Thank you, a favor and Christmas part one

I have so much to say that I don't know where to start. I take that back. I do but have had a hard time finding the words to express how much all your comments and emails on my previous post have meant to me. I am moved. You all have touched my heart more than you know. The warmth and caring that you shared with me. The love and prayers. The peace and understanding. Stitchy bloggers ROCK! From the bottom of my heart I thank you.

That weekend following my post wasn't all tears and sadness. The mail on Saturday brought a surprise that cheered my aching heart. A fellow blogger had sent out wonderful packages of Christmas cheer to a number of his blogging buddies. And I was one of the lucky ones to get one. Edgar, you have no idea how much your treats lifted my spirit. But of course, chocolate will always lift you up. And that darling photo card. I LOVE it! You can see that there is also a jar of delicious peach jam and some chewies for Rory too. (He loved them!)

In trying to get myself out of my dark cloud I had taken Rory to go see Santa. He behaved much better this year. And I am sure Santa will be bringing him bunches of toys and chewies.

I managed to get some stitching done. Not as much as I would like but it is coming along. I still have a few more gifts to finish stitching and then there will be a finishing marathon so I can get these things in the mail. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.

Last week also found me home for a few days with a terrible head cold. I can't remember the last time I had one this bad. I am feeling much better but still not a hundred percent. If I hadn't had the flu shot this year I would say that I had the flu and not just a cold. But then I rarely get colds so I tend to be a big baby when I do. But with that time at home I did manage to get my Christmas decorations up. I put up my Christmas village and two trees. One tree is Rory's tree. Ninety percent of the ornaments are dog related. Including the Angel tree topper which has the head of an Irish setter. (The other ten percent are kitty ornaments for Rosie. See her photo in her favorite spot under the tree.) The second tree is a small three footer that is my stitchy tree with all my stitched ornaments. Not as many decorations as years past but it does look pretty. Between putting up the trees and all those sappy Hallmark Christmas movies I have no choice but to get in the Christmas spirit. Here are some photos of the tree. I'll share the village in my next post.

Now I have a favor to ask. I need to get some Christmas cards made and get them out in the mail this weekend. I just can't decide which photo of Rory to use for my cards. Below are the ones I think would work. Also the two with Santa above. I just can't seem to pick just one. Which one do you like?
Thank you again for all your wonderful comments. For your caring and your friendship.
Until next time...........

Love and stitches
Kathy
and licks from Rory too.

Where are you.........

Where are you stitching mojo? Where are you Christmas spirit? Where are you cheery smiles? I seem to have misplaced all of them. I am normally an optimist. And try to find a smile in everything. But it isn't easy right now. I had hoped that spending Thanksgiving with my dog show friends would help. It did for a little bit. Rory and I had a great time at the shows. No big wins for Rory but we still had fun. And that is what counts. But then it was back home to the money worries, the bills, and the fact that two years ago this Monday, the 6th, is the second anniversary of my Mom's passing. (Deep breath so I don't start crying.)

Today has been rough. It started with my train being canceled and having to stand outside at 7 am this morning in 36 degrees for 35 minutes until the next train came. My feet were frozen and here it is almost 2 and they finally feel thawed. Then I open up Facebook and read this posting by my sister.

I wish heaven had a phone so I could hear your voice again. I thought of you today, but that's nothing new. I thought of you yesterday and days before that too. I think of you in silence and often speak your name. All I have is memories and pictures of you in a frame. I miss you Mom.~ repost if you have someone in heaven that you miss on earth

My Mom, me and my dog, Maggie. Christmas 1998

That did me in. (Another deep breath.) Sorry folks. I'll try not to get the keyboard wet.

Stitching mojo. I haven't picked up a needle in 9 days! Yup, you read right. 9 days. I keep looking at all the stitching I want to get finished for Christmas. The gifts I need to stitch up. And just look at it. Sigh. I really should be stitching now during my lunch break but instead I thought I would type a blog post. Procrastination. Yup, that's me. Maybe this weekend. We'll see. I do need to get those pieces stitched.

I am now so glad I had my last exchanges of the year all stitched up before Thanksgiving. They are on their way to their new homes so no photos yet. I did have a bright spot that helped a little. Yesterday I came home to my exchange! Paula was my partner in the HoE Christmas smalls exchange. She stitched up the Love and Joy pattern by Plum Street Sampler from this years JCS Ornament issue. She finished it a pillow. I just love it. (Funny thing is that I am half way finished stitching this pattern myself. Now if I can finish it it will be a gift. ) She also included a few extras. Including a LHN pattern that I don't have and three Just Nan Christmas patterns! And of course Rory just loved the toy and chewie she included for him. Thank you so very much Paula!


































As for the Christmas spirit? I have always loved Christmas. I have a huge Christmas ornament collection as well as many house decorations and a large village. I haven't even begun to put anything out. And I just can't find the enthusiasm to do it. This will be my third Christmas without Mom. Maybe that plays a part of no Christmas spirit. Well, no maybe about it. It does. We always did those things together. (The village was always her favorite thing to put up.) Plus I have always loved shopping for gifts and buying something special for everyone. But this year finances are even tighter than last. And I just don't have the extra to spend. And that hurts.

I just have to find my way out of this dark time. I know I will. I hate feeling this way. Just bear with me.

With luck Rory may help bring back the smiles when I take him to see Santa tomorrow. At least for a little while. I leave you with a few photos from our Thanksgiving show weekend.

The group I show with. (I'm in the gray in the back)

Rory and me hanging out.
















Sunset on the ferry ride home.

May the spirit of Christmas light your world with love and laughter. Until next time.........

Love and stitches

Kathy

and licks from Rory too.

PS. I really do appreciate all the comments you leave for me. They mean so much. Especially this time of year. So thank you all for taking the time. I apologize for not commenting lately on your blogs. My computer at work is acting weird. It will only allow a few blogs to open. I keep getting an error message on many blogs. I hope to catch up with more of you over the weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

In just a day and a half it will be Thanksgiving. A time to reflect and give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. Just a couple of things that I am thankful for: my silly, goofy, handsome boy, Rory, and the friendship of so many of you here in the blogging world. Your comments always make me smile. I thank you all for each and every one. You brighten my day and lighten my heart.

Thanksgiving is also a time for families. I sit here trying to think of what to write and remembering so many Thanksgivings from my past. The smells of desserts baking as I made umpteen pies, cookies, brownies and cheesecakes. (I would bake for five days to prepare the goodies for the holidays.) Peeling potatoes, sweet potatoes and the turnip and the smell of Mom's chestnut sausage stuffing and the turkey cooking. The warmth of the kitchen and the laughter as we got the meal prepared. All that work for the best tasting meal of the year. Thanksgiving at our house was all about family. As we grew older and my siblings married and began their own families it was Thanksgiving that often brought us all together. Dessert at our house was a must. And then there was the year when we had 35 sit down for dinner! As time went by more of my siblings and their families moved away and our Thanksgiving dinners became smaller affairs but Mom and I always made the same meal and still celebrated. This marks my second Thanksgiving without my Mom. Last year I spent part of the day with my Aunt and Uncle (Mom's baby brother). It was difficult and I will be honest and say that it wasn't an easy day for me. And when I walked into my Aunt and Uncle's home the delicious smells were what put me over the edge. I do miss my Mom everyday but more so on the holidays that we both loved.

This year I am doing something different for this holiday. No turkey cooking and filling the house with its yummy fragrance. (I did cook one this past Sunday. Just for the leftovers.)

No Black Friday shopping. (I have done that in the past and had a blast! Especially the ones I made my Mom get up at 3 AM so we could be at the mall by 4!)

Instead I am going to be at a dog show!! (No, not the one on TV after the parade. That one was taped last Sunday. Oh, I know who won already. LOL) Four days of shows. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm bringing my turkey leftovers for turkey sandwiches and Rory and I are off tomorrow (Wednesday) evening. Here's hoping that Rory shows well and maybe even wins a couple more points! My dog show friends will be there too. I am really looking forward to it. We should have fun.

My stitching news for this posting is that I have been working on two exchanges and a few more ornaments for gifts and my LNS grab bag that's coming up in a few weeks. So no photos yet.


I did receive a few lovely things in the mail. A small giveaway/thank you from Maggie O. It is an ornament frame. Isn't it neat? Thank you Maggie. I'm still trying to decide what ornament to use it for. I also receive my winnings from a giveaway that BeckySC had. Thirteen different charts! I am all set for next years Halloween exchanges and stitching. Thank you Becky! Next up is a small thank you/rak from Alison. She had me as her exchange partner and she must have really liked what I sent her because she sent me this in return! The handmade tree is just beautiful and the fabrics (there are two more I forgot to include in the photo) will really come in handy. Thank you so much Alison.


And last but not least are two exchanges. It turns out the April was my partner in both the Seasonal exchange and the HoE exchange. She sent both in the same package! I'm not sure which is for which so I took photos of them together. Thank you April.

It wouldn't be any kind of holiday if I didn't make Rory wear something silly. I couldn't find a pilgrim hat so I figured he could be a native American. Complete with his trusty Indian pony. :)

(yeah, yeah, I know it looks just like a Cabbage Patch kid horse. That's because it is! And don't ask me it's name. My nieces have played with this for years and Heavens knows where the papers are.)



So that's all the news that's fit to print. At least right now. So until next time......................




I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter.
Rory wishes you one filled with all kinds of good things to eat.
And Rosie just wishes you peace and quiet! Love and stitches,
Kathy
and licks from Rory too

PS. Rosie is in one of her favorite places. Rory's crate! Esoecially when he is not in it! Silly kitty.

Finishes and exchanges

Rory wants to know if he can help. Notice the toy on the cutting board.

Time flys when you're having fun. Well, that is what they say. And fun or not time always seems to fly by at this time of year. I always say I'm going to have all my Christmas gifts ready by Thanksgiving. Every December I say that. And guess what? Here it is two weeks until Thanksgiving and I haven't really started. Sigh. Maybe next year.........

At least I am up to date on my exchange stitching. I so enjoy these exchanges.

First up is my exchange for the Seasonal exchange blog. I stitched a Prairie Schooler design and finished it as a small pillow. I just love the way this one turned. I have to make one for myself one of these days. My exchange partner was Alison and she seemed pleased with it. So without further ado here are some photos of what I sent her.

Next exchange was the Fall exchange on Hooked on Exchanging. For this one I stitched one of Little House Needleworks Season charts, Season of Plenty. What a joy this one was. (I stitched this one a few years ago, in my aida only stitching days. I am definitely restitching them on linen. ) I also finished this as a small pillow for my partner, Leigh. (She has a cute photo of her kitty inspecting the package.) I am loving this method of finishing. My only problem with it is making sure I sew in a straight line. Not an easy task for me. But it doesn't look too bad now does it?

My third exchange piece was for the Lizzie Kate exchange blog. Sadly it was the last round of exchanges for this blog. My partner this time was Diane. And not only did I send to her but she sent to me. First set of photos are the two pieces I stitched and finished for her. I started with the new LK from the current JCS Christmas issue. It was so tiny that I decided to stitch something else. So I picked up the latest of Lizzie Kate's Tiny Tiding and stitched up "Dear Santa, I can explain". And Diane stitched LK's Turkey time and finished it as a pinkeep/flatfold. It is just perfect! I love it. (Notice that Rory likes it too. So much that I had to move it way up high!)

In other stitching news I have been stitching a bunch of ornaments. No photos since they are all for either exchanges or Christmas gifts.

Since I last posted Rory and I have only had one dog show. After my fall a few weeks ago he acted a bit skittish but we still did well. There is a fun fundraiser and photo shoot this weekend at the local dog training academy. It will be good for him and maybe help bring back his confidence. And I have some interesting Thanksgiving plans! Four whole days starting on Thanksgiving of dog shows! That will be a different way to spend Thanksgiving.

All this stitching and finishing and talk of dog shows is sooooooooo exhausting!










Until next time.......................

Love and stitches

Kathy

and licks from Rory too