Christmas is Just Around the Corner

Christmas is just around the corner, but it is difficult to believe that Thanksgiving was just last week and today is already December 1st!  Our house is still decorated for Autumn, and we are still recuperating from all of the preparations and celebration of Thanksgiving, which still lingers in the air.  I just made my turkey leftovers soup two days ago, and believe it or not, we still have turkey and a few slices of various pies to enjoy.

As I sat in the sewing group, at my LNS, this morning, and listened to some of the ladies talking about having already put up their Christmas trees, I realized that I need to get myself going and get out the Christmas boxes!  It just seems like we are barely past Thanksgiving and before we can blink an eye, Christmas is upon us.  Can't we just savor these special times a little longer, I wonder?

 The first item to be put out, although a few days late, is always our Advent Wreath with its' candles.  Growing up in my family, Advent was always my favorite part of the Christmas season.  Each night after supper, as we all sat around the dinner table, my parents would dim the lights and my mother would read the daily scripture lesson, and then we would all joinin singing a Christmas hymn or two.  We carried on this tradition with our children as they grew up, and now my husband, Bruce and I still continue it together in our "empty nest".  On Christmas Eve, with our grown and married children,  everyone all looks forward to the special time of lighting the candles, and  reading aloud the scripture for Christmas Eve.  It is now quite a chorus of voices when we all sing some of our favorite Christmas hymns together, but it is such a special time that we will always cherish in our hearts.

Here are a few previews of some of the Christmas ornaments I have been stitching, although they are not finished yet.  Some of  them will be gifts for my daughter and my daughters in law, who, as I mentioned in my last post, put little "sticky post-its" on the pages of my 2009 and 2010 Just Cross-Stitch Ornaments issues!  "Hint-hint", they said with sweet grins on their faces.  Here are two previews that are ready for finishing.  At least one ornament will be for our tree, and I am almost finished stitching it.  Hopefully, I will be able to show you a few finished ornaments with my next posting.



"Stitcher's Joy" (Prairie Moon)

"Windows of Faith, Hope, and Peace" (Primrose Needleworks)

Crossing in Stitches & Friendship With You.....One Stitch At A Time!

Counting Our Blessings

Victoria Sampler "Hands to Work - Hearts to God"

When times are difficult and there is so much uncertainty about so many aspects of our lives in these times, it is not surprising to forget about all of the blessings for which we can be thankful.  If you are like me, some days I feel overwhelmed and find myself slipping into a mood of discontent and grumbling about this and that.  But when I stop to consider all of the many blessings that God has bestowed upon me and my loved ones, my heart gives way to "thankfulness".

Since many of our grown children are not able to be with us for Thanksgiving this year, we decided that we would make dinner for my elderly parents in Connecticut.  What was to be just a very small gathering of 5 of us, has mushroomed into a rather large group of my siblings and spouses and a few of the great grandchildren.  As one by one,  word made its' way around to all of the siblings about our plans, others decided that it would be a wonderful way to give thanks....for the many blessings of a loving and wonderful family, gathering together on Thanksgiving Day!

So, we will put our many "hands together" and all make the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and thank God for His gift of faith, a loving family, hope for the future and gratefulness for being together.  But most of all we will give thanks to God for all of His abundant blessings, too numerous to count...

"Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine."  (Proverbs 3:9-10)

A Little Bit of Stitching Here and There

Lately, with the cooler weather settling in, and the holidays just around the corner, all I have wanted to do is make the house look a little more festive for Thanksgiving, and whenever time permits, cozy up with a cup of tea and enjoy some stitching time. 

The past few days though, my stitching time has been put on hold, as I performed the dreaded task of transferring our spring/summer clothes and  winter clothes into closets.  Always such a big job, washing and putting all of it away.  I am one of those perfectionists who feels guilty sitting down with my stitching when I know there are jobs that need my attention. So now, I am stealing away in my recliner for  some stitching time for me!

Recently, I participated in the Victoria Sampler "Gingerbread Tree Etui" Stitcherama, which was a live online two day class, almost like being at a retreat.  It was fun, and I also had access to the stitching lessons and finishing techniques for an additional two weeks.  Here is my first tree panel, without the beads and buttons attached, as all four tree panels, pincushion and scizzor case are all stitched on one piece of linen.  Not sure if I will get this finished in time for Christmas, but I am working on it!

My daughters-in-law have been looking through my Just Cross Stitch Ornament issues from 2010 and 2009 and put little sticky post-it notes with their favorite ornament picks...hint...hint.  So, I went to my LLN shop over the weekend and purchased some linens and fibers to stitch some of their selections.  It is fun to stitch something small for a change.  My usual stitching projects are larger, and take longer to finish.  So here are some sneek peeks at a few of the ornaments before they are completely finished.
 

"Stitcher's Joy" by (Prairie Moon)



"Windows of Faith, Hope and Peace" by Primrose Needleworks

I just want for all of my faithful follower to know how much it means to me when you visit my stitching blog and leave all of your nice comments.  Hope that you are taking some special time just for you, whenever you can, to closet yourself away with your favorite stitching projects too!



Almost Finished...

Last weekend was a flurry, but I managed to find some quiet times for stitching while my husband flipped channels between football and the World Series in Baseball. 

Two days ago, I took the last stitches in "Quaker Faith" (Little by Little Designs).  Here is a photo of my piece, before it goes off to the framer.

I love the colours in this piece.  In the original design, only the last two numbers in the year, for example, (10) instead of (2010), were used.  In a recent newsletter from Nordic Needle, there was an article describing the importance of  always signing your initials and the actual year on all of your stitching pieces, because it makes them more valuable as heirlooms to be passed on to future generations.  So, I decided to place the "20" at the top of the piece and the "10" is placed exactly where it is seen on the original design.  My husband's initials (BNR) are in the lower right hand part of the piece. 

When "Quaker Faith" comes back from my framer, I will be sure to post a finished photo on my blog!
The history behind my love of all the Quaker designs, as I may have mentioned in a previous post, is that I am a direct descendent of William Penn, and my youngest brother is named William Penn.  My grandmother's name was Margaret Penn, and William Penn's mother's name was Margaret too.  One of our sons lives in Pennsylvania, and we love touring around when we are there, seeing many places, buildings, churches, and museums which bear plaques, noting William Penn's many contributions to the founding, settling and establishment of the first governments in Pennsylvania.  We find all of it very interesting indeed!

"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yeilding fruit, whose seed was in inself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good".  (Genesis 1:12)

A Special Blessing...

Yesterday, we were blessed to have witnessed the marriage of the daughter of very dear friends.  The bride, Hilary, and our daughter, Carra have been best friends since they were babies.  They were even roommates for a few years after college.  It has been a joy to watch Hilary grow from a little girl into a beautiful, lovely young woman, who has found her true soul mate at last.


Our daughter, Carra & Husband, Drew, Hilary & Bryan (Bride & Groom) & Friend

 One of the interesting aspects of the reception was an intriguing Chocolate Fountain.  We had never heard of such a thing, but it was delightful, and everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying dipping everything from fruit to various kinds of cookies, pretzels, and biscottis into the flowing delectible chocolate.  Yummmmmm!

This precious little flower girl was totally enthralled with the wedding cake, and just couldn't wait for the bride and groom to cut it!

Okay, now it looks like maybe they're beginning to look serious about cutting this cake, so more of the little children gather round in anticipation.  So cute...

Marriage is a very special blessing indeed, when you have found that one very special person with whom to share your life, through good times and difficult ones, in joy and in sorrow, passing through the peaks and valleys of life. 

"And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God."

The Autumn Leaves Drift Past My Windows...

Oh my goodness, but it is a very cold fall day here in Massachusetts.  Yesterday the sky was a mixture of a very darkened eastern sky, and a grayish blue with the sun trying to peak from behind the clouds in west.  All around our neighborhood we are surrounded by towers of lovely trees, glowing with the gorgeous fall colours.  You can tell that I absolutely love this season!

The other day, I pulled out my autumn needlework pieces and decided to do a little decorating with them in the house.  When Bruce and I went to Pennsylvania this summer, we found some wonderful frame stands in an Amish country store, perfect for displaying some of our needlework.   Here are just a few of my favorite pieces.

Although

Distance photos just don't do justice to these pieces, so I thought that I would add a few close-up's too.

"Autumn Basket" (Sunflower Samplings)

"Falling Leaves" (Prarie Grove Peddler)

 

 

"Autumn Leaves" (Elizabeth's Designs)

Although like every other stitcher, I too am always adding to my "stash" of pieces that I just can't wait to stitch.  Although some of these patterns were among some of my older "stash", I had such fun stitching them.  After all, with the way the economy affects all of us in our spending now, I am so grateful that I can "shop" in my own closet now for something new to stitch!

By the end of the weekend, I should have "Quaker Faith" finished!  It is turning out really nicely, and of course I am an avid Quaker designs stitcher, so I love it!  So, I will be posting my finished piece soon, I hope.  Then I will be starting some Christmas ornaments.  My daughter-in-law, Gwen,  put a whole bunch of stitcky notes in  my 2009 & 2010 Just Cross Stitch Ornaments issues, noting her favorite ornaments...hint...hint:) 

With October Comes the Pumpkins and the Autumn Leaves....

Autumn is my very favorite season of the year.  The scents of spice fill the air, and when the leaves turn to their most magnificent colours of gold, rust, cinnamon, crimson and orange, the beauty of God's earth just fills my spirit with joy!    Of course, anyone who knows me well, knows that I will use any excuse to indulge myself in a nice pot of tea, which is the perfect compliment to my stitching pleasure, and especially on a cool autumn day.

Oh my goodness, these past few weeks have been a "whirl", and it is already the middle of October!  Time to hang up some of my favorite October needlework pieces!  Here are just a few hanging in my sewing room.

After a second surgery last week, which went very well, I am at long last beginning to regain strength, and when I finally felt like I wanted to pick up my needle and thread again over the weekend, my husband gave a big sigh of relief.  He knew that I if I wanted to stitch, then I MOST definintely must be feeling better!

Every day I have worked a little bit more on "Quaker Faith" (Little by Little Designs), and it is about three quarters finished now.  My goal, is that by the weekend, when my hubby has some time to go with me to our favorite framer's shop, I will be able to take the piece with me for framing.  I am so excited about the prospect!

Last Sunday afternoon, our son, Kevin and his wife, Gwen, arrived with our little grandson, Emery.  They had been attending a wedding in New York, and decided to surprise us by driving to Massachusetts to surprise us.  What a wonderful treat!

Little Emery is now 9 months old and is cuter than ever.  He has the most infectious smile, and such a wonderful disposition for his age.  Even his pediatrician says that he has never seen a happier, more content baby.  He and his Daddy are great buddies!

 

Of course, Emery is completely decked out in his total Halloween baby gear, complete with pumpkin binky!

This weekend we were to attend a wonderful needlework retreat in Enfield, New Hampshire with Thea Dueck, of The Victoria Sampler, sponsored by New England Stitcher's Retreats.  Alas, after all of the months and months of anticipating this exciting event, the Lord had other plans for us.

Sometimes it is so difficult to understand why things happen as they do, but since my throat surgery about 5 weeks ago, my breathing has waxed and waned, and yesterday it worsened and caused me to need an urgent visit to my surgeon.  His diagnosis was that another surgical procedure needs to be done the day after Columbus Day, and I am on steroids for now to reduce the swelling.  Honestly, if I had been in New Hampshire and had this crisis occur, it would not have been a good thing to be so far from home, and I know that in my heart, but what a HUGE disappointment not to be able to join with all of those lovely stitchers at the retreat!

When I read my devotional for yesterday, this is the scripture that jumped off the page:  "Do not fear nor be dismayed" . (Deuteronomy 31:8)  Well, if that isn't a really direct answer to my question of  "Why did this have to happen now!?   I shed buckets of tears, got it all out of my system, and later in the day picked up my stitching again, and started to feel some of the tension and disappointment begin to dissipate.  For me, stitching has always been one of the most wonderfully soothing ways to get in touch with the more peaceful side of my spirit.  It always is....

This is a song by Lowell Alexander, reminding us of God's presence in our lives.  It was featured in "Our Daily Bread" on October 7, 2010, and I believe that this beautiful song reflects what so many of us need to realize when we travel through the stormy journeys of life:

" You will face mountains so steep, deserts so long and valleys so deep.  Sometimes the journey is gentle, sometimes the cold winds blow.  But I want you to remember, I want you to know that you will never walk alone...Jesus will be right beside you all the way."

Ella's First Spoonful of Cereal!

Yesterday our daughter, Carra, brought our granddaughter, Ella, here for lunch and some special time with Grandma, who had the priviledge of feeding Ella her first real spoonsful of rice cereal.  What a riot!  Ella couldn't get the cereal fast enough, and was loving every mouthful!.  We also had our little poodle, Meggie, sitting close by watching, in case there were any cereal "droppings" to lick up.

In between mouthfuls of cereal, Ella was distracted by Meggie sitting next her, and she would hold out her hand for Meggie, who was thrilled to lick off the any of the clinging cereal from Ella's hand.  Carra and I were hysterical!  It probably sounds gross that we allowed Ella to let Meggie lick her hand, but it was just too funny for words!  Ella was thoroughly enjoying this wonderful new adventure of having her first real food! Meggie thought it was fantastic too!

What a joy it is to have grandchildren and to be able to share in the great new adventure of watching them grow and change!  We are so blessed!

A Special Giveaway...Check This Out!

Silver Threads Golden Needle (Blogspot.com) has some fabulous giveaways to celebrate a very  "special" birthday! Isn't this a gorgeous scissor fob?

                      Aren't these just beautiful?  

Special Milestones...

This past weekend, Bruce and I attended what he prefers to call  his"MILESTONE" high school class reunion!  He says that he can't believe that so many years have passed since he graduated from high school, but it was a lot of fun for him.

Bruce @ Class Reunion Party

 One of the fun things that they did was to pass out to every former student, a nametag for another classmate with their picture on it, and the goal was for each person to try and find the correct person whose name and picture were on the nametag!  What a riot it was watching everyone trying to find each other.  There was only one man who looked fairly like he did in high school, and that was a man that Bruce said had lost a lot of weight, and looked to be in great shape.  He was an incredible dancer too. 

We had a really nice time.  It was my first time out in public since my surgery, and it was a bit of a challenge learning how to communicate with people, who could not hear my new "whispering voice", so I had to write notes to talk.  It was kind of strange for me, since I have always loved to talk. For Bruce, who has always been the more "silent" partner, he is learning that he now has to be the talker for both of us,but we he had a wonderful time with everyone.

One of Bruce's former classmates, a very successful contractor, generously donated a sum of money for the celebration, and we were treated to a beautiful dinner, complete with a gift bag containing a bottle of wine, a class CD and a baseball hat monogrammed with Bruce's High School name and class insignia.  Really nice!

 As some of  the people spoke, Bruce commented that their personalities had not changed a bit, even if they did look a little older.  He said that the class president was just the same and that the class clown was no different from the way he acted in high school.  It made me think back to my own high school years too, thinking to myself that, for many of us, we probably still feel like we're just as young inside, even though the mirror may tell us a different story!!  So, I guess that the lesson to be learned is that we must always hold to the goal of striving to be just as "Young At Heart" as possible, in spite the birthdays that tell us we are growing older!

A Stitch Here and There...

There is nothing more refreshing and soothing than when I pick up my needle to take a few stitches on my current "work in progress", which happens to be the "Quaker Faith" sampler by Cynthia Bradford, of "Little by Little".  Here is a "birds' eye view" of my latest progress.

 My attention is drawn to these "autumn" colors, especially as the long days of summer officially ended yesterday, and now that we have started to notice that some of our trees are beginning to show their early changes of color.  The days are getting a little shorter, and the evening hours seem to come upon us a little earlier every night.  My favorite color palette has always been those among the "autumn" hues.  From early childhood, I was always drawn to shades of gold, olive, brown, orange, teal.  My mother used to shudder when I would choose those colors, but I love them!

Yesterday I saw my throat surgeon and received a good report that everything is healing well...still a little way to go, but that is ok.  The "not so good news" is that I will never recover any "normal" voice again, and that it my new voice is only a "whisper".  At least I am blessed with that, and for it I am grateful.  My husband can now truly say that he doesn't have to worry that his wife will ever yell at him again!  Not that I have ever really yelled at him....he is a pretty wonderful guy and we have a very special relationship...another great blessing!

This happy grandma had the inexplicable joy of getting in some more hugs from our baby granddaughter, Ella this week, who is more beautiful everytime I see her.  She will be 6 months old on September 29th.  These little ones grow when we aren't looking!

Well, I am off to do a little stitching and enjoy a new Netflix series, called "Lark Rise to Candleford", made in 2008.  The story takes place in late 19th century England, and was a BBC series.  It kind of reminds me of Masterpiece Theatre's "Cranford" which aired several episodes this year and in 2009.  I am drawn to this type of Victorian drama...similar to Jane Austen stories. 

Some Terrific Giveaways!

Today I discovered two new blogs that I want to tell you about, "Lacey Lemondrops' Sunroom" and "Raspberries and Rose Petals".   They are really special and I know that you will love visiting them.

Raspberries and Rose Petals has a very special giveaway of a gorgeous, lacey box with pearls and roses and all kinds of sweet adornments!  The giveaway ends on Sept. 22nd, so visit soon!

Also, Brynwood Needleworks has a wonderful giveaway too for the 500th post....two wonderful lap quilts will be among the giveaways.

Hey,  am I a silly girl, or what, telling you about these fabulous giveaways....guess that I am minimizing my own chances of winning one of those neat giveaways, but I don't like to be "stingey".  Afterall, I believe in sharing with all of my friends, and you are one of them!

We Are Surrounded by God's Love...

 On Friday, this past week, a very dear friend and her husband came to visit with me and brought some delicious homemade soup, fresh rolls and a delicious lime pie.  What a wonderful treat their visit was, true balm for the spirit to have them here!  After lunch, my friend, Ellen showed me the gorgeous wedding quilt that she had just given to her daughter for her bridal shower.  Here are some photos of it.

Today, as I read my daily devotional, I was reminded that "Thus far, the Lord has helped me" (1 Samuel 7:12), that in everything, He has been so faithful and good to me and to my family, especially as we have traveled this newly unchartered territory of my recent surgery, healing and how it now will impact our lives.

We take so many things in life for granted, when things are rolling smoothly along.  Having a healthy body, with good vision, hearing and an ability to communicate by just opening up your mouth and having a conversation, or singing your favorite songs at the top of your lungs, are just things I never even gave a thought.  Now, it is different because I have no voice, except for a little whisper.  I am still an intelligent, alert woman, but now I have to think about how different it will be out in the real world, if nobody can hear me unless they lean in closely to hear what I am saying.  For a "Chatty Kathy" like I've always been known in the past, this is a really big adjustment for me.  Well, I am just going to have to make some new adjustments and write messages or maybe even learn to "Sign"!

This past week I have felt God speaking to me every day with messages about what He wants to share with me about this new chapter of my life.  A few days ago, he gave me this message from Matthew 5:5:  "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less.  That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought".  For most of us, we long to be something more than what we were created to be, comparing ourselves to other women whom we think are prettier, or smarter, or more talented that ourselves. 

I am learning to count my blessings, and to be content with myself in whatever state I am, for I am alive and  getting better each day, and I have a loving and devoted husband, loving children and their spouses, two precious grandchildren, and caring and kind friends and family.  What more could I possibly desire? 

One of my very favorite hymns , "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", best expresses the blessings of my heart today.

                   "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
                    Tune my heart to sing Thy Grace
                    Streams of mercy, never ceasing
                     Call for songs of loudest praise!"