Peeking out of my pumpkin shell...

Blessed Autumn Equinox my dear friends... It's been a long, long while I know and I hope you all are well and happily stitching... I wanted to peek out of my pumpkin shell and let you all know I am feeling better and I hope to be blogging a lot more often...

Thank you so much to all of you who have thought of me and sent me messages, emails and kind and loving thoughts... Though I may not have always answered right away... your thoughtfulness was ever a balm to my wounded heart and soul and I know that hearts and souls as special as yours shall ever be blessed with a bountiful Harvest...

I have a few stitching finishes... a few WIPs... as well as a few other pics to share... My dear daughter, Brandy married her Soulmate on the 14th of June... It was a fairytale wedding and she was a Beautiful Bride...

Oh, lets see... I did move into my new home back in March and I'm still settling in so to speak... Living alone is quite an adjustment for me... well, not entirely alone as Gandalf the Grey and Shelley, my beloved cats are such wonderful companions... I'd truly be lost without their love and companionship... and they seem to be settling in beautifully...

So without further ado... I'll let my photos speak for me tonight... There are too many to post in one post... so I'll post a few along here and there...

Heartfelt Friends RR...

Lesley's RR finished in April 2008...

I stitched designs or fragments of designs by...

Little House Needleworks...

and Country Cottage Needleworks...

Heartfelt Friends RR

Designs by Little House Needleworks

and Country Cottage Needleworks

Finished April 2008

A close up...

I did add the chimney's to the house...

It's Winter and I thought the folks needed a warm fire... ;-)

Sunflower by Pine Mountain Designs ...

Stitched for my DD Brandy's

Birthday in March 2008...

Heartfelt Friends RR...

Donna's RR finished in August 2008...

I stitched designs or fragments of designs by...

Little House Needleworks...

and Country Cottage Needleworks...

Heartfelt Friends RR...

Designs by Little House Needleworks...

and Country Cottage Needleworks...

Finished in August 2008...

A close up...

Donna's linen is such a lovely, warm yellow...

I just couldn't get the light right

and the photos don't do it justice...

By the Sea...

by The Sampler Girl ...

This is one of my favourite finishes...

I love Lighthouses and the Sea and Jane Austen...

and I Love this design...

Thanks Tanya...

By the Sea...

by The Sampler Girl

Stitched on Cashel Dark Cappuccino by R & R

with GAST and WDW threads...

Finished 22 August 2008...

By the Sea...

by The Sampler Girl ...

A close up...

I'm going to use the Lighthouse fabric

in the photo above and make a wee pillow to hang

on my bathroom door as my bathroom is decorated with a Sea theme...

Brandy and Nick...

One of my favourite photos

from their engagement pictures...

19 April 2008

Brandy and me...

at her Bride's Maid Luncheon

7 June 2008...

Thank you again, my dear friends, who have kept me in your thougths and prayers... I will always remember your thoughtfulness... and thank you all for continuing to visit my blog despite my long absence, your kind thoughts and wishes are ever an inspiration...

Blessings and Love in Stitches...

I am thankful for precious moments... soul mates... daughters and sons... fairy tale weddings... friends and stitching... and sunshine through the clouds...

There and Back Again... A heart's journey...

It's been a long while... and I am sorry I have been so quiet for such a long time. I started several posts over the last few months... alas, I just didn't have the heart or the energy to finish them... I have been unwell in heart, spirit and body for quite a long while... Aside from the Fibro that at times is ever my constant companion, so much has happened... suffice it to say my heart's journey has been wrought with many trials and tribulations of late and it seems to be catching up with me physically as well as emotionally... I was in Hospital the first week of February and they still do not know what is wrong with me... I passed out here at home and seem to have had some sort of seizure or something... who knows??? My anaemia is much worse and my blood pressure is lower than usual.. it's running an average of 90/50-60 and has been as low as 78/52... So, I don't know what is going on and no one else seems to have any idea either. I have made an appointment with another Doctor and will be collecting my chart from my Hospital stay and all the tests et cetera over the last few months and changing Doctors as I seem to have no satisfaction from my present Dr. Altogether over the last few months I've missed about two months of work... Aside from the health issues... the emotional turmoil has been, at times, more than I can withstand... I've moved there and back again and will find myself moving again in the next couple of weeks... Hopefully, I'll find peace in my new flat and can make it my *home*... Who knows, perhaps my ailments are naught save the lingering affects of the remnants of a broken heart...

On a lighter note... I have a few stitching finishes to share... Yes, Oops don't fall out of your chairs, I finished My Needle and My Floss, They Comfort Me by Waxing Moon Designs ... aka *The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pattern* For those of you unfamiliar with the tale... follow the link to my previous post about this wonderful design... Anyway, I finished stitching My Needle and My Floss back in October, on Halloween to be exact... and once again I am so sorry to have been so terribly slack about my posting... Well, rather than fool around and waste more time I have already drawn the name of the next *Sister* from the names of everyone who expressed a wish to be the next stitcher... I had originally planned on drawing the next *Sister's* name out of my Witch's Hat on Halloween, alas, All Hallow's Eve has long since passed... thus in honour of Valentine's Day and this special pattern and everything it meant to me, I chose a Victorian Heart box I've had for years and years as keeper of the prospective Sister's name... And without further a'do... the next Sister to join the *Sisterhood of the Travelling Pattern* is...

Dear Barbara is now an official member of the

*Sisterhood of the Travelling Pattern...*

...Barbara from Mainely Stitching ... I hope you will enjoy stitching *My Needle and My Floss, They Comfort Me* as much as I did, Barbara... {It's winging it's way to you now and I know you will finish it in a much more timely manner than I} And to echo Harmien's words when she stitched it... "Ne'er a truer word was spoken..."

My Needle and My Floss, They Comfort Me by Waxing Moon Designs...

Stitched on Belfast Vintage Autumn Blush...

With Crescent Colours, GAST, WDW Threads...

and The Thread Gather Silk 'n Colours...

and Gloriana Silks...

I am sorry I just couldn't get a decent photo... the colours aren't showing up that well and there was almost always a glare or the photo is just too light... Needless to say, it looks much better IRL... And the dress and the words are not the same colour as they appear to be in the photo... The words are stitched with Gloriana Silks Fall Foliage and her dress is stitched with Silk 'n Colours Worn Brick Path...

My Needle and My Floss, They Comfort Me...

by Waxing Moon Designs...

The Heartfelt Friends Round Robin is coming along so beautifully... We are all using designs from Little House Needleworks or Country Cottage Needleworks... Janice wanted Autumn Themed Designs for her RR, thus for my stitched bit on her RR I chose Two White Houses by LHN... I finished this in November 2007...

Two White Houses by Little House Needleworks

Heartfelt Friends RR

Two White Houses by

Little House Needleworks

Heartfelt Friends RR

Oh, and my RR is coming along so beautifully... here's an update... Cheryl has since finished her stitched bit... I couldn't download the pic she uploaded as it was not clickable... but you can see it here ...

Dear Diary Series by Little House Needleworks...

Heartfelt Friends Round Robin...

Stitched on R & R Belfast Iced Cappuccino

And I received these beautiful squares from Karen and Dani in the Fair and Square Exchange... Thank you both so very much... I will treasure them always! I have yet to post Dani's squares off to her... I have to finish stitching the second square... I am deeply sorry to be so behind yet again and I know my name is most likely mud with a few people... However, this I cannot help... alas, sometimes Life does happen...

Beautiful Prairie Schooler Squares

Karen sent me...

Lovely, lovely Squares Dani sent me...

The photo doesn't do the colours

or the stitching justice...

I just couldn't get the light right...

Here are the squares I stitched for Karen... The design is one of my faves and a lovely freebie by Plum Pudding NeedleArt... You can still download the chart on their website...

Blessed Be by Plum Pudding NeedleArt

Stitched on Belfast Vintage Autumn Fields

with recommended threads...

And on another bright and blessed note... My dear daughter, Brandy is engaged and the happy date is set for the 14 June... Nick proposed on the 26 of October while they were away for a Romantic Weekend at Ghost Town in the Sky in Maggie Valley NC... They stayed at the ever oh, so Romantic Dancing Wolves Lodge at Smoky Falls... Needless to say she is so excited and everything has been all a'flurry with wedding plans since November... They are Soulmates to be sure and truly blessed with each other... I am so very happy for them and wish them a lifetime of endless love and happiness together...

My dear daughter, Brandy

and my future son-in-law, Nick...

The Wanted Poster they had

made at Ghost Town reads...

*Wanted for Crimes of Passion...*

So adorable...

Brandy and Nick...

Time Travellers in the Wild, Wild West...

Oh, and I thought I'd share a photo of the beautiful Roses my DD, Brandy sent me for Valentine's Day...

My Dear Daughter, Brandy

sent me Beautiful Roses

for Valentine's Day...

And on a Literary note... I ordered a few new books for myself for Valentine's Day... Oh, and not to mention the visit from the Stash Faery... Seems Drema sent the Stash Faery my way for some unknown reason... Oops! I'll save stash photos for later... as there is also the Christmas Stash I bought myself and the Halloween and Thanksgiving Stash... and the *Just Because Stash*... A Holiday is always a good reason to gift oneself with stash but sometimes the *just because stash* can brighten one's day ever so much more... Anyway, I have been reading Jane Austen of late... I'm a quiet member of Tanya ... The Sampler Girl's ... The Jane Austen Stitching Group ... I just love Tanya's Jane Austen Samplers... and her newest series The Literary Littles are all must stitches for me! Anyway, back to the books... this month we were to read Persuasion... well, mine didn't arrive until last week, and I've only just started it... but I am enjoying it so much... I also ordered a couple more of the books in the Beatrix Potter Cottage Tales Mystery Series by Susan Wittig Albert... I do love them so....

Jane Austen Collection...

and Beatrix Potter Cottage Tales

by Susan Wittig Albert

Thank you all for your encouraging emails and comments, as always your continued support and friendship remains a constant source of inspiration and are ever rays of sunshine through the clouds...

Blessings and Love in Stitches...

I am grateful for precious moments... Daughters, friendships and blessings... and sunshine through the clouds...