Merry Christmas to All!

Here's hoping that all kind readers of this blog have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2013!!!!

 

 

The Fox homestead is cozy this morning. We opened gifts, Mr. Darcy and I together cooked French Toast and bacon, cleaned it up and now reading by the wood stove. As he is a early to rise person ( not me...LOL) he had been up early, early and built a fire in the woodstove to make it nice a cozy with coffee morning for me.

 

I had many Christmas blessings this year. My parents came by to see me for a few minutes and that just made my Christmas bright. My dad brought some fat lighter for the new stove which I so dearly needed, in fact, I was about to go out to Walmart to get some starter pieces when he came by.  A very surprise indeed. Wish they could have stayed for Christmas Eve dinner as I had just pulled out of the oven a Dutch Apple Pie and had a beef roast and veggies ready for the Christmas plates but they had to go. My mama wanted to stay so bad.

 

My mama gave me a beautiful necklace that I wore perfectly to match a sweater dress last night for Mr. Darcy at dinner. And this morning Mr. Darcy gave me some beautiful Country Outfitter brown leather boots and a diamond necklace that has a heart within a heart. He said he specifically looked for a heart within a heart for the symbolic meaning. I thought that was so sweet.

 

Abbie got some new treats, a mat for dinner with her name on it, and extra love.

 

Mr. Darcy got a personalized football coffee mug for travel and at home, and a silver pocket watch with his initials on it and the inside says "I'll always have time for you Love, Jennifer Ann Fox"

 

We are looking forward this week of redesigning the basement level to include his Presidential desk which is HUGE and painting and such. I've curtains to make and just getting the area clean again without toys and clutter, the place looks s different. Pictures to follow this next week as we transform all the spaces. I will have a space just for sewing and also room for stitching friends to visit Fox mountain in the future. I'm really excited!

 

Thank you to all who participated in the Faith Hope and Love Giveaway!!!

I will be drawing a name soon and letting you know the winner!!!

 

 

Peace to You

 

designed by Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2010

 

Here's an old design that I made a couple of years ago about this time of year, looking for peace in the year 2013!

 

I made a HUGE boo-boo with my knitting and had to frogg out after trying to change to a new ball of yarn. I will be going to a yarn store tomorrow to get back on track. I'm halfway done with Mr. Darcy's scarf. I'll take pics soon when I get this back on track!!!!!

 

In the mean time, I may finish Mr. Abe Lincoln in cross stitch.

 

Back to my cuppa,

Jennifer

Soldiers' Angels Germany: All Sewing / Knitting Projects

Soldiers' Angels Germany: All Sewing / Knitting Projects: Blankets of Hope . Blankets (no lap robes or knitted items, please) are always needed both in Germany and at the Combat Support Hospitals. ...st

Just sharing with all the stitchers out there. Those who quilt, sew, knit, crochet. I am a lifetime member of Soldier's Angels. They have many ways you can help, even if you don't do crafts you can adopt a soldier that has no family ( and believe me there are) and send letters randomly to them for encouragement, for just paying it forward.

I have always had a special interest in this group. I joined the year my son Brandon went to Afghanistan. He never responded to anything I sent but I still sent encouraging letters and packages. This was his choice to make and I still dont' know who or if they were sent out to others or helped him, but this I know for sure, I didn't realize how many soldier's had NO ONE to encourage them while deployed until I went to the welcome home ceremony and also speaking with the chaplain. I decided the next year to join this, to continue sending and realized that I may not hear a thing from the soldier my mentor connected me with, but I still continued to send and write.  I hope it made a difference. To this day, I never heard from that soldier as well. That was the end of 2011.

Then in 2012, the day after Christmas, I met for the first time a "retired soldier, a First Sarg. Major"
who changed my life all for the better. He had been retired after 25 years. Our story turned to a love story as you know. While he was over in Afghanistan for 5 months, we wrote over 4000 letters back and forth.  God rewarded me with a very, honest caring man of which I had not known my entire life.

This year for 2013, I will continue on, even though times will be tightest of tight in finances, it's my pay if forward for the military has touched me in many ways.

In reflection I can remember the day my son brought a recruiter to the house and I totally went ballistic as (per the chaplain) most all moms do over their sons joining because its a natural instinct to protect our sons and daughters. However, from the pinning ceremony, the pure pride I felt for my son to do what he wanted to and also help our country, to see his happiness in whatever he did, no matter how nervous it made me, convinced me to let go.

I don't know exactly how I will help Sodier's Angels this year but I know that 2013 proposes a new "adopted soldier" for me. My heart is leaning towards making things for the soldiers in Germany hospital. I don't know if that is what God is leading me to do but I do feel it.

I wanted to share this on my blog for one reason:  there are over 700 readers here and it's a good way
to share volunteer opportunities to help. For the spirit of Christmas, we should keep in our hearts all the year long, per Charles Dickens and this is one way to do it.

Sending love even if the person doesn't want it, is not a wrong thing because one day, the person who doesn't want to receive love will realize through some life experience, that this is what life is all about. There are many people who can send love but not as many to receive and recipricate.That takes an open heart with truth. In this program, working for the greater good of our country without expecting anything in return is the kind of fiber, I want in my design, that I call me.

I place my heart on scripture that says that the truth will set us free. This world needs alot of communication and sharing, understanding and caring if we only would open our hearts. Sometimes it's really hard to do. No one of us is perfect but I pray this year that hearts are opened, truth be known, and sharing gifts to those in need.

http://soldiersangelsgermany.blogspot.com/p/all-sewing-knitting-projects.html

Thanking soldiers forever,
Jennifer

Warm and Cozy

I'm finally going to slow down XXXX fingers....maybe until Christmas. We are enjoying a new Buck wood stove insert which puts out alot of heat once it gets going!

The hum of the blower is putting me into a relaxing state.

Going to see what's on for Christmas movies in a few.

 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Birthday and repeat again. I do think this will be a good investment and lower utility bills by half. We have plenty of trees and wood naturally. Just takes a little time to get it started. When it reaches 700 degrees the blower turns on and it's heaven.

I sold something to get this as times are hard. At first I didn't think I would like it. Now, I love it.

 

And guess who also loves it? Miss Abbie!  I made her a fleece easy-peazy blanket up from 60 % off fabbie from Joanne's. Since she is so small, a yard wraps around her 10 times but she loves it.

The print is like this:

 

 

 

A pink, girly Sock Monkey with hearts.

It's her early christmas present.

She needed it last night when the electricity went off from 11pm to 2am due to high winds out here.

SO glad I had the wood stove already heated up good!

Oil lamps lit and just silence. To think. To slow me up. To  hault my overdrive brain from a long day of work.

 

So at 2am when the lights came back on, off to bed late. Again.

 

 

My scarf progress is here:

 

 

 

I'm having to learn to add in some chunky stripes/sections to lengthen it.

I have one and 1/2 skein of the brown left and underestimated the length for Mr. Darcy so:

 

 

 

Next lesson for me is to learn how to add another color in for several rows.

 

He definitely will need this for January and February here.

 

If anything he can use it outside at home.

 

Well, folks, it's 80 degrees now on the inside thermometer. I think I can crank this wood stove down a little now but it is 43 outside. Furnace hasn't cut on one time. I think it was a good investment to lower the utility bills.

 

Warm and cozy,

Jennifer