I was lucky enough to win a surprise giveaway last week. This one came via a new-to-me blog called A Southern Belle Misplaced in Michigan sent by a lovely stitcher named Lisa. The only "rule" she had when she offered her giveaway was to tell her if I was a cross stitcher or not--how easy is that! I had no idea what I had won until her little package arrived several days later. In it was this beautiful beaded scissor fob and a tiny pincushion with a saying that any stitcher can relate to: "Eat, Sleep, Stitch." Don't you love it? The fob was the first she had ever created and she did an amazing job! I love the black and gold beads, too--just perfect for this Pittsburgh Penguins loving family! And the little silver charm with "Follow Your Heart" inscribed on it is so sweet... I love them both, Lisa, and will think of you each time I use them. Thank you so very, very much!
I had the pleasure of getting together with Lee and Linda (no blog, but an avid blog reader!) on Friday. We met at a Panera for a few hours of chatting, stitching, and eating. It's just so nice to spend time with fellow stitchers who actually understand your passion, isn't it? To me it was amazing that in a busy, bustling place like Panera, it felt as if we were the only ones there. There was just something so relaxing about sitting there with friends and stitching the day away...
We have an ongoing love/hate relationship with the increasing number of deer who eat our plantings out here in the suburbs. I was so upset to look out and find that a deer had jumped the fence into our garden and eaten almost every single one of our tulips that were just beginning to bloom. This is all that was left.
At the same time, how can you resist this little fellow. I posted this photo (taken in the spring of 2007) on my blog last year. However, I don't think anyone was reading it then except my two earliest followers/commenters and very special friends, Myra and Violet so I'm sharing it with you again. This was taken right in a patch of tall grass next to our pond at the rear of our property. I can still remember how excited I was to be able to get so close to the little baby deer! Who would think this darling thing would grow up to be a tulip destroyer :)
I was feeling a bit down last week and my husband arrived home from work on Wednesday with this beautiful bouquet to cheer me up... He's a keeper, don't you agree? I find that, more and more, it is the simple, unexpected things that give me joy. A surprise gift from a fellow blogger, a get-together with stitching friends, an inspiring nature photograph, a thoughtful token of love and support from my husband. They were all unexpectedly fulfilling... Have you had any pleasurable, unexpected moments lately? I hope so; it is amazing how a simple look, a lovely sight, a meaningful song, or a kind word can change the course of your day...
Thank you all for your visits--I'm so appreciative of your comments and emails...They always bring me joy!
34 comments:
What a wonderful post. :-) It made me smile. I'm so glad you had those bits of encouragement!! What a treat!
What a lovely post. Your win was lovely, the deer photo and the boquet from your husband was gorgeous.
What a lovely prize you won! And that deer! Yes, they can be awful when it comes to flowers, but to come across a baby deer like that! Wow! I do think you have a keeper in that DH of yours! My DH never brings me flowers. :( He's sweet in other ways though, so I'm not complaining!
your mailbox surprise is gorgeous!!! Love it! And oh my!!!!!! I want that baby deer in my yard. We see deer NIGHTLY, but never have I seen one that close. I am very thankful they don't eat my flowers. We live 'in a field' so they don't care to come up & eat my stuff. I am so thankful! I can watch the beauty of the deer & not lose my pretties!
Your husband is a keeper for sure. Sorry to hear you were down, but great that he took notice & helped!!
Thanks for the day brightener today!
You got a lovely giveaway prize and your DH is definitely a keeper! What pretty flowers he bought you :)
That little deer is adorable - great picture!
A very super win indeed.
Pretty flowers, I agree your DH is a keeper.
Ahhh! the fawn is adorable, but they can do damage to plants.
What a beautiful surprise - congrats! Hope you can find a solution to the deer issue - it seems to be national. Your DH is a sweetie for sure - lovely flowers!
What a lovely surprise to get in the mail!!!
We battle back the deer every year........mostly we lose. lol
Such a beautiful fob and pincushion! I can just hear the smiles your surprise gave you.
An adorable fawn. They are beautiful animals, aren't they, but I'm sorry they ate your tulips. We used to have a cat that would eat the violets off my African violets so I have them no more.
A thoughtful and very beautiful gesture from your husband!
What a great post! Your surprise mail goodies are adorable, as is the little deer. The flowers your DH brought you are beautiful.
I love your post, too !
What lovely gifts you got!
And the little deer is really adorable.
What a sweet little surprise for you!
My mother can so relate to you on the deer problem! She has given up on trying to replace many of her things. Their problem is that what used to be country is no longer the country and the deer have no where to go!
Enjoy the beautiful flowers - I bet they smell good too.
Is really is the little things, isn't it? I feel the same way! Love the cute little pillow you won in the giveaway!! And how sweet of your DH is cheer you up with such beautiful flowers!
Dear Carol,
What a lovely gift you have received! The fob is beautiful, but my personal favourite is the "Eat, Sleep, Stitch" ornament. Unfortunately in the last few weeks it was "Eat, Sleep, Work" for me and I had almost no time to stitch.
What a pity for your tulips, but on the other hand that little deer is so lovely and it must be a special experience to have them around. Here we have no tulips, no deers either :(
To meet stitching friends must have been great! This weekend we met some friends, they came to us, she saw my cross stitch pictures all around the flat, we started to talk and imagine, it turned out that she also likes to stitch! We know each other for more than 2 years now and had no idea that we share the same hobby! :)
And finally, your flowers from your husband are beautiful. These are the small (or big?!) things that make our lives happy. For me it today it was a postcard (I am an addicted collector :) ) signed by a couple of friends that made me smile all the afternoon :)
Have a great week!
Edit
What a wonderful giveaway!! It is so cute--the fob is nice, too. Your husband definitely sounds like a keeper. I agree--it's the small, unexpected things that make life extra sweet. :) I love the pic of the little deer--even if they are tornadoes in the garden. ;)
Yep, your husband is a keeper! What a lovely bouquet!
What a wonderful surprise - I just love this sweet little piece. Congratulations on winning.
Love your fawn picture - what a precious sight.
Enjoy your day.
Looking good Carol:) Lovely posies from your man who cares, doesn't get better than that. Yes, a simple kind word or gesture goes a very long way these days...
Thx for link to Lisa's blog!
xoxo
Wow! What a wonderful little surprise you received in the mail! The fob and little pillow are adorable!
It really is the simpler things in life that bring us the most joy!
Congratulations on your win - cute little pillow and fob. I love that picture of the little deer and I remember it from last year. :o)
I am in total agreement with you about the unexpected little surprises. A kind word or little token from a friend is just priceless.
What lovely flowers from your DH. Hope you are feeling much better by now.
oh yes...i agree with small things or gestures..i am really happy hubby accompany me when i said to go for a drive on the look-out for those flowers here.
Have a wonderful week.
Aww...what a sweet hubby....but I KNOW you deserve them as you are just TOO sweet yourself :)
(((hugs)))
Lovely gift for you, and the flowers are lovely.
Although that deer looks a sweetie I know what they eat.. we have the horrible looking munjac deer here in UK and they can eat all your veg in no time at all, We spent loads of money on ways to keep them off our allotment!
Happy stitching
Chris x
What a lovely giveaway to win Carol and what a nice surprise to receive in the mail. Your husband is definitely a keeper! The flowers are gorgeous and yes, so often just a small, seemingly insignificant word or act can change someone's day completely. That deer is so sweet but not so sweet when all your tulips are gone!
Hi Carol
That is a lovely fob and pincushion that you won. It's always lovely getting fun mail, rather than bills in the letterbox. Especially cross stitch fun mail!
I love that little deer, so sweet! It must be frustrating having them eat all your flowers. I actually thought bulbs were poisonous to some creatures, but obviously not to deer :-)
We have possums in NZ, which are a huge pest and have done lots of damage to our native flora and fauna. I still like to see them though (they are cute, and didn't ask to be here). We had some hanging around recently as we live next to a big area of bush and countryside. We put apple on the back fence so my nephew could see them (hehas only lived in NZ for three years and hasn't yet seen a possum), but the apple disappeared into the darkness before he got a chance to see them. LOL
The flowers from your DH are super gorgeous. They look like they have been picked from an English cottage garden. Stunning! If my DH were to buy me flowers, that would be the kind of bouquet I would like. :-)
what a great prize and fun surprise!
A super prize and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, what a lovely way of hubby to brighten your day.
Cute pic of the deer, how fabulous to see them so close up. The squirrels here have been eating my camelia blooms!
So Bambi is a tulip eater, huh? Oh dear (deer)! LOL. At least something cute is eating them, I guess that might be some solace. ;)
what a great win. so pretty. Flowers are always a great surprise and a good cheer up. You are lucky to have friends to go and stitch with. Panera is a good place for a snack. pretty picture of the deer.
Someone needs to design a stitching that says, "Feed a deer, plant a garden." Somewhere I read once, to keep them out, save all the hair you find in your brush for a week or so, and put it in a nylon with a bar of Irish spring on top, and then hang that out there. They will supposedly stay out.
haha, I can just imagine that dear thinking ; et me pop over to that nice lady and help here weed her garden, it is completely overgrowing with tulips !
lol !
I do agree that your husband is a keeper. The flowers are beautiful! My DH does that here and there too and I always love it.
We have deer around here too and I just hate when the flowers come out and then the next day they're gone, but since they're such beautiful animals, I just forgive them.
Wonderful package you received! It's always a lot of fun to get surprises in the mail!
How lovely Carol! What a nice surprise to find in the mail :o)
Oh no! I agree, how can you dislike such a beautiful creature? ;o)
That was awfully nice of DH to bring you those gorgeous flowers. Maybe you should let the deer eat your tulips more often ;o)
The flowers from your DH are beautiful, so sweet! :) And the little surprise from Lisa are gorgeous. Love the wording.. how wonderful if just eat, sleep and stitch.. (LOL)
(((♥))) ... and what all the others said... because I can't think of anything that isn't already said.
;o)
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