Stitching?

Okay, I am wondering where the time went since my last post...a long, long time ago...

We had a busy end of the summer...from family vacation, baseball games and triathlons, to birthday celebrations, and back to school and saying goodbye to dear friends.

Hanging with an old friend after school was finally over...

How they have grown in two years...and, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you'll know all about the elusive teenage smile hunt during our Tennessee vacation...

I did catch an amazing smile during a moment of genuine fun with this brothers...

 

Exploring in the Smoky Mtns...

I love their reflections in the water...

Hiking in the Smokies...

Views from our cabin...I love these mountains...relaxing on the porch listening to nature's songs, watching the hummingbirds feed, reading books...pure heaven...

 

The oldest finishing his season...the last time playing with some of these boys....still playing for the same place this fall, but some new faces joining the team as others move on.

The youngest finishing strong in his third triathlon.  The final one of the season is this weekend.  He will be running cross country this fall.  He is amazing me!

And the middle guy back at the job for a new team this fall.  They placed third in their first tournament together, not too bad.  All signs point to a fun fall season!

 

My middle guy turned the page into teenagedom...the big 13!

We spent the day at Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, walking inner harbor and then dining at a fabulous German restaurant....yum!

 

We had about three weeks in August where I wasn't working and before school started back...we had some down days, but had a lot of fun too...

a day at the bay with neighbors and old neighbors who were in town...felt like old times...

A night at the Phillies game for mom and a friend...

We were able to see Charlie Manuel inducted to the Phillies wall of fame...

We watched the Little League World Series...cheering for the Philadelphia team, the Taney Dragons.  Congrats for a former team~mate of my middle guy, Kai on his home~run in their final game!

There was a day of target shooting at Grandma and Pappy's...

The first day of school...the teen lost his smile again...

And while Labor Day found my middle guy and I at a baseball tournament and my husband working, my other two were again at the bay with friends...having a blast and being well taken care of...

Crab time and I missed it!!  Ugh!

My middle guy and I enjoyed some quality alone time and time with team~mates...

We had some good laughs eating here ~ the menu and gift shop are hysterical!

I returned home on Sunday to spend time with my other two and the middle guy stayed behind with his team~mates' family...he's sandwiched between the twins...they gave him his first experience at a Japanese steakhouse...

All~in~all, a busy fun weekend before returning back for the second week of school!

 

Panzer loved having the boys home over the summer and seems to also be adjusting well since we all have returned to school and work...

the lazy dog days of summer...

Panzer wasn't too sure of the bay, and despite the boys all trying, he went back up the steps...

Love that face...

Workin' those eyes!

 Escorting the youngest to the bus...

 

Did you figure out the reason for my title yet?...I did not put a lot of time into stitching...really, nothing that would amount to anything worth showing...I did however frame this piece that I stitched last year...

I saw some great things from the fall market ~ and especially fell in love with the big one from Heartstring Samplery...it's waiting for me at my LNS, the Strawberry Sampler...can't wait to get it and make a start...well, I actually can't wait to find some stitching time...

 

And finally, we said goodbye to some good friends and they are greatly missed.  They are now living in the Atlanta, GA area ~ well, at least for a couple of years, and then hopefully back to this area.  I taught her to stitch a couple of years ago, so if any of you live in that area, maybe I can get you in touch with her.  And if you have any suggestions for shops that are closer to the Atlanta area, please let me know, as there seems to be nothing in Atlanta and that seems crazy to me!  She's really homesick, so hopefully her stitching will help.

 

Thanks to all of you that stop by and lasted through my long post with virtually nothing stitching related...I am reading your blogs, seeing all of your beautiful work and leaving comments here and there.  Hopefully, I will have some stitching to show next time!

 

Given my long absence and saying goodbye to our friends, I thought this more than appropriate...

“Promise me you'll never forget me because if I thought you would, I'd never leave.”
― A.A. Milne

Baseball, Goodbyes, Stitches & Goodies

Popping in quick to say life is still crazy....

The boys are finally done with school.  I am proud to say that the boys did well and I now have an eighth, seventh and a fourth grader ~ I can't believe where the years have gone.

We are still busy with baseball ~ the boys have been practicing and playing hard.

My little guy's team placed second in a Memorial Day Tournament, and he played on the Little League All Star Team.

My oldest has been playing with his travel team.  Here is one of my most recent favorites.  Love the intensity and the kick of the dust...he recently pitched a no~hitter, winning the game in 5 innings.

 

Panzer is adjusting to life without his best friend, Joker.  They are only a month apart in age and have grown up together ~ sadly, his family moved last week...Joker, we will miss you and your family...

Playtime will never be the same...

Best friends...forever...

Staring at Joker's door, wondering where he is....

Needless to say, Panzer has been getting some extra attention..and if anyone sees a boxer traveling east from the Midwest, help him out, his name is Joker and he's trying to get back to his friend....

Enough of the sad stuff...

 

I missed yet another tusal date.

There are finally some new threads!  I was able to finish the stitching on this piece for my mom.  A BBD that was a limited edition kit, I believe from last year's market.

And I got back to working on Pomegranate Study by NeedleWorkPress.

Finding stitching time, even if only a bit here and there, has done wonders for the soul.

 

I owe a couple belated thank~yous.

First is to Myra.  She stitched this great design, finished it into a brooch, and hosted a give~away on her blog.  Cleverly, she used a magnet (like those you fine on needle minders) instead of a pin.  Keeps one from poking holes in jackets, sweaters, or whatever you choose to wear the brooch on.  Isn't it sweet?

The next thank you goes out to P.J.  She also had a give~away.  And sent me these lovely goodies.

Notepads, slipper socks, a great needle minder, one of Blue Ribbon Designs tools to help measure borders when starting a stitched piece, and a great balsam filled cushion.  The smell of the cushion reminds me of vacations in Maine as a child.

Thanks so much ladies ~ I love everything!

I'm going to sign off now and hopefully put in a few stitches before I call it a night.  Thanks for stopping by and in honor of Panzer and Joker, I'll leave you with this....

“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh 



Celebrations...

The last few weeks have seen a few reasons to celebrate in our household.  

Let's start with the Oscar party that my neighbor held.  Just a few of us ladies, some cheese, crackers, strawberries, wine, and the ballots.  Let's just say that when I left at 10:00, I had only picked two or three winners...I was way behind.  

A few ladies had chosen 6 or 7 correct winners already.  So, imagine my surprise, when my neighbor let me know that I had, in the end, chosen the most correct winners!!  This is what was delivered to my door.

Whoo~hoo!

Now, the candy did not last long ~ the boys quickly got into that (yep, we'll just blame the boys for how fast the candy was eaten).  But, I told them to back off ~ the $25 gift card for the movies ~ that is a date night for mom and dad!!

 

Secondly, I would like to say congratulations to my oldest for making the 7th grade baseball team!!

Let the fun begin...between their travel teams, little league starting back up, and now the school team, I am juggling practice and game schedules for three boys and six teams.  I know, call me crazy....but, we are down one team from last year, so this should be easy...oh wait, my oldest will be playing on two travel teams, so we are still at 7...so much for being easy!

 

And finally, Panzer turned one year old this past Friday!!

Yes, he steals tissues straight from the box!

Here he is with all of his buddies...

Joker, the boxer, is a month older than Panzer.  They have grown up together and are quite the buds.

He still has such a puppy face...

All that play leads to one tired pup...

And one of my recent favorites...in the past, when my husband took his yearly business trip, the boys would want to take turns sleeping on daddy's side of the bed and snuggle with me...it's not so much about me anymore...

 

I am late with this months tusal...there is a lot of fuzz, as the frogs have been sticking around..

Here is what I am working on now....a belated gift for my mom's birthday.  She received some other stitching stash goodies, but I didn't get this done yet...

 

A big thank you to Jeanne from Hamilton House.  She was giving away these goodies and I was the lucky recipient.

Thank you so much, Jeanne!  Fabric and fibers are always welcome ~ and the booklets are great to look through while drinking my cup of tea!  If you haven't been by Jeanne's blog ~ pop on over and visit.

 

This week, brought a surprise all the way from Holland!  Heidi from Stitched Memories in Time, had asked me a while back if I owned a teapot.  I thought she meant a real china teapot, and that I do not have ~ but I do drink tea!  I didn't think anything else about it, until I opened the package and found these..

Six teacup coasters!  They are perfect ~ and look how they match my mug!

I guess if I ever get a real teapot, I will have to place an order for the teapot cosy that she was originally going to make!  Heidi is making it a goal to send rak's out each month this year ~ she is going to be creating many smiles!  Thank you so much, Heidi!  I love them and am grateful for your friendship.  Like Jeanne, if you haven't been to visit Heidi, please do drop over.  You will see some wonderful goodies!

 

Hopefully our weather will break soon.  We have had so many grey, dreary days.  I am ready for some warmer, sunnier spring weather.

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope you all find time this week to enjoy the things that bring a smile to your face..

And in the spirit of Heidi's gift, I will leave you with this...

“A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards.”
― A.A. Milne