Santa and the Reindeer ate it all!

Before I get to the stitching part of the this post I thought I would share this photo with you. My grandsons woke up Christmas morning and were astonished to find that Santa had drank his milk, ate his cookie and even the reindeer must have been hungry! It was priceless.

 

We had a great time at Christmas. Having small grandchildren who believe in Santa made the days so special. A visit from our oldest son and his family for a couple of days was awesome too. Even my sister came to stay for a couple of days and practiced "Shop Till You Drop" with us!! Some wonderful memories were added to my heart.

On the stitching front - I can now show you the stitched gift that occupied most of my stitching time for  2 months.
If you remember, back in August Missy Ann blew me away with the gorgeous stitched lighthouse box. Well, I thought a long time before I decided what to stitch for her birthday on December 27th. I wanted it to be something special and something very different.

Here's what I came up with - Memory Keeper by The Workbasket - stitched on 32 count mushroom lugana with a mix of Crescent Colors, Weeks Dye Works and Carrie's Creations hand dyed threads.

I learned a very valuable lesson - READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! and when it says grid the fabric - do that!
After I cut the fabric, I realized I had cut it wrong. It took much finagling, wrangling, turning the air blue and the help of a very experienced quilter to make this into the envelope.

Included with the gift were some bunny thread drops and a pair of bunny scissors. The girl does love her bunnies!
I sent if off before I left Arizona and it arrived before Christmas. Missy Ann was a good girl and did not open it until her birthday. She has assured me that she liked her gift. I was so touched when she said she is putting the handmade christening gown that her grandmother made her inside it.

I did some more work on Hockey Santa and he now has a head. Lots of quarter stitches in this one!

I am still working on my Seasonal Exchange - about half way.

I am also moderating a new Mirabilia RR on the WWRRB starting January 1st so I've been busy picking patterns and gridding my fabric. The design is now on paper. I am trying to decide whether to leave "Titania" or replace her with either  "Cottage Garden Fairy" or "Woodland Fairy". Annette stitched "Titania" on my previous RR. Hmm, that means a little stash enhancement since I have neither pattern.

To all my wonderful friends out there in blogland, I wish you a safe, healthy, prosperous New Year! May every blessing fall upon you and your entire household in this new year.
To my fellow stitchers - I wish speedy needles, gorgeous fabrics, threads to fondle, charts to drool over and nary a frog!!! Right Harmien!!!

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas

I am so blessed to have a family that is healthy and happy. I wish the same to all of you.

 

Back Row: Adam, Bob, Bob's wife Julie, Adam's Wife Cindy

Front Row: Adam's Hunter, me, Bob's Drew, Leo, Adam's Jackson

Merry Christmas one and all!!!!!!!!!!!

Is there enough room?

Here I am flitting from room to room!!! Packing my suitcases! We are headed home to Canada very early Tuesday morning to spend Christmas with our children and grandchildren. Excited!!!! You bet. But before I go, I should update my blog.

I have a few things to share in this post.

First,  Jill and I agreed on a personal exchange. I posted my gift to her in my last entry and here is the wonderful package that arrived in my mailbox this past week.

Obviously, this girl knows I like nutcrackers.

 Look at the wonderful nutcracker scissor holder with scissors she stitched for me. Isn't he a handsome fella!
Included was some lovely dark green linen, a little gift bag, some wonderful DMC variagated threads, a cut of Christmas fabric and a very cool thread counter with a delightful nutcracker hanging from it. And to top it all off, there is a new nutcracker to add to my collection. Thank you so much Jill for a wonderful exchange.

A little envelope arrived in my mail earlier in the week. I was a bit down and just didn't have much Christmas spirit at that time. In the card was a wonderful note and this little handmade ornament from Harmien. See our initials on the back. It made me smile and helped me pick my spirits up. Thanks Harmien.

 This little surprise package arrived in my mailbox from Michele. She was wandering her LNS and saw this pattern and thought of me. My other passion - lighthouses. Look at all the wonderful lighthouses in this booklet. And, she included a handmade scissor fob with a lighthouse hanging on the end. Thank you Michele for a wonderful surprise!

And this - remember the Friendship Sampler RR I participated in. Well, poor Lisa's first RR was stolen. She sent out a second one and it was delayed starting. Then, it got held up somewhere for months. The rest of us had all received ours back and many of us had finished them and Lisa's was still out there somewhere. Early in November her RR finally returned home but I had not stitched on it. So, Lisa and I braved USPS and she mailed her RR to me. I stitched it and it is on it's way home to stay. Finally, this RR is a successful wrap!

The surprise gift that I have been stitching on, and stitching on and stitching on is finally finished and is also in the hands of USPS. You will have to wait till late December for the seeing though.

Now, that all my other stitching is complete, I was able to pick up my own work and get back at it. Here is my nephew Ryan's Christmas stocking - maybe next Christmas?  Those big stars were all Kreinik thread and we all know how we love those threads. The brown blob is part of the hockey net!

And you know, I just couldn't stand not having some outside stitching to do and so I signed up for the Winter Round over at the Seasonal Exchange blog.

And, I've signed for another Mirabilia RR on the WWRBB.

Am I crazy?  Sometimes. So much for stitching just from my own stash this year.
My BFF is sure going to hassle me over this but hey, I love to stitch for others and it gives me the chance to stitch things I wouldn't normally stitch.

Okay, I'm off to finish packing those suitcases. I sure hope I can get it all in.

Oh, by the way, I have a 4 hour layover in Los Angeles and a 5 hour layover in Chicago. Any stitchers out there want to come of the airport and stitch with me LOL.

Until next time, I wish you all the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years. I hope Santa leaves you all some wonderful stitchy treats under the tree!!!!

What a time!

  Hello one and all. Here I am back from our Mexican vacation! We had an okay time. The weather was not the greatest and the food was bad but the beach was gorgeous and the service at the resort was wonderful.

And the sunset - spectacular!!!!!

One good thing - I did get lots of stitching done. Unfortunately, I can't show it to you.

I do have a few other things to share though.

Joan let me know that she received the squares I sent her for the Fair and Square Exchange.
I stitched her Ink Circles Stain Glass Tree from the 2010 JCS Ornament magazine on 32 count antique white lugana with the recommended colors.

In my mailbox, was this lovely ornament exchange from Rowyn. The design is Just Nan's Christmas Wishes.
Included were some lovely goodies including a gorgeous green 28 count fabric called "Leprechaun". Love that name. Thanks Rowyn for such wonderful gifts.

Jill also let me know that she has received the personal exchange I sent here.  Jill, as you know, is a peacock collector and also does some pink stitches in honor of her friend.  And so her package contained -

The Holiday Peacock by Courtney Collection from the 2010 JCS Ornament magazine on 32 count hand dyed mauve opalescent fabric from a new Canadian company called Ayrloom fabrics. It is stitched with Vikki Clayton's Black Rasperry silk. Included was a peacock purse, a peacock necklace, and a mauve whatnot bag.

For her pink stitch I stitched her a freebie design on the same opalescent fabric and included Pink Ribbon scissors and  made her a pink fob with a pink ribbon charm. Included was some 32 count linen - Carnation Pink and a few other little goodies.

Yesterday, I picked up my Royal Holiday from Michaels. They did a wonderful job of framing her. The mat is burgundy velvet and the frame has burgundy in the gold.

I am going to bring her back to Canada with me as well as Winter Queen. I will hang the two of them together and as my friend Missy Ann says - they can outsnoot (Is this a word?) each other.

Look at my new toy - a Pandigital ereader. I have heard good things about this particular reader and am ready to try it. I just bought it yesterday and so I have a learning curve ahead.

I wonder if anyone can help me out here. I have tried ebay with no luck so -
I am looking for Quiltmaker Magazine July/August 2004. It is the fourth part of a quilt that I am interested in doing.

Till next one - keep those needles singing!

Adios Amigos

Popping by to update the blog and then it's adios, amigos. Friends of ours have won a week at a resort in Mexico and have invited us to go with them. Yipee!! Mexico bound we are in the morning.

Stitching away on a gift that I cannot show you.

I did however receive a note from Rowyn saying she had received the Christmas exchange I sent her.
I stitched for her the Brittercup Kittie from the 2010 JCS Ornament Magazine and included a couple of little extras.

 I have been trying to decide for a while what to do with my Fair and Square blocks and this is what I came up with.  Grant it this is just the top and I have much more work to do. I was so thrilled that I wanted to show it off.

There are a couple of sets that I did not use in the wall hanging. Melissa W.'s set made a lovely pillow. Karen R. stitched me a wonderful nutcracker that will be an ornament.

I have been making a couple quilt blocks too. Every year the ladies quilt group makes blocks that we sew togetherand make into a raffle quilt to raise money for the local mission. This year we are making house blocks.
Here are my two blocks. Of course, one had to be a light house!

Well, off to finish packing. My stitching is coming with me and I will see what I can accomplish.

I read my way through all the blogs - over 650.  I am sorry that I did not comment. I didn't know where to start. You are all so amazing and I love reading all the wonderful things you write and the gorgeous stitching that you do.
I will try to post from Mexico. The hotel is supposed to have internet.  Until then - adios!!!!

Guess Who

Back from the great beyond, here I am. Not really the great beyond but Windsor, Ontario,  Guthrie Center, Iowa, Paxton, Nebraska, Denver, Colorado, Flagstaff, Arizona and home to Yuma, Arizona. It was a wonderful trip. The weather was gorgeous - sunny and warm the entire trip of 10 days.
And then, the dust!!!!! It took 4 days to unpack and clean out six months worth of dust! We must have had lots of wind in the 6 months we were gone.

All my stash is organized and tucked in corners. You would roll over laughing if you saw how much stash I brought with me for the next 6 months. You would think that I stitched day and night - wait a minute - I do ROFL.

I am still plagued with tendonitis in my elbow and so I have to restrict my stitching time.

I have managed to stitch a couple of exchanges and a set of Fair Squares. None of these have been received yet so photos will have to wait.

I do have a few things to show you. I won Day 13th of the 31 Days of Halloween put on by Missy Ann and Annette. Maybe because it was Day 13 my package made an extended trip - to Canada - after I had left there, back to Annette and then on to me in Arizona. It was a fun package to receive. I think of Annette every time I use her Halloween pencil. The lovely Kylie made me a wonderful book mark. The book - devoured in a matter of hours and now I have to find more of the series.

I received this wonderful little kit as a thank you some time back and stitched it up in the car during my journey. The buttons make this one just so very special. It is a Stitch' Em kit from Hob Nobb Designs.- SP9 - Sunflowers.

I received my Fair Squares from Joan in Friday's mail. Isn't this a gorgeous piece! I love it!
It is Little House Needleworks - Winter Sampler - from the 2009 JCS Ornament magazine. The card that she included is hand done. Beautiful! Thank you Mama Joan!

If you are ever looking for a fun group and a great bunch of people join a round of the Fair and Square Exchange blog. It has been such a treat for me. I have a series of the most beautiful squares and I am in the process of making a wallhanging with them. Each square that I sew together reminds me of the wonderful people that I have met and the friends I have made through this exchange.

I do apologize for being offline for so long. I just seem to have hit a slump. I know my sore elbow is making me cranky. I am stitching on a birthday gift for a friend and I am worried that I will not get it done in time. Okay, enough whining. I am off to read over 650 posts in my Google Reader. Please understand if I do not comment but I am reading one and all!!!

Till next time stitch fans, stitch your heart out!!!!!

I Got Nothing

Seriously folks, I got nothing. No stitching, not a single stitch. My arm is really giving me HE double hockey sticks and so I haven't stitched a thing.

I even looked through my earlier photos looking for a photo to post. That just made me cranky too. I don't want to look at photos of stitching I can't do.
Have you ever seen a cranky stitcher who cannot stitch! Not a pretty picture. She looks something like the redhead who writes this blog.

So what do I do instead. Pack, yep you heard me - Pack. We are heading to Arizona on Saturday for the next six months.

And my stitching - well, I packed enough to do for the next 10 years. You never know what a girl might want to stitch LOL.
 
Hopefully, next time I write I will have something to show and I will be in a better mood.


Happy stitching, y'all.

Lights, squares, snow and a tribute

Another week has come and gone. The tendonitis in my elbow is not getting better. Of course, if I stopped stitching, lifting and working my arm it would heal much faster. I have done some stitching but not nearly as much as I would like.

I have managed to finish my San Man Inky Dinky Blackwork SAL! Aren't these little guys just the cutest! Beatrice has brought me some really cute snowman fabric and I will be making this into a little pillow.

I received word from Jeanie C (no blog) that she received the Fair and Square blocks I sent her. The design is a freebie but I don't remember where I got it. I thought oak leaves and acorns were appropriate for this time of year.

Jeanie is from Singapore and I was excited to receive my squares from her. This is the cutest little SanMan freebie for Autumn. That fat little bird has such character.

Beatrice, Barb and I attended a stitch day at Rebecca's on Saturday. It is so much fun to get together with people who make you feel special. I stitched on my secret stitch the entire day.

The next morning I picked up my stitching from the day before. The entire section I had stitched the day before was in the wrong place - IN RED THREAD - and I had to take it out. Thank goodness it came out without a mark but I lost hours of work and time. Those bloody frogs!!!!!!!  I need to get those frogs so angry they will hop off and never come back again. 

On Sunday, I, along with many of my stitching friends attended a special tribute to Adriana put on by Knowledge and Needles. Adriana has been stitching since she was a small girl and many of her pieces were brought together for display. It was amazing. 
I consider myself blessed to have this wonderful woman in my life. Her daughter, Beatrice has been my best friend for over 30 years. What a great day!

Adriana is pointing at her favorite cross stitch piece in this photo.

Nantucket Rose in the bottom right is the piece that she stitched for me many years ago.

Please go to the Knowledge and Needles and Beatrice's blog  (links are above) to see the wonderful photos that were taken of Adriana's amazing work.

Today I went to my mailbox and was surprised and excited to find this wonderful package. I had sent some patterns to Niina in Finland that she was having difficulty finding. This thank you was in the mail. She sent me some wonderful fabrics. The two large floral fabrics are Finnish designs. She included a wonderful DMC kit!

 Look at this bag - Finnish Lighthouses! How cool is that! I loved it all! Thank you so much Niina.

Today I realized that my DH and I will be heading to Arizona for the winter in a little over a week. Usually by now, I have a lot of my packing done and I'm almost ready to go. I haven't packed a single box. I think all the packing and unpacking I did when we moved about 7 weeks ago made even looking at a crate difficult. I need to get my butt in gear. I don't know how much stitching I will get done over the next little while as I get my act together and get those boxes packed. It will probably do my arm some good not to stitch for a bit. I find it hard to sit in the evenings without a needle in my hands. I think I am addicted!!!! LOL.

Till next time my friends - keep on stitching!

A houseful

Here's what you do when you have a new house with lots of room and lots of light.
You fill it with all your stitching friends! Ann of Knowledge and Needles was away last Thursday and so I invited everyone to my house for stitching. There was room for all of us. We had a wonderful afternoon full of lots of laughter and a little bit of stitching.

My dear friend Clare sent me this lovely house stitch for my new home. Thank you so much Clare. I love it and it will have a place of pride in my kitchen.

Barb (no blog) made me this wonderful nutcracker ornament. Isn't he just the cutest!

Beatrice and I showed off our finished Stain Glass Quilts. This was Beatrice's first quilted piece and she did a great job!

We are visiting with our youngest son, his wife and our grandsons for Thanksgiving. The turkey is in the oven and the pumpkin pies are in the fridge.  I can hardly wait for supper.

We went to watch Jackson play hockey this afternoon. He started playing a couple of weeks ago. It was great fun. Here's a couple of pictures of our future hockey star!

I have been stitching and it is still a struggle. I did get the two ornaments I needed to stitch done but cannot show them as they are for others.

To all my Canadian friends "Happy Thanksgiving!!!" and to the rest of my friends "I hope you have a happy day". Today, I am thankful for all my stitching, blogging friends. You make my day!