Wednesday Wonders

Well, we have had a blast for 2 days on our trip to Washington DC. Things we have seen or done include:

• watching a black cow try to cross Interstate 95---road kill that could be a TBone all in one. LOL
• finding a SUPER Target and getting lost in it for 3 hours
• finding a Hobby Lobby and getting lost in it for 2 hours
• had a repeat diagnostic mammogram to confirm an abnormal finding. The longest 24 hours or worry but all is benign. LIFE IS GOOD!
• Saw about 40 signs that said "Washington"
• stitched two rows of Quaker freebie from Needleprint blog in the dark but gave up on the bumpy roads.
• had a yoga session last night
• decided that a 36 inch flat screen in our bedroom is going to be a must-gift for Christmas
• figured out about Fayetteville that I brought the wrong clothes for the weather
• picked up a pair of yoga pants at Target
• loved my hubbie and we laughed like we were on a Senior trip. FUN!
• put a book on audio from my Kindle so we both could hear it through the car speakers. We read the whole book, published in November 2010, called No Comfort Zone. It was enlightening. That was the first time we listened to a whole book together like that.
• watched Body guard have a spout with the bell boy while I was about to faint and finally just fell over the comfy soft heavenly bed and let them duke it out.
• ate at two separate Cracker Barrels and having a barrel of fun in each---I dunked a honey mustard  for Tanya. I did. I really did. Just saying!
• Decided I do not travel well because organization is a weakness for me. I take it all.
• Ate at Pizza Hut in the Super Walmart in between picking out yoga pants, that I left.
• found a jewelry pouch there to cover my small Vusion magnifier so it won't get scratched and the sweet boy gave it to me free.
• Got on the elevator with room service and they had a tall pitcher of Ice Tea and obviously he didn't speak much English as I asked him randomly if it was sweet tea and he said " no sweet tea has "surga"
• watched the lady at check in snicker to another person when I talked because she could tell I was Southern. I can't help it yal'll.
• found out the new Tylenol we just got was recalled.
• realized I  need a 12 step program for Target.
• passed an Eifell Tower.
• stopped at more rest stations than I ever thought possible.

Oh well, plans for tomorrow and also In Stitches to get some stash! Hope your week is just as happy!

On the road again.

The Christmas spirit is still here at the homestead

Mario and me last week during Christmas shopping at the Mall of Georgia

Well today I got to sleep in again and it was wonderful. Warm bed and snow on the ground outside to wake up to. The temps are going to be high  of 33 so not much will melt, maybe.
These joints and bones though are not going to be building a snow man today. I cooked an 8 lb ham yesterday and it was GOOD! Enjoying brunch now with a cuppa tea to go with.

Nesting is in order today. Last night, I finished the Abigail's Christmas Morning sampler and the house was such a mess, couldn't find my large sewing scissors to trim the fabric. So, plan to delve into finding those again after my caffeine fix. When that's finished Body Guard and I have 13 stair treads to put down and to cut the liners to go under them so we won't fall. I can't wait to see it!

I'm always working on something around the house. Hoping our bedroom stuff comes in by the next couple of weeks because we are having company and I would love to have the house together.

Santa was up last night packing boxes out to send as the kids didn't show up or even call. I hope they had a great Christmas and their goodies will go out tomorrow in the mail. HO HO HO!

I started this weekend stitching one of my own freebies and found an error, so I will correct the pattern when finished. I think it's going to be a cute one.  :)

Now onward to cleaning and decluttering.........wish me luck with putting down new stair treads with hubbie today. Home improvement projects are just so much fun for me.......NOT for him though.   LOL

This weekend went by toooooo fast.

Amazing Grace,
Jennifer

Thursday Thoughts

Thank goodness it's Friday  Thursday!

Work-week is over and a 3 day weekend, hoping for snow as the weatherman says tonight. I may see my first white Christmas in 47 years. We'll see. Supposed to get 4-6 inches Christmas night and the day after.

Early morning rush to the stores tomorrow----to get my new glasses, 2nd pair. These are supposed to be transition lens for outside so the lights don't hurt my eyes. Otherwise, I think we will collect all the dollar store readers and donate tomorrow while we are at the store so that someone else can use them.

Then on to who knows what for our Friday tomorrow............definitely will be a spontaneous kind of day.

Sunday snow is coming, yes, in the south. Let it SNOW!

Abigail Rennee

is hoping for more snow

while she is dozing by the fireplace

and visions of snowflakes dance in her head

She has her inside jacket that says, "Baby, it's COLD outside!" over her T today.

Watching Bodyguard take wood back and forth to the fireplace,

then she settles back down for a short little nap

before time to play.

Me?  I just designed a sampler with this inspiration and anticipation of the snow tonight!

When I first woke up at 8am, and looked out the window at the snow dusting, I was as happy as a child of about eight.

Oh, yeah, bring it on, more, more, MORE>

It was frosty enough for a cup of hot tea I had stashed away from our Boston trip this year.

And it is the LEADED kind. I usually drink decaf, but no coffee in the pantry.

I plopped a few Cranberry and Holly scented tart melts in the warmer to get the house cozy.

and looked at my towels I have placed in the old wood bowl and was even in the mood more for snowy weather.

I put out a pillowkeep I made last year. The design is from The Sampler Girl.

The quilted angel, the snow sampler, and some sprigs of lavender all made the morning calmer.

Abbie just became one with the sofa cushions while I did a little dabbling with designing snowflakes this morning.

I promise to share tomorrow, hopefully with some snow pictures as we are supposed to get the snow mostly tonight! 

The word.   SNOW. 

 Snow.

 Fireplace burning.

 Cranberry and Holly scent.

 A warm, cute puppy.

 Snow stitching and designing all day.

Long Janes all day.

Hot tea.

Now, that's what I call a perfect day.

Sunday thoughts

 And Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:19

Thoughts for today

This year is going to be fun for the holidays! I am off work today so I had my checklist and glasses in hand to run some errands. I can't believe tomorrow is December 1st!

So, on the road to town by 1p and by 2p, reached Walmart to find just one little thing to add to our Christmas village. It's grown SOOOO much since 15 years ago when I started it. I love setting it up. Instead got several other things as our local Walmart had absolutely no village stuff. But, this was fine because I found 2 small Alpine trees, 1 is 3 foot and the other 2 to set up and hope to put some stitched ornies on them. I must get busy!!!!!!

This morning I spent the gray, drizzly day in bed with Pjs reading and answering emails. Then by the time I went to run errands, the Heaven's fell out with rain and tornado warnings were in place... Me?   I just spent more time in Walmart, looking at all the Christmas decorations and strolling through the home and garden section, planning to change a few things in one of our bathrooms.  Paint????  yep, got a bucket of dark brown paint for some small cabinets for a bath, although on another rainy day! ;)

Pizza for dinner in our countertop oven, and changing from wet drenched clothes from the storms to flannels with snowflakes.
The temps are unusually warm but wet, very wet. I stayed in Walmart 2 hours because I didn't have a boat to get to the car. Everyone was stuck in there, so I guess we all did our part in stimulating the economy!

When I got home, Miss Abbie had gone to the closet and pulled out one of Body Guard's Tshirts in the laundry basket to make her a little bed from the storm,  I presume. Luckily, she didn't chew anything else up in there! She is nicely comfortable now after having some hamburger with mustard and pickles. She really likes pickles.

Well, best get back busy pulling out a few Christmas things for around the house and cleaning out bathrooms (Joy!). A little at the time. So, glad last year we organized our Christmas stuff so it's easier to find.

Hope your day went well too.  Till later,
Jennifer

Saturday thoughts, answers, and a Winner!

Today I'm:

• eating left-over hot, fresh Krispy Creme Doughnuts with a pot of decaf perked coffee and chatting morning-chat with my hubby. Miss Abbie is warming up by curling on my lap and has surpassed the meaning of a "lap dog" by at least a mile. She loves me moren'herchicken1toy.
• thinking about last night when I took a spontaneous trip to the Mall of Georgia which is like any mall on steroids to me.  We have a love/hate relationship...LOL. I love the mall!  and I .....LOVE the mall. Can't go without spending so it's just one of those things. ::::Sigh::::
• Came home and realized 2 items I had purchased still had the large plastic things screwed in them from the store and then I realized now why every store was buzzing when I entered and left . Lovely, another LONG trip to the mall to get those large things off so I can wear the clothing. Got me some new flannel PJS and robe, with sensors still on them.........makes for uncomfortable sleep. LOL
• am awed by a dog that loves sweets. Abbie is giving me the saddest eyes over the doughnuts as I will not give her one. If I cave, she will not eat her other food. This is sounding too much like toddlers.
• looking through the sunny windows at the definite Fall picture in the mountains of North Georgia. The leaves are still hanging on, at least some of them, through all the wind and rain intermittently throughout the week. But it's quite nippy out right now.  ::::::Boots, sweater and skinny jeans day:::::::
• has resisted Walmart and Target all week. I'm in a 12 step program. LOL  just joking. I'm going to break that today by going grocery shopping......and will try to maintain far distance from other household items, clothing, seasonal and home section at the store.   But we ARE out of trash bags which is not so good with a poo-poo dog. Trash bags and poo pads are staple grocery items at our house.
• reading through blogs and wondering in amazement at how many unique stitching blogs there are in blogland. I could spend days reading them!  Love them all and awed by the work of many who also are passionate about stitching~!
• am conflicted about what to focus on next because I have designed more than my stitchy fingers will go. I so wanted to finish the sampler I'm on, but then Thanksgiving is only 2-3 weeks away. And then Christmas shortly after. Do I skip the Thanksgiving one and zoom over to Christmas one???  Decisions decisions!
• is now enjoying the total quiet in the house and the sounds are the old corner clock, tick=tocking, and tapping keys on the computer. Love quiet! Wait...........Abbie is growling a little in her deep sleep. I wonder what she is dreaming about?  Funny, her feet are twitching too. She must be dreaming of running as well.
• is still holding my left jaw after it cracks and grates bone to bone in the joint, nervously waiting on the surgeon appt for evaluation. Seems I have no "disc space" at all in the TMJ. The dentist that there should be some disc space for movement.  Previous injuries to the left side of my head long ago probably didn't heal quite right per dentist and arthritis and degeneration is setting in this area. I digress on how this happened but I will tell you both men were right-handed.  I plan to definitely explore ALL nonsurgical options first but in the meantime, there are times I know my head is going to explode or birth something out of the left ear canal. Bone pain is painful. Period. I can't stay on muscle relaxers and mash my food to little bits forever......well...I could but the pain forever has to go somehow. Someway.
• is thanking the Lord that I can still type my words even if talking is harder.
• is way too cozy right now on the quilt and the sofa to get up and do stuff like housework. Do I have too?????
• is so looking forward to our Thanksgiving plans that we've had for awhile and they are so special to me.
• wants to give credit where credit is due for the excellent sellers of stitching and framing products that I've experienced. Someone asked about where the black rustic frame came from and here is the link from Homecraft Framing and Gifts:

http://www.homecraftframing.com/

Yes, I was more than pleased with the communication, concern, and careful making of this rustic frame. Just ask for Donna or visit her on Facebook or her website here for any framing needs. Her prices are very reasonable, shipping is fast and she makes frames to meet all your needs. I love mine!!!!!  And working on finishing my sampler to put into it. She's a very nice seller so pop over there on her site and look around. I chose rustic black with the white to emphasize and compliment this particular sampler but she has many other styles to choose from. She also has other items besides frames that are very pretty.

I like nice people.  Ok that was random. LOl


Also, I had a question on the material I used for the Getting Away with Jane Austen by The Sampler Girl.

I did forget to mention that and I want to tell you that this is one of my Favorite linens to stitch on. The color is like antique ivory but splotchy enough, very subtle, white to ecru blotching. I got this at 1-2-3 stitch store online and was very pleased with it.
The name of the linen is 32 count  Belfast Vintage Country Cream. You can get a fat quarter for 18.50 there. I did get a fat quarter and so glad I did because I will use it again and again.

Also, the winner (late announcement, sorry) of the items below is randomly computer drawn ..........

CARISSA from Wisconsin!!!


Yes, these will be coming your way this week. Please email me at jennifer.dalenberg@yahoo.com your snail mail address so I can get this out some time this week!

Enjoy!

A pair of Kelmscott Pink Snips, new

and the pattern for the Jane Baxter 1824 sampler by Primitive Traditions

"Lord, Grant me courage to proceed in what I have begun. All my desire and delight is in thy ways to run. My God, permit me not to be a stranger to my-self and Thee, may I obey Thy voice Divine and all Inferior Joys Resign."

 Model stitched on 40 ct Vintage Luna with DMC floss.

 Stitch count: 259W x 397H.

I would like to leave the post on this thought above as I go through my day and hope so very much for you to have a great Saturday.

 "Lord, Grant me courage to proceed in what I have begun".

Some days are best taken one at a time, hour by hour, minute by minute, even knowing that things around us may change, but we are the same person, and no one will ever change our creative spirit which is a gift to the world.

Jennifer

Girl talk

Had a good, long day of stitching while watching my favorite TV shows.

Wished I lived closer to a Needlepoint Guild.

Ate more fried food than I should have.

Ate more candy corn than I should have.

Found out now I'm spoiled stitching with silk. But, oh what a dream it feels like flowing through linen!

watched Abbie drag her food bowls over for me about 8 feet to feed her some of my supper.

Wished my kids would call sometimes just to say hi. Hello?????

Using my new IPHONE like I've owned it a year now.

Did absolutely ZERO housework or cooking today.

Realized summer is definitely over. Temps in the 30's tonight in the mountain valleys.

Realized that no matter how hard we try, sometimes, it's just not meant to be.  Let it go.

Embracing change.

Ordered the perfect framed for my sampler today. Felt good.

Realized when one door closes, another one really does open.

Thursday is not thrifty nor is it during the day....

Music has come a long way..........

Yep, I'm IPHONE crazy now, in the honeymoon phase of playing with the IPOD part. I also have used the calender to assist with all the crazy changes in site change in the next month so I want show up in the wrong place at the wrong time. I added the apps for Facebook and Twitter and played with that. Played 350 songs over 5 hours and reminensced, cried at some and just felt better.

 I believe music is the direct hot sync to your soul....or it is mine. I LOVE MUSIC!

Can't believe I took this long to learn I tunes and IPOD ing. I want to take it to work and play songs now.

I stitched a few in the car at lunch for 30 minutes. The weather was beautiful then but about the time I left a huge rainstorm set in and it is raining on our tin roof. Cool enough to make a fire tonight in the fireplace and sit and try to learn all this knew technology.

I feel a twing of guilt for getting such toys but even though not thrifty, they sure are soul soothers and useful for people on the go.

I am very pleased with the Sony docking station from Walmart too. Sounds almost like a Bose. I know I will get every penny of enjoyment out of it while stitching, reading and cooking.

Abbie and me jammed at alot of songs I had in my old laptop I had forgot about through Lime wire. I was surprised it synced to the phone. I guess the funniest was
"My Give a Damn is Busted". That made it a party then.  LOL

Seriously, I paid on Itunes for 2 albums, one is a Violin concerto for 1 hour and it is something else soothing.
Then I picked out some old rock and 1 alternative to add and with the Limewire I have 350 + songs on my phone.

Gosh it will help me not have to load around a calender, papers, adresses, and keep me in touch with all you beautiful people out in Blogland.

Hope your Wed. went well. I think at 2am, I should hit the sack.

Lately I am having these continuing dreams of zooming around the globe....really strange. No telling what tonight will bring.

Jennifer

Work and Play

Monday is almost closing to an end........hopping right on into Tuesday!

How was your Monday?

Things that inspire me

A solid silver skeleton key necklace given to me by my hubbie from this trip.

Keys are many times designed in samplers and I love the meaning of them. I'm in love with this necklace. It's long, but not too long, It makes a statement and I will always cherish it.

Tonight as I end this wonderful 2 weeks of leave from the work pace, I reflect on the many blessings that always counteract the confusion. I need to write this to you because you are one of those blessings. I've never met so many pleasant, compassionate, and loving folks as the readers of this blog and every comment and personal email is dear to my heart more than you will ever know.

So, due time to count my blessings because I have so many and many times undeserving of them.

• the close-knit stitching/blogging community who share the love of stitching. To reach out to people all over the world is surreal to me when I stop to really think about it. From where I came from, I never dreamed I would one day be able to connect to so many people. And I thank you with all my heart.
• my husband. He is the catalyst who helps me in many times and is overdue for a big thank you. There are times when I know I totally get on his nerves and he still loves me, unconditionally and it's a blessing in this day and time of detachment in our environment.
• my healthy children who seek goals on their own and strive to make a life for themselves, even if I don't know all the details and closeness. They are always in my heart.
• my relationship with God, the Father, who I admittedly know fail at many things but by His Amazing Grace, He still loves me. Who could ask for more than that?
• Beautiful music that inspires my spirit, I mean really inspires, that reaches into the crevices of my heart as if I'm the only one that is hearing it. Josh Groban and I spent many hours today with ear plugs and his music is absolutely the most inspirational. It calms my spirit.
• A job. Even though I jokingly talk about Monday madness, I have a job. Many do not. I am blessed in this economy and should be more thankful.
• Friends that I've never met but feel like I've known them forever.
• Abbie. She is a comfort that I can't describe but if she wasn't here, I don't know what I would do with Ren's passing. She looks at me with her loving eyes and is happy only snuggling in my lap. Her warmth and complete trust are blessings to me.
• The environment in which I live is nature's beauty that touches my soul. Always has. The mountains remind me of closeness to God and that He is there even when I don't feel Him.
• So blessed with having stitching in my life. Something I cherish so deeply as I pick out the colors and design motifs and feel as if I accomplished something that day.
• My friend, Dot, who I sincerely believe was placed in my life as a strong rock of wisdom.
• My piano. To have a baby grand to sit and play when my soul is low is a blessing because music is therapy for me.
• For hearing from my dad tonight, even if it was only small talk. It was from him I developed a love for animals.
• For in-laws that always treat me with love and respect and their company is missed many days.
• For a soft bed to lie in at night, and ability to write down my worries before.
• For my son, Aaron, who taught me so many lessons, and helped me be more compassionate to parents who have lost children.

These are most important to me and as I list them, I realize I have so many. It's my hope that you are able to find special people, places and things that inspire you through difficult times, because there always will be.

I hope your week goes without blemishes and God holds you in His Hands and tender loving care. Each of us have issues to work on as we are human and need His help. Isn't it wonderful that He won't change or leave us?

From the key of my heart,
Jennifer

Slipping away

February Song

by Josh Groban




Where has that old friend gone

Lost in a February song

Tell him it won't be long

Til he opens his eyes, opens his eyes

Where is that simple day

Before colors broke into shades

And how did I ever fade

Into this life, into this life



And I never want to let you down

Forgive me if I slip away

When all that I've known is lost and found

I promise you I, I'll come back to you one day


Morning is waking up

And sometimes it's more than just enough

When all that you need to love

Is in front of your eyes

It's in front of your eyes



And I never want to let you down

Forgive me if I slip away

Sometimes it's hard to find the ground

Cause I keep on falling as I try to get away

From this crazy world



And I never want to let you down

Forgive me if I slip away

When all that I've known is lost and found

I promise you I, I'll come back to you one day



Where has that old friend gone

Lost in a February song

Tell him it won't be long

Til he opens his eyes

Opens his eyes.
 

 

 No one grounds me more than Josh Groban's music. The piano is my first love and is always there for a balm on difficult days. I love listening to Josh Groban's videos and I'm sure his songs will be one of the first I list on my new IPOD.  He can express things I feel but cannot say.

 

His musical talent has touched my heart forever. I just watched his video, February Song, and couldn't embed in this posting but if you have a chance to go to U-tube, take a few minutes to listen to it on his official website. He plays the piano and delivers a voice of beauty to his audience.  His heartfelt words are communicated  with sincerity.

 

Today, I thank God in prayer that He doesn't treat us like humans do. He is always there and will never reject us. That is a gift within itself that no one can take away from me. 

 

 He is my Heavenly Father, completely different from my earthly Father, and with Father time who gently holds my heart on days like today and whispers to me "just slip away" but with His gentleness I realize that He is there and will be the only one not to leave me. His love is unconditional and of course, He made me, so He knows what's in my fiber long before I knew. 

 

He will help me slip away and bow gracefully out of unwanted territories.  Sometimes I'm pretty dumb at figuring out when my prescence is no longer needed or wanted. It's hard to admit that I was just a stepping stone for a long time. Who wants to feel that useless in life? But I did my best that I could with what I was given, which was definitely not meeting standards, I guess, to folks you think would return love that you give.

 

Life lesson:   love is not always a two-way street.

 

 Where is that simple day

Before colors broke into shades

And how did I ever fade

Into this life, into his life

 

Slip away.

 

Slip away.

 

Today. 

 

Happy Birthday Brandon! I know you still read this blog even though unresponsive to emails, letters. This perplexes me somewhat as I thought you had matured, but son you have many years ahead to learn.

 I will always love you but realize you want me to slip out of your life forever. This is hard for me as I diapered you, loved and protected you, recorded your first steps, your first tooth, and read many books incessently over and over, listened to you and played with you, rocked you to sleep on many nights, dried your tears and sniffles,  took up for you in when I got called to parent conferences---many times, was your sideline cheer during baseball, was the one who held your hand in an airplane, who always bought you the best I could at Christmas's because I wanted you to feel special, cared for you for years when you were sick and needed tending, played the piano for you to ease you to sleep on those restless nights, prayed hard and without end when you went to war, supported you at your pinning ceremony even though my heart didn't want to lose you to a cruel war in the future, hugged and tried hard to welcome your wife into our home, always thought of you as someone who made me laugh and could count on that,  something you will never understand until you have your own children. My last prayer for you is that you will not have a son who hurts your heart as you have hurt mine in this past year. It's not anything I would wish for anybody.

I am not perfect by no means. Will never be. But my heart was always on the protect mode for you and in some cases that only caused confusion for you and until you have your own little ones to protect, will you understand completely what that level of maturity is all about.

I want to thank you for giving me the years that you did to learn many life lessons and your hugs. 

But, ironically, through all this there is one thing you cannot take away from me and that is the memories that live in my heart, the good and the bad.

 I choose to remember the good.

You choose to not remember because if you did, you wouldn't be so hurtful.

I pray for you that your heart will one day understand.... one day, for your own sake.

As you used to say when you were 3 years old, "mama, is this one day?" because I would tell you one day, then I guess this is "one day" and your wish for me is coming true.

  I miss getting a cake for your birthday and getting mums to put around it, but I guess all I did was useless to you. It's a big step for me, Brandon, for my heart to walk away. I hope you never know how that feels as a parent, because I still love you and wouldn't want this to happen to you in the future.

God bless you at whatever you do.

 

Forgive me if my heart just slips away.

Love Always,

Mama

It's Friday already?

TGIF to everyone!

 For me, when I'm off work, I say instead.....It's Friday already?

Don't know if it's a full moon but feels like one.

I'm glad I woke on the right side of the bed this morning because I have tons of errands to run, and the rush of pre-trip this-and-that starts to make me more hyper than usual ---and that's hyper!
Hubbie can pack all his stuff in one over night bag for a week.....me???   oh me oh my, I have trouble fitting everything  in a large suitcase. I've always been a homebody so trips challenge my need to simplify.  Last trip BG's forehead broke in a sweat as they were weighing my suitcase at the airport and it was half of my bodyweight. Extra charges were waived but that was like a ticket warning for me. LOL

Stayed up late again reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and so far it's very sad. The little girl is so pitiful in the first 3 chapters but I'm going to plug along at it. Seems so far to be a heartbreaking story.

Raven woke me at 7am barking and yodeling on the front porch nonstop. Nothing would stop her. In my sleepy wakefulness, I did everything I could to make her stop but she was intent on staring in the woods and I didn't want to go meet a bear this morning so I figured that was probably what she was barking at. In my sleepiness she looked like a bear herself, being all black. But I blinked again, that was Ruby. Two black Labs and a big black bear and me in the morning would not be a good scenario, so I pulled the covers over my head.

She finally stopped and then I drifted off to sleep to enjoy one more day of sleeping in ...ahhhhh.....and then the phone rang. It was an automated voice telling me the church was having a picnic this weekend and to bring a side dish.   Side dish????  Bring me pancakes and coffee!

So, I got up with broken sleep in hours of 2-3 at a time.....but on the right side of the bed as I'm so looking forward to our Chicago trip. Made a big pot of coffee. Decaf.

The weather here this week was sunny and gorgeous temps. Today is the first cloudy day. Fixing to zoom over to see what's predicted for Chicago this coming up week.

Also got to figure out and downsize a small bag of cross stitch to tuck in my suitcase. Hard choices.
{{{{biting nails}}}}

 well off to the day.....well, evening now......time is flying. Back to the rush.

Concentrating on nature's beauty

You just never know what you might run into that is peaceful and beautiful.

Daily thoughts now. Let go. Embrace serendipity.

I'm going to try to hold that thought.as long as I can and enjoy the upcoming 2nd third of my life.

So much time wasted.

Who knows what's next?

I feel like a load has been lifted after reading today.

I hope you find that inner peace too. Life is too short to hang on to toxic relationships and imagining what could go wrong.

Expect the best. That is my thought for the week.

I know there will be challenges to this but trying hard, trying real hard.

I'll stick to my karma and let them stick to theirs.

nite nite after a good profitable day.

Stay-tuned at the serendipity that's coming my way.

Jennifer

Happy Labor Day

Hope it's full of barbeque, rest, and naps!

Sunday stash-sorting and sailing with time

The nest is quiet. It's Sunday morning again. Wow, did this week fly by in a flash!

I woke from a dream with Brandon in it last night. He was only about 5 years old. We were at a friend's house and trying to find something and he turned around and said to me, "Will you make me a love muffin?"

I laughed. He was serious about wanting a muffin, his favorite being cinnamon, and I used to call him Blueberry Love Muffin until his coach at baseball suggested me not to yell this in the stands at the game to cheer him on. Like.... then, I woke up that my baby was not a baby anymore at that game. And Meghan was Strawberry Love Muffin, but she didn't seem to mind that much then......that was then.

Why do we have such bizarre dreams? or at least I do alot. Maybe it's the changing in the seasons as last night for sure was the first night of real Fall temps in the air at mid 50's here in the mountains.

Sweater weather at night.  Cool.  Really, cool, cool.

I have put off thread sorting for too long and today, I hope to focus on gathering of the threads. You know what I mean, or are you a very organized person??? 

Well, I have some on the sofa, on the table, on the chair.......in stitching bags from finished projects and all these need to go back to their homes so I can find them again for new projects.

I have about 3 stitching bags I carry that need to be cleaned out as well. I think I will find about 7 pair of little scissors in them. I also have tons of DMC I have gathered from Hobby Lobby x 2 in the past 2 weeks when I went on trips out of town and they need new homes as well.

So I hope to stay simple this week and have one goal a day.

Today's goal is to get my studio and stash back into place and get a new bag with a pattern, ready for stitching. True signs were that last night Abbie found a needle and was carrying in her mouth when Body Guard gasped, OMG, she has a needle, how did that happen?  Well, I wonder, I said to him. LOL

Sounds simple enough. And my goal is to keep Sunday Simple. The rest of the week can be crazy but Sunday needs to be simple.

And somewhere in between I'm getting a Butterfinger Blizzard from DQ!

Right now, coffee and sorting and praying I don't get distracted with a hundred other things that need to be done.

Trying to simplify. Trying hard. Really trying hard.

The Acorns are falling early this year.....

Things I did today:

•  saw large, big, green acorns falling. Almost afraid to walk to the car in fear of getting a head trauma. Isn't this a bit early? Last year we had dents in the car from the large acorns.
• walked into work to find an early birthday surprise from Dahlonega clinic staff. Yummy Red Velvet Cake and paper balloons with my name all over the clinic! Lyn is the talented one and creative with art.
• ate lunch at Pizza Hut with hubbie. Personal Pan pizza with mushrooms, black olives, and extra cheese.
• drifted off into the "non-grocery" items in the Walmart and refrained from purchasing a sleep set that said on the shirt "Little Miss Sunshine". That would be hilarious because I'm not Little Miss Sunshine first thing in the mornings.......so I resisted and put it back.
• went through the fabric section of Walmart and drooled over the September fabric colors just arrived for quilts. Beautiful faded teals and chocolate browns. Caved and got 1 yard of each. Have no idea what I will do with them.
• got more non-edible items than edible.
• got an Elle magazine, which was about 1 inch thick and had Julia Roberts Eat Pray Love model shots and article in it.......Great pics and articles.
• stopped into an antique/treasure store to get a few baskets and little items, because I need more baskets.....NOT!
• didn't see a cloud in the sky and the humidity is alot lower.
• saw the world in DMC on the ride home from work through the country side and possibilities for good sampler motifs and verses especially for the old churches in the area.
• thought for a second Abbie ate my wedding rings off the chest in the family room. What a dilemma until we finally found them. Where were they? under about 75 skeins of threads on the kitchen table. I was about ready to take her in for an X ray to find them.
• found out today that gray and camel are big-time Fall fashion colors this year. Craving for an Ann Taylor camel tote just won't get out of my mind. I'm trying hard to get that out of my mind as it's quite costly.
• found out I had 8 hours to get the house ready for an appraisal and it's a disaster. Just gave up on that, hoping it doesn't matter. I do have to sleep at least 3 hours before going to work again to solve pelvic pains and menstrual dysfunctions/ hot flashes, mood swings and whatever else.
• went into a furniture store to look for one particular item and instead sat in every Lazy-boy chair, testing the ones on sale for a possible new stitch chair. While sitting in one for about 10 minutes, I finally came to my senses that the economy is not the best time to buy a chair.
• started stitching a small amount on the Quiet Sunday Mornings pinkeep for a bowl filler/ basket filler.
• wished my kids would at least answer a letter or phone call but instead of hoping and then getting disappointed again, gave up.
• final thought before bed~~~  I have 16 hours before vacation begins. That's my final thought I'm going to keep saying before I fall asleep.

Watching a sunset from a different view

The day was a day full of missions. Do you have those sort of days, when you have to pack several large missions in a 24 hour period?

  I know we all do day every day, I just stretched this over many miles today.

Packed an overnight bag just in case I was too tired to drive but I just kept driving, and driving because I'm such a homebody that I had to get back home even if it was midnight.

The best part of my day was to put new flowers at the cemetary and this time, I happened to be there at sunset, which was so peaceful. I was surprised the weather was 75 and hardly any humidity. The grass was deeply green and lush and I just threw off my shoes and watched it.

I watched the clouds change shape and imagined what they could look like.

I love sunflowers so when I saw these, I had to put them into the mix.

Until October when I get back to put Fall ones out.

I started with these wildflowers from Hobby Lobby....my next to favorite store.

Then added the others. I know this is a wild mix but it all worked out.

Some folks may think this is morbid, but for me it's something I look forward to every 3 months at least. This spot is 4 hours from our house. I wish it was much closer and maybe one day it will be with a miracle.

Today I was by myself, so I just took a rest for a while and watched the sunset in the most orange of colors I wish my camera could fully capture.

Then onward again to my journey back home.

For I know his spirit is always with me and this is just his resting place many miles away and as long as I'm alive and able, I will always be the one to take care of this spot on the Earth.

Sunday colors in our yard/forest

I hope you are not tired of pictures of butterflies. They catch my attention as soon as I walk outside on the porches. They are HUGE this year and so beautiful. I wish I could capture the whole bush of butterflies at one time with about 50 flittering around, it's so pretty. Today the sun came out. Yep, the sun. We haven't seen that in 2 days now. It flooded so much last night that Body Guard said the in town between two major food businesses there is a cave now. Like the cement just fell in like an earthquake. I will have to take a trip into town later to see this. Evidently there had been some underground deterioration in the pipe system for awhile and unknowing. I would have had a heart attack if I was eating across the street and saw that!  It just made national news, so you may see this huge disaster on CNN.

But aren't we blessed, so blessed with shelter and protection?

I think I will start naming these butterflies. I did get a closeup standing by the tree here.

and more feeding on the bush.

His eye is on the sparrow, so I know He watches me........remember that song?

One of the butterfly bushes in the sun......in the SUN!  YEAH!

We have definitely had our share of rain and moisture. Seems my rosemary is coming along well in it's new home.

This is the road to the road to the road to another road to our house.

There's no place like home.

A couple of few weeks back I threw some seed bags I got at Target into the flower holders and it has rained hard alot so this may be weeds. I don't know. I just want to use them up. But it was a bag of wildflower seeds. This one above is growing fast. Is this a lily pad? a weed? I'm not really into the names of flowers and knowing whether it is a weed or flower. But one lady up here told us when we moved to the mountans that the definition of a weed is "an unwanted flower". She loved all kinds of stuff. I think she may have been ON weed.......just joking.

This is the variety of wildflower/weeds coming up from the seeds.

These came back as a perineal. Don't know the name but I like them.

This man is begging for his 2nd meal of the day. He lives for food. Please don't freak out with him on the table. We don't eat on this table......LOL

No, we don't, Thomas does. Have you ever seen a cat so babied?  Well, I think all our furbabies are.

Yes, Thomas has his food on the table with cover if it's raining. Plus the Labs, Thelma and Louise, ie. Ruby and Raven, can't get to it as easily.....and they will try.

He made a mess of it today.

Hopefully, he's off warding away the rodents like snakes and mice for the homestead. He usually does a great job and sometimes brings us one for a present! I then scream loudly.

And while I'm in our sheltered, nice, cool house, I look over next to me and on the stack of pillows, is Abigail. She's taking a nap.....thank goodness.

Yesterday all day and night through the storms she clung to me like Velcro and I was trying to get some stitching done.

This morning woke at 11:45am. Yes, you read that right 11:45am. I have not slept that late in about 10 years. So, I'm ready now for the day at 1pm.

Missed the morning completely. But so glad for the extra rest even though it was half-filled with strange dreams about Brandon's toys he had when he was about 8 years old. Weird.

Till later,

Jennifer