November...Gifted Gorgeousness and more...

I cannot believe it's the middle of November already.  It's been a wild and wacky year and it has not turned out anything like I thought it would.  But...that's life, right?  

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster, trying to get things made and out the door for several exchanges I signed up for.  I probably should have given myself a break this year, but it was nice to have other things to think about other than the reality I've been living.  

I don't have as much stitching as I would have liked, but here's what I have for the Gifted Gorgeousness.  Now if you haven't heard about this challenge, you can read all about it over on Jo who can't think of a clever nickname's blog.  Here is where you can sign up for this challenge (and it's never to late to join in the fun!) or if you want to see what everyone else is up to, you can visit this page.  The challenge is to stitch a gift.  It can be a gift of a pattern, fabric or floss from someone to you, or it can be a gift to someone else.  I consider freebies from designers to be a gift to us, so first up is the free Linen and Threads 2017 SAL.

I haven't had much time to stitch on this, so I have just finished October, and put a few stitches in the November band.  I'm hoping to catch up on this before December, but we shall see.

I have stitched a few ornaments, I will show two of them here.  I'll have to wait until the others  have been delivered before I show them.

That's it for the stitching.  The rest of this post will be about our Veteran's Day excursion.  I had read about an exhibit at the Sackler Gallery in DC and wanted to see it.  Little did I know that it was not the only exhibit being shown at the time.  I really enjoyed seeing art from China, Iraq, and Egypt.  

The bell exhibit from China was so interesting, we even got t ring a few!  

The Iraqi art was incredible too, and so different from the Chinese art. 

And we all know how much Mike would enjoy the Divine Felines:  Cats of Ancient Egypt.  What is it they say?  In ancient times cats were revered as gods...they have not forgotten this?  LOL Just ask Thomas!!  LOL

But I will say, the Buddha artwork was really beautiful and so peaceful to gaze at.  It's amazing the influence depending on where the art was created.  You can see they had visitors from many countries and depicted it in their artwork.  Amazing!!

 From there we went to the Smithsonian castle ...

And on to the Natural History Museum where we saw the Hope Diamond.

We stopped to admire some of the architecture of the city along the way!

We stopped on the mall to see the Gutenberg Gates which have been touring the country in anticipation of the opening of the Museum of the Bible scheduled for the 17th of this month.  I've been watching the progress on Facebook and can't wait to go see it!!

And last we went to the Capital One area to watch the Washington Capitals win against the Pittsburgh Penquins!   C - A - P - S   Caps Caps Caps!

Quite a day, so much fun spending time with my guys!!   Hopefully I'll be back soon with some stitching updates.  I need my world to slow down!!  Happy Stitching!

Retreating...

Good Heavens, where do I begin?

Last weekend, Astrid and I went on an adventure.  It started Thursday night when she invited me to stay overnight so we could get up bright and early the next morning to attend an annual Craft Fair.  All I can say is, thank heavens I have a mini van!!  Haha!!  We had to have a golf cart haul our goodies out of there that day!  

I've been looking for one of these lawn Nativities forever!  I couldn't believe I finally found one and bought it immediately.  I didn't realize I was going to have to haul it all the way to Pennsylvania and back...haha.  Oh well, it all made it without damage.

I also found this  box, I can't believe how cheap it was, and you know me and boxes, I just had to give it a good home.  Isn't it lovely?

I also found this skate.  Now I looked at one of these several years ago, and passed it by.  I have been kicking myself ever since.  I think they are just too cute, so it also found it's way out to my van.

And that was only the beginning!!  Off we went to our stitch retreat in Allentown, PA.

It was the first one I've attended where I only knew one other person.  I can't believe how much fun we had!  We had some wonderful people at our table, and the conversation was lively.  I especially had fun with the person sitting next to me, a school teacher from Long Island who kept me in stitches talking about....moon pies...   And horses...  And her escapades in Virginia in the most delightful Long Island accent.  Two other ladies who were friends kept us entertained with their stories of visiting Bethlehem and all the shops and goodies they found.  I hope I meet up with our table mates at another retreat, they were all delightful and full of fun!

There were two "shops" set up for us to spend our money at....Silkweavers was there with their fabrics, patterns, needle keepers, etc.  

And then, my bag obsession was fed by these lovely project bags in every shape, size, and fabric combination.  I bought...ahem....a few and then ordered one to a specific size.  Oh my...I could become good friends with these ladies!!

Here is what leaped into my bag...

I tried to stitch, but at times I was laughing so hard, tears were rolling and I could barely see what I was stitching.  I managed to finish up "Snow" while I was there...

And caught up on three SALs I have been working on.  These are all Tempting Tangles designs...This Corner of Earth...

Wildflower Woodland Quaker....

and Springtime Easter Delight....

You can find all of these on Deborah Dick's Etsy page, and they are all $5.00 while the SAL is still ongoing!  I've already corrupted encouraged a few and they have joined in the SAL's...haha.  I think Deb should offer me a commission! 

I also got a few stitches in the Linen and Threads SAL.  The patterns are still available for all the months here.  I am working on 28 count black using vintage Bucilla floss.  I have found some substitutes in case you are interested.  DMC 355, and 612, and Anchor 903.  I felt like a celebrity, as a few of the folks there are on the SAL Facebook page and they stopped by to take a look at my stitching.  I didn't get far on this piece, I'm still working on October.  I need to get a move on, I hate falling behind.  Plus I want to finish if I'm going to start the 2018 one in January!  Here is where I am so far.

But as I'm stitching along, and you know, after hours of giggling and little sleep you begin to see things that aren't there...I noticed that part of the pattern was beginning to look a little like baby Groot.  If you've seen the super hero movies (I get dragged by my guys to them) you might recognize the little guy from Guardians of the Galaxy.  Here's a picture ... what do YOU think?

There were lots of other entertainment at the retreat, like silly slipper competition...here is my entry, slippers that Astrid had given me.  I was no where near close to winning, but I had my moment on the runway which was fun!

And one night out at Red Robin which was just across the parking long.  Of course we had to have our picture taken with Robin...right?  Thank heavens it wasn't Texas Roadhouse and a seat on the saddle!!!  Hahaha.

Last, but not least, I have to tell about the moon pies.  I brought a tin of them I had found at Walmart. They came in this awesome anniversary tin...celebrating 100 years!

I haven't had them in years, and seriously, I just wanted the tin, but I thought it would also be a fun treat.  Astrid had never had them, but our table mate had...and she told tales of some she had had in the past.  So I offered her one from the tin.  We all had one....but to my dismay, they tasted dry and like they were 100 years old themselves!!!  Sorry ladies, I hope you haven't given up on Moon Pies forever, I don't know what happened to this batch.  Maybe that's a good thing because...have you seen me lately?  I REALLY shouldn't be eating them anyway!  LOL

Ok I've bored you with enough silly tales, I'll leave you with a picture of the last ornament I finished up.  This one is for an exchange for someone who loves Christmas trains.  This is LHN Main Street Station from her Hometown Holiday series.  It's stitched on 32 count over one....whew....THAT was a challenge.  

I hope wherever you are you are warm, dry and getting ready to celebrate being thankful for all the goodness in this world.  Happy Stitching...until we meet again!

Proud Momma Moment...

I woke up this morning to seeing this post on Facebook, and I just had to share.

My son is 22 years old, and has seen a tremendous amount of sorrow for one so young.  He has had a young friend pass away when he was 16 to Leukemia.  He has lost two Grandfathers and a Grandmother.  He has watched me, his Mother, go through cancer treatment right after a friend of his lost his Mother to the same disease.  He is the son of a soldier who has had separations with his Dad because of the military, so has said goodbye and hello many times, never knowing if his Dad would return.  He is an only child, to older parents (we were in our late 30's when he was born).  His latest trial was meeting, falling in love, getting engaged, and losing a lovely young lady named Katie to Cystic Fibrosis.  Heartache after heartache...and though he questioned his faith at times (who doesn't?) he has finally settled into a much deeper faith through all this.  Here is what he posted on Facebook this morning...

"It took me a while to get to this point, but this signifies one of the toughest, most defining moments in my life so far. I've learned to stop and appreciate the little moments in life and sometime when everything gets overwhelming all you have to do is stop, slow everything down, take a breath and keep on fighting the good fight. Even when you break life down to the simplest action, such as breathing, it's still a battle of ups and downs and you learn you're just a moment away from something good you can celebrate, or something terrible that will make you stronger. And even in those tough times, if you have your priorities in order, the work you put in will not be in vain, something good even if it's small will come out of it."

I want to explain what all of this tattoo means.  First, let me say, I'm against tattoos.  I have spent a couple of years talking him out of them, because many of his friends have them.  I could not say no when he told me what his plans were for this one.  Just Breathe is the motto for Cystic Fibrosis patients.  Katie spent a lot of time working with organizations to help raise money for research, so this phrase meant a lot to her.  The line is a respiratory wave....but not just any one, this is Katie's actual wave.  Ben asked for a copy of it while Katie was in the hospital the last time.  He had asked Katie's permission, told her what he planned to do, and Katie agreed to it.  And the last quote is a Bible verse "Your labor in the Lord is not in vain."  1 Corinthians 15:58.  Katie and Ben are Christians, and their faith is important to them.  They were active in a church, went to Bible study together, and would pray together.  

Sometimes I can hardly believe this is my son.  He's been compassionate, strong, kind and loving to a young woman who told her Mom she never thought she would know real love because she thought she was "damaged goods".  He has faced such hard trials that even as an adult I had trouble facing.  I can't think of him as my little boy any more, he has become a really good man, and I'm so proud of him!!  While his Dad and I would like to take credit for how he has turned out, we know that it is also the influence of good people who have crossed his path.  So if you want to raise a wonderful child, work together as parents,  be a role model, teach him Biblical principles from a young age, seek Godly council, place him in the path of wise and Godly people, and pray like never before.  

While we are sad at Katie's parting, we know for certain we will see her again, and we know that good things will come from this extremely hard experience.  How do I know this?  Because time and time again it has happened through all the tough stuff we have had to overcome, something good always comes from the experience.  You just have to keep your eyes open, and keep the faith.

BCA Fob winner!

I'm sorry I didn't post this yesterday, I almost forgot!  Just a quick announcement that Justine has won the Breast Cancer Awareness Scissor Fob!  Congratulations, Justine!  I sent an email requesting your address.  

I'm so far behind in mailing things out, but I'm going to really try and get things packaged up this week.  I'm headed to a cross stitch retreat this weekend with my cross stitch buddy, Astrid.  This is the first one I've been to when I didn't know everyone who was going to be there.  Being the shy, timid, DJ that I am...I'm stepping out of my comfort zone.  Wish me luck, won't you?  I keep telling myself that folks out there in cross stitch land all have things in common with me, and if you all are as friendly as you are online, I'm going to be just fine.  So if YOU are going to the retreat in Pennsylvania this weekend, and you see me hiding behind a stitch frame in the corner, and you know what I look like, come say hello!  I would love to meet some new stitching friends!

Off to pack my bags....and take a trip to the post office!  I hope to see you soon!