Comforts of Home Sampler Series: number 2 Coffee Together

 

Comforts of Home Series: no. 2

 

Coffee Together

 

designed by Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2014

 

The inspiration of this series is our homestead. A place that is filled with comforts, not luxurious extras, but basics that become part of the homestead joy, love, togetherness, and coziness. The first in this series is about quilts in the home.

 

For this second band sampler, I designed called Coffee Together, I used the colors of our kitchen, where we go each morning to reach for that pot of coffee. A cup of coffee is a daily deal here in the mornings, just the two of us. Sometimes we carry it on the back porch, sometimes, we take it to the family room.........wherever it may be, it's a time to share our hearts together.

It's almost like the glue that shapes our day, discussions about current events, hopes and dreams, and chores for the day.

 

The two hearts together represent the intimacy that a cup of coffee with your special someone can bring. You may put your own initials in the gold blocks to signify that bond.

The cross is there for symbolizing that we recognize Christ as the head of our home and the key represents the key to our hearts.

 

I chose the colors as follows:

 

Gentle Art

 

Blue Jay

Morning Glory

 

Crescent Colors

 

Ruby Slippers

Finley Gold

 

The smoke from the cups are backstitched in black or a dark gray of your choosing.

 

You may change the colors of your cups and letters to your liking. I just used the color of our own cups and the red for hearts. The Finley gold is a lighter gold that really makes a good contrast for those colors but of course you may substitute one of your own liking.

 

Linen of choice.

 

I love these days that we have so many choices of how we make our coffee, flavor coffee, and the options for caffeine or not. I have one cuppa caffeine a day. Used to be all decaf but this morning cup of caffeine coffee is my first and best. My DH makes the best coffee. He is usually the first one up at the homestead and has it made. We both differ in our likings for coffee additions but not too much!

He loves, and I mean LOVES, Irish Creamer. I was raised on plain milk in my coffee, but my preference is half and half and sugar. If I travel or splurge on a flavor creamer for myself I get hazelnut or French vanilla. If we are in a pinch for creamer, I have substituted canned milk, or Cool whip. Cool whip makes a great topping for coffee with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top!

 

Throughout my life, I've made coffee in a couple of ways. Mostly we just have a regular drip pot coffee maker. I have had a perculator for about 7 years and miss it. Walmart still carries the perculators and I've been tempted to get us another one.

We don't grind our own coffee at home but a coffee grinder is on my wish list and has been for awhile.

Otherwise Folgers is our daily cup.

 

On some days we will make a second pot for the afternoon. My DH can drink lots of coffee and the caffeine doesn't make him jittery but he is pretty much a calm, cool guy anyways!!!!

 

I've seen the other one cup coffee makers and seems they are nice but right now, not in our budget and I really don't mind the way we make it now. Rarely is there leftover coffee in the pot by noon.

 

I hope you enjoy this one. It will be free for a couple of weeks here on the blog. If you stitch it up and would like to share your finish, shoot me an email with your pic, and I'll put it here on the blog.

 

Thank you again for all comments. I appreciate your time and opinions on topics that inspire me.

 

So, what is your favorite coffee?? or do you like coffee? and what are your favorite ways to drink your cuppa joe?

 

Till later,

Jennifer

 

Color Therapy and Sampler Making/Life

Color

Color therapy is definitely a useful tool in many situations, whether child or adult, happy or sad, whatever the case. Sometimes we don't even think about all the colors we are exposed to each day, which ones we love the most and why, and some scientific reasons behind exposures to cheerful colors. I found this link on one of my favorite websites for PTSD--Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If you click below you will find a physician's explanation for the use of the color wheel.

http://www.giftfromwithin.org/html/FAQ-Frank-Ochberg-Color-Wheel-of-Positive-Emotion.html


If you or a loved one has PTSD, first do not be ashamed. It's not something you choose for yourself. There is much help as well. Gift From Within is probably one of THE best scientifically based websites for PTSD and has many, many short webcasts with this physician who has dedicated his life to the specialty. Also, are webcasts on specific PTSD issues with veterans. You might want to check this site out because most likely you will cross paths, knowingly or not, with a friend or family member with this issue. Trust me, the person will frequently not tell someone, because of the stigma, the shame, and the prejudice that comes with it. A counselor is your friend and can really help.

Some myths about PTSD are :

1) it always effects men (absolutely can effect man or woman, child or adult. In fact, more women and children are susceptible to it)

2) it always effects military soldiers (can also affect childhood sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence, etc.)

3) jobs will not be prejudiced about it (they will)

4) there is no cure for it (depends on the diagnosis and the length of time before access to treatment, and the person themselves, not always forever and those they do have chronic and are treated, recognize their triggers and have many resources to cope)

5) no one can help ( not true. Anyone can be a positive healthy person or friend for someone with PTSD IF they choose to)

6) people with PTSD are crazy (not true. Please see Gift From Within for biochemical and environmental issues with PTSD)

7) People with PTSD are not loveable. (not true. In fact, they are probably the most sensitive people and loving you can ever meet when you extend trust in a friendship)

8) family members with PTSD should be excluded from family ( a family can choose this but does not help the person with PTSD nor does it help the family unit. For a family not to even try to understand it in this day and time of resources like Gift from Within is unimaginable. If someone is triggered and you do not feel comfortable with this, you can remove yourself but cutting someone off the family is not a healthy way to deal with it although it is often chosen because it's the easiest way)

9) all military men that return from Afghanistan twice, have PTSD. (this actually was told in an interview of a friend who did not have PTSD but had been to war twice) first this is legally wrong to discriminate and second NOT all people who serve our country get PTSD. Society needs educating.

10) a person with PTSD should tell everyone about it. (this is a variable decision based on each person's circumstances. If you choose to tell, be ready for friends/family's to conveniently leave the relationship as they are not confident in themselves or choose the easy way out to not be your friend. Because of the stigma attached to it, people with PTSD sometimes do not; however, I've seen educators who have the disorder incorporate it in their introductions in a positive manner. So there is not a right or wrong but be prepared for people judging you, or even hating you for it. And on rare occasions, it may even help a family member understand you much better and strengthens the relationship.

When I cross stitch or knit, the colorway of the threads or yarn, can greatly be cheerful. The sampler I am working on from The Scarlett Letter is very simple, changing silk colors frequently.

It finally dawned on me through this that there is a pattern to the mixed colors in the sampler.

The colors of the letters go Blue Red Gold Pink . If you look at the color wheel and see how the colors in the sampler could be interpreted, the sampler (red stitching) is surrounded by love. I think this is why I love redwork so much!

 

I love these Kelmscott little scissors that come in all colors as well. I picked up a pair of blue ones in my collection to work on the sampler. Blue is so cheerful.

 

 

 

The colors are cheerful and remind me of the color wheel. Positive thinking.

 

I hope to be done pretty soon on this one. At the homestead in the past week, we have had some major things that have not given me much time at all for stitching. We had a pipe burst and effects 3 rooms and luckily we have insurance but the chaos of moving all the stuff around and calling adjustors and such and working in between has been time-consuming.

 

Through out all this a ray of sunshine is in the distance when we get through. We will have a new kitchen floor and bathroom floor, opportunity to remove the large island and maybe paint the cabinets, make use of some space upstairs better, and most of all, forced me to really clean out the things I don't use anymore, therefore cutting down clutter.

 

So all in all above the loud fans going, it's expedited me de-cluttering for my yearly goal to simplify my life. I've turned a desk that was not used into a vanity for myself and it's SO very nice to sit and do makeup/hair versus standing in a bathroom.

 

When we get done, we will share pics but I do believe this will be further out in time. We have a lot to do. But in between I did just set some time to stitch and when I finish this little sampler I will have a little sense of accomplishment with one thing!!! 

 

I do appreciate all your comments and personal emails. I hope you understand that if I don't respond right now in a timely manner it's not because I do not want to be friends with you. It's a temporary set back we are dealing with in the homestead and a new job taking up a lot of my time. I dearly love all of you that take part of your day to read things I like to share and do read each and every comment.

Thank you again for your hanging in there!!!!  I know it's time for a freebie sampler and I hope soon to get my designing hat on to do this for you.

 

I hope all mothers, both children and furbaby mothers, had a GREAT Mother's Day yesterday. I worked for most of it but was given a beautiful rose at work (PINK!!!).

 

Till later,

 

Jennifer