Well, we finished another year of the Baltimore Running Festival. Ben's fiance' set us up to walk for a charity again this year in honor of Katie. I have to say, this lady is so supportive of Ben and all he has been through and I can't thank her enough for being in our lives. She set it up so that we made money for Cystic Fibrosis, had the t-shirts made, and hauled us all out of bed at an ungodly hour to walk in the 5K. Our little team raised over $900.00 and CF as a whole made over $31,000.00 at the Run Fest. It wasn't as easy for me this year (you can probably tell by the look on my face as we crossed the finish line...haha, but it is so worth it. I hope they find a cure for this horrible disease. This year it happened to fall on the anniversary of Katie's passing. How fitting, huh? On the way to the start line, we passed a volunteer who stopped us and asked for a picture, she loved our shirts. Then she texted the picture to us. Wasn't that kind of her? It's hard to tell from this picture but the green and pink lettering are glittery. Katie would have loved these shirts!
Here are Ben, his fiance' and future mother-in-law crossing the finish line (several minutes before us)
Here are Mike and I crossing the finish line. We are looking at the MC who was announcing our names...which we had no idea how the knew who we were.
I love the medals they give when you cross the line....this one has the warehouse and scoreboard of Camden Yards (and anyone who has read my blog in the past know that this is where our beloved Orioles baseball team play.)
We went to DC the next day to catch Darci Lynn who was having a show at the DAR theater. It was a fabulous show, this young lady is so talented. She even sang Italian opera with Petunia at the end of the show! WOW!!
It was a great birthday weekend, and one I won't soon forget!!
Goodness this year is flying past at a fast and furious pace!! It's October 15th already and I still haven't got my giveaway together yet. Ok brain, let's get busy!!
BUT FIRST!!
It's time for Gifted Gorgeousness or affectionately called GG. Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching is host for this lovely challenge. You can learn all the rules here. And you can visit her blog to see what others are up to in their GG stitching. Thank you for hosting, Jo!!
So this is the time when we show what we have been stitching with gifted materials or things we are gifting others. I am in the midst of stitching things for exchanges for different groups I belong to, so I'm keeping a wee bit busy and can't show you everything I've been stitching. Suffice it to say, I have some Christmas ornaments in the works and will show them at a later date. I've also stitched some Christmas ornaments that were for challenges that came from JCS ornament issues that were gifted to my by my husband. Here are a few I've finished since the last GG posting
I saw three ships come sailing in by By the Bay Needleworks from the 2013 JCS Ornament issue stitched on 28 ct. Star Sapphire over one.
Fair Island Ornament by Snowflake Stitchery from the 2018 JCS Ornament issue stitched on 40 ct. natural over 2.
Now What by Dragon Dreams from the 2018 JCS Ornament issue and this one has been gifted to a friend of mine who likes things wrapped in Christmas lights. Stitched on 32 ct. over 2.
Peace Tree by M Designs from the 2004 JCS Ornament issue 32 ct. antique ivory over one.
Noel 2018 by JBW designs from the 2018 JCS Ornament issue stitched on 28 ct. white over one.
Ring in the Joy by Serendipitous Designs from the 2007 JCS Ornament Issue stitched on 40 ct. natural over two.
Time of Wonder by Julia Lucas from the 2003 JCS Ornament issue stitched on 28 ct. pearl grey over two.
Nature Sings by Nature Works from the 2005 JCS Ornament issue stitched on 40 ct. natural over two.
Three Wise Men by Marie's Garden from the 2002 JCS Ornament issue stitched on 32 count dirty linen over two.
Last Christmas my husband found these lovely French charts for me. I've stitched a couple and just the other day I was able to finish this one into an ornament. I think this one is from Le Grande Historie de Noel by Les Brodeuses Parisiennne. This is stitched on 40 count natural over two.
I stitched and finished this freebie from The Victoria Sampler. This is called Connie Angel and you can find the pattern at this link. This is stitched on 40 ct. natural over 2.
I participated in a SAL by Charting Creations. We were to stitch for 3 months and post once a month on a Charting Creations pattern. This was a freebie they offered and I stitched but wasn't able to finish. Here is how far I've been able to stitch. I still have another reindeer and Santa in his sleigh to finish. Stitched on 32 count over one
For our Anniversary last year my husband gave me this pattern along with all the materials to stitch it. I have put this in my TSP challenge being offered at my LNS and this month it's number was chosen. I'll be working on this all month. I'm stitching it on 28 count black and is a challenge. It seems easier to stitch in the daylight but I've tried working on it all hours of the day. It's slow going but I love how it's turning out. I've tried different ways to take the picture but it's hard to get true colors on black fabric. Here is Marie Antoinette's Kaleidoscope by Chatelaine Designs.
I guess that's enough for now, I hope you aren't too bored with all my stitching...haha I've been on a roll lately. I'm sure I'll have more to show you next month! Until then, happy stitching!!
October is a month full of memories. Today would have been my Dad's 87th Birthday. I was reading some messages in a group I belong to and they were talking about their Dad's and the lessons they learned from them. My Dad was pretty impressive. He was a jack of all trades. He could fix just about anything, and if he couldn't fix it, he would re-purpose it. I learned a lot more about him when I was cleaning out their house after my Mom died earlier this year. She missed him terribly. They were married 50 years before he passed 10 years ago. He never made it past the 8th grade, but what he knew in life experiences could have earned him a PhD. He worked 3 jobs at the same time most of his life except when he served in the Navy during the Korean conflict. Though he didn't have any sons, he would not limit us to just "girly" stuff. We went fishing (even fishing through the ice!!), we helped work on building an addition to their house, he tried to teach us about cars, but I kinda drew the line at getting grease on my hands...much to my lament now!! haha I could go on and on. He had a huge heart and loved his grandkids with a passion. I never really appreciated him growing up, but after I was married and had my own household to take care of, I really leaned on him for so many things. Funny how wise your parents become the older we get. Well, I'm sure there was a huge reunion when my Mom left this earthly plain last February. I can't wish her back, though I miss her like crazy. She must be so happy to be reunited with Dad, her Mom and her sisters and cousins. I'm wishing I could give you a big hug and a kiss....but all I can do is wave from this side of the curtain and wish you a very Happy Birthday in Heaven. Say Hi to Mom....
It's October! My favorite month. Not only is my birthday this month, but it's also Breast Cancer Awareness month. You know this has a deep meaning for me because I'm a 9 year survivor, and I try to have a giveaway each year during the month of October. I haven't decided what I'll be giving away this year, I have a surplus of charts that I need to rehome, so it may be a group of unrelated charts. I'll post another write up about it in a few days when I've had a chance to think about it. In the meanwhile, now's your chance to go have your annual exam. My life was spared because they found it during a routine annual mammogram.
On other news, the TSP Anniversary challenge this month has chose #3 from my list which happens to be Marie Antionette's Caleidoscope by Chatelaine Designs . This was a gift from my husband for our anniversary last year. It took several months to gather all the materials so I didn't get it started until January of this year. Let's keep our fingers crossed and see if I can make good headway on this piece! Here is where I've started. This will probably show up on the 15th when I post about Gifted Gorgeousness! Here is where I'm starting today...
Off to get some stitching done. Happy Stitching everyone...and don't forget to get your exams!!
