"TOGETHER, WE CAN DO SOMETHING WONDERFUL!"

Recently, having celebrated yet another birthday, and perhaps because the years keep ticking past more quickly now, reminding me that I am not getting any younger!  Our children keep telling me, "but Mother, you are just getting older and much wiser!"  How sweet!  The other day I opened up a journal, in which I keep very special writings that have touched my heart.  One of them spoke to me so clearly that day, about this journey we are all following, called "Life"...  

" What I do you cannot do, But what you do, I cannot do.
The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things,
But we can all do small things, with great love, 
And together, we can do something wonderful!"
(Mother Theresa)


Every day is a blessing, just to wake up each morning and be able to say, "I'm still alive! I still have another chance to make a difference in someone else's life today!  I sweetly recall a scene from Anne of Green Gables, when Miss Stacey, Anne's teacher, said to her, "Today is a brand new day with no mistakes in it!"  


One of my dear stitching friends, Linda, made this really sweet little pincushion for my birthday!   Her thoughtfulness is genuine and brought a sweet smile to my face when I opened up her thoughtful gift!  Thankyou, Linda!

I just love it!  It also happens to match Molly Bear & Raggedy Annie!  I love teddy bears too, in case you didn't know!


Among a few of my other favorite things are teapots and teacups, colored glass collectibles, vintage lace and buttons....Well, I think that these are among some of the greatest little treasures.  They make me think of special times I played in my Grandmother's attic, when she let me play with Mother's antique china dolls and tea sets, and showed me how to make beautiful button necklaces.


Imagine my excitement when we visited the Sandwich Glass Museum in Sandwich, MA on our little getaway!  We were able to watch a glass blower give a live demonstration of making a beautiful fluted blue and white dish.  It was fascinating.  

Miniature replica of a glass blower, preparing hot glass inside of the firing kiln.

Miniature replica of glass blower blowing glass.

                          Sandwich Glass "Cup Plates".

              Aren't these "Cup Plates"  just beautiful?

It was fascinating to read about the actual purpose of the little cup plates.

When the tea had been drunk from the little cup plates, the "dregs" of the tea leaves remained in the teacups.  Hence the art of "telling one's fortune" from the arrangement of the tea leaves....  In one of my favorite BBC Victorian Series, "Larkrise from Candleford",  one of the village older women is gifted with "reading of the tea leaves".  So fascinating, although I do not subscribe to reading one's fortune in my tea leaves!

                          A lovely blue "cup plate"

I recall seeing one of these crystal rolls on my great aunt's dinner table and thinking how beautiful it was, but never saw it being used.  The carving knife and fork are to rest on it at an elegantly laid table.  Lovely!  

  Ruby red crystal plate....it looked like sparkling diamonds!

And the best for last...   "Caroline Ewer" Sampler...Aged 14

                          "Hannah Jones" Sampler  (1830)

I apologize for the poor photography, but the sampler was inside of a glass case with lights above it.  I believe that Hannah was aged 12.  Amazing!

In my opinion, every really special outing should end with a lovely cup of tea and a special treat, so we stopped at a wonderful little tea shoppe!

                      

                         Beautiful artistic display of tea cups,

                         teaspoons, and other little things...

    "Grandma Loves Me" ... such sweet sentiment!

Thank you for allowing me to share with you today.  I appreciate your visits with me here, and  I treasure all of  your sweet comments too!

Blessings in Stitches! 

THE UNEXPECTED JOYS OF EACH NEW DAY

Sweet "Froggy" hasn't visited my Mystery Sampler recently.  Oops...hush my mouth before he hears and decides to make a sneaky appearance again. Last week, although having a wonderful time, my happy, but weary body usually told me that I had better not take out my needlework, lest my "Froggy" appear and find it necessary to "rip-it, rip-it" some stitches again!

Over the weekend, I made a little more progress.   It has been fun sharing progress with other stitching friends at our Wednesday LNS group, many of whom are also stitching the Mystery Sampler.  After all, isn't that half the fun?

Small things bring great happiness.... When we arrived home for our trip to the shore last weekend, we found that our little Robin family had really grown!  They were so big that they were almost falling out of the nest!

 The next morning I tiptoed out to the deck to have another peek at the nest, and saw only two little robins, and as I walked a bit closer, they both rose up out of the nest and flew down to the ground!  Mother and Father Robin were up in the tree, chirping at their youngsters and at me, and off they all flew.

Alas, the nest is empty and we feel a little sad, but so thankful to have witnessed such a miracle of new life!

Can you see the tiny Monarch butterfly perched on right side of the left Black-Eyed Susan?  Isn't that just amazingly beautiful?  I couldn't believe that it stayed there long enough for me to photograph such a lovely sight!

Our trip to the shore with our friends last week was really special, but our stay was brief, because there were other family members coming to use the cottage later in the week.  We were so happy to be there, even for a few days during the really hot and humid weather.  It was definitely cooler on the coast, with nice sea breezes, especially at night.

As you can see, the air was still rather hazy and the view not great, but the wind was blowing, which felt really nice!

The Judah Baker Windmill, built in 1791 and restored in 1974 and again in 1999, stood on the land from where we took the photos of the bay.   It was so excitng to see this beautiful windmill up close. The last time I saw real windmills, was many years ago, on a trip to the Netherlands before our children were born.

We visited a couple of other wonderful, quaint New England towns.  One of them was Chatam, MA.

The Chatam Village Clock, with the year in which the town was incorporated of 1812.

A beautiful church right on the main street in Chatam.  I just loved the gorgeous arch ways with the beautiful flowering hydrangeas.  Apparently hydrangeas must grow really well in the seaside areas because they were everywhere we looked....

This Stained Glass Window of the church in Chatam, was so beautiful that I just had to photograph it.  Isn't it lovely?  I wish that the colours had shown up better though.

This is a little shop to which we had been directed, when we inquired about whether there were any needlework shops in Chatam.  Although it had lovely handmade hooked rugs and kits with which to make them, there were only about 3-4 cross-stitch designs kitted up.   Aren't the little flowering vines beautifully draped across the top and sides of the windows?  It reminded me of some of the shops I remember seeing a long time ago, on a visit to Great Britain.

These are a variation of the hydrangea, called Lace Hydrangeas.  Aren't they just beautiful?  They were plentiful in all of the villages and towns we visited.  I had never seen this type of hydrangea.  I was tempted to try and take a cutting home to see if we could start a bush in our yard...

In my next posting, I will share some more photos and stories of our little getaway, but for now, must go and start supper, as my dear husband just called and is on his way home from work.  It is getting hotter and more humid outside, and I just needed to turn on the air conditioning.  Tomorrow is supposed to be more humid! Yuck!  I am getting ready for the cooler days of early September!

Blessings to You!

"MYSTERY SAMPLER" FROGGING!

My dear husband and I are about to depart for a few days with some dear friends, for a little getaway.  They have a family member who offered the use of their cottage, on the coast, and we are so excited!  The weather is supposed to be very hot, sunny and with clear skies.  What could be more perfect?  


As I was packing up my stitching bag, I decided to take a few pictures of my "Mystery Sampler" progress, or lack there-of, in some ways.  You see, I made a very unfortunate mistake with my stitching this past week......   Well, read on, and then you'll know the "whole story"....

Meet "Froggy".
He is a treasure, given to me
by my Grandmother.  I was intrigued by him
as a little girl, and recall playing
with him at her house.
So, what does "Froggy" have to do with
my stitching?

Froggy needed to play a little game of
"Rip-It, Rip-It" on my
"Mystery Sampler" border this week!

It seems that I had mistakenly stitched the top LEFT
floral border two threads lower than the design!
Imagine my dismay when I thought that
I was about to take my last stitches and my
border would be complete!

"Froggy" sitting proudly under
the area that he helped me to
"Rip" out, and re-stitch.

Thank you, dear Froggy!

After the repair work was complete,
I happily started working on
Part II of the lovely alphabet.
I'm not sure what is so peaceful and intriguing
about stitching alphabets, but they are
always a favorite part of most of the needlework
that I choose to stitch.

Must be part of the old fashioned, Victorian
woman
lingering in my soul.

Blessings in Stitches!

THE SWEET MYSTERY OF NEW LIFE!

How incredibly captivating it is to watch the wonder of new life emerging in this beautiful world, created by an amazing and marvelous God!  

We have had an exciting week, as we have witnessed the birth of three little baby robins to Mr. and Mrs. Robin, who built their nest, under the branches of a tree, on the corner of our deck!  This has been a very blessed event, and we have been thrilled to watch life unfolding day by day.

Day One
Two little baby birds broke forth from their shells!
One little baby robin yet to be born!

Day Three
Three little baby Robins in the nest!

Day Four
Three little hungry mouths!

Day Four
Two little birds wait patiently,
But one little bird says, "Mother, I'm still hungry"!

Day Five
Mother Robin Chides Us Loudly,
As we try to peak at her growing family!

Day Six
"Mother, we're hungry!  Where are you?"

Day Six
"We want our Mother! Feed us, please!"

These sweet little creatures have given us such joy,
watching them, in amazement, as they have grown
and changed before our very eyes, day by day.

The words of a beautiful hymn came to mind today,
as I thought about how wonderful are all of God's 
creations.

"All Things Bright and Beautiful"

"All things bright and Beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens, 
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings."

(An Anglican hymn, written in 1848,
by Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander, 
Dublin, Ireland.)

May you find joy in the simple and lovely things
that are all part of our beautiful world.
They are not man made, and cannot
be bought with wealth.
They are the greatest of God's treasures,
and He has blessed us with eyes
to see them, ears to hear their amazing sounds,
the sense of touch to feel them,  and
the sense of smell to take in the richness
of so many lovely fragrances.

He has indeed blessed us beyond great measure!

Blessings to you, dear friends!

"The Price of Freedom"
(The Sweetheart Tree)

"Long May Her Banner Wave....

Let Freedom Ring!"


This is one of my favorite patriotic  pieces, because it symbolizes the sentiments, I hold so dear,  giving thanks for our great and free nation of America!  For the many sacrifices, made by those who have gone before us, and for those who continue to fight today, to protect our freedoms, we are eternally grateful.


My prayer for today, as we gather together with family and friends to celebrate our nation's national day of Independence,  is that we always cherish the many freedoms we enjoy in America.  May we strive to give thanks to God for all of His blessings, and may we always seek to uphold the values held so dear by our forefathers....Faith, Hope, Peace, Love, and Charity for all.


                            
            God Bless You Always.
                         
                             &
                       
                        God Bless America!

                                                                 
                                                     Materials Used
                                         32 Count Clay Belfast Linen
                                               (Fabric Size: 9x12")
                                                    DMC Threads
                                           DMC #12 Pearle Cotton
                                        #001P  Balger Silver Cable
                                            Mill Hill Petite Beads


                                                  Specialty Stitches
                       Cross-Stitch, Backstitch, Star Stitch, Tent
                Cross Stitch With Surface Weaving, Scotch Stitch
          

  Yesterday, our son, Kevin, wife, Gwen, and our little grandson, Emery (now 18 months),

arrived for a weekend visit!  

 Emery proudly carrying his own little bag!

Emery enjoys learning to eat his FIRST corn on the cob!


Where ever you are today, I hope that you are enjoying the love of freedom and peace in your lives, the love of family and/or friends, time to treasure your faith in God, with His abundant blessings, hope for the future of our wonderful country, and charity for all people everywhere.


Blessings to You!

Look at the birds...Look at the lilies of the fields...

Imagine how I was taken by surprise the other day, when the man who was repairing our air conditioner, said to me, "Did you know that there is a little bird nest on the corner of your deck under the tree branches?"  So of course I went immediately outside to take a peek.  Lifting up the branches of the tree very carefully, I saw a beautifully crafted little nest....

Then, as my husband held the branches up a little bit higher, I peeked into the nest and this is the glorious sight that met my eyes.....

Aren't they the most beautiful little robin's eggs?  I was so excited!  I've never seen actual little robin's eggs close up!  For the past two days I have been hoping to sneak a peak and see Mother Robin sitting on her nest, but every time I move our sliding door open, ever so quietly, she flies up into the tree.

Finally, I was able to tip toe over to the screen door of the slider, and kneeling down quietly, saw Mother Bird, sitting on her nest!  Isn't she beautiful?

This morning my son, Ryan, stopped by for a visit and I wanted to show him the nest, when Mother Bird was away from the nest, and when we peeked inside the nest, we saw three little eggs! So lovely a sight.

Outside our front door, dances an array of  one of my favorite summer flowers, daisies, which have grown up between two of our bushes and gracefully sway to and fro in the gentle breezes of summer.

Then of course there are the lilies, that adorn one of the trees on the lawn.....

As I began pondering about the beauty and wonder of all of God's marvelous creations, it brought to mind, some very favorite verses, of which I often need to remind myself, about just how loved and blessed we are by our heavenly Father .

"So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life...whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes.  Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing?  

Look at the birds.  They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them.  And you are more valuable to him than they are.  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?  Of course not!

Any why worry about your clothes?

Look at the lilies and how they grow.  

They don't work or make their clothing.

Yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't He more surely care for you, oh ye of so little faith?"

(Matthew 7:25-30)

This piece, stitched in 2001, has very special meaning, because I stitched it as our oldest son, Ryan was hospitalized with a very serious illness.  These verses comforted me as we prayed for God to heal our precious son and make him well again.  Praise God, because today, he is a wonderful, healthy, married young of whom we are very proud and grateful for his life. 

 Our daughter, Carra, says that this piece holds a very special place in her heart, and she has already laid "claim" to it as her favorite stitched heirloom!  For she treasures the meaning behind the verses too.  We know that God is good all of the time, through the peaks and valleys of our lives here on earth.

Blessings to you, my dear friends!