Dreaming...

Dreaming of warmer, sunnier days...

because after this past week, I am done with this...

We were fortunate and did not lose power during the great ice storm of 2014.  Many of our friends weren't so lucky.  Some regaining power after four days and others still waiting...our county was declared a disaster....I am done... 

The boys were home 4 out of 5 days last week.  Due to the weather so far this winter, they haven't had a full week of school since back in December!

Even Panzer does not like the ice crusted snow ~ it's hard to get good traction action to take care of business.  He prefers snuggling and staying warm.

With as cold as it has been, I can't begin to imagine how it felt when my nieces participated in the Polar Plunge yesterday.  The water at Virginia beach was rough and a balmy 37 degrees...yikes!  My sister-in-law wasn't sure offhand of the exact amount, but over the past seven years, the girls have raised approximately $10,000 for the Special Olympics.  I couldn't be more proud!  A special thanks to Marie from Creative Thread for her donation to the cause!  The girls were extremely grateful ~ and, I will post a pic as soon as they send me one!

 

So, we are dreaming...dreaming of spring.  Ready to see the boys in action with baseball and triathlons.

 

I was doing good on trying to sneak in a little stitching time everyday, but then something came up.  I have been working as a substitute aide with a kindergarten student.  After his evaluations and IEP plan were developed, it was determined that he would require an aide through an outside company.  So, off I went....updating all of my clearances, finding transcripts, filling out applications, interviews, training, and testing.  End result is that I am hired and can continue to stay with this student through the rest of the year.  I still have some training modules to take, but am up and running.  My interaction with the student basically stays the same, except now there is paperwork involved.  My brain is tired...it's been a long time since I have had to study like that!

The stitching time I managed, was spent on this...just a few more stitches and it will be finished.

 

And thanks to Gillie, from Random Thoughts from Abroad, I had an unexpected surprise this week.  I had admired this sweet finish on her blog (if you aren't a follower, pop on over, you won't be disappointed) and it showed up in my mailbox along with some pretty red thread!

I love sheep ~ and this is too sweet ~ thanks again, Gillie!

(Sorry for the darkness of the pics, our days have been very grey and dreary.)

 

Yesterday we began the day with some birthday Baked French Toast for my oldest son,

followed by homemade chocolate cake with cream cheese icing....yum!

 

Thanks for stopping by...and a hello to my new followers!  Here's to dreaming of those warmer days... I leave you with the following quote in honor of all those athletes that participate in the Special Olympics...

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.”
― A.A. Milne

Two Months ~ Really!?!

Wow!  I can't believe it has been two months to the day since I last visited this corner of my world.  Here's a quick update on some of what has been going on.

We have all been battling one type of crud or the other off and on, there were family visits, a wonderful Christmas and New Year's holiday season, job challenges, days of cleaning out closets and rooms, and winter storms!  The following are a few of my favorite happenings.....
Panzer loves Christmas.

Although, he was thinking that perhaps Santa should have brought him a bigger stool...

A smaller, simpler Christmas this year, and you know, I think we all actually enjoyed the day more!

 Longwood Gardens...floating displays....many, many floating apples....

Floating displays on the pond...

My brother-in-law, his wife and my beautiful nieces...

The cousins all together.....

So proud of these girls...for the oldest, this upcoming Polar Plunge will be her seventh in support of Special Olympics and her sister.  The youngest will be plunging as well, as a way to say thank-you to the Special Olympics for giving her so many opportunities.  If anyone would care to donate to this cause, please just email me (address is in the profile) and I will send you the link.

Some pics from our winter storms....the birds preparing....

The final total of this last storm....

The middle guy and Panzer...the wind blew snow off of the tree just as I snapped this one, creating a magical photo!

After no significant snow last year, it is safe to say that Panzer loves the snow!

Love the rosy cheeks....

After one boy comes in to warm up, Panzer recruits another to stay outside....

Eating snow from his boy's hands....

Off and running again....

Love the pop of red....

 

And, there has been stitching!!  I am not one to make a resolution, but this year I decided to allow myself time to stitch each day, even if for only a few minutes.  And so far, I have stuck to that ~ it is amazing how a few stitches a day can add up.  Here is what I have been up to....sorry if the pictures look wonky, on my computer they look fine until I load them into blogger....

the first two pieces are from the Ladies Prim Society Club, hosted by Dyeing to Stitch in VA, and were designed by Threadwork Primitives.

This next one is designed by BBD and is part of the club mentioned above and is my current wip.

The next final two are designed by StitchersAnon.  If you aren't familiar with this lovely lady, please pop over, read up on her story, and enjoy her designs ~ some for sale and others for free.

It feels so good to be getting back on a regular stitching schedule ~ hopefully, I can stick to it!

I also have some thank~yous to hand out. 

First, I want to thank June, of Butterfly Wings for sending me these goodies back in December..

a sweet little booklet of monthly bookmarks, holiday tissues, an elf ornament and sweet stocking.

Isn't this cute?

And the card is so pretty ~ one I can display year after year.

Thanks, June!!

I received this wonderful magazine from Carmen at Cardan Antiques and Needlework.

It is hard to see, but she also included the booklet on the right about samplers from Middle Tennessee.  Both were fun to read and re~read.  Thanks, Carmen!

Then, from Marly, over at Samplers and Santas, this wonderful PS Chart.  These will make for good Santa Sunday stitching!  Thanks, Marly!

And this sweet pin-pillow from Shelly over at Arizona Stitcher.  It is adorable and she filled it with balsam, so it smells wonderful!  And the reindeer is a refrigerator magnet clip.  Thanks, Shelly!

The front...

The back...

A giveaway from Krista over at Just Stitching Along,  the chart for Emma Miles.  I have had my eye on this chart for some time and will be adding this into my rotation as soon as I can get over to my LNS to choose some fabric.  This is the picture from the Scarlett Letter website.  I just love that band of holly.  Thanks, Krista!

And finally, this was a giveaway from Kim at Wisdom With Needle and Thread.  A beautifully hand painted porcelain box and canvas.  Thanks, Kim!!

The pictures are borrowed from Kim's blog.

I am very excited about this, as I plan on finishing it for my niece as part of her graduation gift this coming spring.  She loves horses ~ so this is perfect!  Here is one that Kim finished herself...

Kim is hosting another giveaway for her Blogiversary ~ another hand painted box ~ this time a beautiful butterfly.  I know a few of you that love butterflies, so pop on over and enter!  She said there will be other goodies as well.

Thanks again to everyone! 

 

So, there it is...my catch~up post.  Phew....are you still with me?  It is always so hard to know where to begin when one has not posted in so long, so I thought this would be an appropriate quote to leave you with...

“And now all the others are saying, "What about Us?" So perhaps the best thing to do is to stop writing Introductions and get on with the book.”
― A.A. Milne, The World of Winnie-the-Pooh

 

Celebrating!!

Can you believe what you are seeing!?!  Yes ~ a finish!!
Perhaps you heard a loud screech a few nights ago....that was just me celebrating!

This ended up taking way longer than it should have ~ that's just what happens when you keep misplacing your stitching time.

An easy stitch and very true words....

I tweaked the colors just a touch, including the fabric...

The bone after "Be loyal and faithful" was not charted to be encased in the blue, but after stitching the bone and the red, it just wasn't popping on my fabric choice....so, in went the blue.

The heart in "Forgive quickly" was charted green like the grass....couldn't do a green heart....presto, it's red....

And the dog, well, of course, changed to resemble Panzer....hubby says the tail is still too long....oh well....

I would really love to start something new, but I do have some wip's that are jumping back out at me. 

Perhaps I will work on them for now and allow myself a New Year's start.

 

Andrea over at The Craft Room hosted her 5th annual Christmas Random Act of Kindness.  She stitches as many ornaments as she can over the year and then hosts a giveaway draw....I was lucky enough to have my name chosen this year and was so excited when the package arrived....

The stitching and finishing are perfect!  It's hard to see from this picture I snapped with my phone, but the edges are beaded....love, love, love!!!  Thank you, Andrea!!  If you pop on over to her blog, she even has a tab at the top explaining her yearly event and showing some of the past ornaments.  What a sweet way to spread smiles for Christmas! 

 

Panzer says, "What?"

"I smell change in the air...."

"I need my boys to reassure me....my crate was taken down....something about making room for some sort of tree and holiday celebrations....I was thinking more along the lines of indoor plumbing for me perhaps...."

"While waiting for the tree....I'll just snuggle in and keep warm...it's gonna be bitter cold the next few days!"

 

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving ~ in spite of all that 2013 has thrown at us this year, I am still lucky to have many blessings to be thankful for ~ including all of my stitching and blogging friends!

We are preparing for a houseful of guests for Thanksgiving....Grandma, Pappy, my brother and his girls....can't wait to have them all here!! 

“The more - the merrier.”
― A.A. Milne