Another Christmas finish!

Here you see my second Christmas ornament finish for 2007. This one is from Lizzie Kate, Happy Holidays, from the 2006 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments magazine. It turned out very nicely and was a quick stitch. I stitched it up Saturday while it was raining. I am thinking of stitching it on a piece of green felt with a green ribbon hanger and pulling threads to fringe the edges of the fabric.

I didn't get much stitched on Beatrix Potter this past Saturday during our 3 p.m. time. We had some friends drop it and it was lovely to visit with them and have coffee and pie. I actually had an apple pie fresh from the oven with ice cream.

Today is a busy day with doctor's appointments for myself, delivering meals-on-meals and Maggie has a vet appointment this afternoon to start her shots. And I need to pick up some meds for Annabelle. It seems she has taken the "kennel cough" from Maggie. Now this is going to be fun giving meds to a cat!

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the heart.

Maggie Mae!

Well, Maggie Mae has certainly made herself at home here with us. Here you can see her sitting on Annabelle's climbing/scratching post looking at the birds through the window! She also plays with the ball on the string, which is more than Annabelle does! Of course, Annabelle is still very upset, because we have a DOG in the house!

Unfortunately, Maggie has been sick this week. She has had "kennel cough". The vet tells me this is not uncommon for puppies coming out of animal shelters. So we have been giving her antibiotics, cough syrup and children tylenol. She goes back to the vet this Monday afternoon. But, believe me, I can tell you she is feeling much better. She is just a sweetie.

While at Wal-mart yesterday, I picked up a new book, Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky. I've read a few good reviews on this so thought I would give it a try. I've read one or two other books by this author and enjoyed them. Hope this one is good.

Today, is a rather quite day here at home. I've stitched this morning on my Christmas ornament that is on my February schedule. I'm doing the Lizzie Kate, Happy Holidays, from the 2006 Just Cross Stitch Christmas ornaments magazine. It is working up rather pretty. This afternoon at 3 p.m. I will stitch on Beatrix Potter's Quaker Sampler. This is the time the stitching group, FTLOS, has set aside to stitch on a project.

Be not simply good, but good for something. Thoreau

My Stitching and More!

Today, I'm sharing some of my stitching. The top left photo shows the Santa I stitched in January for the ornament of the month SAL we are doing in one of the cross stitch groups, For the Love of Stitching, I belong to. I am going to back it with red fabric and put a red ribbon hanger on it. This month, February, I am working on the Lizzie Kate ornament, Happy Holidays, from the 2006 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament mazagine.

The photo on the right shows the new stash I received in the mail on Tuesday. I ordered this from Amy at Down Sunshine Lane. By the way, Amy gives great service. The Lizzie Kate, Coffee Crazy, chart is adorable. I also ordered the banners and pillows to display the charts in, and these are so cute when you see them in person. The new Blackbird Designs book, With Needle & Thread is wonderful. One of the designs in it is, Tis Halloween, and since my birthday is on Halloween, this will be a must to stitch, and it is stitched with Crescent Colors threads, which I love to stitch with. Another design in the book that I especially like is, My Quaker House. Actually I really love all the designs in the book.

The two bottom photo's are of Beatrix Potter's Quaker Sampler which I am presently working on the same group I mentioned above. Mine is stitched on 18 count Antique Ivory fabric, using DMC thread 815. I haven't had a lot of time to work on it, but do enjoy stitching this chart.

I have another order coming from Mary Kathryn at Handcrafts Online. She is another great lady to do business with, and also gives excellent service. Receiving new stash is always like receiving a wonderful birthday gift or Christmas gift for me!

My only wish is that I had more hours in the day to stitch. For me, it so relaxing to sit down and put needle to fabric to create something beautiful. I love to cross stitch. As Helen Keller once said, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

Catching Up!

Valentine's Day has come and gone. My Hubby brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and I wanted everyone to see what my friend, Renee sent to me from France. This is a friend, I just recently got acquainted with through our Blogs. She hand made the Valentine and cross stitched an initial "B" on it for me, the bookmark is also cross stitched with another "B" on it. This bookmark I have placed in my Bible and use it daily. The free kit is a DMC kit, called The Sloe Fairy with Aida fabric, DMC threads, needle, chart and picture mount all included. Thank You so very much Renee.

The other photo is a table runner I quilted for my dining room table last week. My friend, Marie, who recently had by-pass heart surgery, was a guest in our home last week and it was easier for me to quilt this table runner, rather than work on my cross stitch. I love patrotic items, and sunflowers! By the way, Marie, is doing very well.

The weather here has turned to Spring! It was in the upper 60's today and suppose to stay this way until Saturday, when it drops down into the 30's again.

The stitching group, for the love of stitching, is doing a SAL of the Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. I am stitching on 18 count Antique Ivory fabric with DMC thread 815. A lovely lady, Roberta from Florida is leading this SAL. I have been trying to stitch on mine each Saturday at 3 p.m. and several in the group join together to stitch and have a cup of tea or coffee.

Today, when I came home the mail brought me the wonderful package of goodies I had ordered from Down Sunshine Lane, a great online cross stitch shop. I will share my goodies with you tomorrow.

I want to share this recipe with you today. It is a Paula Deen recipe. Enjoy!

Pine Bark

35 Saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

5 (4-ounce) milk chocolate bars, broken into pieces

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Line a 15 by 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan with tin foil. Lightly spray foil with a non-stick cooking spray.

Place saltine crackers, salty side up, in prepared pan. In a saucepan, boil butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Pour mixture over crackers and bake for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven, top with candy bars, and spread evenly as chocolate begins to melt. Cool slightly and transfer onto waxed paper. Allow to cool completely.

There is no better exercise for strengthening the heart than reaching down and lifting up another.

We have a new addition to our family!

The photo at top is me with my new hair color and hair style!!!! Boy, it is WHITE! And with me is my new baby! The photo is really not very good of either of us!

This photo is our new baby. This is Maggie Mae! We adopted her Saturday, February 10. The Humane Society said they thought she was about 2 years old, she is brown and tan, and she has some longhaired dachshund in her, but her legs are longer than a dachshund. I will be taking her to the vet this week, so I will see what he says about her breed. She is very lovable and loves in sit in my chair with me. Our cat, Annabelle, is really having a hard time with having another animal in the house. She has been hid out ever since we came home with Maggie. I only hope this situation works out. All Maggie wants to do is play with her, but Annabelle thinks she owns the place! Cats, strange creatures!

Sharing a Bit of My Life!

The above photo is about half of the students in my 5th/6th grade Sunday School class. These preteens are a real challenge to teach! They know more about life at 11 and 12 years of age than I did when I married at age 23! They are a lively, chatty, lovable group of preteens, and a joy to be with each Sunday. It takes me a part of each day to study my lesson for the week and many hours in prayer during the week to prepare to teach. Since we can't be with our grandchildren very often, these preteens fill that void. My granddaughter, Courtney, was a part of this group when they lived with us and then again this past summer. Courtney, is the one that inspired me to volunteer to teach this age group when they were looking for a teacher. I had always taught 3rd /4th graders, and they are a real joy to teach, but this group of boys and girls has my heart!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. " Proverbs 22:6

A Quiet Weekend!

This has been a quiet weekend for us. The temps are very cold, nothing about 32 for several days. The above photo is Mr. Woody Snowman, who keeps me company in my kitchen every winter. I made beef stew and cornbread for us and we delivered some to my friend, Marie and her daughter, Theresa. I also made a Cream Cheese Danish, which is yummy.

Cream Cheese Danish

2 cans fat-free crescent rolls

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with "Pam".

Press 1 can of crescent rolls into bottom of pan. Making sure to press seams together. You may have to stretch the dough to fit the bottom only.

Mix together until creamy:

2 8-oz packages of fat-free cream cheese

1 cup Splenda

1 egg yolk (save white)

1 tsp vanilla

Spread cream cheese mixture on top of crescent rolls. Cover with second can of crescent rolls. Slightly beat egg white and brush on tope of crescent rolls. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Drizzle with 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tsp milk.

A Very Sad Day!

Today has been a very SAD day for me. My dog, EmilyAnne, was hit by a car last night and died. Emmy and Fred, our 80 pound, outside dog, who has been living in my utility room for the past 3 weeks because of the weather, somehow got out of their fenced in back yard last night and made their way to the highway. Emmy was killed instantly, which I am thankful for. My DH was out in his truck looking for them and came upon her just after she was hit. Fred made his way home across the field, and when Emmy was not with him I knew something had happened to her. DH picked her up and brought her home and he buried her this morning. She was 6 1/2 year old, and I had gotten her when she was 6 weeks old. A little ball of black fur. She was truly MY dog, my shadow. I miss her terribly and have had a very SAD day. She was not a pedigree dog, just part terrier and dashhound, but a little bundle of joy, that shared my life for such a short while.

"To get the full value of JOY, You must have Somebody to divide it with." Mark Twain

My little corner of the World!

February is here. Oh my, where does the time go! We have snow with ice under it, very slick here. But....I don't want to talk about the weather today. Today, I want to share my little corner of the world with you. This is my stitching, reading, Bible study corner in the Gathering Room of my home. This is where I spent part of my time, doing what I enjoy. The photo on the right shows my Little Corner of the World! You can see I have cross stitch items all over, a few books on the end table. BTW, the end table is one my DH made from an old sewing machine stand. My Ott light to help me see those charts and baskets of threads, needles, scissosrs, hoops and whatever else I might need. This is also where I enjoy cups of tea and sweets!

The photo at the left shows one of my Pine Mountain Round Pillows I did a few years back when they came out with them. It was a monthly item, and I did all twelve of them.

The stitching group I belong to is doing a challenge each month. We are doing Christmas ornaments, several different SAL's, plus learning to do other crafts. I am trying to do a Christmas ornament is month and did stitch one in January. It is a small Santa and will post a photo for you later. I also stitched a Pine Mountain Valentine pillow and have another one in the works. I will post photo's of those also.

February the month of love! I love the month of February, it is a short month and we get to share our "love" with family and friends. I will be putting together a box of goodies for my grandchildren and Courtney's birthday is this month, she will be 12 years old.

My dear best friend, Marie, who has heart surgery this past Friday, came home yesterday afternoon. She had four by-passes and is really doing well for a 78 year young lovely lady. Her daughter, Theresa, has been here all week and will be staying through all of next week. They treat me like family and I love them like family. Marie and I are in TOPS together. She is such fun to be with, loves to shop, but she does not do cross stitch, but she does knit. The yellow and brown afghan on the back of chair was made by Marie for my birthday last October.

"This is the day which the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24