Exchange Reveal

I participated in another exchange, hosted by Lainey, over at Stitched With Love Exchanges.

The theme this time around was, "Cosy Winter Stitches".  

I received these great goodies from Renee over at Fit to Stitch.

And just look at this cute winter pillow!!  Seems this winter, all I can do is dream about building a snowman.  We have had mostly dark, grey, rainy days.  I say, if it is not going to snow, then winter, get out of the way....I am ready for spring!

Thanks so much,  Renee!! 

 

Here are the goodies I sent to Melissa over at My So-Called Crazy Life.

I hope she enjoyed her goodies!

This was my first time attempting the beaded edge.  Although time consuming, I loved it ~ especially the final look.

 

I have been able to do a little stitching and will be back soon to share.  I say a little, as it seems the frogs are still hanging around ~ two stitches forward and ten back....

“So he started to climb out of the hole. He pulled with his front paws, and pushed with his back paws, and in a little while his nose was in the open again ... and then his ears ... and then his front paws ... and then his shoulders ... and then-'Oh, help!' said Pooh, 'I'd better go back,' 'Oh bother!' said Pooh, 'I shall have to go on.' 'I can't do either!' said Pooh, 'Oh help and bother!”
― A.A. Milne

 

 

Stitching Goodness and Other Things...

I am finally able to show you the goodies from the Fall into Halloween Exchange from the Stitched With Love Exchanges, hosted by Lainey.

 

I prepared a package for Dawn.  I discovered that Dawn went to the same college as my husband and me ~ it's a small world ~ she even graduated the same year!  Here are the goodies I sent to her.

Some leaf buttons, fabrics, flosses, candle, Jolly Jack pattern, hand towel, a little basket, and a place to rest her needles. 1692 is the year of the Salem Witch Trials.

 

I received the following goodies from Nancy.  I feel completely spoiled.  Buttons, thread winder, a fabulous book on samplers, the ornament magazine, Jolly Jack pattern and....

this fabulous pillow!!  I forgot to take a picture of the fabric on the back, a cute orange and black check.   

Thanks so much Nancy!!  I love it all!!

 

Back in September, I was chosen by Veronica to win one of her Cathedral Window pincushions.  It had a long way to travel ~ all the way from Malaysia!  I was so excited when it arrived, it's even prettier in person.

Thanks again Veronica! I really love it!

 

Here is my once~again~overdue Tusal jar.

Can you see those reds, blues, greens, golds and white at the top?

They are from the last three ornaments for the year!!  Another set of three sleds.  I want to thank June for keeping me on task with the ornaments this year.  I still have to go back and do the finish~finishing on a couple of ornaments from earlier in the year.

These were so fun to do and easy to assemble.  If you are interested, you can find these sleds and varying sets of patterns at Dixie Darlin in Pigeon Forge, TN.  They are exclusive to this shop and they have recently added sets of bird ornaments, with designs to attach to the wings.

 

This past weekend was the final baseball tournament of the year.  My middle guy's local travel team, the Bulldogs, came in second place!  Granted, there were only three teams (three teams had to drop out ~ two were due to the lasting effects of Sandy in their hometowns), but they had the same record as the 1st place team, 2 wins and one loss.  They just happened to lose the one that would have given them first place...that's my guy on the left after they were awarded their trophy.

 

And I can't leave you without a puppy update.  Panzer turned 8 months old last Thursday!!

Here he is being tempted by the ribs that my little guy is eating.

And here, well, my husband went in to work real early one morning.  I opened my eyes to find this...

Looks rather comfy, doesn't he?

 

A final quick reminder, anyone placing an order with the Strawberry Sampler, between now and the end of the month, will receive 20% off their order if "Bramblewood" is placed in the comment section of the order form.

 

I want to take a moment to wish all of you, and your families, a very Happy Thanksgiving!!  May your day be filled with love, laughter, family, friends, and good food!

“What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”
― A.A. Milne



Baseball, Puppy, Exchanges and a Giveaway

Once again, my fall weekends have been full of baseball.  The boys have been practicing and playing their hearts out. 

The team my oldest plays on placed third in their first tournament and second in the most recent one!  The last tournament was played at Ripken in Maryland.  The big honor was given to my oldest.  He was the starting pitcher for the game played in the Ironbirds minor league stadium!

One of the hardest things for a mother is to see their children hurt.  Well, it happens in baseball.  On Sunday, he was hit with not one, but two pitches ~ two separate games ~ but, he was hit in the same exact spot!!  OUCH!

This was the next morning.  You can see the laces from both balls on the left hand side.  Sadly, this prevented him from being the closing pitcher in the championship game.  They played hard, losing only by one point!

 

My middle guy has become quite the catcher.  His team is still in the developmental stages, but are improving and blending. 

This is one of his new baseball buddies.  If you follow the newsletter from the Strawberry Sampler, you've read of Beth's nephews.  Well, Chris and my guy are finally playing on the same team!!

That's Ms. Beth, she has become the official scorekeeper for the team!

While catching is his thing, he can also pitch when needed. 

This is the smile of a pitcher who just pitched a 4~pitch inning!! 

And even though they didn't win, the boys still had smiles and were ready to move on to the next game!

The little guy has been patiently attending his brother's games and playing on an indoor team.  It's really hard to take pictures inside through all the fences.  Here he is, my budding photographer, taking pictures at his brother's game.

And of course, he had fun making it look like he had really big muscles with his shadow! 

 

Panzer has been growing ~ at 7 months he weighed in at 104 pounds!!  He really enjoys his morning walks ~ he's up to anywhere from 1.8 to 2.4 miles each morning.  Bonus for me too, as it is getting me moving!  He loves his ball.

And playing tug~o~war 

And riding in the car 

Nap time! 

He takes over Daddy's chair, hiding his head, hoping we won't see him!

Signs of fall are around as well.

Pumpkins and gourds at an Amish farm.

The Amish have harvested their tobacco. 

The farms in the area are quieting down.

We've had some morning frosts. 

And, some beautiful, crisp mornings.  

 

Are you ready for some stitching now?

I participated in another Stitched with Love Exchange.  This one was called the Animal Antics Exchange.  My partner was Cherise and she was wonderful!  Here are the goodies she sent to me.

I just love this piece!  It is now hanging from the hutch in my dining room for everyone to see. 

She also included some threads, a chart, some buttons, ribbons, needles and fabrics!  All things that I can and will use.  Thanks again Cherise! 

And here are the goodies I sent to Cherise.

I included some fabrics, threads, buttons, ladybug ribbon, a ladybug charm and a brand new copy of the chart that I used part of to create my exchange piece.   

 

It's also that time again ~ time for the Tusal.  And once again, I am a little late!

You can see my jar looks a little fuller this time!  I decided to show it with my current progress on "For The Birds".  This is an enjoyable piece to stitch.

This following is a piece my mom stitched for her cousin and I framed for her.  I really love how this turned out.

 

I want to thank Vickie for this sweet gift.  She makes these bottle~cap pincushions that are just adorable!

Doesn't it look like a chocolate cupcake?  I love chocolate, so it's perfect!  And since I have all boys, I love to see pink!  She also made the pins, aren't they all great!?!

 

Phew!  Another long post.  Sorry for that!  I do have some giveaway news.  I am going to be hosting a giveaway, thanks to the Strawberry Sampler and in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Unfortunately, most of us have been touched in some way by this disease.  We are still hammering out the details, but there will most likely be three winners and maybe even a little something more.  Check back next week for more information!!

 

In honor of Panzer getting me on my feet and moving, I will leave you with this Pooh quote:

“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh