October WIPocalypse and Smalls SAL

So here we are with another month passed and once again I'm behind on my postings. I cannot believe how busy we've been. I've chosen to post both my Small and WIPocalypse pieces together in one post due to lack of time. Things have to slow down sooner or later, right?

For WIPocalypse I've continued to plug away on my Stacy Nash Blackwater Hollow. I'm getting there but had certainly planned on having this one finished a long time ago. I find I'm doing a lot of stitching and then re-stitching in this one. I wasn't happy with some of the striped effects from the overdyed floss.

Next up are my Smalls finishes. I managed to get two of them finished up this month. The first is by Nan Lewis of Threadwork Primitives and is called Ever So Grateful. I finished this just in time for our Canadian Thanksgiving.

The second small is by Theresa Meloon of Dulaney Woods Treasures and is called Midnight Jack.

The witch on the upper right is a lovely piece of scented, blackened beeswax that came in some Halloween potpourri which I purchased. I just love it! It normally resides in a bowl with a collection of my Halloween smalls.

It has been an extremely busy month! Besides celebrating Thanksgiving we've had a visit from my sister, I've taken a trip to Toronto and my son got engaged.

Here's a group shot of my sister at the head of the table sharing a meal with Bob and myself along with my son Chris and his girlfriend Violet. It was so great to have her here. I don't get to see her often enough.

As soon as Laurie left I was on the road to Toronto to visit up with some stitching friends, Pam and Cathy.

I missed seeing these lovely ladies at the Notforgotten Farm Open House in Virginia this past September. I was supposed to be joining them but ended up singing at a wedding on the same date. They brought back some goodies for me including my framed Tulips piece which Patti Nicolosi had finished framing for me.
Here it is and isn't it lovely?

Patti did an amazing job on this and I am so pleased with how it turned out. As you can see from the closeup this is a lovely mahogany frame which really complements this piece.

After returning from Toronto I met up with my son Chris who discussed his plans with me regarding proposing to his girlfriend Violet. I was so excited and here's a pic of the results.

  
She said yes and we will be celebrating a wedding in the fall of 2017. Yaaaay!!

In between all my running around this month I took some time to take in the beautiful fall colours in our region. They really were outstanding this year as can be seen in the pics following.

  
All good things must come to an end though and the next picture foretold of the strange weather to come.

Last evening we were greeted with several cms of wet snow when we left the church following choir practice. It's all melted at this point but I know it won't be long before it's here to stay for a spell!
 

Of Fall, Halloween finishes and a Win

It's a beautiful fall day here today and I have to go no further than the windows of my home to see autumn's beauty. I  snapped a few pics of the view but before I show you, it's time for a stitching update.

I've had two small finishes this week. First up is Hocus Pocus.

The Stitcherhood Hocus Pocus
stitched on 36 ct Lakeside Linen Vintage Pear
using DMC floss

I think I prefer this one without the vines and should I ever stitch it again I'm going to leave them off.
Next is a cute little stitch called Spooky Halloween. I'm on the hunt for the right fabric to finish this one off shortly.

Spooky Halloween by Shelly Auen of Primitive Stitchin'
stitched on 32 ct Lakeside Linen Sand
using DMC floss

My black silk floss for Ghoul has arrived so as of last night it's back in my rotation. I should have an updated photo for you soon. I'd still like to do one more Halloween small, yet to be decided on.

Besides the silk floss, I had another surprise arrival last week. Cath of The Stitchin' Chicken had a giveaway at the end of August to celebrate her blogoversary which I was the lucky winner of. All I knew was that there was a suprise package to be sent to the winner. Here's what I found waiting for me: 2 lovely cuts of linen, some 
WDW floss, a pair of scissors, gorgeous fob and Birds of a Feather Bloom Where You Are Planted. I was overwhelmed by Cath's generosity. Thank you very much Cath! I intend to make good use of everything.

 

Last week my family gathered in Ottawa for a memorial service for my cousin's wife who had recently passed due to a long fight with ovarian cancer. It was a chance for us to celebrate her life and also to visit with one another since we are rarely together anymore.
Here I am with my cousins and my sister Laurie (far right).

Two of my sons, Daniel and Chris were also able to join us so I snapped a picture of them with their Aunt and Uncle.

Now for some pics of the colours outside the windows of my home.

I'll be sorry to see all that colour go and it is going, as you can see from that bare tree in the last photo. I've been stuck indoors with some sort of a respiratory virus so I haven't been able to get out and enjoy the sights the last several days. 
Gotta go, I hear the timer on my oven beeping! I'm on for coffee hour goodies at church on Sunday so I'm baking some pumpkin loaves. Mmm, wish they were for us!