Dancing is the Fun Part

This morning when I looked at the design from The Sampler Girl, called Clara's Christmas Dance 1892 which just released Sept 1 and came in the mail, I immediately thought of this picture of me and my hubbie which has been on the table for 1 year (blushing now) without a frame! This was a moment captured at my nephew's wedding, that I had made into an 8 x 10.

So, I thought to myself, how neat it would be to stitch just the words "I Danced With My Sweetheart" into a pinkeep. Hope I remembered correctly that it was ok with her to sometimes stitch part of a design (Tanya I hope that was ok! ) I plan to stitch the entire design on a larger piece of linen just as designed but excerpted this phrase and stitched the back on with a paisley old blue and Colonial red. This is on 28 ct linen ( a scrap I bought long time ago at a store in Pigeon Forge, TN) and then I used the 2 very old black pins I got out of a scrap bag at an antique store. It was a grab bag of old, old notions). I used Belle Soie Red Fox. I plan to stitch the entire design on a larger piece of fabric with the entire verse nearer to Christmas time.

Some of the best times we had were dancing. We always danced by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and I remember even one year while I was in my graduate program and working full time and single, he was kind enough to dance with me at the tune of the printer machine as I was printing off my many papers I had to write for professors!

All in all, some of our fondest memories are dancing. When my nephew got married last year, David, and the pics came back online, I cropped us dancing and got this 8 x 10 made. It needs a frame and that will come in time but I do like it right by our front door. Hopefully it reminds both of us of the good times we have as we pass it, on the way out and on the way in the door. We all have ups and downs, some more dramatic, but this phrase really touched my heart.

Yes, I'm rather chatty this weekend. I'm doing all I can do to not focus on the worsening situation in Afghanistan. I make one mess when I'm creating, stitching and sewing but it does take my mind off some very deep concerns.

Hope you are having a peaceful evening.

Jennifer

Ren's New Onesies

When you're a dog at 16 and you have hair loss from age, just get some Garanimals (preemie size) and snip those bottom snappers out and you have a soft-Tshirt for quiet napping.


This afternoon I went into the kitchen and he had dragged his blanket to the front of the dishwasher and was taking a nap in his new onesies by the humming of the dishwasher.............he will wake up when he smells dinner cooking.
hey, whatever works............LOL Got them for 3 bucks on a Walmart closeout rack yesterday. Perfect for him. They even have pawprints on them.

Mums and Mail Goodies

Mums are here! This is one of the lovlies I got yesterday. I like the mums when they haven't bloomed a bit to surprise me with their color!

These are my itty, bitty, ones that I plan to put in a long planter together. My fave color is the deep burgandy red, then the autumny yellow are my next faves.

Lookie what I got in the mail! I made an order with Tanya, The Sampler Girl and when I got this I nearly cried. I will treasure it forever Tanya! It's a photo album and on the front is a picture of one of her samplers. Thanks Tanya for that surprise for a birthday giftie! I LOVE IT! Thank you again. I will probably put a pic of each of my samplers finished and place it on my sofa table. Tanya is the most creative person. I've never met her in person but I can tell by her blog and creative designs she is the sweetest in the world!

Here's my order that came in (the patterns) and the birthday giftie from Tanya!

I'm excited to find that she also offered the piece of linen to stitch the Clara Christmas one on the left on her website. You must check out her site http://atthehoneysuckletree.blogspot.com/

and there you can click on her webshop. She just put a neat freebie out too. Check it out!

Till later,

Jennifer

My midnight stitching tonight turned scarey!

Well, today was a long one. Went out of town to take care of some personal business and mixed a little fun in too. I'll post about it tomorrow (the fun part).

We just got in actually not too long ago, catching up on the TV news and decided to pick up my sampler and work on it on the stitching stand. Guess what? I'm stitching away and felt this crawl across my foot onward to the middle of my living room and I screamed so loud that I lost my voice! The Bodyguard thought I had stabbed my finger with a needle big time! LOL


A 4 inch wolf spider somehow got in our house and this is what a wolf spider looks like close up. This is not the actual spider but a pic I found on the net because after I screamed and jumped straight up into my chair, my hubbie said, blankety-blank, about the time he saw it and smashed it with a shoe about 3 times. Sure enough, a 4 inch thick, hairy wolf spider. You can identify these by all the hair and the thick body and OH they are ugly. They are supposed to be good spiders because they eat other little ones. But, NO spider is a good spider to me.


In the 8 years we have lived here this is the second horrible experience of a wolf spider. The first one was actually on the wall of our basement about 5 years ago, a 6 inch one. I had never in my life seen such a spider. I have a fear of spiders and snakes so you can imagine what that was like!
Oh, well, stitching to relax and wind down turned to nerves rattling.
You can bet I will be checking under my sheets tonight! LOL


I read they have 8 eyes and fangs. They can bite but are not poisonous. Is this not the ugliest thing ever?

Needless to say the pest control man will be here Tues for sure.

Well, I'm going to try and get in bed now........thought I would share this lovely stitching experience tonight. OMG

Oh yeah, and sweet dreams!!! Watch out. Halloween is getting ready already at our house LOL

The house is finished

There's one lesson in life that cross stitching teaches me and that is to set goals and to achieve those goals. Then with that, accomplishment builds self-confidence that future challenges can be met.

I was hoping to finish the house today and did. I'm so glad. Because sometimes, I feel that I don't really accomplish anything good. It leaves me with a good feeling before I drift off to sleep.

I'm taking a day trip tomorrow, a very long day trip, so hopefully I will be able to fill in alot of the tree and grass.

My birthday went as well as could be expected. I had made one birthday wish and it didn't come true. It wouldn't have cost one penny but only God knows why some things happen as they do.

Interesting facts about the year I was born

1. The CIA's domestic operation division was created
2. Gideon v. Wainwright passes: The U. S. Supreme Court declared the poor must have lawyers
3. The Beatles released their first album, Please, please, me
4. The 35th Academy Awards ceremony was held.
5. Women's Suffrage in Iran---- women could vote.
6. A general election was held in Italy
7. The Coca Cola company introduced the first diet drink----Tab
8. The first James Bond film was shown in theatres----Dr. No
9. Pope John XXIII died
10. Smallpox spread hit Sweden lasting to July
11. Buddy Rogers became the first WWF champion.
12. Zip codes were introduced in the United States.
13. Martin Luther King delivered his I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of 250,000
14. Marvel Comics released the first ever X-men Comic book.
15. The U. S. Senate ratified the nuclear test ban treaty
16. Laura Bush killed Michael Dutton Douglas in a car crash around 8pm in her hometown of Midland, Texas (per Wikipedia)
17. The Beatles second album was released, With The Beatles
18. John F. Kennedy was assassinated
19. Kennedy was buried in Arlington National Cemetary and all schools closed on that day
20. The first episode of the BBC television series Doctor Who is broadcast in the United Kingdom
21. U. S. President Lyndon B. Johnson established the Warren Commission to investigate the Kennedy assassination.
22. Frank Sinatra was kidnapped.
23. Patsy Cline was killed in a plane crash.
24. NASA launched the world's first synchronous satelite
25. Vostok 6 carried the first Soviet woman into space.
26. Kenya became independant.
27. I want to Hold Your Hand and I Saw Her Standing There introduced an era of Beetlemania
28. Harvey Ball invented the ubiquitous smiley face symbol.
29. Academy of Awards Best Picture---Lawrence of Arabia--Sam Spiegel
30. Best Actor--Gregory Peck
31. Best Actress-Anne Bancroft
32. Best Supporting Actress- Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker

Another lazy day

Looking upward in the stairwell you can see the attic fan in full use. It's 72 degrees and dry outside~~~lovely weather. I think it got in the upper 50's last night at the low.

Yes, this is also potential sampler space and lots of it in the stairwell all around. When I finish the Blue House Sampler, it will probably reside somewhere on the stairwell walls.


Raven, my girl, is.........(as one of my friends call it) "all laid up" LOL Please disregard the flower pot being turned over. If they are empty, my girls knock them over every time. I plan to put some mums in my empty flower pots, actually going in to the city tonight to get them.

This is my meek progress on the Blue House. The green is filling in nicely.

My pots are empty, just waiting on me to fill them with some colorful Fall mums.

This morning has already flown by. I have some more things to accomplish today which involves the following:

Sewing a cover for my porch wicker chaise

Finish cleaning out closets

Putting some items I no longer need on Ebay for some extra stitching cash

Changing bed linens and the oh so dreaded laundry--remember don't hate.........appreciate!

Trying out a new restaurant for dinner.

Finding those mums to place on my porch and in the yard.

Finishing the blue house on the Blue House Sampler

Hope your Thursday is filled with fun and relaxation!

An Evening By the River and Window Shopping

Well, this evening we decided to get out and eat by the Chattahoochee River at our fave spot in Helen Georgia, a Bavarian village near our home. The weather was so inviting and I had a taste for good food and company as the chilly river sounds danced in the background.

After our dinner, we walked over to the Dutch shop because I had in mind to get another one of those flower frogs ie. scissor frogs. But they just closed. Pooie, so I took lots of pics so you could see the candy store that's not far from our house.

Here are the dinner plates I would love to have one day!

This is even the little brothel (no I don't believe in brothels). But I guess in Holland they must have those, so here is a miniture one.

More cups and saucers. Imported from Holland, along with an assurance of taking credit cards to stimulate our economy! ;)

Lookie at this teapot!

And a possible scissor frog!

A large windmill and houses.

More goodies to drool over........

And this large frog in the window must be a new one since I went into the store. I can only imagine my large Ginghers in this one.

Yes, this is in Georgia, not Holland, but it fits right in with the other "villages" here.

Down by the lazy river........wait, isn't that an old song in the 70's?

Our table right by the river and the Body Guard gazing into the water.While he was gazing and tranquilized, I ordered myself prime rib and a nice glass of Merlot!

The cool breeze was heavenly and peaceful, clear, no humidity----just perfect!

This is one area of Helen where the Dutch shop is located.Ok, this is way out of nowhere, but when I passed this ? flower ?bush? what in the world is this?

Passing by another window shop, I couldn't resist taking this one through the window. How about this couple on the right? LOL It says "Still the sexy couple" Hope I"m not quite that old yet.

And some beautiful flowers

Evidence cameras are pretty good for closeups, don't you think?

Hope your mid-week is going well!

Feeling Fallish Outside Today

Ok, I'm getting used to this ---go to bed at 1am and get up at 10am---kind of schedule! I love it. Isn't that what vacation is about? My friend, Connie at work gave me this for my birthday and of course she thinks I need to chill this week too. I love it! It's an herbal combination of Eucalyptus and Spearmint. I'll have to watch it though, because BodyGuard loves the smell of this. He has been known to snitch my Eucalyptus bodywash before! HEHEHEHE

I count this too as a gift because I never in the world thought I would have a chance at adopting this from Doris, but she has a gracious heart and so generous. She is cleaning out her stash (something I should be doing) and she picked my name to get this lovely Lavender and Lace Angel of Summer WITH all the beads and threads, and the 32 ct linen. Isn't it pretty? I just got it in the mail. Thank you so much Doris!

My to do list yesterday -----well, most of it was done...... a couple I didn't but did find my Fallish stuff for my kitchen island. These pumpkins came from Hearts and Flowers primitive store in Cleveland Ga last year. I just love them. I only had one fleeting thought of guilt as I looked around the basement for them for not taking the time to clean out more stuff......but it passed quickly. LOL

I slept so good last night with the windows open. Love the 50's and 60's weather when Fall begins. Won't be long until nature will show its grand beauty here in the mountains of North Ga. There's nothing like it in the world.

Night owl progress

I finally after a full analysis of what the right color would be......found Belle Soie Lily Pad to be the tree and the filler for the house. It looks closest to the color on the front of the pattern and it is beautiful. Belle Soie is like butter when stitching......fun, fun.

God blessed me with the ability to stay up until all hours of the night. My most productive, creative work is at midnight. I know that's strange and maybe I'm a vampire or something but it's real. And here are the results for tonights midnight progress.....

Fixing to climb into my cozy quilt with the windows opened and go to sleep with the song of crickets. And I mean lots of them. There's nothing better than country living in the mountains.

So, far I'm achieving my goals this week and having a bit of fun too. Tomorrow, well tomorrow is another day.......hey, I've got another day to get a present like Kathy said........I'm getting downright excited about this. Will have to keep in touch what I choose.

Fiddle-de-dee

Things to do today

Eat a late, late lunch with my honey

order---corrected---ordered the Christmas sampler by The Sampler Girl

Get a pedicure today, maybe a manicure too.



Find some mums to brighten the porch



Open the windows and enjoy the cool breeze .......and ragweed too



Work on The Blue House Sampler tonight



Send my letters and mail out



Do a little searching around for my next give-a -way idea..........stay-tuned

Pull out my Fall decor from the basement (did I mention the basement clutter, hopefully this will not start the urge to clean out because then that isn't fun)

Thank God for friends like you who are so compassionate and share the love of stitching with me

Setting the mood of my day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

click here for another laugh! I love this u-tube about Charlie Bit Me.
I am scrolling through some funny clips to set the day right. No sadness here today, just funny.
This video reminded me of my own kids when they were little because they were that close in age and Brandon would have been the one to stick his finger in Meghan's mouth and dare her and then whine like that. It's hilarious. Meghan was a biter for a while too and she would have laughed back.

One day maybe I"ll learn how to embed the video right into the blog so you won't have to click on it.......if anyone knows a simple way with Google blogger let me know!

Hope you are having a great Tuesday. Got plenty of things to get done today as yesterday, turned a little sad but today is going to be better, indeed.

My birthday present to myself :0

Happy 46th birthday, Jennifer girl!

ok, am I the only one here or does anyone else get themselves birthday present for themselves? Guilty as charged. My guilt plea is for buying a birthday present for my own self. Oowie! Can you tell I"m married to someone in Law Enforcement? LOL

I caved yesterday and got this delft flower frog at the Delft Shop in Helen, Ga. for my little scissors. I've been looking at all Deb's scissor frogs and just had to find a delft one. This store, The Dutch shop, has one, a smaller one, that fits the perfect function for my little scissors. I will also put my Love Scissors (with the heart handles) in it-------when I retrieve them from the car. Yes, I'm guilty of stitching in the car at lunchtime during workdays. I dropped a pair in between the seats and have to go digging for them. As soon as I add this pair and another pink handle pair I have, then this will be my collection of Littles.

I absolutely love Delft. I did before I married a Dutchman and now it's so much better because I know he is a Dutchman..........This shop is full of only Delft imported from Holland.

Thanks Deb, for giving me the bug to go scissor frog shopping yesterday!!!!!!! LOL

Oh, and look at my fat quarters. I have tons more in my cabinet downstairs but these are my favorites which need to be made into something. Oh, what potential right????

I have taken the new sewing machine out of the box and stared at it for 2 days. I am going to get the courage to use it tonight.

What will I sew? I haven't a clue. But I will keep you posted. (unless it looks like crap, then I won't). LOL