Faeries @ MindSay

Arrived in Guangzhou yesterday.  Am staying with an old friend from Baotou and her husband.  They can speak some English but we also spend a lot of time speaking in Chinese which is very good practice for me!  Today my friend had to work, but her husband took me to see some of the sights listed in my Lonely Planet China Guidebook.  I forgot his name and when i asked him what i should call him, he joked i should call him handsome guy!  We went to see 2 Buddhist temples that required entrance tickets for RMB5 per person, and then one of them also had a 9 story pagoda which cost a further Rmb10, so only i went up it.  Got a good view of the surrounding area from the top.  When leaving the second temple a guy in monk's robes (unknown whether he was a real monk or not) tried to force a buddhist trinket on me and wanted me to write down my name and address and give him a donation too.  But my friend finally talked him out of it since i didn't want to participate, but it wasn't easy, the way he forced me to take that trinket!

He said he doesn't like Chinese Budhism because they seem to be concentrated on making money... and it did seem that may.  Then we went to the Old Mosque, said to have been founded by an uncle of Mohammad.  But we couldn't go in, because they only let Muslims in.  So we went to the Daoist Temple dedicated to the 5 immortals said to have landed in Guangzhou thousands of years ago, who gave the people rice, wished them freedom from famines and then went back to the "heavens".  I joked that maybe it was a UFO.  Then we ate lunch in a Uighur (the people of Xinjiang Province) restaurant, which was very good.  (I ordered stirfried eggplant and cashew chicken with vegatables).  Then we went to see the Sacred Heart church but it was closed between 12pm and 3:30pm (it was 2pm).  So we then walked to Shamian Island which used to be where all the foreigners lived.  The American Consulate is still there.  3 brides and grooms (in western gowns) where getting their fotos taken outside a small catholic church which was also closed.  We had a rest in one of the parks and then i suggested we go home, since my feet were killing me!

Oh yeah, and last night i cooked chicken curry which actually turned out pretty good!

Introducing a second pattern this week at http://www.carouselcharts.com was fun. This one is also introduced at the 50% off sale price, making it a much better deal than charts introduced earlier.

The Flighty Faerie is OK for Aida, Linen, and Evenweave fabrics, and simple enough for beginners even though advanced stitchers can enjoy this speedy project with compelling details. The finished piece makes a great gift for friends, co-workers, sisters, mothers, daughters or others that enjoy faeries, fairies, and fairy frazes. 9 DMC colors, and Anchor equivalents are listed.

The sale price is great, too.

This week the annual 50% off sale on all counted cross stitch patterns continues at http://www.carouselcharts.com. Kinda fun, this is my first annual 1/2 off sale. 

A new figure "January Birthstone Faerie," with garnet birthstone and snowdrop flower, has been added to the faerie illustrations at the blanket reduced price for the whole site, making it well worth the click trip here. Expect another Faerie chart and the Carousel Bear Birth Record chart later this week if all goes well. All will be introduced at the half off sale price.

The new downloads also come with both the standard size chart and a large-print chart that can both be downloaded from the same page after purchase. Both standard and large versions are easy open .PDF format and print from any color printer. (High quality smooth paper or photo paper and better print settings recommended.)

For a gift your favorite cross stitcher will enjoy, roll charts up with the print on the inside, put the floss and fabric into your loosely rolled "tube" (3 or 4" diameter), wrap with semi-transparent or printed celophane plastic wrap, and tie ends for easy opening on a holiday and waa-laa, you have a great gift. Add in several of the "always free" freebie charts for a bonus.

Each sale of the Faerie chart will result in a charitable donation to the Autoimmunity Research Foundation for continued research on Th1 diseases (Sarcoidosis, RA, SLE, CFS, Lyme, Crones and others fall under this category of chronic disease processes). The Marshall Protocol has definitely been a great help in getting my Sarcoidosis under control and I'm confident that I am on my way to wellness.

That said, it hasn't been easy to start a business between bouts of Jarisch-Herxheimer Reactions (JHR or "Herx"). The day job often got the most attention when I had more energy. That's why the release of the "for sale" version of this chart is pretty exciting for me. I hope you will take a look.