• Holidays

    Dear Family…

    Don't you just love Christmas? The energizing chill in the air, the church plays, the lights… it's all so beautiful! Festive! Like a month-long celebration that Christ was born!

    Isn't it fun how we give gifts to each other? All the thought that goes into it… wonderful! And the stockings! Did I mention the stockings?

    Let's talk about those stockings. Each year you all tell me how the stockings are your favorite part. Ah yes, when I was a young lass, that was my favorite part too; one never knew what joys awaited them in that seemingly bottomless sock of wonders. And now that I'm grown, you (my loving family)  have continued to fill that sock. You remind me of the wise men, who gave frankincense and myrrh.

    What, you say? They gave more than frankincense and myrrh? Why, how could I have forgotten? Of course! THEY GAVE GOLD! I must have forgotten that part bc it's the one part you, adorable family, leave out of my stocking each year.

    Tp 1

    Each year I beg – BEG, I say! – for these shiny, gold-wrapped dark chocolate marshmallow Santas from Russell Stover. And each year, after pulling out all the fabulous trinkets and dvds you all get for me in my Sock of Wonders, I feel around in the bottom, waiting to discover the crinkle of my favorite confection's wrapping.

    And each year, all I hear is silence. It is then that I know in my heart that Kris Crinkle has forgotten me again; I am cast off to the Island of Misfit Toys.

    I love these dark chocolate marshmallow Santas from Russell Stover. I found a box of them in the store yesterday and  bought just one. I ate it immediately.

    Tp 2

    Do you see the calory label? I don't give a flying reindeer's bottom about that.

    Tp 3

    I eat them for the protein. Duh.

    Tp 4

    I would have eaten these milk chocolate ones, but I bought them for the children bc they like them almost as much as I do.

    Tp 5

    Do you remember those stockings I made for each of us? The ones that were stitched with love and then filled with enough stuff to warrant a second mortgage on the house?

    Tp 6

    This is what I wish mine looked like:

    Tp 8

    I love you, dear family. And I love everything about this season… most of all that you're in it. You complete me.

    (Gold… how could I have forgotten that part?)

    Love, Mom

    P.S. Please don't say you thought I already had plenty of marshmallows stuffed down the back of my pants, bc that wouldn't be very wise-mannish of you. After all, I would have no problem filling your stockings with what comes out of flying reindeer bottoms.

  • Contest Winners,  Just Cross Stitch

    The Names Drawn Were…

    I'm shocked at how many of you didn't have the Just Cross Stitch issues! I would have thought that only a few people would have wanted them! (Don't worry, Breanna, you won't be getting the ornament issues in your stocking after all.)

    Will the following people please email me to receive the Halloween issue…

    Winner 4

    Winner 5

    Winner 6

    And will the following ladies please email me for the Christmas issue…

    Winner 1

    Winner 2

    Winner 3

    I hope each of you enjoy your magazine, and I'm thrilled to be able to have given them to you!

    Happy Halloween and Merry Christmas!

  • Good Things,  Holidays,  Just Cross Stitch,  Stitching

    Got Issues?

    I recently received in the mail 3 issues each of the Halloween and Christmas ornament issues of Just Cross Stitch magazine from their very sweet editor. However, I had already purchased my issues when they were first released, so now I have 3 copies of each that I'd love to give away.

    I'm sure those of you who wanted the issues have already purchased them, but just in case there are a few of you who haven't, just leave a comment here about which issue you'd like, and I'll draw names from there. If there are only a few of you, perfect! We'll draw the first ones in line. And if there is not a single soul out there who hasn't already gotten the issue they wanted, then I'll give the magazines as Christmas presents to my family. teeheehee.

    I hope you like stitching ornaments, honey!

    Jcs halloween issue

    Jcs ornament issue

    Btw, for January 2011's issue of Just Cross Stitch, I had the pleasure of being invited to be one of their featured designers! Woohoo! I designed a little piece called Winter Wind Sampler. I hope you like it!

  • Family,  Holidays

    Mike’s Heart

    Each year, for as far back as I can remember, Mike has participated in the police department's "Shop with a Cop" night. This is an annual event that is sponsored  by the OPD, and its purpose is to help children in shelters have a better Christmas – any Christmas at all, actually.

    The police officers who volunteer to participate are each paired with one or two children, and after a fun evening of pizza at the union hall, they're all off to go Christmas shopping at Wal-Mart. The Omaha Police Foundation gave each of the officers a $100 gift card per child, and the officers did their best to help their kids find the right balance of toys and clothing.

    Not an easy task when you have two 6-year-olds named Jacob and Samantha, paired with the Biggest Kid of the Universe, Mike Stewart.

    Mike said that although little Jake looked sleep-deprived and pale, his energy was boundless. And Mike's cell phone camera proves it…

    Mike and Jacob 3

    Joining Mike and Jake was little Samantha, whose smile could melt a snowman.. Even when Jake kept trying to kiss her coat in the police cruiser – despite her explaining to him that she did NOT want to be his girlfriend – she kept laughing and smiling, and learning at an early age that boys will be boys.  Especially when Jake insisted that she did, in fact, want to be his girlfriend…

    Mike and Samantha 2

    In the past, Mike has had kids whose main concern was to shop for their siblings or mother, which is always a mixture of love and heartbreak. With those children, Mike has made sure they get what they need – a coat, some underclothes (and of course a few toys!) – and then he helps them choose something for their loved ones. Mike is extremely tender-hearted toward children and those who aren't so fortunate as he has enabled his family to be.

    This year, however, all Mike had to do to please his little buddies was to find the perfect radio-controlled helicopter for Jake and a Dora the Explorer doll for Samantha. Add to that a Nerf gun, another baby doll, some Transformers gear and lots of underclothes and outerwear, and those kids finished the night with bigger smiles than they started with.

    Speaking of smiles, I had to show you this picture that Mike took, even though I'm sure he didn't mean to just photograph the bottom half of their faces… I thought it was adorable bc they have matching cheeks and chins!

    Mike and Jacob 2

    Mike always feels very blessed to be able to share a small part of Christmas with these kids. And I know he's one police man they'll never forget.

    Mike and Jacob

    What wonderful, kind people the police volunteers are. And a huge thank-you to the Omaha Police Foundation!

    Merry Christmas, Jake and Samantha.

    Merry Christmas, hon.

  • Crazy Kids

    Pose

    Yesterday Sophie got her hair cut in a "long bob," as she put it. I love how it turned out, and told her I wanted to take her picture on the front porch, since the pink sky was so bright and pretty. She tried involving the little pooches, but that didn't really work out very well…

    Tp 7

    Tp 6

    Tp 4

    Soon Tasha showed up…

    Tp 1

    …and tried to figure out how to do the supermodel pose…

    Tp 2

    But each time she tried, the same embarrassing thing would happen:

    "One eye on the camera, one eye on the Yorkie. Blast it all, I give up."…

    Tp 5

    It was exhausting for both of them…

    Tp 3

    Eventually the pooches began their jealous fussing at each other, so Sophie decided to go it alone…

    Tp 9

    Which was fine with me!

    Tp 10

    I love your new haircut, Sophie! And I love you!

    Btw, I wished my sister a Happy Birthday yesterday, but I'd like to wish her another one here. Happy Birthday, Audrey!

    Texas tp 30 

    Tp 11

  • Crazy Kids,  Family

    Harry and Stuff

    Today we went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (I used to have a crush on Ralph Fiennes until he became He-Whose-Name-Shall-Not-Be-Spoken, btw. Now he just gives me the shivers.) 

    Sabrina works at the movie theater, and when Harry Potter first opened, the employees were "assigned" to different Hogwart's houses, and Sabrina was given Hufflepuff. I wasn't home to take her picture before she left for work, so I begged her to take one for me. Here she is in her self-portrait, and I think she looked quite lovely in her school uniform!

    AMC

    Other than the first movie of the HP series, this one was my very favorite, and I can't wait for part 2!

    Recently Mike and Sophie started building a Legos kit for Hagrid's Hut… Mike took these pictures, along with about 337 others…

    Hpotter tp 1 

    Hpotter tp 2 

    Hpotter tp 3 

    It's amazing what Legos comes up with. I bought a Christmas advent calendar for Mike and Sophie to start on December 1st, and I'm as excited as they are to see what's behind each little door. Here they are after putting together a little snowman last week…

    Legos tp

    They kind of remind me of the Malfoys when they get together.

    Again, with the shivers.

  • Family,  Holidays,  Home

    Thanksgiving Day

    Now that I'm coming out of my tryptophan-induced stupor, I can let you all know that our Thanksgiving was wonderful! My mother cooked a fabulous turkey, along with everything that usually goes along with it, and all I had to bring this year were a couple of side dishes and dessert. Sophie wanted cupcakes, so after hesitating a bit, I thought, "Well, why not?"  So we brought cupcakes (which Sophie made all by herself), chocolate cream pies, mint kiss cookies, and I think that's it. Mom had the pound cake and maple pumpkin pie.

    But she didn't have her famous orange punch, which we shall never forgive her for.

    And as usual, her centerpiece was to die for! Can you believe she made those candle holders? (Mike actually asked her, "Oh, so you've taken up glass-blowing?" Oh good grief. Men.)

    Tg tp 1

    Breanna became drowsy first, so up the stairs she went and crawled under my parents' heated blanket…

    Tg tp 2

    She was snuggled in and ready to dream about studly Pilgrim men when suddenly, who should appear but…

    Tg tp 3

    Needless to say, the Studly-Pilgrim-rescues-the-beautiful-young-lady-Pilgrim-from-the-clutches-of-the-Wampanoag-witch-doctor fantasy didn't last long.

    Or maybe that was my fantasy… moving on.

    Sabrina headed back downstairs to mind her own business, and along came her father, tired of the peace and quiet…

    Tg tp 4

    The picture below strikes me as odd, bc apparently Mike whipped Sabrina up out of that seat so fast, her left foot disappeared…

    Tg tp 5

    Sophie, who was sitting on a nearby couch, disapproved of the racket they were making. She was trying to play on my mother's iPad, and they were distracting her…

    Tg tp 6

    I really didn't take that many pictures on Thanksgiving. I was too busy eating and trying to keep the conversation going so fast that Mike couldn't get six words in edge-wise. These words in particular:

    "Who wants to play a game?"

    Happy Leftovers!

  • Freebie,  Good Things,  Photography

    Woot! Woot!

    I have never won anything. So you can imagine my utter shock (if you've been so lucky as to experience it) when it was announced on Tara Whitney's photography blog that I won a camera bag! A Ketti bag, to be exact!

    I. Could. Not. Believe. It.

    ME??? Did her announcement actually read "And the winner is…. PAULETTE STEWART!!!"

    I was beaming the entire day. No matter what I did, my face was fixed in a grin. I'm so excited about it, I made a freebie to celebrate! But first, here are some pictures of my new camera bag (which is complete with awesome compartments inside for holding lenses and a body)…

    Ketti tp 1

    Isn't it lovely? It's the Berry bag. Ahhhhh…. love!

    And it has the cutest little feet…

    Ketti tp 4

    And hardware!

    Ketti tp 2

    Ketti tp 3

    My sister made fun of me when I visited her in Texas this summer bc I had a camera bag the size of a suitcase (a Crumpler "Seven Million Dollar Home" bag) that I lugged with me everywhere. She let me cram my stuff into her fancy Coach bag instead, so I wouldn't look like a tourist. Now she can walk next to me and not pretend she doesn't know me!

    Anyway, I am a very happy girl for winning such a prize. If you have something to celebrate (or you know someone who does!), maybe you'd like to stitch this little chart – if you can sit still long enough to do it. 🙂

    Here is the actual .pdf to click (don't click on the image): Download Woot.

    Use whatever color – or color combinations – you want! Perhaps you'd like this way…

    Woot_color_red

    Or what about this?

    Woot_color_black

    Maybe you'd like to celebrate your independence…

    Woot_patriotic

    Or help a loved one celebrate theirs!

    Woot_pink_cure

    Please note these changes from the original chart:

    1. The patriotic version uses white/ecru to "line" the inside of the flag, which is not shown on the printout.

    2. The "pink" version does not have the breast cancer awareness ribbon on the printout, but is easily duplicated by referring back to the above image, or by stitching the ribbon your own way.

    (Btw, I think a great gift idea to give to a breast cancer survivor would be one of The Attic's Recipes for a Cure cookbooks, along with the "pink" version stitched into a small pillow or ornament. This is by no means a plug, but just an idea. And there are other fabulous charts out there to choose from if you're not fond of this one, of course!)

    (I really hope I didn't sound presumptuous with my idea!)

    Anyway, I'm off to go sit with my new Ketti bag in my lap. Maybe I'll go rearrange the contents again, just bc it's fun.

    Or maybe I should lay off the caffeine.

    Enjoy your weekend!

    P.S. Here is Tara Whitney's blog, and here is Ketti Handbags. 🙂

  • Good Things,  Stitching

    Pink Christmas Ribbons

    As many of you know, The Attic Needleworks holds a silent auction each year to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This year they went a step further and had a "cookbook with benefits" published, of which I was asked to be a small part. What an honor! The book is called Recipes for a Cure, and all of the designs in the book were stitched by Paula Sibbald of Kelmscott Designs, and then donated to The Attic's silent auction. What a labor of love!

    If you'd like to bid on any of these ornaments – as well as many other ornaments, gorgeous samplers and vintage needlework accessories! – please click on this link and head over to the newsletters to see all of the beautiful stitched pieces that are up for auction…

    http://www.atticneedlework.com/newsletter.html

    I greatly admire the effort that the ladies at The Attic – and all those who donated their time by stitching those wonderful pieces – put in for a cause that is so close to many people's hearts.

    Enjoy your day!