Drumroll please.....the winner is......

AND

The winner of the Kelmscott Hardwick (Augusta) scissors and the sampler, Sallie's Feather Tree by Carriage House Samplings is:

NatalyK from Massachussetts! Congratulations and welcome!

You can email me your address at jennifer.dalenberg@yahoo.com
and I will send this out to you soon!

Stay-tuned for another post for others interested in a SAL on this sampler for Christmas. The pattern calls for DMC or silk floss and I went to Vickie Clayton's site and used her conversion chart to see what Hand Overdyed Threads from her website would be. I have to find  my list.......somewhere in the sofa here...LOL
Of course you can stitch in DMC cottons too. That's the fun part of stitching is choosing what you want to work with.
I think that the HDF's is the most economical if you want to use silks.
I will collect the info suggested in the pattern and post later so folks interested in a SAL can gather supplies. Projected start date is August 15 or about. I think it will be fun.

So NatalyK has a great start! Congrats again and will talk with you soon.

Jennifer

The week....from.....a hot place

This week at work is likened to that of swimmingdrowning and coming up for a draw of breath ever 4 hours. Beyond busy.

 Body Guard is home now, thank goodness. No more nights of staying up till 3am. I do not stay by myself well and can't even remember another time I was, so thank goodness he is now certified in another area of work and thank goodness he is home. He can teach Traffic Control Design now......whatever that is. He says to tell all, There's No Place Like Home.......LOL

He visited Nashville Tennesssee for his training this week and saw the airport side of it.

That's one place I want to go one day but visit the music part of it. I have it on my bucket list.

The weather man predicts rain today in the afternoon and tomorrow to relieve the hot mountains of the heat.

Stitching to ensue later this evening/night after getting all my chores done, or at least half done.

My cup of regular Lipton's tea holds the secret juice to motivate my scrawney legs today, the helper of my stiff joints like a tin-man, along with arthritis medication. Yep, I do believe rain is coming today. I can feel it in my joints.

Today, I am going to attempt to sew a cover for an outside cushion. I've had the fabric a year so I think it's time to brave it. I also have a project of sewing going on for 2 panels in the kitchen cabinets....a bit prim I think, but I like the cottagey look better.

Because yesterday was a grueling 11 hour day of.....I can't go into it.......I came home and didn't even look at the computer and went comatose on the sofa thereafter. I dreamt that I declared July as the National Month of Yeast Infections.

Today I will use the Random Number generator to see who will win the Sallie's Feather Tree sampler by Carriage House Samplings and the Hardwick Scissors from Kelmscott! Thank you to all for participating!!!!

Back to the hot and steamy day while the sun is still out~~~~

My Heart is in this one--ready, set, GO

I had a little creative block there for awhile and alittle stitchitis going. Today I finally got so much rest, I finally felt the strong feeling that this is the one where my heart is at this point in my journey.

One of Body Guard's favorite sayings probably had something to do with picking this one.
+ the beautiful selection of Crescent Colors Cottons to interweave through the Weeks Linen linen.

My Needlework 4 System is loaded. I'm ready for the weekend ahead. This and only this will have my attention.....Scouts HonorXXX

So stay tuned throughout this rainey weekend for some beautiful colors to go on this:

Remember those pretty CC floss I ordered this week. Well, they go with this sampler, a Jane Austen design by The Sampler Girl.

They are bagged with scissors and needlebook.

No need to put in a tote for lunchtime stitching. This week is too busy.

I would have all kinds of colors of orts on my labcoat.

This is ready when I am. It's rest here.

And it's a serious one. One I can relate to alot. One I have passion in ~~~home.

There's no place like home....just ask Body Guard!  He'll tell  you rather quickly and solemnly this week.

Ask me and I'll click my heels twice while saying it.

And this beautiful 32 ct Weeks linen, named LINEN

will be the foundation of a beautiful sampler.

Now I think it may be time to go to bed?  Oh, man it's only 12:30am.........LOL

no, really, got to get some beauty sleep for another grueling day.

But Fridays are really always beautiful, because I heart weekends like no other.

Take care and till later,

don't let the bed bugs bite

Gooooood Morning, Sizzling Thursday--Part 2 Dahlonega, Georgia

Dahlonega is such a quaint town as I wrote before and here are some more pictures of the old General Store.  Next time I'm over there, I'll get picks of my favorite quilt store too. It's an old victorian 3 story house, in pink!

One good thing about the blogworld is being able to "travel" at times as folks share part of the world that crosses their journeys or graces their hometowns. I love it! I know I won't be able to travel it all but through pictures, I can see parts of it.

The old General store is in the middle of town on the square.

The square is FULL of neat shops and restaurants.

At the General Store here are the rest of the pics inside:

It's like Cracker Barrel, on steroids.

This is a book on walking the Appalachian Trail.

Reminds me of when Brandon tried this at age 19. He did get a few miles in before he called us to pick him up, requesting a drive through at McDonald's for a cheeseburger.....LOL

Old dolls

This morning my joints feel like this tin man before arthritis meds!

Those cute little flower pots and books on planting in Georgia.

I can vouche for this sign as my previous car was a Mustang and yep, it'll cruise.

Don't you like this?  Even if you don't drink, it's quite humorous... or to me it was.

Pans for gold-digging around the area.

In the far right corner is the best fudge shop in the world....

It's been there as long as I can remember.

The flowers all around are beautiful. I wish I had luck with flowers like this!!!

Well, last night was the first night in 1 week that I slept completely through the night.

I'm off today so cleaning house and post office errands and who knows what else is in store after a couple of cups of hot tea.

And this morning, I'm drinking the caffeinated versions!

It's already steamy hot here and only 9:30am!

But this is the Southland.

Till later,

Jennifer

Thank you all

Busy, busy day at work, with commute-- 11 hours. I'm tired exhausted.

I got a hanging wrought iron primitive candle holder this week, quite skinny and I'm sure it has a name but my mind is too exhausted to remember. Finally decided to light the candle just because it was a new candle and I have a strange weird way of having to light all new candles, if only a brief moment if they are new. There's just something about a candle that's never been lit in the homestead. I know.......that's strange...I digress.....

I stepped back to look at it.

the little glow was nice and peaceful

Looked to the left and the clock was exactly the same time as last week when Ren drew his last breath.

Strange feeling. I didn't really plan to light the candle at that time.

  I picked up the mail from the box a few minutes prior and had just opened this:

His vet staff that took care of him for 9 years. I forgot that I had called them the next day to let them know what had happened. Unfortunately, we had to take him to an after hours clinic but this is the staff that knew the little man. Very touching that they would send a card all signing, his 

Doctor in the center of the card.

His Doc that when last examining him with the stethoscope, said "Every day is a good day for little Ren".

As I pull the curtains, I can still see where he is rested.

I miss giving him part of my supper.

Sad moment that I know will pass.

It's been a long week. Exactly one week, with the first 3 days after, a blur.

But then, I hear a little bark and my mind comes back to remember, Miss Abigail Renee still carries the love in this house and many days of play with her and sweet memories of Ren are ahead of us.

Below is  a pic from 2 years ago. Ren could be quite comical at times in pictures. ;)

 I'm sure he's winking like this at Rainbow Bridge at all of the caring souls who have sent so many loving thoughts and words of encouragement during this difficult time.

We all thank you so much.

And Auntie Parsley, we thank you special!

Well, off to Abbie, who is burying all her "dingie wingies" she has saved for later, in the quilt beside me.

She is a hoot!

From woman to woman

Domestic violence is certainly not just affecting women but statistics show most are women.

 Why do I talk about this in a stitching blog?  Because alot of stitchers are women and the facts are sometimes not completely understood.

Awareness is the first step to ending this issue that is so prevalent in America.

DV is certainly not a new topic, but awareness due to the media, I think, is on the forefront of news and there are many laws now that protect victims that were not present just 10-20 years ago. This is a good advancement but unfortunately, the statistics show awareness is still not clear.

I won't go into the opinion of the Mel Gibson case; however, just for statistics review, and if interested the facts remain that as of 2007 in the United States:

1. 1 in ever 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
2. 85% or more of victims of DV are women
3. Most cases are never reported to police. This is for multifactoral reasons.
4. almost 1/3 of homocide victims are killed by their present or past domestic partners
5. less that 1/5 of women seek medical care for any physical assault of DV
6. DV results in 18.5 MILLION mental health visits per year
7. 60% of male abusers, also abuse their children in the household
8. Boys who witness DV are twice as likely to abuse their own partners
9. The cost of DV costs exceeds 5.8 billion dollars each year
10. Sexual assault or forced sex occurs in at least 45% of DV cases
11. There are 16, 800 HOMOCIDES  and 2.2 million injuries due to DV annually which results in average of 37 billion dollars a year for Americans.
12. DV is one of the most common UNDER reported crimes in the United States. Still.
13. Only approximately 1/4th of all physical assaults, 1/5th of all rapes, and 1/2 of all stalkings perpetrated are reported to police.
14. Approximately 1/2 of all protection orders are violated.
15. More than 2/3 of all restraining orders against perpetrators who commit rape or sexual assault  are violated
16. DV occurs equally across economical, racial, or professional status. This is often misunderstood.

If a present or past partner has threatened you or anyone you know, take it seriously forever, no matter what the restraining order/ protection order status.

DV is a serious problem and fortunately there are more awareness and resources for victims now than was present even 10 years ago.

.

If you know someone, and you probably do, that is in an abusive relationship, listening and being there for her is the best thing you can do. The victim has to be ready to leave the relationship herself and that may take 7 or more times before the final termination of such a relationship.

Unhelpful comments include, "Why can't you just leave?", or "I wouldn't take that from him" or "What did you do to cause it?" or "Don't you want to stay for the children?" or "He loves you but he just doesn't know how to show it" or "You caused it, no wonder he did it", or " you're crazy" or " he was just drinking and didn't mean to do it".

Don't give up on you or your friend. You will never know how much just having a friend to talk to can influence the rest of her life in a positive way. Her family probably has already left her emotionally and/or physically if she is trying to be in a healthier relationship. This is the pattern she learned that was normal to start with. Try to understand when triggers may cause her to feel threatened again, even if years later. Understand she will be different but her heart is the same.

If this only reaches one person out there, this post is worth it.

 A life is worth it.

If you are in that relationship, never, ever give up. There is life without abuse out there and you are worth it. You are not alone.

Part 1~~~ The old General Store--Dahlonega, Georgia

If you head to North Georgia at any point in time, don't miss out on visiting the General Store, right smack in the middle of town on the square.... or the "scwore" as they say here.

But if you can't, just take a peak here at a few shots of the little quaint town in the mountains.

My lunch was a visit at  the General Store and asked the owner if I could take some pics. There are tourists taking pics, but wanted to make sure. Yes!!!

So, enjoy a few pics. Not your usual lunch break.

The square is quaint and very pretty, of course with the old Courthouse in the middle of the square.

And here is the Old General Store

It's a walking experience.

It has a few "unusual" items. Like pheasant pelts for sale.

A lady in front of me was trying one on as a hat and I said, "you go, girl!".

And if you want a cup of coffee. It's in line with the economy.

I passed on the caffeine for gosh, knows, I don't need any more energizing juice.

You can stand and watch the piano play you some old tunes automatically.

And look at the hats! Ok, this is a bit Guns N Roses type thing. I confess, I bought one of these hats. You will see later, stay tuned. The lady asked me if I wanted it in a bag or to wear it. I don't think my afternoon patient's would like me wheeling in the room with a cowgirl hat on but maybe I'm wrong.........

I could say, "Howdy!"

I thought Body Guard would love this bumper sticker for his work vehicle. LOL

And I almost felt like getting one of these walking sticks with arthritis today but resisted.

They have walls and walls of old signs. Love them! Some I can't put on a public domain.

But here's a couple of Barney. He's dedicated to duty.

This woman has been here forever. She is a wax figure, I guess but scares me every time I see her.

Here's a closer look. Her hands even look like old hands.....wait.  My hands are starting to look like that!

And remember these machines?

yep, 1.25 a pack.

There is also a T-shirt wall and here are some of the old signs.

Interesting 30 minute lunch for the introvert part of me. I needed a little humor to lighten my week. You can't walk out sad, that's for sure.

One of my favorites.

I will have to say, I love Dahlonega and it's part of my heart.

For lunch, just went to a local grocer and got fresh white bread and Helman's Mayo and enjoyed some sliced, home-grown tomatoe sandwiches with chips. Lots of salt and pepper. It doesn't get better than that in the Summer.

Hope your day went well and you took a few minutes out to have some fun.........

till later,

Jennifer