl

stitched on 30-ct. Abecedarian R&R linen

with Classic Colorworks

I found my missing Sassy Brass yesterday so I sat down and finished the missing bitts lickety split! I'm not lying when I say I've had this sampler all kitted up in my To Do Basket for at least eight years! I don't know why it took me so long to finally stitch it! It is such a pretty piece, quick and easy and just the happiest colors! And I couldn't agree more with the quote from Emma!

Love love love!

It's an absolutely gorgeous day here in southwest Michigan! I have the windows open and I'm seriously thinking about trying out my stitchy goggles on the deck this afternoon. I can watch the coots on the lake and maybe get a little sun while I relax with my stitching! I wonder what the neighbors would think if I hauled out my floor stand!

Much Better!

Soooooo much better!

Everything I think I might work on in the next couple of months is kitted up and waiting for the mood to strike! The rest has been put away in an orderly fashion!

Now for some serious stitching!

Two Days Later

I started stitching in 1985 so this pile represents 30+ years of WIPs. There's a birth sampler I never finished for my son who will be 27 this month, an SB from the 90s that only needs the beads and buttons sewn on, a house warming present for someone who has since moved from said house, fall projects I stopped working on when PS Santas called to me, winter projects that got set aside when the weather started warming up, BAPs I lost interest in, Mania starts and stitch-a-longs and the list goes on and on.

Now comes the fun part! I get to go through this mess and decide what I might still like to finish and get it all organized. I'll need to find missing threads I've pilfered for other projects and get things kitted up again. I'll make a list or two and order what I need and hopefully come out the other side with my sanity intact!

 

 

One More

I finished the 123 block on my Farmer's Alphabet this morning. And yes, I'm officially stalling! I'd almost rather have a root canal than organize my stash! But it really REALLY needs to be done since I seem to never put anything away! It's super cloudy and chilly outside so the perfect day to sit in front of the fire and sort through boxes and bags. I just need to figure out where to start!

R is for Rhubarb

I finished the letter R on my Farmer's Alphabet before having to set everything aside and focus on cleaning and packing and shutting down the house in Florida. We are back at the lake in Michigan now so I've been busy cleaning and unpacking and opening up the house here. I haven't had a chance to organize my stitching so I have no idea which old projects I want to keep working on and which new ones I want to start. I managed to make quite a mess of the Empire before I left so maybe the first step is to get things put away so I have some room to ponder. It might finally be time to pull out every single project I have yet to finish and make a real plan to get some of them done.

Deep breaths... I can do this...

One Potato

Here's my progress on Farmer's Alphabet. I took the picture with a quarter so you could see just how small these little over one squares are. I'd been skipping around, doing what I could with the threads I have here with me in Florida but that got old fast. I ran over to Michael's yesterday and picked up a few of the missing colors so I could at least finish a few of the letters. Irish Potato is finished and I'm working on Rhubarb. I will have to do some frogging on the border because there's a break in it where the leaves overlap. I was on autopilot when I was stitching the squares and didn't pay attention to the pattern at all. It is not going to be fun pulling out those tiny stitches!

Phil and I are heading back north on Friday. We will be busy closing up one house and opening the other so my stitching time will be minimal. It's hard to believe our three months in Florida are over. My next post might be from the Chicken Ottoman Empire!

The Great Over One Experiment

Like a ga-jillion other people, I've been wanting to stitch the Prairie Schooler ABCs all together as one piece. To keep it to a manageable size I thought I better stitch it over one on a 25-count laguna. Question is, how much over one stitching can I actually handle? Hence the reason for the Great Over One Experiment! I started Farmer's Alphabet on 25-count mushroom lugana and so far so good. It's a bit patchy because I only have a few of the called for DMC but I at least had the right color for the border. It's boring stitching squares but it's giving me an idea of whether or not I might be able to make it through a much larger piece without tossing it in the trash 1/26th of the way through!

A Happy Little Stitch

I've been working on Lizzie Kate's Birdz & Bugz this past week and the bright colors put a smile on my face every time I pick it up! I still need to stitch the inner band and then I'll add some beads to give it sparkle. Such a fun little kit, perfect for spring!

At Home with Jane

It's been a while since my last post but I have been doing some stitching here and there.

This is as far as I can go with my Jane Austen sampler for now. I need a skein of Sassy Brass to finish it up and since I know I have one back home in Michigan, I'll just wait until we go back next month. I must have pilfered it from this project to use on another one. At least that sounds like something I would do!

I saw someone on the Stitch Maynia Facebook group with a pair of these magnifiers and had to hop on Amazon and grab a pair for myself.

 I can't see worth a darn with my old lady eyes so I always use a magnifier lamp when I stitch. I end up with a sore back from hunching over it and find I can't stitch for as long as I'd like. With these puppies I can curl up just about anywhere and stitch to my heart's content! It's super nice to be able to go out on our lanai here in Florida and enjoy the warm weather instead of being cooped up inside when I want to stitch. I can't wait to use them out on our deck in Michigan!

It's getting close to time for us Snowbirds to head back north. We've been so busy this season that the last couple of months have flown by. In the midst of entertaining guests we've managed to update both bathrooms. We still need to get mirrors hung and add a few finishing touches before we're done but they look so much nicer now! Next year we might just tackle the kitchen!

I'm going to have to go through my traveling box of projects to see what else I might have to work on while we're still in Florida. I'm pretty sure I brought a couple of things in anticipation of wanting to work on something Spring-ish. If I'm lucky there's a kit in there so I don't discover half my thread is still in Michigan!

Thanks for stopping by!

Color Me Vexed

I haven't been stitching much since my three day Stitch-a-Thon but I have made enough progress on Flock Together to share with you.

Phil brought back the blue I needed for the water but I'm not loving that particular shade so I think I will swap it out for something with a little more green in it. I stitched just enough to verify that, yeah, I want to change it.

Then there's this...

Notice my pelican's bill compared to the one in the photo. They're not even close to the same color. I thought I'd screwed up and pulled the wrong thread but no, it's what's called for on the chart. I then checked the Hands On Design website and sure enough, the DMC substitution for the GAST Chamomile should have been 3045 and not 3022. So I'll be frogging the bill, the nest, and the rope, along with the water.

Rats.

Stitch-a-Thon Day Three

Random Thoughts by The Drawn Thread

It took me waaaay too long to get everything organized so I could finally sit down and actually work on this project! I wanted to make little cards to loop the threads through but since we didn't have a hole punch or any card stock I resorted to cutting a manila folder into squares and using scissors to poke holes through them. Not pretty by any stretch but I got everything sorted and onto a ring so I can feel like I have it together. It could all be short-lived as I have a history of mislabeling my threads and not noticing until after I've stitched a bunch of green tree trunks. This I do know for certain... I love, love, LOVE this piece so far. All of the specialty stitches look intimidating when they're spread out over several pages, but you only have to do one at a time so it makes it fun!

I'm off to try to squeeze in an hour or two of stitching before Phil gets done with his work for the day. We're re-doing the guest bathroom and I think we've finally found a vanity that's going to work with our vintage yellow tile! I'm hoping we can go take a look at it tonight!

Thanks for visiting!

 

Stitch-a-Thon Day Two

Deciding what to stitch next turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. Who can resist Jane Austen? My goal was to at least get the top band of flowers finished and by dinner time it was done! Loving the colors on this one!

I've already decided Random Thoughts will be my third start. I don't have much of a fabric selection here but I hope I find something that suits the thread colors. If not I'll have to get something ordered, post haste!

Have a great weekend!

Stitch-a-Thon Day One

I didn't get too far with Flock Together from Hands On Design. Let's just say I had a few issues with counting.

Phil FaceTimed me from the Chicken Ottoman Empire last night but we failed to find my stray Sweet Treat. I know I started it along with the others so I'm clueless as to where it could be. I really need to get more organized! Or I could try finishing what I start instead of tossing things in a basket for the cat to sleep on.

I still haven't decided what to start today. So many great choices! I might have to blindfold myself, spin around three times, and choose one randomly.

Sounds dangerous!

The Short List

I pulled out several of the projects I brought with me to Florida and now it's decision time!

Number One...

Flock Together by Hands On Design

This one is super Florida-y and I chose a 32-count Driftwood linen to stitch it on. Very appropriate! I think this one will be at the top of the stack!

Number Two...

Random Thoughts by The Drawn Thread

I've had this one in my stash forever. The threads came with the chart and I brought some 32-count Dirty Linen that I think should work well with them.

Number Three...

Thoughtful Heart by Shepherd's Bush

I picked this kit up for a song a couple of years ago at the Midwest Stash Exchange hosted by House of Stitches in LaPorte, IN. It's vair vair pretty and with V-Day just around the corner, it's a definite contender!

Number Four...

At Home with Jane Austen by The Sampler Girl

I've wanted to stitch this for-evah! It's been kitted up, just waiting for the day I finally decide it's time to get started on it!

Number Five...

Farmer's Alphabet by Prairie Schooler

Seems like I can never put together a stitchy basket without tossing a PS or two into the mix. I brought a 25-count Mushroom Lugana with me so I might try stitching it over one. Am I that brave???

The laundry is going, the Pepsi is poured, the TV remotes are at the ready, so all that's left to do is decide where to start!

Tart

One more Sweet Treat finished! Two more to go! Phil will be going up to Michigan so I will have him look for "the one that got away". Hopefully it is there in my basket and I won't have to restart the whole thing. Not that I was very far along on it but every stitch saved is like money in the bank or something like that. Only I can't spend it. But if we could, we'd all be rich! Except we'd spend it all on more stash so maybe not!

I'm planning my usual Stitch-a-Thon while Phil is away. I may have to start something new so this afternoon I will go through what I have here with me. I can't imagine sending Phil up to the Chicken Ottoman Empire to pull threads for a project but I know he would be happy to do it if I asked. I've managed to teach him about dye lots and the difference between, say, WDW and GAST so if I texted him a list of threads I need I'm sure he wouldn't have too much trouble finding them. The problem would be that he'd see first hand just how much thread I have squirreled away!

Well, they don't call it stash for nothing!

Sweet Treats

I have another finish from the Sweet Treats series! This is Block 1 which also came with the chart for the border for those who opted to stitch all six blocks as one piece. I kinda sorta wish I had done that now as I really like the look of the border. They are still super cute stitched individually though!

Phil and I met his three kids at Universal Resort in Orlando over the weekend and spent two jammed packed days experiencing everything we could possibly squeeze in. Our last day there was spent almost exclusively hopping back and forth between the two Harry Potter areas. They have done an incredible job of bringing the books to life! It was absolute F-U-N! We came home exhausted, and I'm still feeling a bit sluggish (although that may be due to too many Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans!)

I'm going to try to get a little work done on either Cupcake or Tart today, I haven't decided which. Dinner is already percolating in the crock pot so I should have a few hours I can devote to stitching this afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pie

Pie

(Sweet Treats #5)

Country Cottage Needleworks

I had to look back in my blog to see what fabric I'm using for these but looks like I neglected to mention it. It's kind of a blush color and super floppy if that helps. And likely 28-count. The fibers are the Crescent Colours that came with the patterns. Oh, and there will be a purple flower button sewn in that blank space above the pie and a couple more at the bottom. I'll wait and take care of that little task just before I finish finish these.

And how am I planning to finish them you may ask? The original plan was to make them into little pillows to hang as ornaments from a white "tree thingy" I have. Turns out the white tree thingy is actually brown so that idea has been scrapped. Now I'm thinking if I can find some white frames, I might just frame them all separately and do a little grouping.

I think today I will work on the Sweet Treats block. It's mostly buttons so I should be able to get it finished lickedy split.

We'll see if I can keep up this pace and get the others finished before the end of the week, but I am sooooo ready to start something new!

Tap Tap Tap...

 Is this thing still on??

It's been a while since my last post, mainly due to a major stitchy drought. Phil and I are down in Florida for the winter and before heading south I grabbed a bunch of random projects and charts from my stash. I can't emphasize enough how little thought went into my selections. Moral of the story is don't wait until the last second to pack your stitching and (seriously) don't expect to find everything you'd like to pack all neatly kitted up and ready to go into your

Traveling Box o' Stash.

As luck (or laziness) should have it, I still had a few things packed from our last trip down here. Inside a fat project bag I found the charts and threads for the Sweet Treats series from Country Cottage Needleworks. Now, I had started these waaaaaay back in 2011 during the Crazy January Challenge. I made a second attempt at finishing them during the WIPocolypse of 2012. After that they were left forgotten in a basket on a shelf of the TV armoire. This cozy basket became a favorite of one of the cats so I've been doing quite a bit of de-furring with a lint roller.

Which brings me to this happy revelation...

I finally finished one!

Here are the rest of them, all set to go...  

I have been working on Pie and hope to finish it today. They really go fast once you sit down and actually work on them. After six years, who knew!

Unfortunately, Ice Cream missed the bus so I will either have to send someone over to the house in MI on a covert op to find it and stick it in the mail for me, or it will have to wait for my return in April.

I've promised myself if I finish all of these I can start on something new!

Woohoo!

National Coffee Day

In celebration National Coffee Day I thought I would post a photo of some of the Starbucks mugs Phil and I have collected over the years. One of the first things we do when traveling to a new place is to check to see whether or not there is a mug we can pick up. I reckon every one of these mugs has a story behind it. I'm pretty sure I screamed in excitement when we found the Hamptons mug while sightseeing in New York City. We drove an hour out of our way to pick up Philadelphia and Pittsburgh at a rest stop. When our flight from Ft. Meyers was cancelled and Phil had to drive like mad in the wee hours of the morning so we could catch another flight home, I was happy to score another mug at the Orlando airport. There were the looooong lines for the Disney World mugs and an even longer uphill hike for Niagra Falls. Some are vacation souvenirs and sometimes we were just passing through a "mug city". But from Alaska to Vegas, it's been a lot of fun!

Fall Stitching Basket

Okay... yeah...

I might need to narrow it down a bit...

September

Well, I didn't get my September Prairie Year finished in two days, but I did finish it in three! Woohoo! Go me! I seem to be on a roll!

Here's what the entire piece looks like so far...

It's looking pretty darn good! Only three more months to go!

Phil and I have been doing a lot of work out back on the bluff since the wall and stairs are finished. Okay, it's mostly Phil doing the work but I try to find ways to contribute. We pulled up all the volunteer squash plants (yes, we had more this year!) and we're getting ivy planted with the hopes it will take off and cover the whole bluff.

We've been having ducks visit every day and I try to have a treat for them if we're outside...

They are getting tamer and tamer and will come up and take the food right out of your hand. I have a feeling these might be the babies I watched grow up all summer because there are eight in the group. Happy to see they all made it to

adult-duck-hood!

Hooray! It's Fall!

It's time to embrace all things Fall! I'm jumping right in with my Starbucks Fall Blend, a delicious gas station apple pie, and a fresh Yankee Candle! This afternoon I plan to put together my Fall Stitching Basket!

No stitching to report. Phil and I made a trip to Las Vegas last week and I'm still in vacation mode. We had a fabulous time and I was pampered to the extreme with fresh coffee and pastries delivered to my door every morning and poolside Bellinis in the afternoon. I went for the spa treatment one day and was exfoliated, moisturized, buffed, and polished just like in the merry old land of Oz! I'm in desperate need of a reality check after a vacation like that!

I'm hoping to settle in for some stitching and maybe a chick flick or two later! I'm close to finishing my Autumn Prairie Season if I could just make myself sit down and work on what I refer to as the "fussy bits". I'd also like to start on September for my Prairie Year piece but I'm feeling the pressure to finish it in two days like I did August. It's that and my usual struggle with getting the q-snaps just right that keeps me from picking it up. Boy, does that make me sound like I need a stitchy therapist!

Have a great weekend!!!

PS I Love You

Prairie Schooler sure makes it easy to transition into fall stitching! I started this last week and have loved every minute of stitching it! We have all the elements of fall here! A scarecrow, pumpkins, a squirrel with an acorn, corn stalks, crows, and a cornucopia! I'll be adding the falling leaves shortly!

Let's Dance

A Prairie Year - August

by Prairie Schooler

Can you believe it? I finished the August block in two days! Amazing but true! This has to be some sort of record for me! I don't exactly have a history of getting things done in a timely manner!

Here's a piccy of the whole piece thus far...

I might actually get them all finished this year! Hooray!

Prairie Year Continues

I finished my Little House sampler with a few days left to go in August so I thought I better press on with my Prairie Year piece and see just how much I could get done on the August block.

Look at that! Would you ever believe I could get that much stitching done in one day? I am now super motivated to get this finished in the next couple of days! Go me!

ABC Sampler

ABC Sampler No. 1

Little House Needleworks

stitched on 28-ct. Light Mocha linen

with Classic Colorworks, GAST, and DMC

Not the best photo but I wanted to start the week off with a finish!

Woohoo!

Summer Returns

Yes, I realize in my last post I had switched gears and decided it was officially time to begin my fall stitching. Then I found a ready-made frame in my stitching room and decided that I might try my hand at finishing off a bigger piece. And I don't mean pizza! I found my PS July sampler in Ye Olde Box o' Fups and thought it would be a perfect fit. What do you think?

I admit that it's a bit wonky. Trying to get those side borders perfectly straight just wasn't happening. This is one of those rare times when I decided to just let it go.

(And now I'll have that song from Frozen stuck in my head for the rest of the day.)

Another true confession... the sampler is in no way, shape, or form affixed permanently in the frame. The idea is to swap it out for other PS seasonal samplers of the same size during the year. It also means at some point in time I will probably take the whole thing apart and sit there with a ruler making sure those borders are perfectly straight.

Now it's time for some stitching! Just as soon as I finish this pizza...

A Sheep of a Different Color

So yesterday I decided it was high time I got my head out of the bag of Fritos, switched off Flip or Flop, and did some stitching. I picked up my Little House ABC Sampler and before I knew it I had finished the house and started on the area just below it. I figured I'd stitch the tiny girl first and then start on the sheep. Only when I checked to see what color I needed for them it wasn't white. Or ecru or beige or any other sheepish color. It was Golden Brown. Golden brown sheep? What the heck? So I flip to the photo of the sampler and see that the sheep are instead pumpkins. Pumpkins. As in Fall. I have inadvertently stomped on the brakes of any summer stitching I thought I might still do and have plopped down behind the wheel of a whole 'nother vehicle.

And see the name of the thread I'm substituting for the golden brown DMC? Pumpkin Pie! If I'm not ready for fall then I better get ready!

Excuse me ladies...

I'm off to browse crock pot recipes and shop for the perfect pair of leggings online!

P-Cheese

Phil and I have returned from our vacation to Charleston, SC! It was very hot and humid but we still had a lovely visit with his kids and managed to see some sights and eat ourselves silly. One item that kept turning up on the local menus was pimento cheese. Served as an appetizer with pita chips or added to a hamburger, I did my best to sample as many variations as I could. Now that we're home I decided I better make a batch to keep in the fridge for pre-dinner nibbles. Or late night snacks. Or noontime I-can't-decide-what-I-want-for-lunch-so-I'll-just-eat-something-until-I-make-up-my-mind. 

Paula Deen's recipe has always been my go-to for homemade pimento cheese. Of course, I throw a little Paisley into it as well (which generally means I don't measure anything!).

Sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, half a block of cream cheese, the last of the mayo plus a little salad dressing, a blob of pimentos, a dash of garlic powder, and a few twists of the pepper grinder. And voila!

Just like Mom used to make!

(Actually, Mom bought Price's which will always be my fave!)

If you want to make your own and are feeling adventurous I'd suggest adding some chopped jalapeños. I would have done it myself but, alas, my insides just can't handle the spicy food these days. 

The sun is shining after a rather rainy/cloudy weekend so I am planning to take a book outside and enjoy a bit of deck time! I joined Once Upon a Book Club and have started reading this month's selection, The Gilded Years. They send a few little wrapped goodies to accompany the book and you open them at specific points as you read. It's a lot of fun and really brings the book to life. I highly recommend it to any readers out there!

TTFN!

Just Keep Swimming

 I decided to take Dori's advice and just keep swimming. Or stitching, rather. With supplies gathered and a fresh Pepsi by my side, I sat with my nose to the grindstone and finished up my PS July square!

 

Here's what the whole piece looks like so far...

 

I did a whole-stash search for any more DMC 520 that will match the color I started with and came up with a skein from a kit that could possibly work. We'll just have to see. I still have most of my last skein left and I'm past the halfway point so I may be able to squeak by.

Phil and I are heading to Charleston, SC bright and early tomorrow morning for a vacation. It's a blast living on a lake in the summer but it'll be nice to get away for a change of scenery.

Putting the "Blah" in Blogging

So today I woke up thinking about orzo salad. Could orzo salad be the key to finding my mojo?

Would it be so wrong to eat lunch at 7:30 in the morning? It's either that or accomplish nothing all day.

Stay tuned!

Proof of Life

Just a quick post to let you know I'm still here before we dive headfirst into the weekend!

I have been stitching. A little. And reading. A lot. And shopping online. Maybe too much. But Nordstrom is having their Anniversary Sale and I can't help myself! (I shopped so much my wireless mouse burned out on me! True story!)

Anyhoosie, no big plans this weekend. We were in Chicago last weekend because the Texas Rangers were in town to play the Cubbies so we had to be there! And yes, I clocked a good five miles of walking on Michigan Avenue! All I came home with was one pair of (absolutely fabulous!) sandals and a blister (hence the online shopping) but the journey is half the fun, amirite?

Off we go! Have a great one, y'all!

Day Three

ABC Sampler is off to a great start after yesterday's Stitch-In! I was invited out for dinner and pinball so my evening stitching time was scratched from the schedule. One can't stay cooped up every day, even during a Stitch-In!

And I can now add "Master Magician" to my list of accomplishments!

It was a joint effort but that is our high score! We are The Bomb!

I haven't decided if I'm starting a new project today or if I'll continue working on My ABC Sampler since I didn't get as much done on it as I'd hoped. I guess we'll call this the Anything Can Happen segment of our Stitch-In!

Let's do this!

Day Two

I'm declaring Day One of the Second Official Chicken Ottoman Empire Stitch-In a roaring success! I will set aside A Little Liberty today and get started on ABC Samler from LHN.

I've decided to stitch each one separately and found this Light Mocha linen in my stash to use. It's 28-count but It looks really good with the threads and I have at least a yard of it so there should be plenty to go around.

It's an absolutely gorgeous morning here at the lake. I've been out on the deck taking pictures of our duck family to send to Phil. I did a head count and we still have all eight babies! I'm very relieved since one little guy tends to lag behind the rest!

Okay! Time to grab my brekkie and head upstairs to the Empire! (I'm hoping some fruit will counteract all the junk I've been eating! I'd show you a picture of my snack stash but I'm afraid you'd lose all respect for me!)