SUNDAY, A PIG, AN EXCHANGE, AND A SNEAK PEAK

Good Evening fellow stitchers, I hope you all had a refreshing weekend. My husband and I went fishing at Butterfly Lake in the high Uintahs in Wyoming/Utah. On the way up it started to rain on us, but luckily by the time we neared our fishing spot the rain let up. Mike fished while I explored the area and took photos and stitched a little. He was excited he caught and released 3 trout, so there was no fish dinner for us here. We left after it was dark outside and we didn't make it home until early Monday morning. Not much sleep for this girl, I had to keep my eyes open for deer so we wouldn't hit one on accident. (Been there, done that before, don't want to do it again). This a picture of how beautiful the area is.


My Mikey fishing in his own little world. (Can't believe he wasn't shelling peanuts and feeding the chipmunks, I guess men aren't good at multi-tasking, what am I thinking?)


On the way up I had Mike stop constantly for some awesome photo opps. This crazy little wild pig was someone's mailbox and I couldn't resist sharing his happy go lucky expression with you. Check out the little Tazmanian Devil with his pitchfork raised high sitting atop the pig. I can just hear him screaming "ride'em cowboy"! Gotta love him, what a character!


Look what I received in the mail from Yuko...a nice exchange sent all the way from Japan. I absolutely LOVE these scissors!!! It was so generous of Yuko to help me locate a pair of these beauties. She also included two pieces of fabric, some fabric covered buttons,a package of pretty beads and some neat baby rose candles that float. I feel special and I love receiving presents in the mail, thanks again Yuko, you're the greatest.


Okay, this is a little overdue, but here is a quick little peak that I started a couple weeks back. The linen is actually a deep yellow color but it's hard to tell in this picture. I can't give you any more info, but stay tuned for the rest of this story. Please accept my heartfelt thanks to all of you who read my blog and take the time to share your thoughts with me. It truly brightens my day and I look forward to reading each and every one of them. Catch ya later!

SHARING FINISHES

Whew...finally finished! Can anyone guess what pattern this is? I was drawn to the winding flower right away. The soothing colors made it relaxing to stitch, which is just what this girl needed at the time I started it. Just a little take along project that finished up rather quickly. I don't know if I would call this a spectacular piece but for some reason it really "speaks" to me.

Here is some important information I found to be of good use. I thought I should pass it along because it definitely works......We could all use a little more calmness in our lives nowadays with all the stress we deal with on a daily basis. By following the simple advice I heard on a talk show, you too can find inner peace. The doctor on the show proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never had the time to finish."

I thought about this for the longest time. I then looked around the house to see all the things I started and hadn't found the time to finish. I decided that today was the day to change, so before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a 2 liter bottle of Mountain Dew, a package of Oreo's, a 16 oz. package of peanut M&M's, the rest of last nights strawberry cheesecake, some Dorito's, and a box of chocolate truffles left over from Valentine's Day.

I really think that doctor knew what he was talking about because you have no idea how amazingly great I feel right now! I can't wait to see what I can finish tomorrow!

AND THE LUCKY DUCK IS......

Wow!!! I have had such an overwhelming response to my first giveaway, it has been such an exciting experience for me!! I appreciate each and every comment you have left on my blog. I have acquired so many new followers; fellow stitchers' who enjoy the love of needlework and the joy it brings to us when we accomplish such beautiful works of art one stitch at a time. What an inspiration we are to each other. I look forward to visiting your blogs and making new friends thru "bloggerland". As always, live, laugh, love, life always; for life is a gift, not a given right and we should cherish each and every moment as if it were the last.

Now, on to the fun stuff. I promised to announce the first winner from DDS, soooo.....drum roll please.......the lucky winner of the fabulous La D Da giveaway is...........FayeRaye from Carolina Stitcher. Congrats FayeRaye, please contact me via email and let me know where you would like your goodies delivered. Also, I mentioned I would have a "mystery" prize for a second lucky contestant. Cari from Serene Stitches, you are the lucky winner of "My Heart's Garden" from Shepherd's Bush. It is just beautiful and I hope you will love it.

Thank you again to my new circle of friends, I have had so much fun I will have to do this again and again. It will only get better!!!

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY

Hello friends, hope you are having a wonderful evening. I have decided to post my first giveaway tonight. It is for the new pattern, Live Laugh Love, from La-D-Da, one of my favorite designers, along with three glorious colors of French silk, hand-dyed Gloriana thread, a nice piece of 28 ct linen, and a pack of #26 tapestry needles. Everything you need to start on a fun new project. The catch is simply this....leave a comment on this post only and post a link on your blog telling about this giveaway. I will leave this giveaway open for comments thru Sunday, July 19th, 2009. I will have my son draw a name to find out who the lucky winner will be. I will post the winner on July 20th. I will also have a mystery prize for a second lucky winner. Good Luck!! I will be checking out your blogs, and remember everyone is eligible to enter as long as you follow the rules.

GIVING UP CHOCOLATE

Sunny Sunshine Sunday. Just a quick note before I head out to the Park this morning. We are having brunch with family and friends. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, ham, and hashbrowns....I can just smell the bacon cooking right now. Delish! I have the honor of cooking for all and I am actually looking forward to it. I've never had a picnic breakfast at the park (unless McDonalds sausage mcmuffin counts)!!
I went to Shepherds Bush yesterday and bought some goodies. I am looking for "Ellen Birdseye" by the Goode Huswife, but it is no longer in print. I will hopefully run across a copy of it someday. Also, I am getting some goodies ready for my first giveaway so make note to check back when I have the info posted.
I read a little story about "Giving up Chocolate" that I wanted to share with you. I thought of Terri from CFBSFL when I read this and thought she would get a kick out of this too. (Something to hold over someone if the opportunity arose), here it is:
I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.
I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy chocolate with it instead of dinner?"
"No, I had to stop eating chocolate years ago," the homeless woman told me.
"Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?" I asked.
"No, I don't waste time shopping," the homeless woman said. "I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."
"Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?" I asked.
"Are you NUTS!" replied the homeless woman. "I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!"
"Well I said, I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out to dinner with my husband and me tonight."
The homeless woman was shocked. "Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and probably smell pretty disgusting."
I said, "That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and CHOCOLATE."

SOME PROGRESS AT LAST!

Hello friends! Just a quick update on my "Stars and Stripes" stitching. I am finally showing some progress. I had high hopes of finishing this over the three day weekend we had for the "Fourth". Just got too darn busy to even pick up a needle. I know the photo is not the greatest, but I will finish it tomorrow and post some good pictures of it then. I mowed our lawn after work tonight and then I placed a nice blanket under my weeping birch tree; the perfect setting for some long overdue stitching. The temperature was comfortable this evening and it was quiet enough to hear the sweet songbirds while I stitched to my hearts content. I just love birds, they are so relaxing to me. I also had a couple companions, two of my cats, which lounged nearby. My own little heaven. Anyway, I hope you all get a lot of R&R&S (rest/relaxation/stitching) this summer. I know it will go by quickly. Until next time........

I WISH YOU ENOUGH

After a long day at work, I came home and mowed the lawn and did some yard work. Not much time for stitching lately, so I wanted to share a little story I read with you. It goes like this.....

Recently I overhead a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you, and I wish you enough." The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom." They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry and I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" Yes, I have, I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?" "I am old, and she lives so far away, I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said. "When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, "I wish you enough. May I ask what that means?" She began to smile, "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations." My parents used to say it to everyone. She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. When we said, "I wish you enough," we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them. Then turning towards me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep our spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away. They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire lifetime to forget them.