Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow !!!

The snow finally found us !!  yikes !!!  It started yesterday around 9AM and is still snowing but starting to stop. We have plenty of it on the ground.  The snow plows have been out and the shoveling has started. Thankfully I don't have to go out in it to go to work. That is one good thing you can say for retirement. The wind is terrible and a lot of people have lost their power because of it.  So far we are ok.

Front yard from porch

side yard from porch

Our Christmas was a good one.  We went to my son's home for Christmas Eve for dinner and gifts.  My DIL makes Lasagna every year for Christmas Eve.  Yum, so good. She decorated their tree this year with teddy bears. So cute !! We had a good time until DH started to feel unwell. So we left around 9 PM.

Charlie and Linda's Tree

Charlie and Linda (my hands weren't too steady )

DH

 We went to Dh's daughter's home for Christmas Day, it was along day but a good one.  All DH's children and his grands were there. Big crowd !!  The teens were all in the basement playing pool, they would pop upstairs every once in a while to get food. And there was a abundance of food.  We ate all day !!!!!

Christmas Tree at Kim and Billie's

Everyone in the kitchen

DH peeling potatoes

Nikki - granddaughter

Kim and Billie cooking

Nikki and Donna (DH's youngest daughter and her daughter)

Jeannie ( DH's ex wife)

Kim and Billie in the kitchen

Donna, Diego, Santiago and Juan Pablo

DH and I in front of fireplace

I Am Getting Better

I am getting better, I just posted three days ago and here I am again.  LOL  Maybe the New Year will be a better one.  I have posted a picture of my granddaughter.  This one of her Senior pictures. She finished her Senior year early and will walk with here class in May. She plans to go to Nursing School next fall. I know I am biased but isn't she beautiful.

Audra Senior Picture

This is another ornie class from the LNS, you can't tell from the picture but each line is a different stitch. Her ornies are always something different.

Glowing Bulb

This next one is a chart that I have had for a while.  the design is one from Cricket Collection.  It was a freebie several years ago.  I finished the stitching on it today.

Cricket Collection Freebie

And finally. I was able to finish part 4 of the When Stars Collide.  This is a SAL for the Sticklounge (German Group) and was designed by Tam. The colors don't show up very well but it is overdyed purple from Threadworx and gold braid from Kreinik on Pink/Rose fabric Monaco.  It really is a fun stitch.  I enjoy Blackwork anyway.
 

When Stars Collide part 4 by Tam

That is all for now.  If I don't get back on the computer, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.  Take Care

Middle of December

My time since Thanksgiving has been very hectic.Rich has had some health issues again but is doing ok right now. We also had a death of a long time family friend. My best friend's brother finally ended his ordeal with Muscular Distrophy.  He was only 60 years old and has spent the last 2 1/2 years in a nursing home. My best friend died of MD about 5 years ago. He was the last of the family to go.  My best friend's daughter was pretty upset about her uncle's death and stayed with me during her stay for the wake and funeral.  She has called me mama dusty since she was a very little girl and told me I was all she had left.  It broke my heart. But I told her I would always be there for her and her children no matter what. I just wish she was not so far away.  I am sorry to go on. It was just a very emotional time .

On another note, my LNS has had ornie classes for the Holidays again this year and since I am retired I have been able to attend all of them this year. I was even able to attend an open class for two projects for the EGA.  So my fingers have been busy.  I even managed to do more on Zentangle and am not too far from a finish. Below are pictures of my stitching.

Blackwork Bulb
class from LNS

S

Sparking Bulb LNS Class

Danish Star EGA class (just needs to be assembled)

Zentangle thru part 13

A Fun Day !!!

Today was such a beautiful day.  The temperature got all the way to 70, not bad for mid November.  We (all the neighbors) had our last picnic of the season.  I know November is a little late but we had originally planned to have it around Labor Day but our hostess was bitten on the hand by her cat and was unable to do the honors.  So we all waited and decided we better make a last hurrah while we could.  The grills were working over time with hot dogs and hamburgers. Everyone donated food to the feast. We all had a wonderful time.  I am usually the one with the camera but I forget it this time and only remembered after everyone had finished eating.  We all visited and chatted around the fire. ( fire was in a lone kettle grill ) It was almost like sitting around a camp fire all that was missing was the marshmallows.  LOL We came back home about 7:30 pm happy and contented.  Surprisingly it was not that cold after the sun went down.

After returning home, I was able to finish off another small ornie.  I must have a hundred of the little kits in my stash. It worked up fairly fast. Now to make it into an ornie is next. I also received a surprise in the mail several days ago.  My Aunt and best friend made me a small ornie for my tree.  She said she did it while she was receiving her chemo treatments. So it has a lot of special meaning for me.  She is having trouble with neuropathy in her fingers and occasionally has trouble holding onto the needle.  But she finished this for me.  She is a very special lady. 

Small ornie finish

Ornie stitched by Duggie

Hello Again !!!

Well here it is November, at least I am staying true to form and posting about once a month.  Maybe one of these days I will make once a week and then once a day.  Maybe !!!!!  We had our first snow on Monday morning, about an inch according to the weather man.  The cars and ground were covered. It turned to sleet before it stopped about mid morning.  I am so glad that I didn't have to go out in it. That is one good thing about retirement.  LOL  I have been busy this month working on my Sticklounge SAL's, stitching ornies (just need to finish them now) and I even uncovered the Queen of Freedom / Mirabilia.  She has been buried for a long while.  I really don't know why as I really enjoy working on her.  I have put her in my rotation so maybe she won't get buried again.  Here are the pics of all my stitching this month.





See the Start thru part 4

Zentangle 2 thru part 9

Queen of Freedom / Mirabilia

Ornie from JCS magazine old issue

Bride's Tree September Ornie

An old dollar ornie I found in my stash

Another old ornie from my stash

DMC freebie from a few years ago

Bride's Tree ornie for October 

From the Gift of Stitching Mag

JCS ornie issue not sure of the year, I think this year.
First time using DMC Memory Thread (handle on lantern)

Freebie from internet

Bride's Tree July

Bride's Tree August from UK mag

That's it for now.  Hope everyone is staying warm and getting ready for Thanksgiving.  Take care.

October Already !!

I can't believe that October is here already. It seems that I only get on here once a month lately to post.  As I have said before " Time just flies by  !!!"  I do love this time of the year though, the crisp air and all the beautiful colors are a treat.  Unfortunately, all to soon the snow will fly again. ugh !!!  I don't even want to think about that.
 I received a package in the mail for an online stash exchange form Jaynes Attic and had a nice surprise. There was a small chart a variety pack of Mill Hill beads, a coaster and a small scissor charm for my enjoyment.

I also was in a Halloween Ornie Exchange on the EMS board and this is the ornie that I made.

Front

Back

These are my offering for a Charity Tree for a friend on Jaynes Attic.  The designs are my own and improved as I went along.  The small green one was my first attempt and I seemed to get braver as I stitched.  I really enjoy Hardanger.

I even managed to get some stitching done on my Sticklounge SALs

See The Stars part 3

Zentangle part 6

When Stars Collide part 2

Hopefully I will get back here to post again before another month goes by. Take care and enjoy the great fall weather.

It Missed Us !!!

We were all ready for Hurricane Earl but thankfully it turned away from us.  We had a little rain today but not much else. I hope everyone else faired as well. Today was not a very productive day.  I wasn't feeling very well.  I don't know if I ate something that didn't agree with me or what but I have been crampy and nauseous all day.  I am feeling a little better right now but of course it is time for bed.  I hope everyone has a great week end. take care.

September Already !!!

Here it is the 3rd of September, hard to believe.  Someone said to me the other day that we only have 120 or so days left until Christmas.  I just gaped at them in horror.  Christmas already !!!!  Impossible !!!! But time just keeps marching on.  LOL

On a stitching note, I have been busy.  I finished adding the beads to Olivia by Loopy Lou and now just need to find a frame.

I finished a fun piece which says all there is to say in regards to housework.  My DH had a good chuckle when he saw what it said.  I will display it prominently for all to see.  hee hee !!!

I am in a Just Nan SAL on Jayne's Attic and am doing a lot of smalls at the moment. This one is called Painted Lady (a freebie from the 1998 Charlotte Trade show) I just need to get the enameled butterfly for the center and will do that when I go to the LNS this afternoon. I love the simplicity of the design.

 

This next piece is a small ornie kit from Kreinik that is as old as the hills.  I think I bought it sometime in the 80's and just found it.  Some of the threads in it were so old that they fell apart when I started to stitch with them, so I had to get more. Mainly the blending filament and the Japan gold. it stitched up fast . There is another two or three companion pieces floating around the house somewhere. hope I find them soon.  LOL It is very sparkly.

And last is a Humbug that I stitched for an exchange on the EMS board.  I used one of her designs. This was my first humbug, so I may rethink the top and bottom stitching the next time so more of the stitching shows.  I am just not sure. Maybe a repetitive design would have been a better idea for the next one. I am not sure. That is something to think about anyway.  I don't think this one turned out too bad though.

Well that is my offerings for today.  I hope everyone enjoys the week end. And I also hope that all those living on the East coast don't get hit too bad from the hurricane that is coming in.

Stay safe !!!