An Almost Wordless Wednesday

Our winter break...

Cross My Heart and Stitches

I'm in love.
With a new hobby.
Like I needed another!
My absence is due to WAY TOO MANY passions.
But I can't let go of any so I carry on.
I discovered Wee Wonderful's cross stitch patterns.
Simple and sweet and love that they are stitched on linen.



I'm giving the apples to someone special for her birthday. It's still a secret, I hope.
And then I'll make myself another one because all four framed will make my heart happy when I see them hanging on my wall.



I gratefully inherited my grandmother's supplies after she passed away. An organized woman she was. I should really see what few colors she didn't have in the three 3-ring binders I now possess.





She used to cross stitch and has made me a few samplers. This one has the Lords Prayer on it. As you can see from the photo, I really need to get this framed. I have had this for ten years, unframed. Not feeling so good about this. Maybe I appreciate it so much more now.



I was pleased to see that Grandma added her initials and dated it. This is the only way I knew that it was ten years old.



I went digging this afternoon looking for a cross stitch project I had worked on when I was young. I must have thrown it out. Darn. I kept it for so long. Do you ever ask yourself "what was I thinking?" When I began cross stitching in my teens, I was in my phase of "I love anything with ballet shoes on it" No I didn't ever dance but would have loved to but no ballet body to be had here and then. The cross stitch project I was working on had little ballet bears in pink tutus. I wasn't too far from being finished but it ended up as many of my projects do...UFO's.

I do have a few projects on the knitting needles but for now I have put them down and will be crossing my heart, I mean stitches.

I'm So Thankful

As I write this I'm not at home but rather at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota waiting for my dad to wake up from surgery. It's been a whirlwind of a week ending with many blessings to be counted. My dad was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive skin cancer called Merkel Cell Carcinoma. It showed up on his right leg below his knee over a year and a half ago. Not knowing what it was he went to his family physician where his doctor burnt it off not knowing what it was either. It metastasized and came back showing six additional growths and then was directed to see a dermatologist about a week ago. That's when we learned of the serious cancer. Last week was his PET scan which miraculously showed that it did not spread and today was his surgery to remove the cancer. The great news today is that it did not spread to his lymph node system which was determined through a biopsy. I am so thankful for the support of family and friends and the technology that enabled us to update everyone and receive support and prayers....email, cell phones, Facebook, CaringBridge, and wifi laptops. The power of prayer was most certainly at our side considering the alternative results. Now we hope for a speedy recovery...

Let Us Sew

A few years ago I taught my daughter to knit. She picked up needles every now and then but the hobby never really took off for her. About a month ago I learned about a new sewing studio and discovered they offered classes for kids. I enrolled Ella in a four week introductory class and she has loved every minute of it. The name of the studio is Sewtropolis and is located quite a ways from our home but it was worth the drive. It also gave me some time to sit and knit while Ella was in class. A little "me" time was appreciated.



After she finished her first project, a drawstring sewing bag (which I will have pictures to share later) she has sewn a nightshirt and now is working on some pj pants.



I was not surprised when I asked what her favorite part of the class was and she responded with "the dog". Skilow (sp?) was a super friendly Golden Retriever who hung out in the store. Once you began petting her she was your forever friend for the hour.




I'm looking forward to sharing this hobby with her. I love sewing too. We also just discovered a new quilt shop that opened up within a few miles of us. Millie P's has gorgeous fabrics and classes for kids too. It's going to be a fun adventure with her.

Press "PLAY"

Oops! My elbow must have hit the pause button here on the blog.

No, really it was a healthy break for me. Lots of things to write and document since May 11 but I won't bore anyone with details:)

The sad news first: My mom called me early this morning with news that my grandma passed away. She was in hospice care at a nursing home (the very last place she wanted to be). I'm thankful that I was able to visit with her there a few times before she passed on. She was such a loving grandma and will be missed so much. I've talked briefly about her here on this blog. She will always remain such an inspirational person to me. Love you, Grandma!

I'm not alone out here in Bloggie World when saying "life has been busy".

:: Preschool ended
:: 3rd Grade ended
:: the last year of part-time teaching ended (I'll be full time this fall - bittersweet)
:: Grandma moved to a nursing home and then was placed in hospice care
:: Had a major garage sale so that meant cleaning out every nook & cranny
:: Puppy training (Lucy is turning out to be a great dog)
:: Began swimming lessons for the guppy in the family. He loved every bit of it
:: Soccer twice a week
:: Read my book for book club and actually finished it!!
:: Went to book club and enjoyed fabulous food by Kathryn
:: Had my first family photo shoot with a very special family (see photo below)
:: Our new nephew, Brady, was born
:: Sewing a ton of felted albums for a custom order
:: Getting ready to go letterboxing
:: Preparing for a family vaca to Disney World
:: Jillian Michaels is NOT my friend right now
:: began training for the TC10 mile
:: Vacation Bible School is over (kids attended, I volunteered)
:: Getting ready for full time this fall; lots of lesson planning ahead
:: Craft room was moved from the dining room to the basement ("before" pictures below)

Unfortunately, no knitting. But I'll get back on track soon.



Here is the incredibly messy, unorganized craft room. My husband was tired of the eye sore so he created a nook in our unfinished basement where I can be as messy as I want.

So I moved here next to the kids area where they play "school". This is before he hung sheet rock and put up fluorescent lights. I'll share pics later (when I can get it looking somewhat decent).

~Annie

Dirt Therapy

I love days like today. The smell of dirt was calling my name. That sounds weird. But it's a fact.

I had a wonderful Mother's day. My mom, sister, niece and I saw Legally Blonde. (Thanks again Mom!!) We left singing the catchy show tunes. Elle is all about retail therapy and looking fabulous. Personally, I loathe shopping for clothes and I make up my face with a mere four products but I still loved this movie and the musical is so fun. "Whoever said orange is the new pink was seriously disturbed." Absolutely! "Bend and snap." UPS man was hysterical. Rent the movie if you haven't already or go see the musical!

So today was my day for some dirt therapy. Perfect blue sky.

Gardening shoes pulled off the potting shelf and dusted off.

A few simple tools for the cleanup job ahead.

Weeds to pull. Plans of seedling choices to be made. Last year's garden attempt was not what I had expected. Even the neighbors guinea pig wouldn't eat the carrots we grew !!!!

So this year it will be mostly flowers. Cut flowers so that I can enjoy them inside and out. Zinnias, Cosmos, Shasta Daisy, Coneflower, and I'm not sure what else. I hope it's not to late to grow from seed. I took a trip to a couple greenhouses and I didn't see what I wanted in a starter plant. I did pick up a couple of tomato plants. That was the one fruit of our labor that flourished.

This is our "Nala" bloom. I am not certain of the name but I believe it is a lily and it has an golden orange flower just like Nala's coloring. We planted this above Nalee's grave which is right next to our garden and swing set.

And I must include a Lucy update:

She is finding great satisfaction in running into the playroom or kids' rooms (where she knows she isn't supposed to be) and stealing a stuffed toy. Then she hightails it into the kitchen to her bed and begins the demolition process. I snapped this picture when she had about four or five illegal objects on her bed.

She's quite the girl. Puppy kindergarten begins tomorrow. Hope she passes.

~Annie

Meet Lucy Lu B-Dawg

We managed to pull off a big surprise for our kids on Saturday. Since Nala's passing the kids have been asking when they can have another dog. It took my husband and I quite some time before we were ready to think about another pet but now we feel the time is right. We told our parents to keep an eye out for a litter of Golden Retrievers and it only took a phone call from my father in law to find a family (the Gieske's) who had pups that would be ready around Easter. On Saturday we took a drive in the country and told the kids that we were going to try to find a farm that had some spring baby animals we could see. After a couple hours of driving we were a mile away from the family with the puppies. We told the kids that we were going to just pull into one of these (thousands) of farms we passed to see if they had baby animals. As we pulled into the Gieske's my daughter became quite alarmed that we were going to show up without an invitation. Her comments were "Daaaad, we can't go here. We weren't invited." Ignoring her plea to leave we drove up the driveway, parked the car, hopped out gave the owners a big wink and asked if they had any baby animals we could look at. They gave us a tour of the barn and farm and even had baby calves which we didn't know about. How perfect of a plan it was!

Kitties in the barn seeking shelter

Baby Calves sucking fingers




A fun ride around the farm with a new friend

Peeking in


This is 2 year old Hunter being friendly

At the end of our tour we were told there was a big surprise in the basement. Even after showing our kids the puppies they still didn't know they were there to pick one out. They were having fun playing with the five puppies and then I told my daughter to select one because we get to bring one home in two weeks when they are ready to leave their momma.
I wish I could have captured the look on her face. Later as she was holding a puppy she asked "Am I dreaming?"

As for the name, well they couldn't decide on a girl name so it became "Lucy Lu B-Dawg" If you've ever watched Air Buddies one of the pups name is B-Dawg.

I think we'll call her Lucy, for short.

If you need a puppy fix watch this video of the big surprise:

Mittens and other stuff

I'm having some fun with the felted sweaters I've collected. These mittens are so warm and soft. They are lined with fleece to make them super soft inside. I know Betz White has a pattern in her Warm Fuzzies book but this was a pattern (very similar) from a friend who has caught the sweater-thrifting-felting-sewing bug. The first pair I made for myself. The second pair was a gift for a friend who generously loaned her sewing machine to me and I finally returned it to her because I bought one a couple months ago. Yipee! The third pair is a gift to have on hand. (no pun intended, ha!)

...and I made a couple 'custom order' photo albums.

So in the previous post I mentioned that we attended the Home and Garden Show and saw Shane Tallant. Here's what he autographed to my daughter. So true!!!

Finally, the birthday parties have come to an end and now we're left picking up the peanut shells, cardboard boxes, crumpled wrapping paper and empty cans. It was fun for all and many memories made.

Take care,

Annie

Hello

Life is sure getting in the way of blogging. I even had special requests to update this.

What's the update? Not much knitting but a whole lot of partying.

*We celebrated our daughter's ninth birthday a few weeks ago and tomorrow we celebrate our son's fourth birthday.
*My husband and I enjoyed a short stay on the North Shore at our favorite resort, Larsmont. We went snowshoeing on what we thought was a 3 mile loop and ended up being 5+ miles. I'm glad I survived to tell you about it.
*We attended the Mpls Home Show and heard Shane Tallant speak. He is quite funny and had some great stories. My daughter and I got his autograph afterwards and if I can figure out how to get a picture off my phone camera I will share with you. She's excited 'cause she's sitting in his lap. Lucky girl.
*Attended a Variety Show at my daughter's school. She was the accompanist and her friend sang. Very sweet.
*I won second place in a contest for a bathroom makeover. All the tile we need for our project was the prize.
* I've been sewing sweater mittens. (I'll post pictures later)
* I'm knitting some Fetching for a friend

See, I have excuses. What are yours?

Sweethearts

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Bear. These two chums brought lots of smiles to our home. I used Jelly Bum's bear pattern but changed it a little bit. I found some strong magnets and glued them to the inside of the embroidered nose so they can nuzzle noses. I put them in my Etsy store as a made-to-order. I still have lots of yarn leftover and wonder how far it will go.

Speaking of how far things will go, another sweetheart, my daughter, has an obsession with wheelchairs. Yes, you read correctly, wheelchairs. She has asked Santa for the last two years to bring one. He did not. One year he did bring her crutches (which weren't needed by the way) but they were on her list. She wanted them so badly. But a wheelchair? I usually have to steer her away from those Little Rascal carts in the stores. "No, Ella, you cannot sit in that chair!" Well, this last Monday and Tuesday she didn't have school and I found her in her room drawing this picture on her easel.

Nine different designs! Do you think she may be destined for a health related career? or rather some type of engineer? This child cracks me up. This is definitely one of those memories I need to document. That's why you are reading about it here.
You should see her notebook from today. She was home recovering from a case of the stomach bug. Her entire day was spent planning, drawing, and coloring her dream room while watching HGTV. I bet she's spent nine hours on this room. I'll share later. I have to sneak the notebook and snap some pictures of it. I guess it's fun dreaming.

May your dreams be sweet tonight!