Hello, Folks!

"Hello, folks!" Hope you've all had a wonderful week! The weather has turned quite summery here in Pennsylvania--not sure if this poor snowman likes it very much... For my May Christmas ornament finish, I chose an old chart from the 1998 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cross Stitch magazine designed by Louise Young. This funny fellow just made me laugh for some reason--perhaps it was his long ant-like body!


Anyway, he was a quick and easy finish. I used 36 ct. Picture This Plus linen in "relic," DMC threads, and black beads for his eyes, mouth, and buttons. The nose was supposed to be beaded, too, but since I had no orange colored beads, I did it in satin stitches and I'm very happy with the way it turned out...For the ornament hanger, I stretched out a spring and simply inserted each end into the linen. So easy! I then tied on a torn strip of the backing fabric for a little accent in the upper right corner. He'll look mighty dapper on my snowman tree this winter!

The noise from the birds chirping, cawing, and squawking in our backyard routinely wakes me up each morning. It sure has been a busy spring here with all the new little nests popping up all over the place. We found this robin's nest with those sweet blue eggs in our pyracantha bush as we were pruning last week. And look how lovely the cream and brown speckled eggs are in the cardinal's nest. Would you believe the cardinal re-used a nest left over from last year! Is that common? I suppose it was built in such a secure location that the bird felt safe to nest in it again. The picture in the upper right is of the little robins that nested on the upper lattice work of our back porch. Don't the poor things look like they wished their mama had built them a bigger nest--they are positively squished together in there. I really love birds and was surprised to see a woman on television the other day talking about how much she feared them. The main creature that I'm truly terrified of is bats--I am petrified of them. How about you--any other animal phobias?

I hope all of my U.S. friends have a wonderful and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. What are your plans? Picnics? Reunions? Parades? We're heading down to Washington, D.C. with my youngest son who will be beginning a summer internship with the Department of Justice. He is so excited for this opportunity and eager to explore life in our nation's capital. But, I'll have to say I'm a bit misty-eyed because I've come to realize that, with his last year of college looming in the fall, he may never truly be at home for an extended period of time again. Sigh...

Thank you for your visits, your emails, your comments, and most of all, for your friendship. I hope your week is as special as each of you are to me :)

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...

Peep, Peep!

Hello everyone! Hope you've each had a great week and that you're enjoying this lovely spring weather. Who can resist this cheery, little chick? I began working on her two weeks ago because I really needed a break from stitching that huge mansion in Block #4 of my Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. Have any of you ever stitched these Valerie Pfeiffer chicks before? They have very unusual fractional and straddled stitches in the charts along with a lot of blended needles. They are very time consuming to stitch because you really have to study the chart, but I think that is what makes the chicks look so realistic. "Gardener Chick" is stitched on 32 ct. white Jobelan using the recommended DMC threads. This is the second chick I've stitched--(the first was the Christmas chick that I stitched last year). I think I'll simply frame this one with a simple black frame...


Last month, I lent a chart to Tricia over at the Simply Stamping blog through "Inter-Stitcher Loan." Imagine my surprise when she returned not only my chart, but included this darling pin pillow as well. As I told Tricia, she could not have made a more perfect choice for me since my favorite color is blue, my house is decorated in mostly blue and white and yellow, and I collect rabbits! Didn't she do a great job on it? She took a portion of the Prairie Schooler "Welcome Spring" chart and adapted it for this tiny pillow. And how about that darling card? Check out her site for more examples of her beautiful and creative cards. Thank you so very much, Tricia--I just love it!

As I've mentioned before, we have a pond at the back of our yard that attracts all sorts of wildlife... Ducks visit it each year--always in pairs. Well, a few weeks ago we noticed that only the male or female would visit at any given time, so my husband speculated that they must have a nest somewhere and the missing mallard was sitting on the eggs. I woke up Thursday morning to see both ducks preening by the pond and worried that something had happened to the nest. Imagine my surprise when I looked out after lunch and saw the mother in the grass next to the pond surrounded by nine peeping chicks! Of course, the first thing I did was to grab my camera and run out to photograph them... I wish you could all see how cute they are! They're just little brown and yellow fluff balls, but, boy, can they swim quickly. It would be nice if my camera and camera skills were better, but you can click on the photos for a bigger image:

"Now, my little chicks, it's time for your
first lesson in pond etiquette."

"Aw, mom, we want to swim underneath the
waterfall! Please mom, please, please?!"
"Hurry, let's get away from that crazy stitcher who
wants to photograph us for her blog!!"

I thought this mother duck and her chicks were just so perfect for this Mother's Day weekend--it really makes me smile to watch her guarding her babies so carefully. I am very blessed to have my own amazing mom... At almost 83, she just got her first computer and is now emailing and reading my blog! So, mom, I wish you the happiest of Mother's Days. Wish I could be with you, and I hope you know how much I love and treasure you...

Happy Mother's Day! And, as always, I want to thank you, my friends, for stopping in and taking time out of your busy schedules to leave a comment... I love hearing from each 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!

Joy in the Unexpected

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!

Sunflower Santa

When I first saw this whimsical Prairie Schooler chart, I wasn't sure that I wanted to stitch it, but as I studied it further, it really began to grow on me. I love the idea of Santa taking a rest and tending his sunflower garden during his "off" season! My April ornament, from PS Book 48: "A Christmas Visit," is stitched on 32 ct. natural light linen with the recommended DMC threads. This was the first round ornament I ever attempted and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. At four inches in diameter it is a bit larger than I would have liked and I think if I stitch any more patterns from this book, I'll try stitching them "over one."


Like many of you, I'm stitching an ornament a month and I'm so happy to be keeping up with my finishing. It would be so easy to stick them in a drawer and move on to a new project, but I know I'll be thrilled when December rolls around and I have twelve already finished ornaments to add to our Christmas tree. Pictured below are the four I've completed. See how large the newest ornament is in relation to the previous ones? The earlier ornaments were all stitched "over one," so they're all quite small... Do you have a favorite? I still love that tiny stocking the most...


I was overwhelmed by all of your kind comments on my PS Spring sampler last week! Did any of you notice the mistake that I made in it? If you look carefully at the upper left leaf next to the robin in my previous post, you'll see that I forgot to fill it in with the light green. Luckily, I noticed it before I got around to framing it!


Have any of you ever framed a piece and then noticed a mistake? Well, I have--or more accurately, my then ten year old son noticed it! It was on one of my earliest works from back in the '80s--a pair of pictures with two doves nestled in a cherry blossom tree in each. Well, my oldest son was walking up the stairs one day, and I don't know if they were just at his eye level or what, but the next thing you know, he is running to gleefully tell me that I made a mistake on one of the borders. (Click on the photo above for a better look and see if you can spot my mistake... By the way, those mats on the pictures are both the same shade of gray as is shown on the left--not sure why they look different!)

Sure enough, when I went to examine it, he was right! If you look at the bottom right corner of the picture on the left you'll see that I forgot to close off that part of the border...I can laugh about it today, but at the time, I just cried. I think those were the first pieces that I had paid to have professionally framed and I was just sick about spending all of that money and time and then they weren't even stitched properly! A few years ago, I gave them to my mother-in-law because they fit in perfectly with her decor--she is thrilled to own them. She asked me to write the entire story about my son's eagle-eyed discovery on the paper backing of the frame so it will be there forever. That little bit of family history actually makes the pieces even more special...

Last month, I received my lovely pinkeep as part of Andrea's PIF... Now it is my turn to pass on the kindness. Since there were more than three people who wanted to participate in my PIF, I did a random drawing and the following stitchers will be receiving something from me within the next 365 days:

Lee from New Zealand!

Shari from Indiana!

Melanie from The United Kingdom!
I will be emailing the three of you to get your addresses very soon. I'm really looking forward to creating something special for each of you!


I am so very appreciative of all of your comments and visits...thank you all for being such a wonderful group of friends. Wishing each of you a wonderful and relaxing weekend...

A Prairie Spring

Hello everyone! Spring has burst into full bloom here in Pennsylvania and it also made its way into my stitching this week. I just finished this spring sampler from Book No. 50: "Prairie Seasons". It is stitched on 32 ct. flax Belfast linen with the suggested DMC threads. I got a start on this when I was in Florida last month and am so pleased with the way it turned out. I'll have to tell you though, I don't ever remember doing this much back-stitching in a Prairie Schooler design. Look at the window panes, the water spraying from the fountain and all of those stems and leaves--I thought I would never finish "sowing" this garden! The only change I made was to the robins' legs--the chart showed them as cross stitches, but after trying that, the poor things looked like grannies wearing thick, gray support hose, so I switched to a simple straight stitch and think they look much more delicate and bird-like.

I've included a collage of close-ups below so you can get a better look at all of the details in this finish: the wheelbarrow, the fountain, the watering can...And don't you love that blue door?

One of my favorite parts of this sampler is the little patch of orange carrots poking through the ground (shown in the lower right part of the collage photo). Speaking of carrots, I made a delicious carrot cake for Easter. Myra had posted her carrot cake recipe on her blog a few weeks ago and so I gave it a try... It was so tasty, Myra; thank you again for sharing it with us! I cut the recipe in half and it made a cake just the right size for the four of us (with just enough left over for my older sons to take back to their apartment). Unfortunately, my youngest son wasn't able to get home from college for Easter and it felt like a "piece of the puzzle" was missing from our family that day. With two giant papers due in mid-April and final exams looming, he thought it better to remain in Virginia and get some work done...

This wasn't the first Prairie Schooler spring sampler that I've stitched. I also stitched this one from PS Book No. 123, "Country Seasons" back in 2008. I'm not sure which one I like better. Both are very different, but I think I have a soft spot for the fluffy lambs grazing in the field in this one. How about you?

We've been fortunate enough to have a string of record-breaking warm and sunny days in April. I honestly think we're being rewarded for enduring the four feet of snow we got clobbered with in February! Just wanted to share some of those gorgeous spring blooms that have popped up in our backyard over the past week: daffodils, violas, hyacinth, periwinkle, and those lovely ferns. Have any of you planted your gardens yet? Yesterday, I went to the garden center and bought tons of flower and vegetable seeds and bulbs that will keep us busy planting over the weekend. Oh, wait a minute, did I say "us?" I have to work on Saturday--hope my dear husband doesn't mind getting started on the digging without me :)





I will be announcing the three participants in my PIF next weekend. Since there were more than three entries, I'll just do a random pick. If anyone else would like a chance to participate, you can sign up on my post from March 27th...

Thank you all so much for taking the time to visit my little corner of the world today... And a special thank you to all of my readers and friends who take the time to leave a comment. I know your lives are as busy as mine, but I truly love to hear from each and every one of you. Wishing you all a week filled with perfectly crossed stitches...

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...

Pay It Forward Anyone?

Pay It Forward (PIF)~ verb: "1. to repay the good deeds one has received by doing good things for other unrelated people."

I signed up for Andrea's "Pay It Forward" in November and was rewarded with this perfectly lovely pinkeep in my mailbox this week. Andrea obviously studied my blog and realized how much I love Prairie Schooler designs! She was concerned that I may have already stitched this little parrot in his gilded cage, but I don't yet own this chart (from the Forget Me Not designer series), so she made a wonderful choice. When I showed it to my oldest son, he even said, "That looks just like something you would stitch, mom." (See, the guys are learning!!) Notice the beautiful gold braiding that Andrea trimmed it with and the "Made With Love" charm that she included on the back. She even made the lovely little card. You should be able to click on the photos for a clearer look. Andrea, everything is so "me"--you couldn't have stitched a more perfect piece! Thank you so very much. It has a place of honor in my sunroom...

And now it is my turn! Would any of you like to participate in a PIF from me? The rules are very simple. I will send a stitched gift to three people who leave a comment (on this post only) requesting to join my PIF challenge. Knowing my love of ornament making, it will most likely be an ornament, but who knows--I'll surprise you! I have 365 days to fulfill my end of the bargain. If you are chosen as one of my PIF recipients, then you must offer the same on your blog to keep the kindness going... Please specifically mention in your comment if you wish to be considered for this...If more than three people sign up, I will have a drawing for three names. I'll keep this open until April 15th.

I'm been hard at work trying to finish Block #3 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow by the end of March, but today I'm taking the day off and going to the Pittsburgh Zoo. I haven't visited the zoo in many years, but my animal-loving, middle son volunteers there on Saturdays so my husband and I are getting our own private tour... Hope your weekend is relaxing and stitch-filled. Thank you all for visiting me here each week--I love hearing from you!

Lots of Thank Yous!

Well, I won another giveaway... As many of you have suggested, I really should start playing the lottery! Believe it or not, I have never won anything in my life except these cross stitch prizes. (Well, if you check my list of "interesting" things in the blog award below, you'll see that I did win something else, but it wasn't luck related). Anyway, Barbara's beautiful prize arrived yesterday after spending 8 days in transit in the U.S. mail system. I was beginning to worry about it and I'm so happy it finally arrived safely. Barbara stitched this little "wabbit" from Sheepish Designs on the prettiest shade of peachy-pink linen using overdyed threads and trimmed it off with handmade cording and silky bows. I hope she doesn't mind if I use her photo--it is much better than the ones I tried to take in the early morning light. I love him, Barbara, and he will have a place of honor in my Easter display each spring. Thank you so much for your special gift...

I am finally getting around to thanking all of you wonderful friends who honored me with the Beautiful Blogger Award! Thank you to Cindy, Theresa, Vinniey, Meari, Gillie, and Nicole. I enjoy all of your blogs so much, too, and I really appreciate the fact that out of all the beautiful blogs in the world, you chose to honor mine. That means so much to me.

Well, by now all of you know the drill--the rules are:

1. Accept the award
2. Thank the person who gave you the award
3. Add a link to the person who gave you the award
4. Put the award on your blog
5. Write 10 things about yourself others may not know about you
6. Pass the award on to 10 others

Some of the awards said to write 7 things about myself, others said 10. Let's see how many I can come up with:

1. I was the unusual person who knew what I wanted to be very early in life. Growing up with a cozy library right around the corner from my house instilled a love of reading in me at a young age. I decided to become a librarian when I was about 12.

2. When I was 11, I decided a good summer project might be to read the biographies in the teen section from A to Z! Unfortunately, I only got through the letter "C" because the summer ended and I was too busy during the school year. So I know a lot about Abigail Adams, Clara Barton, and Grover Cleveland, but little about people whose names start with D to Z.

3. In my senior year of high school I was voted "Most All-American." Not because I was super patriotic or anything...It was just because I was that girl who was involved in everything--played alto clarinet in the band, sang in the chorus, was Homecoming Queen, involved in Drama Club, member of National Honor Society, etc. I was just a nice, well-rounded girl!

4. I was quite a "tomboy" when I was younger due to the fact that most of the kids in my neighborhood were boys. I played baseball, climbed trees, was outside with the gang every summer evening until night fell. I wouldn't carry a purse for the longest time and my dear mother had to convince me to wear a veil for my wedding! I guess it is a good thing that I had all boys, isn't it?!

5. I am very shy in groups. One on one, I can talk to just about anyone, but put me in a group and I clam up. I was always the one who sat in the back of the class, never raised my hand, and just trembled through presentations. If I was asked to give a group presentation at work, I would probably have to quit...

6. I refuse to pump my own gas. My sons all make fun of me for it, but it is just something I don't want to do! I'll take out the trash, mow the lawn, etc., but I will not put gas in my car.

7. My home won a Better Homes and Gardens remodeling contest in the late '90s. We remodeled our entire home--living in it throughout the 9 months that it took. Looking back on it, it was a great "family building" task--but, oh, it was tough. My kitchen sink was in the laundry room, refrigerator in the dining room, and stove was down in the basement! Not easy to get meals for three hungry little boys... So, winning the contest and seeing it in the magazine was really a testament to our hard work.

8. I am as blind as a bat without my glasses or contacts. I should have worn glasses from about age 9, but I cheated and memorized the eye chart so I didn't get them until a few years later!

9. I began cross stitching back in the early '80s, but quit for about 10 years when my kids weren't napping anymore (that was my stitching time). Started again in 2003 and was shocked and delighted at all of the "new to me" overdyed threads, abundance of fabrics, and amazingly detailed charts. Cross stitch had moved on and I still feel like I'm playing "catch up!"

10. Meeting all of you through my blog has been a joy. I truly value the friendships I've made and the fun I've had over the past year. You are all so inspirational and I look forward to visiting you each week to say hello.


I also received another lovely award from Vinniey , Michelle, and Cath. I am so pleased that the three of you enjoy my blog and thought it worthy of the Sunshine Award. Thank you all so very much!

The rules for this award are very simple and are as follows:

1) Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
2) Pass the award to 12 bloggers.
3) Link the nominees within your post.
4) Let them know they received this award by
commenting on their blog.
5) Share the love and link to the person from
whom you received the award.

Well, for both blog awards I am taking the easy way out--I just have so many more than 10 or 12 stitching blogs that brighten my day whenever I visit them, so if I have commented on your blog lately--you are my sunshine and you all deserve these awards.

Thank you to all who shared my happiness in my DMC win last week--it is so nice to know my stitching friends are almost as excited as I was. Still trying to figure out how to organize it--any and all suggestions are welcome...

Delightful...Dazzling...Divine...DMC!

Hi everyone! I just got home from my trip (more about that later) last night and found this giant box waiting for me. Hmm... looks pretty nondescript, doesn't it, but notice the tape with the giant "DMC" logos imprinted on it. I had been dreaming about this box all week while I was away--just imagining my feelings as I peaked inside for the first time. Some of you know and have already emailed me to say "congratulations." but, for those of you who don't--I won a giveaway. Not just any giveaway, but a giveaway on the DMC Blog for each of the 454 colors of DMC cotton Embroidery Floss 117 that DMC creates. Can you imagine how excited I was?!! Now, sharing this news with my husband and sons brought some tepid..."Oh, that's nice" comments, but I hope you, my fellow stitchers, will understand and share my excitement! So, come peak inside with me...

I love the cute little card from "Emma Broidery" herself!

A mountain of loveliness!

Thank you, thank you DMC Corporation!
I'm sure you all know what I'll be doing today! And for those of you who want a chance to win some other DMC goodies--get yourselves over to the DMC blog and sign up for their latest giveaway!


I found another stitching surprise waiting when I got home. Dear Kim at "Stitchful Thinking" had passed along the Blackbird Designs chart for "Something Sweet." I had admired her finish back in December and she kindly offered to share the chart with me! Kim, you are as sweet as the violets shown on the chart and I'll be sure to make another stitcher happy and pass it along when I'm all finished... Thank you so much, my friend!

Well, the Florida trip was a bit cooler than I would have liked, but it still was good to get away and come back to no snow left at all!!! My husband and I are lucky to have our parents to visit on each coast--mine in Daytona Beach and his in Naples. In spite of the cool and windy (and sometimes rainy) weather, we did manage to walk a few miles each day and I captured some lovely photos to share with you. We just don't see images like this in western Pennsylvania!
A green anole lounging in the grapefruit tree

A white egret perched on a fishing shack

Grapefruit trees right outside the back door!

The prettiest flowering trees
I am so behind on my blog reading and commenting, but will truly try to catch up this weekend. Tomorrow is a very special day for me--the day I became a mom 28 years ago. My oldest son came into our lives on a lovely spring day (much like today!) with that impish look on his face that has made him a constant source of amusement and amazement. I am so proud of the kind, hard-working young man he has become and I hope his next year is filled with only good things...



Whew--you are probably tired of reading by now, so I'll close with a quick picture of my latest WIP. Can anyone guess what it is? I didn't have as much stitching time while on vacation as I expected, but I hope to finish the third block of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow to show you next week...

If you've lasted to the end of this posting--thank you, thank you! Your visits and comments mean so much to me. Have a wonderful spring-filled week everyone...