Five is Finished!

Hello everyone! I am finally getting around to posting again--I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since my last post. The good news is that I've finished Block Five of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow a full 10 days ahead of my self-imposed end-of-the-month deadline. This was, by far, the simplest block of all twelve and it all came together very easily. I did change the candle lengths to make them all equal. Once again that lack of symmetry would have bothered me. Are any of you like that? I really like things well-balanced, even, and equal...

And here is Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow so far... You can click on the photo for a larger look. Don't know why the borders look so wavy; I promise you they really are straight!! Hope you're not getting tired of seeing it so much. It's hard to believe that after next month I'll be half way through--where on earth is this year going?

My youngest son just returned home from an eight day trip to Costa Rica with his university's Jazz Combo. They performed a variety of concerts in the San Jose area and then went to a remote music school for a few days to perform and work with some of the students. If you have any interest in jazz or just enjoy music, you may want to take a look at this video from his trip. He plays the trombone--way in the back right corner of the group and is the last musician as they "parade" through the audience in Costa Rica's spectacular National Theater. The lead trumpeter is the Jazz Combo director. Keep an eye on the lady in red in the audience--isn't she great! I would love to be able to be that free and just let loose and enjoy myself the way she does... I doubt if he'll ever perform in such a beautiful theater again--what a venue! I still remember when he began those first trombone lessons as a ten-year-old--how far he has come :)



I was wondering how my Mother's Day would be celebrated since my husband wasn't home to "organize the troops" as he usually is (he was on a two day, 200-mile bike ride in Ohio.) I had to work on Mother's Day Sunday and was delighted when I got home and found all three of my sons waiting for me with dinner on the stove and flowers, chocolate, and a gift certificate to my favorite online stitching store in hand! My oldest son prepared cashew chicken, the middle made the rice, and the youngest surprised me with these cupcakes he made that spelled out "Happy Mother's Day." (Funfetti flavored!) How sweet was that? I feel so lucky to have such amazing young men to call my sons--I love you guys so, so much and feel so proud to be your mom...

I've been working on my Christmas ornament for May and hope to have that finished to show you soon... Hope your weekend is relaxing and stitch-filled. And, as always, I truly appreciate your comments and emails. I love hearing from each and every one of you...

Up On the Housetop

Yippee! I'm one third done with Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow! Block 4 seemed to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r. I felt like I was actually building this mansion brick by brick...all of those browns and tans are my least favorite colors to stitch with. But, I think the end result was worth all the hours I spent on it. (Is it just me, though, or does each of those peacock tails bear a striking resemblance to a traffic light?) Block 5, which I'll be stitching this month, is much less "stitch intensive," so it should go fairly quickly. I might actually finish it before the last day of the month for a change...

Below is the entire piece so far. For any new readers--I'm stitching it on 32 ct. flax Belfast linen using DMC threads.


I can hardly believe that it's May already...one of my favorite months. When I was a child, we celebrated the first day of May (May Day) in a very special way. We would decorate paper cones, fill them with flowers, and leave the flowers at a neighbor's doorstep. After ringing the doorbell, we would run and hide and then peek out as the neighbor retrieved her surprise. It was such fun! I especially recall doing this for a pair of elderly women who lived two doors down from us. They were always so kind to the neighborhood children, inviting us in after school for cookies and milk. I still remember sitting in their warm and cozy kitchen, munching on the best sugar cookies, and telling them about my day at school. Do any of you remember this May Day tradition? I wonder if it is still practiced anywhere...Times have changed and I don't think most neighbors are as close as they were back then. Or, even more likely, parents are afraid to let their children roam around the neighborhoods by themselves...


Can you ever remember a prettier spring than we've had this year? At this point many of the flowers and flowering trees have begun to fade, but I did manage to take a few photos of them at their peak. I wish you could smell the white vibernum--they just scent my entire kitchen with the most delightful fragrance.









I can hardly wait to begin Blackbird Design's "Something Sweet" this week. Don't you just love the start of a new project? Everything is so fresh and untouched--the fabric just waiting there for you to add some color... I'm stitching it for a very special person--hope she likes it... I love the colors in this piece and that giant violet next to the yellow house. It seems like the perfect piece to stitch during May. Thanks again, dear Kim for passing on this chart to me!

Well, that's about it for this week. I hope you all have relaxing, stitch-filled weekends. Thank you so very much for all of your wonderful comments each week. It just brightens my day each time I read a new one!

A Fruitful Finish

Block # 3 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow is done! As most of you know, I'm trying to stitch one block each month, but I really struggled to finish this one by the end of March. I've been having trouble getting motivated to stitch lately--could it be "spring fever?" Anyone else feeling that way? When I finally thought I was all done, I took one last look at the picture on the front of the chart and realized I had stitched the colored block holding the letter "T" in the entirely wrong color! What? How on earth did I manage that (probably stitching too late at night!)... So, out came the scissors as I tore that whole part out and re-stitched it. Finally...I think (I truly hope) it's finished. Those are some crazy looking pears, aren't they? I am not a pear eater; in fact I love pears just about as much as I love green vegetables :) There is something strange in their texture that I just don't enjoy. Am I just weird or are there any other pear-haters out there?

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow: Blocks 1-3
Our visit to the zoo on Saturday was such fun! I don't think I had been there since my sons were all little boys (and they are now in their twenties). Let me tell you, zoos have come a long, long way since then... It is so nice to see more of the animals released from their cages and able to walk around in grassy fields. I took a lot of photos and wanted to share some of my favorites. All photos are clickable so you can get a bigger picture...

Don't you love that baby elephant?


When kangaroos are born, they are the size of a bumblebee!


A comical ostrich watches a Springbok in the background.


The king of the jungle lazing in the spring sunshine.


The giraffes in the background paced back
and forth keeping a wary eye on the lioness!
By far, the most popular exhibit at the zoo was the penguins. The little kids were just delighted with them and it was hard to get close enough to the display area to manage even a brief glimpse of the delightful little black and white creatures. My favorite "exhibit," though was watching my son at his volunteer post as he taught children all about polar bears. I don't know who was having a better time--him or the kids!

Thanks so much for visiting and for taking the time to leave such wonderful, uplifting comments--I honestly treasure each one! And if anyone is still interested in signing up for my PIF, please see my previous post...

I hope things are "greening up" in your neck of the woods--it is supposed to be a lovely sunny and warm weekend here. Wishing you all a blessed Easter with your families...

That House on the Hill

Block #2 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow totally captured my imagination. The entire time I was stitching it, I conjured up what life might be like inside this mansion. I think many towns have "that house on the hill"--that grand structure that just stands out from other homes. The small village in which I grew up had just such a house...Not brick like this one, but a large white-columned colonial perched at the top of a hill at the end of my street. There were no peacocks strutting around in the front yard, but there were the most handsome horses. The estate was even surrounded by a wrought iron fence much like the one pictured here. As a girl, I would often pause during my walk to school, peer through that fence, and wonder what life was like inside. I would picture beautifully decorated rooms, fashionably dressed women chatting over tea and little cakes, and fresh flowers on every tabletop. I imagined that everything inside that house was perfect and that the people who lived within led perfect lives. It wasn't until I was older that I learned of the family problems and soap-opera like events that the owners faced. Eventually, a fire destroyed much of that outwardly beautiful home...

In the years since, I've learned that it really is the simple things in life that bring me the most pleasure--the sight of a robin's nest filled with tiny, sky blue eggs; the first sentence of a new novel as it begins to capture my imagination; the brilliant colors of floss spread across a lovely cut of linen waiting for my latest stitching to begin. Oh, and I can't forget to mention my daily piece (well, okay, I admit it--pieces)of chocolate! Simple things that don't cost much, but always bring me pleasure. What are the special little things in your life that make you smile?

I feel lucky to have managed to finish this very stitch-intense block in the short month of February. By the time I stitched the final black bars in the fence, I was looking at them as if they were bars in a jail cell! I was just so tired of stitching all of that black and white... For any of you who are planning to stitch this, I just want you to be aware of two problems in the charting that I found. The chart showed the left side of the house stitched one full row above the right side and the right lamp post was charted one stitch above the left. I don't think this was intentional, but I know if I had left it that way, the lack of symmetry would have driven me crazy... So, the left side of the house got a re-roofing job and the two sides are now balanced. The chart also called for backstitching around the windows, but after trying it on one, I decided I liked it better without. This block is one of my favorites in Christmas at HRH, and I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. "Only" ten more blocks to go!

I was touched to read all of your remarks regarding my Fa La La carolers last week--thank you each so very much for taking the time to comment. I truly value your opinions and supportive comments and love discovering that a new reader has popped in to say "hello." Have a lovely week everyone!

Christmas Bells Are Ringing!

Well, I know it's January, but, for me...it's still all about Christmas! I finished the first block of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow and am in love with the colors. The whole block looks like it is just exploding with the love and hope and joy and happiness and good will to men (and women!) that Christmas is supposed to represent. I love the peacock and his tiny, gold crown, don't you? I'll have to admit that it is taking me a while to get used to stitching on such a huge piece of linen after a whole year of doing nothing but small projects, but I'm slowly getting accustomed to it. I went back and forth on what to stitch it on, but finally decided on 32 ct. Flax Belfast Linen and I'm happy with my choice. I knew I would have to feel this fabric for a l-o-n-g time so I had to go with a fabric that I enjoyed touching! Anyway, one block down, only 11 more to go...

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, stitchers are such a special group of generous and thoughtful people! I received the most amazing birthday gift yesterday from my blogging friend, Myra. It literally brought tears to my eyes to think that someone I have never even met would make this beautiful and perfectly stitched "project pouch" for me. Try clicking on the photo to enlarge it so you can see all the amazing details close up. The colors are just delightful and as you can see, my latest project is waiting patiently in it for me to start on it! She included the sweetest little quilted birthday postcard, too, and the bag zips up with a small, silver flower charm. I will treasure it always, Myra, and think of you each time I use it. Thank you so very much, my friend...

And... I received an extremely sweet gift certificate from eHandcrafts.com from a secret stitching friend last week! Now which one of you generous friends sent this to me? I was awake half the night going back and forth trying to figure out who could have been so very thoughtful. She described me in the email notice as a "special person." Well, I beg to differ--you, kind friend, are the special person and I wish I could thank you in person. Sending you a huge hug and my genuine thanks for brightening my day...Your kindness means so much to me:)

Don't forget to take a peek at my previous post and enter for a chance to win one of my birthday giveaways... The contest will remain open until 5 PM on January 29th... Good luck to all. And thank you for your kind birthday wishes...this has been a hard one for me and it makes it a bit easier knowing I have so many wonderful friends out there.

Hope your week is a special one...