A Few Framed Finishes--Finally!

Greetings, dear friends! Here it is already December 5th--only 20 days until Christmas!  I have not even begun my shopping or my cards and am way behind on my decorating and stitching gifts. I blame it on hostessing Thanksgiving this year and then leaving for New York to visit my parents a few days later. So, needless to say, many of my stitching gifts will be more like New Year's or Valentine's Day gifts this year. I do apologize...just too much going on in my life right now! Anyway, I have some big things to show you today, but first of all I want to welcome all of my new followers--I'm just in awe that the number has passed 900!! I'm honored that so many of you find my little blog entertaining enough to follow--thank you so very much...

Can you believe I actually had three pieces framed? Oh, I know, most of you who began following me this year will find it hard to believe I've stitched anything big enough to be framed since you're used to seeing my little pillow finishes this year! But, yes, a few larger pieces have been lurking in my drawer of unfinished-finishes for far too long and I'm thrilled to have them out and adorning the walls of my home.

Many of you will remember that I stitched "Christmas At Hawk Run Hollow" back in 2010... I finished a block a month and wound up with quite a sampler, if I do say so myself. Doesn't it look Christmasy on the cherry red walls of my dining room? (I've blurred out my last name in two of the blocks if you're wondering what the smudged portions of the sampler are!)

 

Christmas At Hawk Run Hollow--finally framed!

I took a few closeups of the frame for you below. I love the burl wood finish and the rustic look of it... Wanted to keep it quite simple due to all that is going on in the sampler and I'm very pleased with the result. 

This next piece is one I stitched in 2011 when I received it as a RAK from my sweet friend, Brenda. Do you remember "Sunflower Bellpull" by The Drawn Thread? If you'd like to read more about it you can click here. I think this remains one of my all-time favorite stitched pieces. And just look at the frame! The framer came up with the two-toned idea and it just made the whole piece pop! I would never have thought of using two colors like that, but don't they look perfect with the colors in the sampler?

Sunflower Bellpull framed

This is displayed in my sunroom which is mostly yellow with touches of green and it looks perfect in that space. It is just one of those pieces that makes me smile each and every time I pass by it and brings a touch of summer sunshine to my house even on the coldest winter day.  Here are a few close-ups for you... (Again, I've smudged out my name for privacy reasons).

The third piece that made it to the framer was my only "big" finish for this entire year...Yes, everything else I stitched over the past twelve months has been ornament sized! So, I'm very happy to have at least one larger piece to show for 2012! You can read about "Nature's Alphabet" by Elizabeth's Designs right here and see some close-ups of it as well, if you're interested.

Nature's Alphabet framed

I loved the golden brown shade of the wood which picked up the gold border on each little square so nicely. Nature's Alphabet is hopping around from room to room right now...Just can't figure out where I like it the best. Right now it is in my front hallway, but that could change tomorrow! The burl wood is so pretty, don't you think?

I'm looking forward to getting more of my old finishes framed in 2013. I'm really not sure why I've put it off for so long!

I was lucky enough to win an amazing giveaway from the generous Marly last week.  Just look at this stunning selection of silk thread she was offering--over 60 skeins of every shade of the rainbow! I have never stitched with silks before and am so looking forward to it after hearing many of you rave about how wonderful they are... Is there anything special I need to know about stitching with silks versus cotton threads? If you haven't been to Marly's blog, Samplers and Santas, you'll have to check it out. She is a very talented designer in her own right and her pear freebies are the best! Thanks so much, Marly--your generosity is so very much appreciated!

And just look at these goodies that traveled all the way from Malaysia! My blogging friend, Vinniey sent me so many sunflower themed gifts--a cute "Welcome" hanger, some pretty sunflower fabric, and pretty golden yellow trim. Oh, and just look at all those yummy chocolates she included. (I'll have to confess, two of the boxes are already empty! The strawberry filled chocolates were particularly delicious!) Vinniey is a new and very talented designer who creates all those cute charts at Cottage Garden Samplings--please stop in and say "hello!" I'm actually stitching one of her designs right now to put on my Christmas tree! Thank you so much for the surprises, Vinniey--you really spoiled me!!

I've received a few other presents from England, France, Spain, and here in the U.S. which I'm saving to open a bit closer to Christmas. You've all been so very kind to think of me at this time of year--I really look forward to opening your packages!

Well, are you wondering about the skunk that I mentioned in my last post? Do you think we caught him? First let me share these photos of our Thanksgiving... I did my usual pie and cookie baking, arranged a few vases of flowers, set the long, long table in the sunroom, served the dinner, and was thoroughly exhausted by the end of the evening. Spending all those hours standing on hardwood floors really did a number on our feet. My husband and I were never so happy to get off our aching feet and go to bed as we were that night... Anyway, it was a very successful and stress-free day since I ended up buying my gravy at Whole Foods! Thanks for all of your tips on gravy making, though--I do plan on learning how to make good gravy at some point!

 

Images of Thanksgiving 2012

So, back to the skunk. Well, the answer is.... YES!! We caught him! It wasn't until a week after Thanksgiving that Mr. Skunk decided to make his appearance again, but this time he walked right into our trap. I was up visiting my parents at the time and so missed the opportunity to get a picture of him. Unfortunately, when the "critter control" expert came to pick him up, he let loose and sprayed his skunky stench! My husband said it was so bad that night that he could hardly sleep... Guess that is one experience I'm glad to have missed. I sure hope Mr. Skunk didn't have a Mrs. Skunk or any little skunklets running around... We're keeping the traps out just in case...

In closing, I do have a favor to ask of you, my stitching friends... Tomorrow, my oldest son is having a six-hour surgery on his jaw and will then return home to recuperate with us for the rest of the year. Any prayers, good thoughts, positive vibes--whatever--would be most appreciated. I guess a mother never stops worrying about her "kids" no matter how old they are, does she? Thanks so much for your wonderful and supportive comments--they mean the world to me and I feel truly lucky to belong to this very special and caring stitching/blogging community!  Bye for now...

Turkeys and skunks and raccoons, oh my!

Thanksgiving greetings! It's hard to believe turkey day is almost here, isn't it? If you're wondering where I've been for the past three weeks, it's a good bet I've been doing something Thanksgiving related. Either prepping for the 21 folks that will be feasting here on Thursday or stitching some little pillows for my November bowl. What else could the theme be for November other than "thankfulness." And I am thankful...for so very many things that I've been blessed with throughout my life...

One of the things I've most enjoyed about stitching things for my monthly bowl is looking through my old freebies and books and stumbling upon a long-overlooked design that just fits the theme perfectly. For November, these five designs cried out the loudest and I'm so happy I finally stitched and finished them.

November 2012 Thanksgiving Finishes

I'm sure many of you recognize and have stitched this first one yourselves...This is Primitive Betty's "Thankful" freebie which you can find right here. This one stitched up very quickly with a bit of Crescent Colours "Roasted Chestnut" on 40 ct. flax Newcastle. To finish it off, I attached a trio of brown buttons in various shapes and sizes and used a couple of brown patterned fabrics to turn it into a little pillow.

Primitive Betty's Thankful freebie

Do you keep all of your old stitching books and magazines from years past? I do, and I'm so glad, because you never know what will appeal to you on down the road. Pieces I would never have stitched 20 years ago are now calling my name! This next finish is a perfect example... "Harvest Sampler" is from a very old (1998!) Leisure Arts hardcover book called Holiday Reverie. I left out the alphabet and a couple of the bands because I wanted this to be small enough to fit into my bowl. This was stitched on 28 ct. tea-dyed Monaco over one with a skein of Crescent Colours "Tennessee Red Clay" and finished into a simple pillow with some clay colored fabric and a bit of lace trim.

"Harvest Sampler" (from the book Holiday Reverie)

After stitching "Halloween Spots" last month and being so pleased with how it turned out, I decided to stitch "Thanksgiving Spots" for November. For this piece I used a variety of overdyed and DMC threads and stitched it over one on 28 ct. almond lugana. It is SO tiny--not even two inches square!! Even after I added the fabrics on the sides, it measures just 3 1/2 inches... Did I ever mention how much I love tiny things--I guess you've figured that out after all the smalls I've done this year :o)

"Thanksgiving Spots" by The Trilogy

And those long-legged birds make another appearance in my monthly bowl, too! I don't know what it is about them, but they always manage to make me smile. This "Thanksgiving Bird" dressed as a Pilgrim is particularly cute, isn't he? The chart, by Heart In Hand, called for a pumpkin button which I didn't have, so I improvised and stitched a cute pumpkin in its place. It is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle with a variety of overdyeds and DMC fibers.  The fabric shown behind is what I backed it with and a handmade cording of DMC 729 finished it off quite simply. I actually made two of these this month--one flew off to the other side of Pennsylvania as a birthday gift for my sweet friend, Mary.

"Thanksgiving Bird" by Heart In Hand

Last, but not least (in fact, this is my husband's favorite finish for the month), is another freebie from Beth Twist at "My Heartstring" blog which you can download right here. Obviously, this one is stitched on black and I just love how the colors pop... I stitched it over one on 32 ct. black Belfast linen and, at times, I wondered why I was torturing myself! I love over one stitching, but NOT on linen, and NOT on anything higher than 28 ct. But, somehow I found myself using a 32 ct. linen--in black, no less!! Just call me crazy... But, isn't it sweet? If you would like a list of the threads I used (all overdyeds), please feel free to email me. The backing fabric is just a bit of fabric from a gold colored cloth napkin. I then accented it with some orange ribbon that matched the pumpkins...

"Give Thanks" freebie from My Heartstring blog

So, which one is your favorite this month? I love them all, but I'd say I have to agree with my husband and pick the "Give Thanks" freebie stitched on black...

2012 Thanksgiving Finishes

And here are all five in my wooden bowl along with one of my favorite older finishes, the framed Prairie Schooler turkey (which, in my opinion, is the most handsome cross stitched turkey out there!). I can't believe I'm down to one last month of filling my bowl. I so appreciate all of your supportive comments along the way this past eleven months--you've really kept me going!

November 2012 bowl of finishes

Here is a close-up shot for you...

And one more...

The poor dazed and confused raccoon

I'll bet you're wondering about the title of my post... What do skunks and raccoons have to do with Thanksgiving? Well, in truth, nothing, but we are hoping and praying that our resident skunk--yes, skunk, doesn't make an unwanted appearance on Thursday as our Thanksgiving guests arrive. My husband discovered, a few days ago, that a skunk has taken up residence under our front porch so he arranged for a "critter control" specialist to set up traps to remove it. Well, after a bill of $203.29 (oh, when I think about the stash I could have bought with that money!!), all we've managed to catch so far is a frightened red cardinal and an ancient gray raccoon. Both were set free and went on their way (although, it took the dazed raccoon a while to amble off). So, where is Mr. Pepe le Pew? I sure hope he isn't biding his time waiting to spray our guests on Thanksgiving as they walk up the front sidewalk.  I think we'll be kind and warn them to use the back door!

How will you be spending your Thanksgiving? My husband's family will be coming here and this year we have a small gathering of only 21--yes, that is small for us! I've hostessed Thanksgiving 11 out of the past 15 years, so by now, I've got it down to a science. I have shopping lists and spreadsheets with meal timing and such on my computer. I have amassed all the various dishes, glasses, silverware, tablecloths, and serving bowls. I've baked and frozen a tasty assortment of cookies and pies, breads and muffins ahead of time. I've assigned my guests a dish (or two!) to bring. But one thing eludes me--I CAN'T MAKE GRAVY!! In fact, I am a complete and total flop at making gravy. My mother-in-law has to rescue mine each and every year. Last time, it was so thin, she spent nearly an hour stirring and stirring... adding cornstarch, etc. to make it thicken. I can't ask this poor 84-year-old woman to do that again this year. So, you know what--I'm cheating! I'm buying my gravy at Whole Foods this year!! (But, if any of you have any hints at all about making a good, simple turkey gravy, I'd love to hear them...)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Well, I think that is more than enough of my blathering for today! I want to wish each of you who celebrate Thanksgiving a lovely day with your family and friends. I am so thankful for the presence of each of you in my life--your comments and emails, support and inspiration, really mean a lot to me. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and leave a comment--I know how busy you all are at this time of year, so it means all the more! Bye for now...

Hope you like black cats!!

Good morning, my dear friends! And a warm welcome to my new followers! I never post on Sundays, but with Hurricane Sandy making her way up to the north east, I decided to get this written because, yes, western Pennsylvania is in that highlighted red area you see on all of those weather maps. Hopefully, it is just high winds and rain (I'd even take some snow!), but you just can't be sure... Last week we enjoyed summer-like record-breaking temperatures and here we are just seven days later with hurricane warnings!  That Mother Nature sure is a fickle woman, isn't she? We are very blessed in the western Pennsylvania region to usually manage to escape nature's ravages...few tornadoes, wild fires, hurricanes, or any of the other devastating events that effect so many other parts of the country rarely hit us here. BUT, we were affected by Hurricane Ivan back in 2004. Our whole basement was flooded and I sure hope history doesn't repeat itself. My thoughts are with all of you on--especially those of you on the coast--as the storm approaches...

So, what have I been doing over the past three weeks? Well, playing with little black cats, of course! No, not real ones (unfortunately), but these sweet stitched ones. Yes, as many of you guessed, black cats is the theme for my October bowl of smalls. I love black cats because of the one and only cat we ever owned--my dear Shadow cat (more about him later!). Even though he's been gone for five years, I still miss him and since we aren't able to get another cat due to my husband's allergies, I have to get my "black cat fix" through my stitching. This month, I managed to stitch five new pieces featuring the fabulous felines and finish two of my unfinished-finishes that had been hidden away in a drawer for three years!

October 2012 Black Cat Finishes

This trio of grinning black cats marching along with their pumpkin heads made me smile the very first time I saw it, so I knew it would be making it into my bowl. This is actually just a small motif taken from the bottom portion of Prairie Schooler Book No. 165 Sweeping Cobwebs. I stitched this one on 40 ct. R&R Creme Brulee with DMC threads. It was the first time I'd worked on this fabric and I'll have to say, it wasn't my favorite. It was very loosely woven and almost stretchy--I didn't think the coverage (I normally use one thread on 40ct. fabrics) was as good as on other 40 ct. linens that I've used. I do like the mottled appearance of this linen, though, for a Halloween finish. The black and tan gingham and orange ruched ribbon finished up the little pillow quite nicely, don't you think?

"Sweeping Cobwebs" motif by Prairie Schooler

 

Next up is a finish called "Cat O'Lanterns" by Silly Snobs Gallery--a chart that I've had in my stash for a l-o-n-g time. It was published way back in 1993!! Again I used the 40 ct. R&R Creme Brulee for this piece, but learning from experience  on the previous finish, this time I used TWO threads for the black portions of the design and I'm much happier with the result. The cats have a lovely, almost velvety appearance. And how cute is that tiny gray mouse peaking out of the littlest pumpkin! I did end up changing the colors for the pumpkins because the charted colors were just too bright of an orange for my taste. This one is finished as a flat mount with miniature black pompom trim, a gingham bow, and tiny button as accents.

"Cat O'Lantern" by Silly Snobs Gallery

From the wonderful imagination of The Sampler Girl comes my next finish called "Quaker Boo." I'm really happy with how this one turned out--I picked the fabric colors after I'd finished the stitching, but they truly look like they were meant to go with my chosen floss colors. For this one, I used a combination of DMC, Needle Necessities, and WDW threads stitched over one on 25 ct. mushroom lugana. The chart is still available for purchase on Tanya's website . And how about those adorable black cat scissors in the photo--thanks again, Mary--I just love them! 

"Quaker Boo" by The Sampler Girl

I knew this freebie from Our Pioneer Homestead blog would be a perfect addition to my bowl of kitties. For the first time in a long, long time, I used 18ct. Aida for this finish.  Not my favorite to stitch on, but the color of burnt orange was perfect. I added another bat, a black star charm, and changed the border to finish this one. I wanted to make a black cording, but ran out of DMC 310, so I had to resort to whipstitching the back to the front which, boy, sure takes a lot longer than making a simple pillow and adding cording!

"Black Cat Inn" freebie from

Our Pioneer Homestead

And finally, I dove into my drawer of unfinished finishes and pulled out these two cuties... In a way, I'm glad I didn't finish them way back in 2009 when I stitched them, because I've gotten much more confident in my finishing skills and had tons of practice on finishing smalls since then!

This finish is called simply "Halloween Sampler" and is from the book The New Cross Stitch Sampler Book by Helen Philipps. You may be able to find a copy of the book at your local library which is where I found this one... If you're interested in reading more about this finish, you can read more about it in this post.

To make the pillow, I chose the ghostly fabric displayed behind it and added a black cording and bow--quick and easy and oh-so-cute!

 

"Halloween Sampler" from

The New Cross Stitch Sampler Book by Helen Phillips

And finally (whew!!), the adorable "Halloween Spots" design by The Trilogy. You can read about my finish in this post from way back in October of 2009. I love that skinny-legged ghost, don't you? Reminds me of my boys when they were tiny. For the finish, I chose a plain black fabric and a black and white polka-dot fabric to sew the pillow. Just adding on stripes of orange and black checked ribbon and a little brass pumpkin charm makes this one of my favorite finishes of this year.

"Halloween Spots" by The Trilogy

Seven black cat finishes (including the Prairie Schooler one from my last post) are shown below. Which one do you like best? It's really hard for me to pick this month--I'm really happy with each one of them!

 October 2012 Black Cat Finishes

So, here they are in my wooden bowl... Ten months down, two to go!! This monthly goal has been such a good way to finally stitch many of the older charts that I've had languishing in my stash for so long. I highly recommend it as a way of stitching some of those "oldies, but goodies" that you might have in your stitching collection, too... 

  October 2012 bowl of finishes

So, are any of my fellow stitchers also fans of black cats? Are you wondering how my obsession with them come about? Well, blame it on this little guy--my sweet "Shadow" who was our one and only pet for 14 years. In 1993, he wandered into our yard as a stray when my three young sons were playing outside with their friends and quickly made himself right at home. He really was the perfect Halloween kitty--this photo taken back in 2001 is one of my favorites.

Shadow in October 2001

Shadow was a constant companion to my sons--a great confidante who probably heard more of their hopes and dreams than any human being. The photo below was taken on our front porch in Halloween 1998 with my youngest "mummy" son and my middle "detective" son. (No, that isn't my oldest son in the rocking chair--it is just a giant stuffed monkey dressed up as Dracula!). We enjoyed eight more wonderful Halloweens with Shadow until an intestinal tumor took him from us in the summer of 2007. I still miss him every day...

 Halloween 1998

I won a lovely giveaway from my friend, Anne, who blogs at Doll's Musings. The plaid fabric is just perfect for future Christmas ornament finishing, isn't it? She also included some pretty green ribbon and a skein of Watercolors thread that she thought would be perfect to make cording along with three packets of tea. If you haven't visited Anne's blog, please stop by and say "hello." I'm sure you'll be impressed with her beautiful stitching and finishing... Thank you so very much, Anne--it has been a pleasure to get to know you better this year!  

Giveaway win from Anne

We've had such a gorgeous fall here in western Pennsylvania. I was afraid the colors wouldn't be very vibrant on the trees this year due to our hot, dry summer, but I think they were the prettiest they've been in years. I took the picture on the left driving home from my parents a couple of weeks ago, the one on the top right on my way to work, and the one on the bottom right from the library parking lot. Western Pennsylvania is very hilly and I think that only adds to the gorgeous display. I can't imagine not living with four beautiful and distinct seasons like we have here... 

 

Fall Foliage in Western Pennsylvania: October 2012

My husband put out the old sunflower heads for our resident deer and they've been having fun feasting while we enjoy watching them graze. We usually see three to five almost daily in our back yard. The middle photo of the collage shows the three females. The antlered males seem to come by less often, but they are so impressive to see when they do grace us with their appearance. 

 Backyard deer: Autumn 2012

I meant to share more photos from our North Carolina trip with everyone, but I'm just out of energy and in a bit of pain right now. I've been having trouble with my right thumb and am seriously wondering if it might be carpal tunnel syndrome. Anyone have any experience with that? I'm so afraid I'll have to give up stitching... Anyway, time to get off the computer and rest it a bit. Typing really bothers it and it's almost impossible not to use the right thumb since that is the one I use to hit the space bar!! 

Thank you, thank you for your kind comments and compliments on my finishes. I'm truly honored to hear that I've inspired you in some small way or other--really... Another reminder about your questions--I'm happy to answer them if I can, but you must leave an email address in order for me to get in touch with you. Anyway, I hope you each enjoy the remainder of your week and for those of you who celebrate... I wish you a most enjoyable Halloween filled with chocolate galore! Bye for now... 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

Small Finishes and Fall Travels

Hello, my stitching friends! I'm in between trips here--just returned from our anniversary vacation to North Carolina this past weekend and will leave for New York to visit with my parents tomorrow. But, I wanted to pop in and say "hi" to everyone and share a few photos with you. Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my bowl of "squirrely" finishes in my last post. Whether you love the little guys or not, you have to admit they are very entertaining and (I think) rather cute. I also want to wish my new followers a big welcome--so happy to have you here and I hope you'll find something in my blog to make you smile.

I've stitched my first piece for my October bowl of smalls--the bottom scene from Prairie Schooler Book No. 132 "Autumn Leaves." Can anyone guess what my "theme" will be for this month? Here's a hint: it is something stitched in this little fall scene. I used the suggested DMC colors for this and stitched it on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle Linen.

 

I love how the autumn "leaves" spell out numbers in the grass of this tiny sampler... Reminds me of how we used to play in the leaves when I was a young girl. We would rake them into straight lines to form the blueprint of a house and then "play house." Does anyone else remember doing that or was that just something my friends and I loved to do? I then turned the stitching into a small pillow using two coordinating fabrics, some orange ric-rak,  and a pair of buttons...I'm very pleased with how this one turned out!

 "Autumn Leaves" by Prairie Schooler 

(lower portion only)

I also stitched a little birthday gift for my friend, Valerie. Valerie loves Halloween so I thought this tiny pillow ("Boo Web" by X's and Oh's) would be perfect for her. This is the second time I've stitched this one and the second time I've given it away. Do you think it's time to stitch one for myself? I just love that grinning spider waiting for his next "victim" down in the lower right corner and how the web itself spells out "BOO!" I stitched it over one on 28ct. evenweave and combined two Halloweeny fabrics with yellow ric rak and black cording to finish it off. Valerie seemed very pleased with it and I'm happy to have added a little something to her Halloween display.

"Boo Web" by X's and Oh's

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that our actual wedding anniversary (our 35th!!) took place back in July, but that my husband was 3183.11 miles away in Alaska at the time enjoying a bike trip with three friends. So, we celebrated a bit late by taking a road trip in early October. Covering six states (PA, MD, VA, TN, NC, and WV) plus the District of Columbia (where we stopped for a quick visit with our youngest son), we saw some wondrous sights. But, before we hit the road, we had a teeny-tiny problem to attend to! My husband had been packing the car while I made sure windows and doors were locked, heat was turned down, shades were pulled, etc. When we were just about ready to go, I walked into the kitchen and heard what sounded like a frantic chittering sound nearby. Figuring it was just two of those pesky squirrels fighting over an acorn, I peaked outside, but saw nothing. Then I heard the noise again--this time it sounded like it was coming from our sunroom adjacent to the kitchen.

Cautiously, I walked into the next room and immediately spotted a tiny bird perched on the ficus tree in the far corner! Oh, dear, what to do? Well, as every good blogger knows--the first thing you do is run for your camera, right? (thank goodness it hadn't been packed in the car already!)... The poor thing didn't want his photo taken and immediately began flying around and around the house in a circle between the sunroom, kitchen, and family room. He finally landed on our wicker couch where I snapped this photo. (Does anyone know what type of bird this is? I've never seen one like him before). By then, my husband had heard my cries for help (it's actually a bit scary when a bird, no matter what size, is flying straight at you!) and he came running. He had me open the double doors at the far end of the sunroom while he approached the scared little bird from the back. Finally, we were able to coax him out the door and outside into the fresh air. Now, I ask you, what would we have found if we hadn't heard his scared chirps just as we were leaving for vacation... He would have been loose in the house all week and who knows what mischief he might have gotten into!!

Crisis averted and we were soon on our way to the enchanting mountains in the Asheville, N.C. area... I'm planning on writing a longer post on all that we saw and experienced in the future, but for now, I want to share some of the highlights of our trip with you...

We visited The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.

A little touch of France in the Carolina countryside!

 

We hiked some gentle forest paths...

and also some steep, rocky terrain!

We marveled at the changing colors along 

The Blue Ridge Parkway

And were awed by the view from Grandfather Mountain

 in northern North Carolina. (Yes, that's my husband 

being a daredevil--I held back a bit!!)

We admired some lovely West Virginia quilts...

and wondered at nature's beauty. 

We saw a rainbow of gardens...

and hiked miles to see West Virginia's incredible 

New River Gorge Bridge.

And then we came home...ahhh...There is nothing like coming home again, is there? I am such a homebody and as much as I enjoy traveling different places and experiencing new things, I truly love my time spent at home. But, the road is calling again with another five hour drive tomorrow to visit my parents in New York. I'll do my best to catch up on everyone's blogs very soon. Until then, I hope each of you has a lovely week with many, many moments that make you smile. Bye for now...