Shaking the Dust

Matthew 10:14
     "And whoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet."

It's been one of those years, you know the kind, right?  When you walk around in a fog of hurt and sadness?  I miss Katie.  If I hear the words, "But they weren't even married." one more time I think I'll scream.  She was a big part of our lives for over 2 years and I loved her like my own kid.  Please don't tell me I'm not supposed to miss her or grieve for her.  She may not have been my daughter-in-law, but she was my daughter-in-heart.  I miss my Mom (she's not gone physically, but mentally she's not my Mom anymore...dementia is tough to watch and I feel the loss of someone who would listen and encourage without judgement.)  I watched my son go from a happy-go-lucky kid to a mature man who experienced tremendous horror that no one (let alone someone so young) should go through.  I'll be honest and say I sheltered myself for a while just to deal with all that happened when Katie died.  I won't discuss the heartache and fallout that happened back then.  I won't apologize for sheltering myself either.  

I will say a heartfelt thank you to those who were there for me, my online friends who sent gifts and words of encouragement.  Sadly, people living hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away were the ones who encouraged me the most.  I'm humbled and grateful for your kindness.

I've had people who I thought were "friends" suddenly unfriend me on Facebook, stop talking to me, avoid me at all costs, and try to alienate other friends in the process.  I honestly don't even know what I did.  I've tried talking to them but they won't even communicate with me at all!!  Honestly, I find it cruel and immature.  Who needs friends like that, right?  So, I'm turning over a new leaf in 2019.  I saw this on Facebook, and while I'm using my own photo, I'm stealing their words because this is going to be my new motto.  And I'm using a Bible verse (that keeps popping up here and there) to encourage my resolve.  I'm shaking off the dust.  This doesn't mean I'm turning my back, it means I'm no longer going to let it get to me.  I'm not going to change who I am.  I don't know if I will ever trust them again, but I'm not going to forget our past and the treasured memories I have.  If I've hurt anyone in any way, please accept my apology, I NEVER intentionally try to hurt anyone!

Please don't take this as me having a pity party.  I'm really not!  Nor am I looking for sympathy.  I honestly don't need it.  This is just me, writing my new resolve for next year.

Here's to a Happy New Year, one full of unexpected blessings, renewed strength, and better memories.

Twas Two Days After Christmas...

Twas two days after Christmas

When all through the house

All the men folk had vanished

It was quiet as a mouse

I sat in my Pj’s

Contemplating my navel

When a small thought occurred

I should shop all the sales

I created a breeze

As I rushed up the stairs

Jumped in the shower

And then dried my hair

I checked my list

To see what I’d need

Jumped in the car

And then turned the key

The lights on the dashboard

Were dim as could be

I sighed with frustration

This just couldn’t be!

I sat in the driveway

The car battery was dead

While visions of sales items

Danced in my head.

I started to fret

Then I turned with a jerk

I’d call my favorite shop

I’m sure that would work!

I ordered some floss

I ordered fabric galore

I ordered the beads

From my favorite store.

The crisis averted,

I fled to my bed

Donned my Pj’s

And then I said

It’s a great day to stitch!

It’s a great day to view

All the Christmas movies

I had recorded…whooo hooo!

December Gifted Gorgeousness

Whew!!  What a year this has been!!  But here we are in December, and it's time for Gifted Gorgeousness again.  If you haven't seen Gifted Gorgeousness before, this is a challenge that Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching has been organizing for a few years now.  I love this challenge because it gives me a chance to look for those items that has been gifted to me and gives me incentive to work on them.  I have such generous friends and family!  We showcase the stitchy gifts we have been given (of fabric, floss, patterns or finished items) or that we have given to others.  We post these items on the 15th of the month and then link up on  Jo's blog.  If you want to read the official rules you can find them here.  Or if you want to see what others have been gifted/gifting, you can find the links here.

I received a lovely gift from my friend, Mouse, over in Merry Ole England!  It was birthday and Christmas combined.  She makes the most wonderful ornaments and included a project bag with my gift this year.  She truly spoils me!!

I sent her a gift too, and included a few ornaments and a new little buddy, Morty.  I found him at a local craft fair....and am so sorry I didn't get one for me too.  Isn't he cute?

I'm participating in a 12 Days of Christmas gift exchange.  We are only on day 3 but I can show you what I've been given so far... a cross stitch guage, a bookmark to stitch, and the easel.

And these are the gifts I have given so far...

I've made a few last minute gifts of ornaments this year.  I'm going to an ornament exchange tonight, I was a guest at a Christmas stitch party and made one as a gift for our host, and another "just because" gift....all three the same pattern (JCS Ornament issue 2016 by Blackberry Lane Designs) just finished differently.

These are for my son, just not finished yet...

And this is for DS's girlfriend....not finished yet either.

I sent this one to my friend I've known since 2nd grade.  I guess it's a new tradition to send her an ornament every year.

This one I gave to my hairdresser.  She has it hanging in her shop!

Last is Through the Window by Ship's Manor.  This was a SAL I participated in this year and was a gift from my husband.  I'm going to miss this SAL!!  It was fun watching it all come together.

Just because it's Christmas I thought I would throw a few pictures up here of my hand made ornament tree.  These are ornaments I've collected through the years that I've been given or have made myself.  The new ones I have received so far this year are on there too.

I have done so much more stitching....and even travels this year, but never seemed to have enough time to post everything.  I think I might do a year end wrap up and show everything I've left out over the year.  So hopefully you'll hear from me one more time before we ring in the New Year!  Thanks for stopping by!!

Advent Calendar Blog Hop Day 6

Hi There!  And welcome to Jo's Annual Advent Calendar Hop!  If you wonder what I'm talking about, please head on over to Jo's blog, Serendipitous Stitching.  Every day during the Advent season there will be a new blogger who will share with you their favorite Christmas Song, the theme for this year's blog hop, and a picture of something we have made for the season.  

I've been assigned day 6 and I'm excited to share with you my favorite project that I finished this year!  I waited patiently for the creches to appear in the stores so I could finally display my Mill Hills Nativity.  I stitched these pieces on fabric instead of the perforated paper then had them finished into stand ups so I could have another Nativity to showcase (I collect them!)  

I love this time of year!  (As long as I stay away from the mall...haha).  I love decorating for Christmas, and as always, each year there is a debate on how early we can start listening to Christmas Carols.  My son thinks we should wait until the week before Christmas, and certainly NOT before Thanksgiving.  But....my husband and I could listen to them all year if my son would let us.  This year we started the week before Thanksgiving just because!  haha  I have so many favorite Christmas songs, but I have to say, my absolute favorite is called "Move Me Closer (A Shepherd's Prayer)" by one of my favorite artists, Evie.  Here is a link to the song, if you've never heard it before, it's definitely worth a listen!

Move Me Closer

From my family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and many blessings in the coming New Year!

If you would like to continue the blog hop, the next in line is Mary over at Le Coeur Celtique.

Giving Thanks

I really enjoy our Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States.  It's a great time to stop and reflect on what is important in life, and to remember all the things we are thankful for.  I'm thankful for my family, that though there are only three of us, we enjoy being together.  I'm grateful for friends who have supported us through some tough times in the past few years.  I hope that this Thanksgiving finds you happy, healthy and surrounded by the love of friends and family.

November Gifted Gorgeousness

Wow, times just seems to fly by, doesn't it?  It's time for the November Gifted Gorgeousness already!  If you don't know what this is, you can head over to Serendipitous Stitching and read all about it by clicking here.  It's our time to share things we have stitched that have been gifted to us, or we are gifting to someone else.  It's all hosted by Jo on her blog, and you can click here to go to her blog and see what everyone else is stitching!

I've been busy lately, stitching for Christmas, and since some of them are gifts, I can't really show them to you yet.  But...some were gifts for Birthdays, and I can share those with you.

I made this tea cup for a friend who shares my birthday.  

I made this for my friend, the lovely Ms. M who was my chemo buddy.  She will never know how much I appreciated her accompanying me on the days I had to sit for 4 hours while poison was sent through my veins.  Her sense of humor and encouragement helped me get through some tough days.  It is a design by the Nebby Needle.

This was a gift from my husband, it was a 13 part SAL through Tempting Tangles called the Blue Poppy Learning Sampler and is patterned after the 17th Century Band Samplers.  I learned so many stitches with this, and had a blast.  I think it might be something I will frame and enter in the fair next year.

This is another gift from my husband.  It's called Through the Window by Ship's Manor.  It was a 12 month SAL and I'm patiently (ok not so patiently) waiting for the last installment.  I have had a blast stitching this!!

This was a gift from a friend who visited The Silver Needle in Oklahoma.  When she told me she was going there, she bought me this pattern.  It's a Blackberry Lane design called Stitching in the Garden, and has all my favorite features in it.  Purple violets, a lady who stitches, and did I mention the color purple?  I finished the front for last month, but I finished the back of the pillow for this month.  Hopefully I can get it finished into a pillow soon!

My former college roommate has admired all my Christmas ornaments, but I have never made one for her, because she doesn't celebrate Christmas.  She is Jewish, so I made this for her.  This was a free chart that was on the Hobby Lobby website at one time and was posted to advertise Sullivan's floss.  It is no longer available on their website, unfortunately.  

And that is all that I have for this time!  Thank you, Jo, for organizing this challenge, you know how much I love participating every month!!  Happy Stitching!!

Rolling on....

I've been sitting on this sampler for ages.  I do mean AGES.  I started this as a SAL through the Wiehenburg Yahoo group.  It's called the Mystery Spot Sampler and I was keeping up fabulously .... until I made a mistake.  

I've stitched this on 36 count fabric, over one, using a silk thread....and when I started one arm of a motif one stitch off, and nearly finished 1/4 of it before I found my mistake, I didn't have the heart to rip it out and try to piece the colors together to make it look "right" to my eye.  So I set it aside....for 10 long years!!

I tried making a commitment to myself to finish up some old UFO's and WIP's this year, and while I was searching for something I ran across this one.  I am shocked I could find the pattern (all 35 pages!!!) and the thread which were scattered all over the place.  Not only that, but I finished it within 2 days of finding it...and that includes frogging the part that had the mistake.  Here is my "fix" in progress...

So on that note, I give you the Mystery Spot Sampler by Wiehenburg.  I LOVE how this turned out!!