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Mother Goose day

Most of the cozy day was spent with a quilt, pot of tea, and reading material. So many other things on my list to do but the day just keeps slipping away so comfortably inside as the weather is quite dark and dreary through the windowpanes.

Through my reading today, I found out that May 1st is also Mother Goose Day, first started in 1987 by Gloria Delamar. I love Mother Goose Rhymes and can remember quite a few that were memorized and chanted as a little girl. I still look at my toes and remember all the little piggies that went to the market!

Even though we probably all had this in our literature in the early years, and I mean, early (vintage), the rhymes are quite entertaining to read even as an adult. I have so many favorites I can't name just one single one but certainly this one still I fancy. Maybe it's because as I get older I can relate to this true wisdom, although hard at times to follow, it's pretty good for little and old folks.

A Wise Old Owl

A wise old owl sat in an oak,

The more he heard, the less he spoke;
The less he spoke, the more he heard;
Why aren't we all like that wise old bird?

Well, I've always been a night owl! ;)

30 days hath Sept, April, June and November........

Yep, this morning I woke up 10 hours later and slept GOOOOOD last night. I was actually falling asleep holding this in my hand. I've never fell asleep with a needle in my hand before.

I had to stop and think about todays' date and it's May 1st......May Day.

I hope to finish up this little piece into a pillowkeep today, along with a bunch of other things on my to-do list.  I'm stitching this piece on a remnant of 30 Ct Creek Bed Brown R & R linen. Fibers are Crescent colors silks, and Weeks Dye.

I've got to put the vase of tulips here and then sew it up!

This is a freebie on Primitive Betty's Blog site. Pop over there. She has some cute freebies!

She has one I want to stitch up to be a companion pillowkeep called Tulip Time. This will look good in our Dutch colonial home.

Speaking of home, here's' Miss Abbie first thing in the morning. Picture taking is better when she first gets up. She's is my lump of sugar. My stitching buddy and is forever herding in Ren when he goes the wrong way.

I guess she is now the "seeing eye dog" for Ren.

I think that as she has matured she finally figured out he can't see and is old. She's much better with him now.

On May 7th, Abigail will be 8 months old.

Enjoy your May Day!

Jenn

long day and relaxing counterparts.........

On a Friday like today I have to wonder if it's full moon.

The day started out with sleeping an hour late and rushing like crazy down the highway to work to make up for it.

Then, spilled boiling hot coffee all over me and my hand that already was hurting.

Then a perpetual day of solving problems, in 15 minute increments.

But, I took the long ride home. The scenic route to de-wind.

Too tired to cook or even get back in the car to get something at a restaurant, I fixed this meal:

A large can of  Chef Boy R D Raveoli was in the pantry and I just popped it in the oven with cheese to melt and Body Guard was happy as a lark and it was even tasty. Cheese makes anything better.

Not too healthy but tasty enough.

While cooking this fancy meal, I lit this oh-so-awesome candle

and added a glass of red wine

and gave Abbie her favorite treat after lots of loves and kisses

And then watching Miss Abbie sit on my new finish in anticipation for another stroller ride.

Nope, Abbie, not tonight....too tired.

But BG was outside so she wanted to go too.

Oh, Abbie please let me relax. Today was one long, busy day.

But then again, after our Chef-Boy  R D supper,

I've got a new wind.....and thinking about my next stitching project.

Thank goodness for balance. For surrounding our lives with relaxing elements like our pets, simple food, a great candle,  our partner, and our stitching. Something to relax each one of our senses.

Thank you God.

Taking a deep breath and going through my stash to see what I can get into next! ; )

Till later,

Jennifer

Completely Finished LHN Always and Forever

Had a change of heart!

Found this perfect navey textured cotton pillow and stuffed it, then blind stitched by hand the design on it.

Stitched a charm on it

And now it sits in my honey's chair.

Little House Needleworks--designer

Always and Forever

28 count Parchment linen

2 over 2

Fiber: Monochromatic in Mer Blue silk by Crescent Colors

nearly the entire skein, 12 yards.

Old Spools, color, scissors and thimbles

I'm tired....or in the mountains they say, I'm TARD!  LOL

And by the way, the BARE visited and strowed our trash everywhere this morning. He went next door and released a cord off the trash can and helped himself to dinner and ran off. He is quite BIG!

After work I the car immediately pulled into (with no control) one of my fave thrift shops/antique shops or whatever shops.

Here's my finds that made me giddy:

old spools with thread about 9 -10 inches long and old scissors

I love this textured thread

And if my breathe was not taken away by that, I found 2 packs of thimbles

tulip ones

red and blue bird ones

And I just opened these. Labeled in a bag of 2 "Delft" and so I couldn't resist the price at all!

Came home opened the bag and they are 2 of a set of 4 collectible Currier and Ives

Hard to show you the scene around, One says "At the Homestead in Winter"

My progress on LHN Always and Forever is so almost complete I can't stand it!  But by the time I got home, cooked supper, took Abbie for her first stroll, met new neighbors down the road and then they came and talked, then cleaned the kitchen, I'm a little pooped and that's after working all day out of town, thrift shopping and quilt store shopping. My vitamins must be working!

I will finish this sampler tonight......I will say this until it's done.

I found an idea when I get done what I will do with it.

I'm going to back it with some pretty homespun blue fabric and then sew to an old burlap bag with a string.

I haven't picked out the fab yet, but I have a few selections.....LOL

The old scissors I love!

As for the stroller and Abbie, her first go at it was ok. I didn't get a pic but maybe next time. The neighbors instantly thought we had a baby......and then Abbie plopped out of the thing and made a nose dive on pavement, thankfully not knocking out teeth but definitely examined and swooned over by BG as if she were totally devastated.

We then learned to use the zip around function on the pet stroller so she could ride along.

Our nice new neighbors who moved here from Alaska and also on the bear hunting night scene, loved her but Abbie bit at them and growled like I have never seen. I was so embarrassed. She has gotten quite an attitude lately but settled with a yam treat when she got home.

So GLAD tomorrow is Friday so I can crash and rest on Saturday and Sunday.

Slowly but surely......

Stitch time at lunch again.

Almost getting there. But here's my progress.

I have so many to stitch so I'm really ready to finish this one up. My thoughts on what I'm going to do as far as finishing have yet to be decided but I want to do finish it probably as a small hanging vs. framing this one.

I've had questions on how I group or put my stitched pieces in our home. Mostly I group samplers by color; however, any Jane Austen samplers are grouping upstairs. I haven't really thought alot about it. Mainly when I start to stitch a piece I usually have an idea where it will fit in.

Sometimes I just like a piece in particular for sentimental reasons (mostly) and I just place them where my heart leads.

Last night late I decided to listen to Librovox audio books, free online site and we turned off the TV and listened to the first chapter and into the second of Mansfield Park. Then, this led to conversations about what other books "in the public domain" are free and I saw the 9/11 Commission Report which is 23 hours long.

We listened to the first section before going to bed and boy, is it intense. Factual and disturbing, but something I think every American should read (or hear) at some point in time. I didn't realize the entire report was online in Librovox. If you are interested, you can click right on the site in my side bar to the right and it's like going into an old library, literally. All Jane Austen novels are in there!

Today went by quite quickly and I'm oh, so tired as I went to Target after work and picked up the usual items and really was on a mission for some panels for the downstairs bedroom. We have odd sized windows and it has been such a hard time finding wooden shutters, even blinds that looked fitting for the style of the house.

Of course, Ren and Abbie got new treats which they both loved tonight when I brought them home. Now, she is a ball of energy-- wide-open energy-- when mine is dwindling now.

I think instead of ironing panels, I'm going to rest and catch up on the news and stitch instead.

My left hand is really hurting and I'm afraid the nerve in this arm is going to have to be reassessed by a doc.

I'm dreading this but at the same time, I can't lose function of my hand/arm. It's definitely the nerve in my hand which if touched lightly sends electric currents into my first finger and top of hand.

This time, I'm definitely looking for a hand specialist/surgeon, not a general orthopedic to deal with this. I have too much at stake to let it progress. If you live in or around the Atlanta area and know of a specialist for hand rehab or neurosurgeon that really stands out as excellent, I would love to know his/her name.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments on the Mother's Day Giveaway!  And welcome to all new readers too. I love connecting with folks all over the world!

Till later,

Jennifer

Abbie and Me say HaY~ on a perfect kind of DaY!

Abbie and me say hey on this Tuesday afternoon.

We've had a great day! Lots of reading, lots of measuring for blinds upstairs and lots of play time.

Lots of sorting and cleaning, rearranging and planning the next couple of weeks.

Lots of sorting linen and charts and finding old books in the basement, reading old letters, sorting mail.

Old books fill my basement and are fun to refind as I arrange a section into my "library".

Cleaning and folding fabrics that I so adore in my sewing area.

Planning a whole new decorating theme for our "other" upstairs bedroom.

It included new blind-out shades with Dutch motifs and colonial style from Country Curtains.

I've waited for this for a long time. I can visualize alot of samplers in this room, full of folk art motifs and refreshing to see.

Hope you had a great day too!

Jennifer

Just for fun........

Ever have a day like this one?  

Black and White

Oh, wait .......what do my sleepy eyes see? Is it bear? 

No, just Ruby and Raven resting and wallowing in the dirt but they are looking up the road for one.

The huge black bear our two neighbors saw for (they tell me last night) 6 nights in a row and stands at about 6-7 foot, didn't show up last night when of course there were cameras and men and guns hiding in the bushes.

So, we'll see what tonight brings. Fun for men. Not me, my hiney stays in the house.

Ruby and Raven are the closest thing to a black furry animal I want to be near.

I can't decide if snakes or bears are worse.

Here's a little white thing in the day, She's my sugar.

She's the opposite in the morning. She's initially sweet and rolls over and gets a belly rub then, Whoosh.......she runs to the treat jar after she shows me she can wee on the correct spot, the potty paper. She's figured me out. Smart, vivacious Miss Abby. Her fave blanket gets taken all over the house.

I tell BG that I'm going to spray some Pledge on it and let her slide all over the floors and then they will be clean!  : O

I love her lots.

Ren is sleeping, I'm having some Teavana tea and it's a beautiful bright sunny cool morning here in the mountains.

I love quiet.

I'm feeling better today and hope to get some cleaning done. But it's so pretty outside......and I also think it's time to plant those lavender seeds in my bucket out in the sun near BG's workshop. I think the frost fear has past.

And tonight I hope to get a pic of Abbie in her new pink stroller as we are starting back walking again.

I hope she likes it and doesn't bark the entire way as if she were a big dog.

Right now she is chasing that big furry tail as if it were her only toy.......LOL

As I get older, I live by lists. The senior mind is fading so I have a journal book with me to jot down all my daily want to do's and need to do's. I best get busy.

Till later,

Jennifer

I finally got to the mail from the past 2 weeks......

There are days when opening the mail is like filling up the trash with alot of junk. I try to sort it out as I go and not let it pile up but in the last 2 weeks I have successfully piled quite a bit. So, tonight and tomorrow I am going through mail and boxes and so forth so we can see the kitchen again.

 a collection of packages that need to go to the basement

And the post man probably thinks we are nuts by now with the mail.  I prefer stitching patterns and goodies to this but somehow this ends up in the pile to read and toss.  This may have something to do with why both the kids didn't get STDS in their teens....LOL

more clinical stuff

Oh cool!  A pattern I ordered from Liberty Primitives. I love ordering there.

Liberty Primitives always has great freebies, beautifully packaged and so neat. I love this tag.

And then the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, this research periodical keeps insomnia at bay! LOL

Goody!  My Southern Living magazine came too!!!  I like it better.

This pattern from Examplers from the Heart really touched me and this is one of the patterns I got from Liberty Prim too.

along with a retired pattern from The Sampler Girl I had to get. It's so cute!

And a special surprise from Josie in Canada to me of the Footprints in the Sand. It means so much Josie, I love it!  Thank you so much!!!

I instantly thought of how great this would look stitched in our waiting room where Elizabeth worked with us.

Oh, how precious.

And my bi-yearly Contraceptive Technology book that is a great reference.

And I was most giddy to see this one in the mail. A new Jane Austen design by Tanya, I'd Rather Be at Pemberley, and the 2 fat quarters to finish it with.  LOVE IT!  I think of all the times I would rather be at Pemberley....LOL

And this one I get because I'm alumni from the Medical College of Georgia, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

back and this issue is a keeper.

It has the whole history of the Children's Medical Center development in it and I was a part of that history between 1989-1991. I worked as a Hematology Oncology Pediatric Nurse and also in the Neonatal unit.

Stress. Very stressful but rewarding job to see children get better from some serious illnesses and cancers.

And I really got giddy when I saw this pic in it

This man is  the Attending physician who took care of Meghan when I was in premature labor with her for about 6 weeks and then the 3 months afterward when she was in an incubator/ventilator as she was born at 29 weeks. Dr. Kanto.  A very fine physician with alot of character, sincereness, knowledge and a sensitive bedside manner that I will never ever forget. Without him, my daughter would not be here.

He was with me during my 21st week of pregnancy when I was already in the hospital for premature labor and we had to make an ethical decision on what to do if Meghan was born that early.

Times have changed with newer medications now but back then lungs were very immature and survival at that age was very low. I went on complete bedrest, took meds that made me shake so bad I couldn't hold a fork, had to take them every 2 hours around the clock.

 Dr. Kanto was a nice man who helped us understand the whole process of deciding when intubation would be decided when that time came.

Fortunately, with alot of medicine, prayer and bedrest, he helped me not deliver her until 29 weeks when her lungs were more mature but still had to go on a ventilator for a couple of months.

He also repaired a tiny hole in her heart.

He sat by my bed and listened.

He always kept us up to date on her condition even after I came home and went back every night to scrub in and hold her tiny little hand.

He was a great teacher and leader and I will never forget the part he had in building the new Children's Medical Center there. After she turned 1, I began working again with him in the unit and again, he was a great physician that made an impact on many many children with issues. I participated in the Telethons yearly to raise money for a separate Children's Hospital.

We were truly blessed with Meghan as she didn't have all the developmental delays that they thought. She was a tough cookie and now smartest in her class.

I wish he could see her now!

Yep, that piece of mail is definitely a keeper.