thank you for the prayers and thoughts

First wanting to thank you for the prayers for my friends, surgury went well, as expected her explained, now she is at home recouping.

Also Victoian Motto Sampler is having a great giveaway!  check it out, she always combines such nice giveaways.

I broke down and went to Jo Anns and bought some material to finish off some exchanges, that after I baked some M&M cookies for the kids, rearranged our Great room, re - rearranged the great room, and put it back the way we always have it.  I just wanted to get the big dog crate in a better spot, she hates heat and it was by the fire place, now it's getting cold, will be turning the fire place on in a few more weeks?  It was 43* here this morning!  comfy outside now, even have windows open.  Just sat and watched the Chew and stitched for an hour, now it's time to go get the kids at school...

Have a great week!

Magazine Feature

I have been lucky enough to join a stitching exchange group this year, Stitched with Love, created and moderated by Lainey over in the UK.  She shared the news over the weekend that the group was featured in a magazine.  I just went to the store to see if the issue was available, but alas, it was not, at least not yet, but I will keep my eyes open for it. 

As for stitching, I've been working diligently, but at time my mind drifts... my local LNS shop owner found out she had breast cancer, scary thing is I"m as young as she is :(  She is in my thoughts daily as her surgury was scheduled for today I believe.  Please take a moment and remember all the women in our lives that suffer from this.

Also, another person I follow in blogland is having some family pain as well, if we could keep her in your prayers while she tries to get some answers, I send a personal thank you for this.

Shirlee gave me a plug on her blog and wow, my viewer numbers jumped over the weekend, so thank you to all who have visited me, looks like I may have to get into a giveaway when  I reach 50. 

Have a great week and keep on stitching...


Blessings
Dawn

wish I could show you

Hello everyone, I see everyone is falling into the season, all kinds of halloween and fall exchanges going on.  I am guilty of signing up for 5....I just love the season and all the pretty patterns.  I have all of my fabrics and I think I'm decided on the charts for the exchanges, but since they are just that, I can't share any progress pics, but I have been stitching. 
My time is running down for the shepherds bush piece that I am contracted to do, so I have to work on it everyday, then I reward myself by working on my exchange pieces, otherwise, it won't ever get done, I'm in a moment now asking myself what was I thinking....then again, I was given more than enough time to complete it.  This is why I haven't been on blog world much lately, I peek in almost every day, but I really need to dedicate time to the Piece. 
I did lose time yesterday, i had my flu shot in the morning, but by afternoon, i felt like a mack truck hit me, thankfully it was short lived and now i need to go to my comfy chair and get back to work....
Blessings to everyone
Also, I just made 25 followers, woo hoo!  Thank you everyone for stoping by.

Dawn

A finish!

Goodness, I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my last post.  I've tried on several occassions but Blogger has been giving me grief and then a few more days go by...
Anywho, last night i finished "Smell My Feet" from La D Da and I put it on some awesome handyed lugana that Fiona sent me from a previous exchange.  I Love Love Love the colors.  I had done some ripping out on several occasions, you know the story, off by one row etc and it throws the whold design off.  I have been working on my big Shepherds bush piece and somehow signed up for 4 autumn/ halloween exchanges, lol.  I think I've lost my mind.  I swear I spend hours pouring through charts and magazines looking for just the right design to make.

August and now Sept are very busy, our Chloe turned 7 months and continues her path to being a beast.  My baby girl turns 15 this weekend!   My mom was in and out of the hospital briefly to get a stint in her heart, wow, I get told the day she is admitted.  I blew up at my brother for not letting me know..."they don't want you to worry"  I live 5 hours away, vice the 10 hours i have been for the past 12 years, I need to know when my parents are not well....at 44 I am still the baby and always treated as such.

Chloe on Ashley

Duncan And Chloe
look at her paws!

Friday night was military appreciation night at the High School football game, of course I went, of course I made my husband stand up when they asked for veterans to stand.  Of course I cried when they did a 21 gun salute and played Amazing Grace on bagpipe and bugle Taps.  They gave a WWII veteran his high school diploma because he dropped out of school right after Pearl Harbor to join the Marines.  It was very touching...then the B-25 fly over.  Fantastic tribute.

 I inherited 25 more boys as soccer mom administrator.  Yesterday it was feed the boys before they get on the bus for an away game, oh no, subway forgot a sub, ran back, got sub, ran back to school, feed the boy, coach doesn't know where the balls are, text asst coach, do you have the balls...no balls, text Nate is running late may miss the bus, text coach, nate is late, go ahead and leave, will send him ahead...pictures, when are team pictures...I don't know...text athletic director...date was moved...moved?...next week, coaches have packets...coach do you have picture packets...no packets...ugh...ok, will look for the packets....and that is how 30 min of my life was just yesterday, this is a near daily event.  

What I have learned is that 26 high school boys are much easier to deal with then the parents of these boys.  LOL.  The boys are even easier and laid back when they have food :)  Tonight is team dinner night and my fundraiser from Yankee Candle came in yesterday, will have to pass those boxes out to the parents this evening.  Just a few more weeks and then I'll be wondering what will I do now....STITCH.

I am a Goal Keepers Mother- 110% crazy.  Some poor kid ran right into him as he was coming out of the box, wrong thing to do, my boy is solid....kid broke his leg colliding with my boy!

Hope everyone is doing well.  Just keep stitching...
Blessings
Dawn

ADD and project pouch

Hello friends and thank you for some new followers,  I was surprised that I am up to 23 new friends!  I am humbled and pleasantly surprised.  Welcome all.

So, it's already the 3rd week of August, some kids are back to school, mine start the 10th grade in 2 weeks.  Where did the summer go?  Everyday I tell myself to sit down and stitch and as soon as i get up to do one little thing, even as simple as getting something to drink, I become distracted and end up doing something completly different.  Such as this project pouch I made yesterday, I don't know what the heck happened to my stitching since it is in one room and the sewing machine is down in the basement.  Anyways.....it came out cute, I used a pattern for a laptop sleeve and a few more trys and I should be quite happy.  I'm not very good with zippers, this one came out decent but the lining fabric gets caught a little, so that can only mean one thing, I have to go shopping!  More material, more zippers and more attempts!  As always I am a work in progress.

Here is the pouch with a new start, its a La D Da  Trick or Treat pattern and I am using the handyed fabric that Fiona sent to me in the stitched with love exchange.  It is perfect.



Soccer season is off to a great start, the boys played their first game of the season Saturday and the JV boys won 9-0, the Varsity 2-0.  I was excited to see my son score a goal, so much cheering that I didn't get a picture of it, lol.  My daughter had a game last night, they got crushed and got in at 9:30 last night, so since they lost they had to be at practice at 8 am this morning to do conditioning.....ouch.  Tonight another boys game and concession stand volunteer duty.  This running never ends. I had to turn $12,000. in checks to the athletic director this morning since we have to pay $495. per student per sport!  I don't think I've ever held that much money before, lol.   I am the team administrator so if the money isn't payed the kids don't get to play.  I'm still surprised at how poorly Ohio handled their school funds that many schools have to PTP for sports.  My kids play club soccer and it's cheaper than this.  It is what it is.

I also had to break the news to NKU Youth orchestra and  UC College Conservatory of Music that Ashley has decided not to play the bassoon anymore, hasn't even touched it all summer.  Breaks my heart, the schools are disappointed but who knows she is 14 and maybe it's just a break?  she has worked with some awesome music conductors and teachers since our move to Cincy but her heart isn't in it so the passion in the music is not heard anymore...Remember being in highschool....

So see, ADD, I started out to tell you about the pouch and started babbling about everyting else...nuff said.  I received my Stitched with Love exchange and have been going over everything for a few days, lol.  I love packages!

Have a splended week!
Dawn

Happy dance- giveaway received and seasonal exchange

good monday evening dear friends

Life has been so busy with two teenagers playing soccer for the high school, this week is scrimmages nearly every evening and Saturday starts the official season.  So far so good, looks like we will have a good season, however this mom is wondering what did I get myself into volunteering to be team administrator.... to all who volunteer in aspects of our children's lives, thank you thank you!

I received my giveaway package from Michelle today!  I think I love the handmade lace the most.  Thank you for the generous package!  It was my first blog win, so very excited about it!

Seasonal Exchange

This little darling is from Jen who was my partner in the seasonal exchange, it's my first primative and she said she choose the colors, it's so simple its sweet.  Thank you for such a pretty finish Jen.

Well hubby just pulled in the driveway, I haven't seen him for a week as he was in VA visiting his baby girls (23 &20)  but still his babies. 

Have a pleasant evening everyone!

Dawn

A Rak received and some progress

Good morning dear friends,

I received this beautiful RAK from Lisa P.The Inspired Stitcher yesterday, she was my partner in this past round of seasonal exchange, the first one I sent her fell apart, all I can think of was the 100* plus heat we had last month, days and days of heat and I made her a scissor book and used adhesive, probably a bad choice in heat.  I felt awful when I learned of it's demise, so I made her a replacement.  I was really shocked yesterday, not expecting her heart felt thank you, She made this beautiful thank you heart and I appreciate her gesture so very much, especially after this past weekend (keep reading).  Thank you so very much Lisa.

It's been a crazy last few days, I went to Erie to visit my parents, who are 79 and 80 and wow, I had drama, at one point all of us were crying and tempers and sadness.  It's so hard to watch your parents suffer and hurt, I still see my parents the way I did as a little girl but now they are frail and in pain.  It's hard to see your hero suffer, my dad in the last 8 years has suffered from 2 different cancers, multiple surgeries, triple bypass, and now constant pain where he tells you he wants to die, too much pain.
It didn't help that we had 98 degree heat and their air conditioner stopped working.  Emotions everywhere.  I've never had to comfort my mom, she was sobbing and I felt like I couldn't make her feel better.  It's hard to realize that it's the beginning of the end.  I know we were born only to die, but I sit here wondering when did my parents get old?  We are all ok, lots of hugs and love, but I know the time is coming and although I am 44, but I don't think I'm really prepared to deal with the impending loss of my parents.  My parents own a grape farm off of Lake Erie, it's a lot of work and no one is close  to help out, we do what we can but we are all over, I live 5 hours away, my oldest brother is 15 hours away and the closest brother is an hour from them. My dad has finally admitted that he can't take care of the farm anymore, that breaks his heart.  The farm is part of his beating heart and here is the circle of life.   Thank you for listening, I truly appreciate your time (it takes away from your stitching :))

the farm I grew up on,  a 44 acre grape vineyard

Well, I am a spoiled girl, my mother sent me home with her Janome Memorycraft sewing machine, it is completely computerized and also all her designs, and the embroidery disks.  I had to put it in my spare bedroom until I complete my contracted work (it's killing me, I want to start to sew with it)  I always joked with mom, i would call her up and ask what she was doing, she said sewing, I would laugh and say don't you mean watching, aside from changing thread colors she really didn't sew if it was embroidery mode.  My mom is into quilting and has made some beautiful quilts over the past few years for myself and brothers, grandkids etc.  She takes care of my dad so much now that she doesn't find pleasure in it.  She asked if I wanted it and, of course I said YES.

I did make some progress on my pieces.  I love the way this LHN piece is, the yellows are so cheery.

I need a mantra, I love Dory from Finding Nemo, perhaps I should adopt, "just keep stitching, just keep stitching, stitching, stitching..."  kind of catchy  :)

OHHHH I almost forgot, I did find out that I won a giveaway from Michelle at MIchelle's StitchCraft Place.  I can't wait for it's arrival, I found out that I won by reading her post, somehow I missed her email (I get a ton now that I am parent administrator for the high school men's  soccer team)  I did do a happy dance amongst my tears.  It is my first win in blog land, and again, I am so thankful for the friends that I have made in such a short time blogging and learning about blogging.  I still shake my head, how did I miss all those years of blogging? lol.

Lastly, Chloe turned 6 months old on Sunday, she is the size of an adult golden and still as playful as a puppy.  She is still a sweetie. She has sit and lie down, it's staying that she has issues with.  She is a work in progress as are we all.

Enjoy your week,
blessings
Dawn