It's a New Day!

***

Good Morning, 2013!!!!

Holy Moley - another year closes and a new day dawns.  Isn't the concept of "a new year" fabulous?  I mean, really, it's just another day, right?  So the big blue marble encircled the giant fireball again, big whoop.. right?  But, the idea of New Beginnings, Fresh Starts, Clean Slates, even the dreaded Resolutions... the whole Happy New Year enchilada is 100% brilliant, isn't it...?  It's almost like free therapy (stay with me here)--- the calendar, random people on the street, your friends and family, the teevee, radio, newspaper all proclaiming in one loud voice:  "Hey You!  Here's your New Year!  Throw out all that old year garbage (and bad habits) and make yourself/your home/your life new again."  What an awesome message, and you know what's more incredible than that?  The WHOLE WORLD celebrates the "New" Year.  Think about that.  The entire world celebrates this moment in time, a new beginning.  I find that to be amazing in and of itself.

I like it so much, I think I'll have two in 2013!  :-)

So, what have I been up to since my last post?  A whole lot which is why my blogging time shrunk to zero.  I was so busy, I didn't even have time to miss it but it does feel great to be back here today, catching up with all of your happenings over the holidays.

Year in Review:  2012 had two main themes - travel and my sweet Carmen. 

Hubby and I enjoyed visiting Italy, Greece, Turkey, Colorado, and Las Vegas this past year.  Since we both still work full-time, (and aren't spring chickens anymore) we nearly wore ourselves and our suitcases out! 

And, as you might remember, we lost our precious 12 1/2 year old canine daughter Carmen in August.  It took months to adjust to an empty house.  The sadness was overwhelming.  My distraction of choice was reorganizing everything that wasn't nailed down. When I ran out of stuff of my own to reorganize, I reorganized my sister's kitchen and pantry.  Hubby took to his workshop.  In our grief, we were not fully capable of comforting one another so the Universe reached out to us and brought a totally unexpected new bundle of love, Kitty White Socks, into our lives. 

While we know absolutely nada-zip-zilch-zero about cats, she has helped us find our silly side again.  After months of sadness, tears, loneliness and grief, we smile and laugh and act like goofballs again.  Do pets have this effect on all people or is it just us?   It's nice.  :-)

After Thanksgiving, I thoughfully packed away all the fall decorations (in their very own new storage totes) and gleefully set about decorating for Christmas.  I love combining the old stuff with some new, just to keep it fresh.  This year was no different. 

The new-ish nativity I love so much...

The old stockings were hung...

The table was set (with new and old)...

And the Jolly ol' Elf was watching...

On the stitching front, I used the electrified sewing machine more this past year than I ever have.  Using some of the prettiest fabrics I've collected over the years, I made about a dozen of these fun shoe bags for family, friends and self...

Carolyn's shoe bag

...and several bean-bag style eye pillows, again for family, friends and self. 

Jamie's eye pillow

As for handwork, I will be reacquainting myself with my tartan tea coaster today..

Happy New Year, friends.  I hope you find joy, inspiration and hope for good things to come in 2013.

The End...

Fair Warning:  this is not a happy post about needlework.  If you aren't in the mood for sad news, move on...







Dear Friends,

My four legged constant companion, Carmen, has been such a central part of my life for the past 12 1/2 years that I feel obliged to share the following.   The past month has been difficult for her, to say the least.  Age and arthritis were taking their toll while Mommy and Daddy were frantically trying to find the right combination of medication to make the age and arthritis tolerable.  Every medication seemed to make things worse, not better.  No medication at all made things much worse.  Ultimately, desperate for answers and the best diagnostics and medicine money could buy, we journeyed to Columbus OH where the MedVet staff and docs were so caring, thoughtful and thorough.  We got answers, but not good ones on Tuesday, 7/31.  Yesterday, Hubby and I made the hardest decision of our married lives (and that is saying ALOT!) to bring our girl home and bid her farewell.  Believe me when I say, we agonized over this decision but know it was the right one for our girl.  These are the hardest words I've ever written and I am only sharing because I've made Carmen such a fun part of this blog.  I hope to be able to blog again about silly things like craft fairs, tote bags, stitching finishes, and the like but it might be awhile... 

While my husband has three (human) boys from his first marriage, she was our only child.  His only "little girl".  We both are grief-striken and heart sick and will need some time to recover.. Twelve years is a long time, but, not long enough.

Together, we were 'The Fam'.  She was so special to us both...

Many tears...

Happy Day!

Carmen sends her thanks and sloppy kisses to all who wished her a quick recovery.  She had stitches removed today from all three surgery sites and biopies all came back clean.

She (and we) is glad to have this behind her.

:-))

...out like a lamb...

###

Here it is, the end of March and what have I accomplished so far this year?  Not much.  :-)

BUT, I am very proud to report that thanks to a discovery in the "housekeeping" department, I have cleaned all (yes, ALL) of my windows, inside and out, thank you very much.  What is this wonder discovery, you ask?  They are called e-Cloths and I found mine at Marshall's (aka Home Goods / TJ Maxx).  The Window Pack has two cloths, one to clean with and the other to dry with.  You just wipe the window with damp cloth to remove dirt, then wipe it with the other one to dry/shine.  Think "Wax On, Wax Off".  It takes all of about two seconds, uses water only and the windows are streak free and cleaner than I have ever seen them in 14 years.  Seriously.  Don't cha just love that?  What else?  I used these cloths on my curio cabinet doors and shelves as well as my china cabinets doors and shelves, glass tabletops, and bathroom mirrors and they all seem to be repelling, yes REPELLING, dust.  These things might just be the best thing ever.  Sure hope you all run out and find some (available thru Amazon too).  They have made letting the sun shine in so much easier!  (I don't work for e-Cloth, know anyone who does, or get paid in anyway for this endorsement, btw)

Carmen is resting comfortably today after a rough day yesterday.  As some of you know, she had surgery to remove a few suspicious bumps yesterday.  To add insult to injury, she also had a teeth cleaning and toenail trim while she was in sleepy-town.  So, on top of three surgical sites (with stitches) to recover from, she also woke up with sore teeth and toes.  Poor girl.  

Rimadyl (pain med) is good

Mommy is home today, helping the girl recover with a little special treatment like rice/chicken/carrot breakfast.   I'm sure she'll be in top form in no time.   Dr. Fred, the v-e-t, said she had a very strong heart (and head).  Hummm...can't image where she'd get that! 


New this week at the feeder:

I just love these Purple Finches.  They show up in the spring with their Gold Finch cousins and add a brilliant splash of color to an otherwise drab backdrop.  One of my bird books says they look like they have been dipped in raspberry juice.  To me, they look like someone has dyed them like Easter eggs.  Very pretty.

On the stitching front, I'll be trying to finish up a very small "small" this afternoon.  It is for the SAS teacup auction in Birmingham, so no pics.  :-)    But, don't worry... you aren't missing much.

This Saturday, my EGA chapter is hosting an all-day "Stitcher's Day Out" at a local place called Heritage Farm Museum and Village.  We have been doing this one-day retreat for multiple years now and always have a great time.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Most years, there has also been a wedding at the chapel (just across the way from the Welcome Center we rent).  I think we all have come to look forward to watching the wedding hustle and bustle going on around us.  We certainly love watching the bride wait outside the chapel doors for the perfect moment, kiss her escort on the cheek, then start her walk up the aisle.  So tender.  So special.

from 2008 archives

Hope you all are having a wonderful week and are looking forward to April as much as I am.

Hugs~

Top o' the Morning to Ya

I love Love LOVE St. Patrick's day.  I love the leprechauns, shamrocks, jigs, and corned beef.  I blame it on having a drop or two of Irish blood in my veins.  So with St. Pat's celebrations this week, it looks like this week will be as busy, if not busier, than most.  

I'm sneaking in a quick post now before you all think Fat Tuesday got the better of me.

In stitching news:  I'm having a great time making a few greeting cards for a EGA chapter fundraiser.  We plan on stitching card covers in a variety of techniques and then selling the bunch of them until they are gone.  At $5/each, I think they will sell easily at our favorite LNS. (fingers crossed)

Here's a peak:

embroidery embellished felt appliques

scrap from hardanger project gone wrong

all cross-stitch design

The resident K9 is having a boo-boo issue that looks like it could entail surgery.  We'll be seeing Dr. Fred (the v.e.t.) asap, and maybe taking a quick trip to the OSU v.e.t. hospital, if necessary.  From the looks of it, I'd say I should go ahead and pack a bag.  :-(  

Therefore, there will be very little blog posting, blog reading, stitching, etc. until we get things back to the normal chaos level.

Happy stitching friends!

Snowed in Saturday (the sequel)

I like to remain positive.  See the bright side.  Keep a sunny disposition. 

I'm positive my blood is going to freeze solid;  the bright side can only be seen on the weather channel; and my sunny disposition is vacationing in Phoenix, Arizona. 

So...with another round of 'Artic Blast' here for another week, here is how my To Do list is shaping up:

• Feed the birds...

• and the "K9 unit", Carmen...

Wish me a Happy Birthday!  Mom says I turn 11 (or 77) on Monday.
 
• and the hubs:  chili for lunch or dinner (Mom's famous chili recipe HERE)

• Stitch (Leo d'Assisi nearly complete, getting caught up on Assisi GCC also)

• Laundry (yes, the dryer is back from the dead)  Yay hubby!

I know you don't want to see a visual of Mt. Filth-i-mangaro

So that's what's happenin' in Wild Wonderful West Virginia, friends.  I know - I have to take my own pulse every once in awhile, just to be sure.  Stay warm and safe, friends!

Snowed In Saturday

***

First things first - for leaving me a comment on my last post, I have TWO boxes of chocolates to put in the mail.  Jane from Quiltsmiles in picturesque Adirondack, NY and Aubree from "For the Love of Cross Stitch" in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia.  Ladies, please email me your snail mail addresses so I can pop your chocolates in the mail.  The longer they sit on my kitchen counter, the less likely they are to actually make it to the Post Office!  ;-) 

(The cover was from 1995, btw.)

The overnight snow we had put the skids on all outside activities today.  It might have also put the skids on most inside activities.  :-)

nap-time with "Daddy"

While Carm girl and her Daddy took an afternoon siesta, I caught up on a little computer work, filing, picture editing, blogging (reading and posting), bird watching and stitching.

A new arrival at the feeder

backside:

I'm not 100% sure, but I think this could be a female red-winged blackbird.  Maybe if she likes my home cooking well enough, she'll bring her mate with her next time and I'll be better able to identify her.

And, of course, I did what snow-days were meant for...
a little stitching   :-)

Since I couldn't get off the hill today, I missed my first group meeting of the new Assisi GCC class that my EGA chapter is participating in.  :-(  

I figured the least I could do was a little Assisi warm-up.  This gorgeous lion was a monthly education project from a few months ago.  I triple love the finished look and would be thrilled to bring a finished piece to February's Show and Tell.  <3

Now, I'm off to make a little dinner and take in a little Playoff action.

Stay warm!

Ringing in 2011

...

Beignets for Breakfast

Margo (My Up-tight Northern Alter Ego):  "Oh my...aren't beignets nothing more than deep fried dough?"

Marti (My Southern Self):  "Why yes, yes they are!  Unless of course, you are lucky enough to be from the South..then they are beignets."

Truth be told, these little bite-sized chunks of love weren't plated until almost 11 pm tonight.  However, I have been in a very 'Nawlin's' frame of mind the past week or so.  Some weeks a girl needs a little more pampering than others.  Wouldn't you agree?

New Orleans is much much more, but on the surface, it is a sensual city of instant gratification.  It offers many, many ways to indulge your every guilty pleasure...food, drink, music, and that's just the beginning.  I may never have a breakfast as memorable as the chicory coffee and beignets I had in the French Quarter many years ago.. 

The memories of the sights, sounds and tastes of NOLA come back to me at the most unpredictable and unlikely times.  It is definitely a "total immersion" kind of thing.  Like taking a bath in pure, leave-me-be-I'm-having-a-moment, pleasure.  Wait - they have a name for it - MARDI GRAS! 

I haven't visited since Katrina, and don't have any immediate plans.   But, every once in a while, I feel an undeniable tug towards the Big Easy.  Today, it was beignets.  Yesterday, it was ACME oysters.  Tomorrow, who knows? 

...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the warm, gold and olive Christmas decor is giving way (slowly but surely) to wintry fresh, white and silver. 

Hope your New Year is off to a Sweet Start!

And we're back!

I'm very happy to report that the laptop is back from it's trip to the doctor's office and seems to be feeling better than ever.  My head is still spinning over the fact that July (and more than half of this year) is gone.  G.O.N.E.  Despite the heat, I've really enjoyed this summer.  I've been blessed to see old things with new eyes and with deeper appreciation.  Maybe it's 'maturity' (or maybe my last nerve took a leave of absence) but for the most part, regardless of how hectic and crazy life has been this year, I've remembered to breathe deeply, keep a sense of humor and count my blessings.  My evening walks with Carmen give me breathing room and time to meditate/pray.  Here's a peak of what a typical summer evening walk looks like:



So we walk, every evening.  Rain or shine.  Heat wave or freeze warnings.  We walk.  We have discovered many things on our walk.  Many wonderous, beautiful, and perfect things like brand-spanking new fawns nestled down in the brush just off the walking path,

protective mama

Indigo Buntings, 

ruffled hearts disguised as leaves,

sunsets,

wildflowers,

and grass.  Yes grass.  As it turns out, our neighbors have the best  grass in the whole wide world.  So, without fail, every evening, we go through this routine:

Carmen's hearing/vocabulary test

She can also spell as well as a 5th grader. 

Flight of the Hummingbird (video)

Welcome Back Friends!

Lavender Honey

You're just in time. Won't you join us?

We're justing hanging out, waiting on the wing'd ones.

Oh LOOK! There's one now!

(click arrow above to play video)

Memorial Day Weekend

Big Plans?  Not for me.  Just the usual plus a little extra.  The D.O.G. must get the B.A.T.H. today.  Oh what fun.  I wish I could begin to explain the ordeal in words colorful enough to paint an accurate picture, but I'm not that smart.  You'd just have to see it.  Needless to say, from the moment I start the bath water to the moment she's freed from the evil torture chamber that we call "the tub", it's an adventure we like to call the Big "B".  Or maybe that's just what I overheard her calling me after her last bath. 

Oh well.  What's a few extra chiropractor appointments?  Right?

I sincerely hope (and plan) to have the stitching finished on the GPA Christmas slipper set this weekend.  It is very close and I think a couple more hours will do it.  A small happy dance will be in order, but I'll save the full tilt 'get my groove on' happy dance for when the set looks like a slipper.  Going to swing in to Jo-Ann's today to see if they have any fabric that will match the Crescent Colors Belle Soie Cranberry and Collard Greens I stitched it with.

Other than that, all I can think about is the oil in the Gulf.  I can't stand the thoughts of what this disaster is doing to our planet, wildlife, eco-system and people of the Gulf region.  At this point, I'm praying for a miracle.  I'm heart sick over the whole thing.  Why no disaster plan?  Why so long? Why? Why?  Make it stop.  Please Lord, make it stop.

And on that depressing note, I bid you a fond three day weekend.  Let's all take a moment to remember the men and women who fought and continue to fight for freedom.  

Freedom is not Free.

Blue Monday

We've had better days.

Not my idea of a proper Derby hat, but with a little fringe and a few feathers, it could work!

Carmen would like to thank everyone for their concern and she wants to assure her girlfriends that she won't be missing their annual outing in Louisville this weekend.  Dr. Fred says with a little cream and some antibiotics on board, she'll be feeling like her onery self very soon.  She was doubly relieved to find out the bill wasn't being paid from her Fun Fund.  

Be Still WIP and strange goings-ons

A few weeks back, I started a little quickie for "Project Nana" but to be honest, I like it so much, I might need to keep it.  Maybe just for a little while...

My Big Toe Designs (click for more designs)

Pattern cover art on left                                                    My progress on right

I changed the thread colors a wee bit.  The verse on the right is stitched in Crescent Colours Wisconsin Woods.  I like CC WW soooooo much for wording.  It's pretty near perfect for my taste.

On the home front, a strange thing has been going on since hubby and I have been so busy at MILs.  It seems Carmen has developed quite the penchant for hats.  Yes, hats.  And fancy ones at that! 

A new one seems to arrive daily in boxes marked "Deliver by May 1".  May 1?  Doesn't she know Easter is April 4th?  

Stranger yet, she has been receiving some very, let's just say, fannn-CEEEEE garments in the mail from an anonymous source, always postmarked Indiana.  Strange I tell ya.  Strange.

I have no Earthly idea what this K9 of mine could be up to but maybe I'd rather not know.  They grow up so fast.  It seems just like yesterday when I had clean carpets, free time and discretionary income.  Now I have a "college fund" for a certain d.o.g. but instead of books and tuition, it's for Chem-Dry carpet cleanings, prescription dog food, K-9 thyroid medicine, and the occasional sugar-free vanilla frozen yogurt.

Oh well.  At least someone is having fun!

Next time you hear from me I hope to have a finish to share.

Not freezing, progress pic and birthday bulletin

Yesterday, I saw a big orange fireball in the sky!  I overheard some people calling it "the sun".   Whatever it's called, it made me feel warm and wonderful!  It was back again today!  I'm praying that it might return tomorrow.  I loved it.  I was nice, while it lasted.

I've stitched a little on my capri blue Assisi peacock candle wrap.  Here's a progress pic: (also seen in my new header)

Not far to go, but it might be a while before I get back to it.  Hubby and I are moving his mother in with us for a little while during renovations to her home.  She is coming tomorrow and will be here a month or so.  She is incredible and I look forward to having her, but it will be a big change from what hubby and I are used to.  We'll adjust quickly, I'm sure, but stitching time might suffer a smidge.

Carmen wanted me to thank all of you for not adopting her when I was trying to give her stinky self away to a new home recently.  She wants everyone to know that she smells 'better' now and is glad she isn't having to train a new family.  She's just got us trained to her liking and it's only taken her 10 years!  Hard to believe my baby turns 'double digits' on the 24th.

Not bad for a 70 year old!

Wherever you are tonight friends, here's hoping you are warm and safe.  Happy stitching!

Another one in the books