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...

Still lost in Wonderland...

and can't seem to find my timepiece... ;-)

I'm sorry to have been away so long yet again... I still haven't been feeling well... and I needed to sort out a few things in my life... Thankfully, everything seems to be working out for the best and the sun is shinning once again... As far as the physical ailments... the pain is, at times, a constant companion... however, with love and faith, all things are possible and I will get through this with the help of those who love me... and I am starting to feel a wee bit better... :-)

Thank you, Dear Friends, for your lovely thoughts and wishes and emails... I can't express how much your love, thoughtfulness and encouragement means to me... Your friendship is a blessing... and it is such a comfort to know you all are here and thinking of me... :-)

I don't have a lot to report as far as stitching goes... which saddens me as I had hoped to have some Snoopy Happy Dances to share with you all by now... Nonetheless, I am hoping to remedy that this week!!! And I'm itching to start some of my new stash... ;-)

We got a new addition to the family last week... My eldest son, Elisha got a new puppy and she is adorable and sweet as can be! Her name is Sasha and she is a Brindle Tiger Stripe Pit Bull... I must say, though, my cats don't know quite what to make of her... ;-) She is determined to *play* with them and they aren't the least bit interested... poor baby...

Sasha

Elisha and Sasha

Elisha does not like

having his picture taken...

so I just snapped this one

real quick when he wasn't looking... ;-)

I have stitched a wee bit more on Country Cottage Needleworks, Geranium House... though not nearly as much as I had hoped... I think I am going to leave the house CC's Rosy Glow for the time being... :-) Thanks for all your input on colour choices! :-)

Country Cottage Needleworks - Geranium House...

Stitched on R & R 30ct Iced Cappuccino with GAST, CC and DMC Threads ...

And I started a wee project for my youngest son, wee Jamie, who will be graduating with his LPN degree on the 11th of May... They have a clinical class to finish in June, so he won't have his pinning ceremony until sometime in July - the date escapes me at the moment... I'm also stitching the same design for his girlfriend, Paige... she's graduating as well... I knew I didn't have time to finish them both and have them framed by the 11th of May... so I'll wait and present them with the stitched gifts on the day of the pinning ceremony! Oh, yes, the design is Nurses by Kirsten Edwards and it's from the August Issue of The Gift of Stitching ... I'm stitching them on different colour fabrics and using different colour threads... Hopefully, they will like them! I've scanned my working copy of the photo of the design so you can see what it looks like... :-) The saying on the design is: "Nurses have healing hands that touch hearts..."

Nurses by Kirsten Edwards...

from The Gift of Stitching...

Nurses by Kirsten Edwards... WIP

Stitched on Meditation PTP Cashel Linen

with GAST and WDW Threads...

Wee Jamie and his dgf, Paige...

Oh, and my dd, Brandy and her dbf, Nick left for Florida yesterday... and they leave Tampa this afternoon on their Cruise to The Cayman Islands and Cozumel... she has been over the moon about the cruise for ages now and I know they are going to have a wonderful time! I'll post piccys for you all when they get back home... :-)

Nick and Brandy...

My appt at the Doctor's office on Thursday went okay... the wait wasn't quite as long, so that was nice! I have an appointment with the Rheumatologist on the 5th June... so we shall see what we shall see and hopefully, he will tell me something helpful and positive... And hopefully, I'll be feeling better by then! :-)

I decided to take some much needed time off from work this week... so as of yesterday, I'm off until next Monday! Wooo Hoooo! :-) I want to catch up with my stitching and blogging... gosh, but I am so behind I don't know what any of you are working on or what's going on with you all and I feel so *out of touch*... and so I'm going to sit back and de-stress and visit your blogs and stitch and watch films until my heart's content! :-)

Oh, and Hazel, I'm so glad all your Silks finally arrived for A Most Nobel Pursuit... When I spoke with Drema last week, she said my Lakeside Linens Vintage Examplar has arrived so I went ahead and ordered the NPI Silks for the first square... I'll just order the others later... as I had some other goodies screaming my name... and I had a few gifts to order as well... Oh, and I got some new stash last week... so I'll be posting a piccy of all my new treasures for you all in a day or two... ;-)

My deepest, heartfelt thanks to all of you for visiting... your lovely wishes, thoughts and encouragement continues to inspire me and your friendship is akin to sweet blossoms in the springtime... :-)

Until next time... Love in Stitches...


I am thankful for precious moments... blessed friends... days off... my children and my sunshine...

Gifties from a friend... the stash faery strikes again... and ramblings...

My dear friends, I'm so sorry I've been MIA for the last few days... What joy it is to have such lovely, treasured friends... your kind, thoughtful and wonderfully inspiring words of encouragement are such a blessing and continue to brighten my days... I cannot thank you enough for thinking of me and helping me through this rough patch... Your heartfelt wishes are akin to a soothing balm to my heart and enrich my days beyond compare!

I received a lovely PIF gift from Tuula on Saturday... it was my weekend to work and I have been exhausted so did not have a chance to post earlier... Tuula I was so thrilled to find your lovely biscornu waiting for me when I got home on Saturday! The colours are gorgeous and your finishing is beautiful... I will treasure it always! I love the postcards from your home, Tornio... what a lovely city! Oh, and I am hoarding the Chocolate... ;-)

Lovely PIF gift from Tuula

Close up of the beautiful biscornu

Tuula sent me...

The Stash Faery also decided to pay me yet another visit last week... More yummy stitching goodies... I informed my Dragon she must keep a "constant vigilance!" ;-) I do declare, the way my stitching chest is filling up, I don't have a clue what to stitch next... And as for making a decision... you may as well forget it! ;-)

Homespun Elegance...

Spring Gathering & Delivering Spring

Homespun Elegance...

Tiny Stuff I & There Is A Garden

The Prairie Schooler... A Prairie Village I

Blackbird Designs... Garland Fair

Lakeside Linen

Fabric of the Month at Shakespeare's Peddler

Fat Half of Belfast Vintage Maple Sugar

As for stitching updates... I believe I do need a few lessons from the Hare for I fear I have become the Tortoise... As for rotations... hahahaha... I am stuck on CCN's Geranium House! I'm loving this one... yet I am none too sure about the colour I picked out for the house... I decided to use CC's Rosy Glow for the white flowers and the House, however, I really do not like the look of the house... the scan does not show the colour as it is IRL... it's almost a candy pink, if there is such a thing... and not at all what I had envisioned... The entire skein together is gorgeous, however when stitching it with two threads with these colour combinations... I'm thinking it's too pale and too candy pink for the look I want for this design... so I think I'm going to frog all the Rosy Glow on the house and go with another colour... I don't know what colour yet... perhaps GAST Oatmeal, Straw Bonnet, Parchment or Buttermilk... or even Butternut Squash... Or Olde Willow Stitchery's Chestnut, Gratitude Old Rose, Rebekkah Green, or Quaker Star Gold... Or CC's Antique Lace, Bunny Honey or Tufted Yellow... Help!!! What do you all think? I just cannot decide! lol This was my progress as of last night... I did stitch quite a bit more on it today... alas, no new scan as yet...

Geranium House WIP...

by Country Cottage Needleworks...

Stitched on R & R 30ct Iced Cappuccino...

With DMC, GAST and CC Threads...

I haven't stitched anything save this since my last post and as with everything else, I am getting behind yet again... My boss, Connie sent me over to the ER last Monday as she could tell I was in a lot of pain and not feeling well at all... I am not one to readily go to the Doctor... Someone usually has to talk me into it and most likely by the time they succeed in convincing me, I've admitted to myself, perhaps it's time to go... and if I think there is no other recourse... I will relent. Thus, she was fairly adamant about it in a sweet way... she's a lovely lady, and quite frankly I'm surprised she didn't threaten to dispatch an ambulance to come and get me if I didn't go on my own... I'm sure if she had thought of it she would have! Anyway, after four hours of lounging about in a Hospital bed, they told me nothing... just wanted to dose me up with pain killers, of which I refused... However, they did run lots of tests... the results of which led to more blood-work today... Thus, I had a Doctor's appt this morning, so I took my stitching with me as I knew I'd be there for several hours... it's always this way at my Doctor's Office... too many patients... too little time... As suspected, I was there for several hours {only three this time} and managed quite a bit more stitching on Geranium House amidst questions from curious folks... My Doc's office is in a rambling old house with a wide front porch complete with nice comfy chairs and a sun room off to the side... I chose to sit out on the front porch as it was such a glorious day and it's so dark in the waiting rooms and naturally most folks coming and going had to inquire about what I was doing... And as it's always such a pleasure to stitch, and chat about stitching, and seeing as how I was out on the front porch enjoying a lovely Spring Day and stitching to my heart's content... I could almost forget where I was... Almost... Anyway, aside from more blood-work and anti-biotics for sinusitis, the Doc also told me I needed to start taking my prescription Iron again... Which I already knew... I know I am too stubborn for my own good... Anyway, I go back next week for these results, so the saga continues... and we shall see what we shall see... ;-)

Oh, and Hazel, hopefully, Drema will have my fabby soon for A Most Noble Pursuit... I'd like to wait until sometime in May as well as I'd really like to finish up a couple of my WIP's too... so that will be fine with me! And as for your inquiry about who bought all that stash for me... {giggles} I am afraid to say, I bought it all... ;-) Yes, I know I have really splurged of late... and as for the Stash Wagon... Nope... I'm not even considering it! lol

Jamie thanks so much for checking on me, Sweetie... I'm sorry if I worried you or anyone else with my silence... You are all such sweet and thoughtful friends and I don't know what I'd do without you... your friendship means more than words can say... I'm off again tomorrow, so I'll be stitching and catching up with your blogs... can't wait to see what you've been stitching the last few days... As prolific as some of you are... I know it will be loads! :-)

My deepest heartfelt thanks to you all for your visits and your lovely thoughts and inspiring words of encouragement... they are ever blessed rays of sunshine dancing through the mists...

Until next time... Love in Stitches...


I am thankful for precious moments... blessed friends and sunshine...

The Stash Faery and other meanderings...

I don't know where the time has gone... I am sorry I've been MIA for over a week now and I feel like I am falling so behind with everything... It's been a rough two weeks dealing with my Fibro and RA... It can be such a royal pain in the bum at times... There have been other life issues I am dealing with... and I won't bore you with them at this time... suffice it to say... the lot of it has been akin to a dark, gloomy cloud following me around... and I so long for a wee bit of sunshine and laughter in my life... They say... don't ask me who they is... the experts I suppose... anyway *They* say... we make our own happiness... And if that be the case, will someone please send me the recipe and clue me in! Alas, c'est la vie... Nonetheless... enough gloom and doom...

On a brighter note... I finally got around to taking some piccys of the rest of my Birthday Stash... The Stash Faery was Oh, so very kind and dropped it off whilst I was sleeping one night... ;-) Imagine my surprise to awaken and find such lovely treasures... I must say, I thought I was caught up in the midst of some fantastical dream... And perhaps I am... who is to say? I have no idea what I will start first... between this batch and the last batch of stash... not to mention what's stashed away in my stitching chest... there are so many lovely projects to dream about and such lovely threads and fabrics to fondle... It's all quite mind boggling to say the least, and I oftentimes find myself aimlessly adrift in stitching heaven... Oh, whatever shall I stitch next? For someone who has trouble making up her mind over the slightest thing... it can be quite a dilemma at times... I know Hazel and I are supposed to start our A Most Noble Pursuit SAL in a few weeks... so I'd better find some magic needles and get on with my WIP's so I won't feel so guilty starting something new... and then there are my secret projects I've got to finish... Oh, so much to stitch... so little time... Once again, the image of the White Rabbit comes to mind and I can see myself trotting along, pocket watch in hand... all a'dither... and oh, so dreadfully lost in my own wee world...

So, without further ado... a wee glimpse into my stitching chest... more precious than a Dragon's hoard of treasures... And needless to say... I guard my stitching treasures much akin to a dragon... ;-)

Collaboration Sampler - A Most Noble Pursuit...

Carriage House Samplings - Hopeful ...

Carriage House Samplings...

Elijah's Angel and The Tulip Patch

Carriage House Samplings...

Molly and Withering Tulips

Carriage House Samplings...

The Song They Sang and Be My Love

Blackbird Designs...

Easter Parade, Spring's Promise

and Blessings Be Thine ...

Blackbird Designs...

Fond Hearts, Sweetheart Sampler and Evergreen ...

Blackbird Designs...

Quaker Garden, Garden of Life

and Moonlit Garden ...

Blackbird Designs... Their Song...

30ct Apple Brown Bindy Linen by R & R

Weeks Dye Works Threads...

The Workbasket ... Bunny Parade

Hands to Work ... Be Not Weary

Lynne Nicoletti - The Velveteen Rabbit...

The Yankee Stitcher - Midnight Stroll...

Fat Half Cashel Apple Brown Bindy by R & R ...

Fat Half Cashel Dark Cappuccino by R & R ...

Belle Soie Silks by Crescent Colours...

{for Irish Coffee by The Sampler Girl}

Needlepoint Inc. Silks

for In The Forest by La-D-Da

John James 28 platinum needles...

{my favourites}

And... now for a couple of stitching updates... :-) I am so loving stitching both of these... in fact all my current WIP's are a joy to stitch... I have made a few changes to Geranium House by CCN ... instead of stitching the border flowers and the house in white... I am using Rosy Glow by Crescent Colours... and the White Picket Fence is DMC 3866 instead of white... and I made my bird a wee blackbird using GAST Black Crow...

I was much further along on Easter Avenue by Glendon Place... I had most of the bunny's face stitched and then that dreaded frog decided to pay me a wee visit... so I had to frog all of that and most of what you see below... Alas... I am back to where I was a few days ago... oh, well... we must endeavour to persevere! :-)

Geranium House...

by Country Cottage Needleworks...

Stitched on 30ct Iced Cappuccino Linen

by R & R Reproductions...

with DMC, GAST and Crescent Colour Threads...

Easter Avenue by Glendon Place

Stitched on Moonglow...

Picture This Plus Cashel Linen...

with Weeks Dye Works Threads...

I'm away to catch up with a few of your blogs before I retire for the evening... It's taken me forever to post this entry... And it's back to work tomorrow and with all of this rain... I am so not looking forward to it... Oh well, tomorrow is another day...

My deepest, heartfelt thanks to you, my dear friends, for all your lovely, kind and encouraging comments... they are ever warm rays of sunshine dancing through the mists...

Until next time... Love in Stitches...


I am thankful for precious moments... the stitching faery... and dear friends...

Buzzing Bee in the Mist...

I've had a lot on my mind of late and seem to flit about from one thing to another much akin to a buzzing bee in a garden of Spring blossoms... Alas, unlike the busy bee... I fear I have accomplished very little of consequence... I've been off for two days, and I can not tell you where the time went... I am so behind with blogging, emails and my stitching... Thinking back on it, the days seem shrouded in mist... and though I did manage to sleep a bit, I am still tired... Nonetheless, I did get in a few stitches on my new WIP's... not much to show thus far... but it's a beginning... ;-)

Geranium House...

by Country Cottage Needleworks

Stitched on R & R 30ct Iced Cappuccino

with DMC, GAST and Crescent Colour Threads

Spring Has Come by The Prairie Schooler

Stitched on R & R Belfast Cream Brulee

with Crescent Colour Thread Conversions

by Theresa at Shakespeare's Peddler

Now that it's nigh midnight, I'm away to my bed... I'll be rising before the chickens and I do hope the day is not as hectic as the last few days were at work... the weekend was mad! And I was totally exhausted by Sunday night and so thankful it was over...

Heartfelt thanks to you all for visiting and leaving such wonderfully kind and lovely thoughts... akin to brilliant stars in a midnight sky, they twinkle through the mist... ever a constant source of joy and inspiration... :-)

Until next time... Love in Stitches...

I am thankful for precious moments... and dear friends...

Spring's Promise...

Spring has finally come... and with it comes the promise of new beginnings... renewal... birth and hope...

As I promised myself, I started my two new projects on the Spring Equinox... Spring Has Come by The Prairie Schooler and Geranium House by Country Cottage Needleworks... I haven't made loads of progress as yet... but they are both taking shape and the colours are gorgeous... I'm loving both of them... I've changed some of the colours on Geranium House... instead of stitching the house in white, I'm using Rosy Glow by Crescent Colours... I'm also stitching the wee flowers in the border and around the house in Rosy Glow instead of white... and the for the white picket fence I'm using DMC Winter White #3865... The white was just too stark for me with these colours... And for Spring Has Come I'm using the Crescent Colour Conversions by Theresa of Shakespeare's Peddler rather than DMC threads... I love the colours! It took me forever to decide on the fabby for both of them... I finally decided on R & R Iced Cappuccino for Geranium House and R & R Cream Brulee for Spring Has Come... And yes, both fabrics are named after coffees... lol It would seem fabric named after coffee flavours are some of my favourite colours! ;-) I don't have piccys of my progress yet... hopefully tomorrow night I'll get to that as I'm off Monday and Tuesday and don't have to worry about getting to bed at a half decent hour... which is probably going to be nigh midnight tonight at the rate I'm going anyway... I've got so much catching up to do... :-)

So without further ado... here are photos of my new projects... the stash for them arrived over the last couple of weeks... all of which is part of my early birthday stash pressies for myself... from myself... ;-)

Spring Has Come by The Prairie Schooler

Stitched on R & R Cream Brulee Belfast Linen

with Crescent Colour Thread Conversions

by Theresa of Shakespeare's Peddler

Geranium House by Country Cottage Needleworks

Stitched on R & R Iced Cappuccino 30ct Linen...

with DMC, GAST and Crescent Colour Threads...

Heartfelt thanks to all of you for visiting and leaving such kind and lovely thoughts... like the sun's rays dancing on an ocean of endless blue they are ever a constant source of hope, encouragement and inspiration to me...

Until next time... Love in stitches...

I am thankful for precious moments... new stitching projects... the blessings of friends... Spring... and dawn at sea...