Summer Exchange

I am finally able to show the Summer Exchange hosted by Lainey at the Stitched With Love Exchanges.

I had to create a package for Christina from Whilst Iris Naps.  We were to create a stitched item based on a summer vacation/travel theme.  As soon as I heard the theme, I knew I wanted to stitch this BBD piece.  We were to also include some other goodies.  I know the Halloween pattern and threads don't fit the theme, but I also know that Christina loves Halloween - so in they went! 

 

I just had to include this mermaid scissor fob.  I was happy to hear from Christina that this was her first fob! 

I received a wonderful package from Barb of Barb's Ramblings - Stitching 'N Things.

The first thing my boys found was this box.  Needless to say, it did not last long!

Then there was this beautiful fob and pair of scissors.  Love it! 

Look at the cute charm on the back!  If I ever travel over the pond, I am told I have to visit the Abbey!

She also included this wonderful Summer Needleroll.  A first for me!! So pretty! 

A lovely lace bookmark for my summer reading. 

A package of needles - it is always great to have those extra needles.  See those little seashell charms?  These were attached to the ribbons on the packages.  They will no doubt find their way onto a future piece of needlework.

And finally, this beautiful candle holder.  I love it! It is even more special, since it was made by her husband!!  Isn't is great?

When you look at it from the side, you can see that going along with the summer theme, this was made to remind you of the sea.  See how the bottom has the coloring of the sand!  My boys thought this was pretty cool.  One of them even tried to take it to his room - I put a stop to that, this one is mine! 

The note card is a scene from her town, as is the postcard.  Definitely a place I would love to visit one day! 

 

Thank you so much Barb for your wonderful and generous gifts!

The current exchange theme is Fall/Halloween.  I opted out of this one.  This is such a busy time of year for us, adjusting to back to school, along with scouts and baseball starting up again.  I've barely had time or energy to put in any stitches lately. 
Lainey will be putting up info soon for the Christmas Exchange.  If you'd like to participate, keep an eye on the exchange blog, the link is at the top of this post.

Don't forget to keep an eye on Ned the Gnome's Adventures.  Just click the picture on the side to see what he's been up to. 

Thanks for stopping by, Happy Stitching!

Where in The World.....And a Tusal

In my last little post, I mentioned that we had missed all the natural disasters in our area due to vacation.  So, where in the world were we?? 

Well, we visited many countries, had some peeks into the future, spent some time in Hollywood, went on a safari, went on an expedition to find a yeti, visited the old west, saw some pirates, princesses, some ghosts, some space heroes....this list could go on and on...any guesses???

Here's a hint:

Yep.....we spent our vacation at Walt Disney World.  There's a lot of walking and a lot of patience needed to make this vacation work - and we did it!!  I'll probably sneek in a picture or two in the next few posts. 

A very important day passed while we were there.  My middle guy turned 10!!  Two-handfuls as one Disney employee called it!  He loves trains, so on the morning of his birthday, my husband took him to the "Behind the Steam Trains Tour".  I don't think he'll be forgetting that any time soon.  You go before the park is open and actually take part in the opening of the park!

 



I do have to thank some special blogging friends.  I sent some Just Nan patterns to June.  Look at the goodies she sent to me as a thank you:

 

 

 

Wow!  I was completely amazed by her generosity. If you haven't stopped by her blog, take a moment and do so.  Thanks June!

And then there is Jackie.  A while back, she showed her finish of HallowEden on her blog.  I left a comment and she contacted me to see if I would like to stitch it.  Look at what showed up in my mailbox this week:

 

Whoo-hoo!!  I am ashamed to admit it, but even though I have more than I will ever stitch, new stash makes me happy.  If my husband ever looks in the jelly cupboard where I store my stash, you may just find me on a future episode of "Hoarders"!  Thank you so much Jackie!  It's the perfect time of year to start on HallowEden!

Do any of you follow Beth Twist's blog?  She is the designer of Heartstring Samplery.  If you send her a picture of her blog header out and about (using your smartphone, I-Pad, I-Touch, etc.)  she will post your picture on a separate site she set up and send you an awesome pattern designed just for those that send in a photo.  She is enjoying seeing her blog "travel" the world.  I'll be stitching this one up for sure!  Here is one of the photos I sent in.

We were at the airport in Orlando, waiting to board our plane to head home.

It's that time again.  Tusal....sadly, there was not much stitching this month.  Between the end of summer, vacation and the start of school, I was kept busy.  My fingers are itching to get stitching. Maybe tonite I'll sit and make that happen.  Anyway, here is my jar, with only a few added threads.  Hopefully I'll do better this month.

Thanks for stopping by!  See you real soon! (Did that sound too much like the old Mickey Mouse Club song?)

Earthquakes and Hurricanes....Oh My!!

One's family goes away on vacation and we missed all the fun!  While we were away, our area felt the earthquake that rattled the East coast and then along came hurricane Irene!  We were delayed getting home by two days and the first day of school was cancelled.  

We are thankful to our friends and neighbors that kept an eye on our home and made sure that everything was secured before and after the storm.  

Hopefully over the next few days, I can get caught up on blog reading, emails, laundry, etc.  Then I will post again with some pictures and some thank-yous!

My thoughts and prayers go out to those that were more severely affected by mother nature this past week.

Sweet Rain, Summer Fun and Some Goodies!

***EDITED TO ADD MUFFIN RECIPE***

We have finally had some rain here!!  The gardens are looking a little happier now and it will be much easier to pull all the weeds that have taken over! 

The boys have been keeping busy doing summertime things.  Swimming, riding bikes, reading, etc.  Good old fashioned summer fun!

 

 

Here is my oldest and one of his friends practicing with their BB guns.  They are planning on taking the hunter safety course later this fall.   No worries, right now they are only shooting at milk jugs and empty soda cans!



We've also done some cooking and dish washing.  In our house, we let bananas get extra ripe just so we can make chocolate, chocolate chip, banana muffins!  Yummy!

 

Of course, you can't bake without licking the bowl!

 

And if you want the first muffin, you help with the dishes - don't you just love the dish washing outfit!!

Here are the muffins cooling - after which they will be dusted with powdered sugar!

We also made some zucchini soup, but I neglected to get a picture of that before it was all gone..

I was able to get my exchange package put together and sent, sorry, I can't show you the pictures yet.  I received my package yesterday, and as soon as everyone receives theirs, I will be able to post pictures.  So, I can't show you, but I can tell you that I had a wonderful exchange partner!

I can show you are some goodies I received in the mail.  First up is this adorable tissue pack holder from Stitchin' Sweet Sue.  She gave three of these away during a giveaway to celebrate 200+ followers!  Mine is the Burnt Garden Dots pattern - too cute - I love it! Thanks again Sue!

 

And next, Catherine, some of you may know her as diamondc, had a giveaway.  Now, I wasn't the first name picked, but she found another pattern to send out and my name was picked!  Red Bird Sampler by Ewe and Eye And Friends.  What a sweet pattern!  It looks like it will be fun to stitch.  Thanks Catherine!! 

 

Hopefully, I'll have some stitching to show soon and will be able to share the exchange pieces!  For now, I'm going to enjoy what's left of summer with the boys!

Thanks for stopping by.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS
The pictures in this post represent a double batch of muffins.

1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (I always use three bananas - and let them get really ripe!)
Blend the above ingredients until creamy.

Sift together and add to the above:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Blend until smooth.
Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips. 
Fill your muffin cups (I usually fill mine 1/2 to 3/4 full - depends on how big you like your muffins)
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes
When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and enjoy!!
(They are also good warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream)

FYI.....

*Edited on August 7th*

Another great giveaway by Happiness is Cross Stitching.  This one ends on August 28th.  Here is a picture of the beautiful items up for grabs!


Just a quick post to let you all know about a giveaway at Lee Hill Primitives. The giveaway ends August 26th, so head on over and check it out.  I tried to add it to my giveaway section on my sidebar, but for some reason, when I pull that up to edit, it keeps getting stuck.

Don't forget to also check out Jennifer's giveaway at Feather's in the Nest.   This one ends soon - August 6th is the last day to enter! A winner is to be drawn on August 7th.

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend - I'm going to try and get some stitches in!!