Rory, my Birthday and stash

What a gorgeous day it is here. Not only is the weather beautiful but it is my Birthday!

I had been dreading today. I hate turning another year older. (Yes, I am vain about my age.) But especially because this is the first one without my Mom. My Mom always did something special for me. And even though she was so sick, last year was no exception. Her gift to me was walking the length of the house with her walker. And she did! What made it sad was that it was the last time she did it. The next day she went into congestive heart failure and her physical condition weakened even more. Even the hospice nurse predicted that she only had two more days!! (Mom fooled them all since she fought and remained with me for another six months!) But she was unable to walk more than a couple of feet after that. Special days like this I miss her so much.

Yes, I feel a little sad but now I have this little guy to help keep me smiling. And boy, does he ever. Sweet and loving and FULL of mischief! And smart as a whip. In one weeks time he has learned sit and down. To stay off the kitchen counters and table. That the furniture is his and that the cat is fun to chase. We are still working on not pulling and chewing my clothes, the cushions on the furniture (he loves to pull them off), the throws from the furniture, the tablecoth, my toes, my shoes and slippers. I can't wait for the teething stage to end in about three to four months.
Whew. I had forgotten how much work a puppy is! It has been fifteen years since I've had a puppy. I'll tell you I am tired at the end of the day. Heck, by lunchtime! But it is so worth it. I am so thankful for this birthday (and Christmas) gift from my brother. I really didn't even realize how much I missed having a dog.

Speaking of gifts. I belong to a Birthday exchange group, part of the ILCS yahoo group. And these wonderful ladies sent me some really great stitchy gifts. THANK YOU ALL!

What did I get? Lots of patterns, some linen, floss a couple of stitched gifts and, well, the pictures below will show you all the really great stash I've gotten.

Top left are from Lisa and Tracy. Top right from Mary and Jennifer. Bottom left from Ashrei and Debbie Jo. Bottom right from Rene.

Above from Debra. Thank you so very much Girlfriend! I LOVE it all!!

To the right from Evalina. I can't wait to start this swan.

Below is from Carolyn. I am definitely starting this one tonight!

Close up of the gorgeous fob was made and sent to me by my sweet friend Carolyn.

And from another online group I belong to has a Birthday card and floss exchange. From that one I have a ton of new floss to add to my collection. Again. Thank you Ladies. This has been so much fun.

Now to see if my little guy will let me get some stitching in today.

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

Love, stitches and licks

Kathy

and Rory too

Meet my new baby

His name is Rory. He is 11 weeks old. And I am one very happy Mom. Isn't he precious?

I miss my Maggie and was ready for a new "furbaby." I was actually thinking of getting a cocker this time. (I have had Irish setters for over thirty years.) Last weekend I went to a local dog show and talked to a few breeders. While wandering around I spotted a camper with a bunch of Irish puppies being exercised. Well, of course I had to look. Now all puppies are adorable. I know that. So I didn't say anything to the breeder. Later that afternoon I stayed to watch the setters. The woman with the puppies was showing an absolutely stunning dog who I thought was breathtakingly beautiful. She was just the type of setter I like.

Well for the next day and night I couldn't stop thinking about those puppies. So I emailed the breeder. Three days of back and forth emails and phone calls and a ten hour car trip and Rory came home with me yesterday.

Rory, my little boy, wouldn't be my boy if not for the world's greatest brother! You see he, my baby brother, bought my Rory for me. Greg, if you read this know that you are the BEST BROTHER. Thank you Greg.

I hope you all don't get too bored of photos of my new baby. I promise to include some stitching in the next post.

Until then............

Love and stitches,

Kathy

and Rory too

A very special gift, thank you and other stuff

First I want to say Thank you to everyone who left a comment to my last post. While I know the hurt and grief will get easier with time your gentle words, prayers and caring also help in so many ways. I treasure your friendships and keep a special place in my thoughts and prayers for each of you.

I hope you all have taken a look at the beautiful stitched piece at the beginning of this post. For a few weeks now a very dear friend of mine has been dropping hints that she was sending me something just for Mother's Day. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I got the mail Saturday afternoon and opened the package. (Hand me the tissues.) Dearest Deborah, the sentiment, the stitching, the framing are just perfect. I really don't think I will ever receive anything again that will mean as much to me as this does. I love you dear friend. Many of you know Deborah and know that she has been ill for a long time. Stitching is her anchor and lifeline but she can't do as much as she once did. To receive something that she stitched, well, it is the most wonderful thing. (Oh. the bush that I leaned the beautiful piece in is one that my Mom planted when we moved into our home. The white snowball bush smells heavenly and was one of my Mom's favorite flowers.)

Even though we had nice weather this weekend I just couldn't find the energy to do much in the way of actual weeding or gardening but I did get some photos of what's blooming at the moment. The above is a Pink Lady Slipper, a rare plant. This is only the second time I have seen one in my yard.

The lily of the valley are just starting to bloom and also smell lovely. This is part of a huge patch of them growing right outside my back door.

Another favorite of my Mom and me is the bleeding heart. I have three large plants around the gardens. This is just one small branch. I also have a small white one.

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. And to all my dear friends here in the States I hope you had a loving and blessed Mother's Day. Now to go and check out everyone's blogs and finishes so I can get inspired.

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

Love and stitches

Kathy

A little update

The sun has finally come out. After rain and grey skies for the last week (and it feels like a month!) the sun is shining. But not for long. We are supposed to have more rain starting tonight. I really do hope it stops by the weekend. I am so tired of the dampness.

I've been a bit down and blue for the last few days as well. Maybe it's the weather but I don't think so. I am missing my Mom something fierce. Today, the 6th, it is five months since my Mom passed. And I am hurting. Plus it is Mother's Day this weekend. We always did something special together. Whether it was just watching a movie, making a special dinner or, like last year, sitting on the deck in the sun and enjoying the beautiful day. But last year was also a rough Mother's Day evening. After a lovely day my Mom was really feeling good. Until about 11 PM when she went into respiratory distress and her second attack of congestive heart failure. That whole night was a nightmare. After calling the ambulance (and the cop yelled at me because our hallway was narrow and it was hard to get the stretcher into her bedroom!!) I sat with Mom in the emergency room until 5 AM when they moved her to ICU. That hospitalization last a week and had been her third one that year.

So my mood hasn't been the greatest. Too many wonderful memories and yet too many painful ones too. I am hoping that Sunday will be nice so I can go to the cemetery and plant some flowers for my Mom and sit with her for a while.

I have been stitching but no photos. I've been spending all my stitching time on a special project. When it arrives at its new home I'll be able to share some photos.

Until next time........................
I miss you Mom.
Love and stitches
Kathy

Edgar's having a "Lo How A Rose" Giveaway

And you ALL know that I WANT this one.

Edgar asks that we mention his drawing for the pattern on our blog. So I'm mentioning it. LOL

Only I hope I win it. :)

Please, please, pretty please pick me.

Just kidding. May the best deserving stitcher win.

Until next time...................
Love and stitches
Kathy

Whew!! TGIM

Lunaria or Silver Dollar Plant, also called a Money Plant (I wish!)

Thank God it's Monday.

Sounds strange doesn't it? I have mixed feeling about this Monday. On the one hand I am really glad to be back at work. I need the rest. On the other, the weather is so pretty that I really wish I were home sitting on the back deck with a cup of coffee, a good book and my stitching. EXCEPT I know if I were home I would be out in the yard raking and bagging more debris or starting to replant a garden.

Nope, I'm glad to be at work. I am beat. Rest wins. LOL

To recap my weekend. Friday night on the way home from work I stopped at the local pharmacy to pick a brace for my left wrist. If you read my post on Friday I had a few goals that I really wanted to get done and figured I better get something for the carpel tunnel in my left wrist. That done I made dinner and stitched until bedtime.

On Saturday I hoped to get the far left corner of my yard cleared. 19 bags of leaves later I did it! (Well, there is about 10 more to pick up but at least the leaves are all in a huge pile.) I also managed to clear the leaves from two more gardens. Only one more large garden bed to do! Then I will on to weeding and edging them. I wrapped up the yard work at 5. I had absolutely NO energy to even think about making something for dinner so headed to Micky D's.

The Traveling Stitcher
by Little House Needleworks
stitched on 32 ct linen using the recommended Crescent Colors floss

By 8PM everything was put away and it was time to sit, stitch and watch one of my all time favorite movies. Turner Classic Channel was showing "Funny Girl" with Barbra Streisand. Love this movie. And while I watched I actually finished my Traveling Stitcher piece! Wooo Hooooooooo!!

Before

My list of weekend to dos included trimming the shrubs and hedges in my front and side yard. (I only wish I had done this chore on Saturday. It was cooler. Oh well.) Once I finished the laundry and vacuuming Sunday morning it was time to head outside. Now in the past when I trimmed the bushes in the front it usually took about two hours. Now remember it has been a while since I did these. (As you can see in the before photo.) Almost two years. So that two hour job? Try closer to FIVE. In record breaking heat. (87 degrees!) And in the sun! (It is only shady in the late evening. Right before sunset.) Can we say HOT?? Oh my, even with a hat and sunscreen I am burned. But it is done. I'm sore but there is good sense of accomplishment.

After

So as you can see the weekend was busy. And one where I got a lot done outside and even a stitching finish for April!

Whew.

Until next time.................
Love and stitches
Kathy

TGIF and weekend plans

Oh my, I am so glad today is Friday! For some reason this week has seemed soooooooooo long.

So have you made any plans for the weekend? Me? I have made plenty. With a capital P! The weather is supposed to be absolutely glorious. Sunny and upper 70s. Picture perfect.

I am planning on spending most of it outdoors. Yup, more yard work. On the list for this weekend is to get more of that back corner finished, trim the bushes out front, trim the bushes on the side yard, put the fences back up around the gardens, prune the branches of the trees in front of the house, and maybe, just maybe, sit on the deck and relax. Or is that collapse? LOL

I'll be sure and take photos of the before and after. Again these are chores that haven't been done in a while so I know they won't be easy but darn will it feel good to have them finished.

On the stitching front I have been catching up on the many blogs I enjoy reading and finding new ones to add to my reading list. I have also been falling in love with some new designs.

I LOVE this one. Of course it would be an OOP and hard to find but find it I will!

Then I spotted another design that just screamed out to me on Melissa's blog. (Click on her name and it will take you to the posting on her blog.) The pattern is by The Goode Huswife. Of course it too is OOP. BUT has recently been re released as part of a collection. It's a bit pricey but if I'm a good girl maybe I can get it with my income tax refund. Whenever that comes. :)

The Goode Huswife's Book of Designs Vol 1
The book consists of ten 9 by 12 envelopes which each have the pattern inside, with a hard cover and back. It was designed in this manner so that you may put your fabric and floss in each envelope with the pattern as you're working on it or for future use.
The designs in the book are: 1798 Quaker, Nine Patch, The Birth Sampler, Ellen Birdseye, A Primitive Bird, Mattie Graves Quilt, With My Needle, Elizabeth Easton, Live Simply and June Morning

And last but not least another design to add to my hard-to-find wish list. I first noticed this one on Vonna's blog. I liked it but it didn't completely grab me then. Then I saw Edgar's more recent finish if it. And for some reason it has become one of those I MUST do soon patterns. Another OOP and I understand it is very hard to find. Nothing I like than a good challenge. :)

Oh, that pattern is by Brightneedle, called "Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming". I love this carol and once sang it as a solo at Christmas Midnight Mass. So it does have special meaning for me. Wish me luck in finding it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. You probably won't hear from me until Monday. I'll be outside and no where near the computer. :)

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

Love and stitches

Kathy