• Crazy Kids,  Critters,  Family,  Holidays

    Chucky 2.0

    November 7, 2013

    When I asked Sophie this year if she was going trick-or-treating, she said she wasn't, because she was 13 and none of her friends were going. Truth be told, I was relieved, because I wasn't really up for the task of making a costume.

    Two days before Halloween, Sophie changed her mind. Some friends of hers were, indeed, going trick-or-treating, 13 or not, so she was joining them.

    "I want to be an evil doll," she said, and rummaged through her closet for something that would work. We made a quick trip to WalMart for false eyelashes and fake blood, and this was her presentation for her door-to-door soliciting of candy that night:

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    The girl does love keeping in character.

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    Even Big Papa was no match for her focus.

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    So Big Papa turned his sights on other unsuspecting innocents.

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    Oh, but that wasn't enough for Big Papa.

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    I imagine the Yorkie was having a field day.

    Happy belated Halloween! 🙂

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  • Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Mary’s Sampler, Part 6

    November 3, 2013

    It's the best time of year! Halloween is past, and it's time for the real fun to begin – with lots of baking, decorating, and counting down the days to Mom's turkey and Honeybaked Ham's ham and Dad's punch and Bre's (and  Josh's?) sweet company and Sabrina's snoozing-while-everyone-is-cleaning and Sophie's speedy texting and Mike's hollering at the tv because Tony Romo has made him very, very angry. I'm so excited!

    Welcome back to the Sunday Mystery Sampler! Your printable links are below.

    Week 6 Scripture

    SMS Week 6 PRINTOUT

     

    SMS II Wk 6 PRINTOUT

    HERE ARE THE PRINTABLE LINKS FOR MARY'S SAMPLER I:

    Download Week 6 Scripture
    Download SMS Week 6 PRINTOUT

    HERE ARE THE PRINTABLE LINKS FOR MARY'S SAMPLER II:

    Download Week 6 Scripture
    Download SMS II Wk 6 PRINTOUT

    Now go brew some coffee or tea and find your cozy place!

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  • Travel

    After the Retreat…

    October 28, 2013

    I never showed you the photos of what we did after the retreat was over!

    Pat and Ann, Norma and Sybil, and Jeanette and I headed into Washington, D.C., and despite the government closings of many of the places we were hoping to see, we had a fantastic time. (Except for the part where I desperately needed to find a public restroom, and after what seemed like hours of searching, finally found one… only to be greeted with the same sign we'd encountered too many times that day: Due to Government Shutdown, this facility is closed." Bah!)

    The first place we visited was the National Cathedral. What a breathtaking structure it is!

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    One can't fathom all of the details; even the spires are covered in acorns. Hundreds of them!

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    And the downspouts were fish…

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    Even the street signs in front of the building have gorgeous accents…

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    There are over 200 stained glass windows…

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    The needlepoint kneelers were so beautiful, each one different…

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    I love this picture; everyone would become mesmerized when they caught sight of the incredible detailing over this particular entryway….

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    My camera settings were way off, but at least you can see one of the little bird creatures that everyone was staring at in the photo above…

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    On our way out, I noticed that every single column had a different animal etched into it. And of course, this one was my favorite:

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    If you'd like to learn more about the Washington National Cathedral (officially called the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul), visit here: Washington National Cathedral.

    I'll be back with more photos soon, so if you'd like to see what else we did, come back! Jeanette Douglas also has a fun synopsis of our week after the retreat, so check out her blog too!

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  • Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Mary’s Sampler, Part 5

    October 27, 2013

    Welcome back! Is everyone still hanging in there? We've only got 4 weeks left after today! If you've fallen behind, or decided to just catch up at a later date, I'd like to gently urge you to get caught up as soon as possible (if you really do want a newly-finished sampler to begin your holiday season with!), because for both Mary's Sampler and Mary's Sampler II, the final week will take longer to finish than what our average motifs have taken us; I'd be sad if I heard you say, "Oh no! Why didn't I keep up? Wello shoot, now I may as well just go eat a gallon of Haagen Dazs." 🙂

    Your printable links are below the post, as always. 🙂 Have a lovely Sunday!

    Week 5 Scripture

    SMS Week 5 PRINTOUT

    SMS II Wk 5 PRINTOUT

    HERE ARE THE LINKS TO PRINT MARY'S SAMPLER I:

    Download Week 5 Scripture
    Download SMS Week 5 PRINTOUT

    HERE ARE THE LINKS TO PRINT OUT MARY'S SAMPLER II:


    Download Week 5 Scripture
    Download SMS II Wk 5 PRINTOUT


    Sms tp

    I'll see you all next week for Part 6!

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  • Hodgepodge Cottage,  Stitching

    October Goodies

    October 25, 2013

    Before the busy weekend descends upon us all, I have to show you a few things that are just too cute to not share!

    First, look at these darling new Needleminders from Kelmscott Designs… this one is a miniature version of the Owl Scissors, and although in the photo I've got it resting on a Jeanette Douglas Quaker Pincushion, you would normally attach it with its magnet to your current stitching project, so your needle doesn't go missing.

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    Secondly, take a look at the tiny Steweb Needleminder! Isn't it cutest thing? You can see the Steweb Scissors laying in the background, to compare the sizes…

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    What a fabulous way to store your needle! They lay so nice and flat on the fabric, and I just love them!

    And lastly, I am so in love with Bre's newest release.. she loved Halloween as a kid, and it definitely shows in her two new Etsy releases.

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    I'm so bummed that Bre lives so far away from me, because I used to be able to swipe her models and display them in my house. heehee…. I do still have all of the models to her older patterns though (which I'm hoping she'll eventually add to her Etsy shop). The two that are there now are available for instant download, so if you'd like to order them (this one is only $3.99!), here is the link to her shop: Hodgepodge Cottage1.

    (Am I being terribly obvious that I'm very proud of her, so I'm trying to plug her new creations and probably embarrassing her to death?)

    I'm off to hurry and clean the house before my Sabrina arrives home.. she's coming back for the evening so that we can have our annual Chills and Chili night at my parents' house. We normally watch an old black-and-white movie and eat chili and whatever else we conjure up, but tonight we're going to drag my mother into the 21st century and make her watch World War Z. 

    Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you here on Sunday for the next installment of the Sunday Mystery Sampler!

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  • New Designs,  Stitching

    Thankful for Thee

    October 23, 2013

    Good morning! When I dropped Sophie off to school a short while ago, the sky was painted in the most beautiful array of pinks and purples and blues, and the clouds rippled out in a way that made it all so dramatic! It was so breathtaking, and all I could say was, "Thank you, Lord." What a Great Artist He is.

    Here's my next release for this glorious season of thanksgiving! (Although my "art" certainly doesn't do justice for it.)

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    Thankful for Thee

    Stitch count: 132 x 83
    Fabric used: 40 ct. Olde Town Blend (1 strand of silk over 2 linen threads) by R&R Reproductions.
    Threads used: Needlepoint Inc. silks (128, 964, 346, 981, 316, 967, 724, 694, 122, 587, and 991).

    The model was stitched by Rindy Richards and framed by Sherri Berkman at Total Framing.
    (I think that olive wood moulding is some of the most gorgeous I've ever seen!)

    If you'd like to use DMC instead of NPI silks, here are the colors you'll need:
    300, 646, 730, 822, 830, 844, 920, 3045, 3064, 3371, and 3865.

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  • New Designs,  Stitching

    His & Hers

    October 22, 2013

    Back in Virginia Beach at the Dyeing to Stitch retreat, I released this chart at the boutique. Your shops will have them next week, so if you'd like yours to set one aside for you, be sure and give them a call! Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday (right along with Christmas), and I can't wait to finally have our family all together again. (I also can't wait to see who gets more of those sweet-honey-candied parts off of the Honeybaked Ham – myself or my dad!)

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    His & Hers Thanksgiving Stockings

    Stitch count: 44 x 121 for each stocking
    Fabric used: 35 ct. Olde Town Blend by R&R Reproductions
    Threads used: Weeks Dye Works (Putty, Adobe, Chickpea, Oak,
    Cinnabar, Confederate Gray, Pelican Gray, Light Khaki,
    Oscar, and Onyx)
    Mini Rickrack trim in Cocoa and Cinnamon provided by: R&R Reproductions
    Buttons provided by: Just Another Button Company *

    (Finishing instructions are included in the chart pack.)

    * Shop owners, the button packs will be available through Hoffman Distributing.

    When I designed these little stockings, I envisioned Mr. Pilgrim being late in bringing dinner home, so to calm Mrs. Pilgrim's ire, he presented her with a large flower.

    I'm not sure if his plan worked, however.

    I'll see you soon with another Thanksgiving release! You may have already seen it on some blogs, but nevertheless, I'll be showing it soon, with all the info you'll need if you'll be wanting to stitch it.

    Happy Day to you!

    ETA: Both stockings are stitched over 2 linen threads.

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  • Stitching,  Sunday Mystery Sampler

    Mary’s Sampler, Part 4

    October 20, 2013

    With Halloween fast approaching, I hope your pre-Christmas spirit isn't being overshadowed by candy corn and goblins! 🙂 Here is this week's installment – and everyone say this in unison:

    "Please don't click on the images themselves, but use the links posted at the bottom of this post for printing."

    Very nice! Let's begin!

    Week 4 Scripture

    SMS Week 4 PRINTOUT

     

    SMS II Wk 4 PRINTOUT

    SMS wk 4 tp

    ************************************************************************************

    LINKS TO PRINT MARY'S SAMPLER I:

    Download Week 4 Scripture

    Download SMS Week 4 PRINTOUT

    LINKS TO PRINT MARY'S SAMPLER II:

    Download Week 4 Scripture

    Download SMS II Wk 4 PRINTOUT 

    Enjoy your week!


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  • Crazy Kids,  Family,  Sports,  Travel

    Twenty!

    October 17, 2013

    Bean, Bean, the Party Machine.

    That was the nickname given to Sabrina at summer camp one year when she was in middle school, and she's definitely still living up to it at twenty. But in a good way, mind you;  she loves to have fun wherever she goes, despite the new nickname given to her in college: Soberina. 🙂

    This past weekend we headed to Kansas City to celebrate Sabrina's twentieth birthday by heading to the USA – Jamaica World Cup Qualifier. This was something we knew Bean would love to do, because when she was an exchange student in Germany, one of the highlights of her visit was getting to go to a Public Viewing, which in this case refers to the public's gathering to view a football game; her host family was quite proud of her for donning the colors of Deutschland!

    This time, however, she was wearing her patriotic colors, joining the throngs of American Outlaw crazies who were there to cheer the USA on to victory. What a party!

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    I'd be horrified at all those cameras pointing at me…

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    After the game, the USA members walked the perimeter of the field, which was really fun for the specatators…

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    What a fun time that was! The next morning we headed to IHOP for Sabrina's birthday breakfast, and she insisted on bringing her unopened gifts into the restaurant to open them there. 🙂 (Didn't I say she loves to have fun wherever she's at?)

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    After our pancake breakfast we headed to Worlds of Fun and spent the day riding rides and going into haunted houses…

    I love this picture of Bean and Soph trying to take a selfie on the Fjord Fairlane ride…

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    We sure missed having Bre with us… I think it was her first year not being able to celebrate her sister's birthday with us, but her job wouldn't allow her the time off. 🙁

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    Happy 20th birthday, Bean. We love you so much! Now let's see if you can hang onto that Soberina title for one more year… 😉

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