Face to Face

Internet groups, boards, and blogs can literally open up the world to us as stitchers and otherwise. But we don't often get to meet some of our online friends face to face. However, I was privileged to meet Kathy (and Rory) when she came down to NC for vacation at the beach. We met at the house where they were staying and enjoyed a wonderful visit talking about everything. She's every bit as interesting and nice as I'd thought she was online. Her Irish setter, Rory, was beautiful and so well-behaved (must be nice.....lol).

When I left, there was no one to take our picture together, so we did the best we could. It was so bright you couldn't even tell what picture you were taking, but we tried.


Kathy gave me this really wonderful stitching bag with a gorgeous fob and scissors inside. I will truly treasure these.



I have something in the making for her, but had no chance to finish it before I got there. I'll be sending it to you, Kathy. Note the name on the bag - she got it at her LNS, which happens to have the same name as my LNS. Nice coincidence from NY to NC. Thanks so much for the visit and gifts, Kathy. We need to make this a yearly event.....:)

Vacation Times Abroad

I'd like to post a few pics of my trip overseas in stages. First, we flew out to England and took a train through the Chunnel, which I slept through, darn it, even though it's dark; then we landed in Brussels. Did some sightseeing there....

Market Square...


The swan is a symbol in Belgium...


The "Peeing Boy" in Brussels.....then we took another train to Brugges to stay for a couple of nights there.


Bell Tower in Brugges......


Took a canal tour in Brugges....


Still more canal tour in Brugges....


Michelangelo's Madonna and Child in Our Lady's Church in Brugges......



Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Brugges (only took close-ups of two - don't ask me why).....

Woman making lace in Brugges with bobbins. This was fascinating to watch and hear - very rhythmic.
I'd made a list of any needlework shops I could find or heard about near each place, but we didn't make it to any in Belgium. There was one we passed everyday, but it wasn't open the days we were there. However, the chocolate shops were extremely tasty; Belgian chocolate is definitely worth acquiring....hehe...just destroy the evidence. :)
Harley-Davidson places were also on my list, since my DH is such a fan. I also owed him big time not only for the trip/dogsitting, but I'd "ruined" two of his HD shirts a few days before I left home. Who knew that this one dishtowel with a teeny smidgen of red that has been washed numerous times and never bled, would turn both shirts a lovely, barely there shade of pastel pink? Did I mention how tiny and washed the red square was??? When I suggested that he could wear the shirts anyway, he just looked at me and laughed and told me to picture him walking in the HD shop that way. Real HD men don't wear pink, I gather.... That was rather amusing, but needless to say, he's not wearing the shirts - one local, one from San Francisco - ouch. So I started my quest. Score 0 for Belgium - none that I can get to. Better luck next time.
Next, onto Paris...

PS - totally unrelated, but I found a giveaway on Barb's blog for primoriginals. I'd never heard of this site, but I love the artwork! I very rarely post of giveaways to get better chances of winning, but this site is worth checking out, regardless of winning anything or not. I wonder if she'd make her artwork into charts or would let us do so??? Hmmmm.......

A Little Stitching & Fourth of July

This was a BD exchange gift that has now been received; one side is needlepoint and the other XS. I've also been trying to catch up on the Friendship RR. Here's the latest heart for Kathy...

Every Fourth of July holiday, we load up whoever's here and take off for the fireworks. And each year my DH says he's not going anymore. LOL Normally, my brother's family from OK are here. This year, we had an added bonus. My son and DIL, daughter living at college this summer, and friends were also there. We've been going for as long as our town has been having its own fireworks event, about 20 years, and this was the best weather we've ever had. Normally it's scorching and humidity is high; this year it was cooler with lower humidity and not a cloud in the sky. It's been a low key week, even though my family's been here. Appointments here and there, hanging out, and just enjoying time together. Below is a culmination of normal and abnormal people......and dogs.

Doesn't Montana look as if this homage is due him? Let me introduce Henry Waddlesworth Longfellow, AKA my DD's friend's new little long-haired dachshund. Don't you just love that name?! He is absolutely adorable, but feisty. He weighs a whopping 5#, next to Montana's ~60#.

To watch them play is hysterical, but we do have to keep a grip on Montana. He's not exactly known for his coordination, and his flailing legs could send Henry flying. Henry is a brave little soul... from the safety of his mommy's lap mostly, but ventured out a few times. Too funny.

And lastly, I'll leave you with a few pics of family fun at the park.

DS, DDIL, DD in back, my nephews and nieces in front - this is the family I went to see in OK earlier this year.

Me, DB, DSIL - note the silver hair, but he says at least he has hair - good point. LOL And he wonders why one of his kids always makes faces at the camera....

DH and me....
And lastly, just a few fireworks...everyone have a wonderful Fourth of July. There were many that paid a price for our freedom, statesmen and soldiers alike. If you ever see a picture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, note the somber faces. These men had a price tag put on their heads by doing this; they were marked men acorrding to King George III. They had no idea if any of them would survive or what would possibly happen to their families. Yet they were willing to take the chance. Let us never forget.




God bless the USA.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Whew! What a fantastic trip we all had. Belgium, France, England, and lastly, Scotland all went by in a thunderous good time! So much to see, so little time, but we certainly gave it our all. The actual tour started on June 10th with Stitching with Susan and Sally. I've never seen such beautiful needlework in all my days. We had such good times at the Royal School of Needlework (I think they had my most favorite piece of all), Jane Greenoff's Pinks Barn, The V & A Museum, and Joyce Petschek's Bargello Studio, etc. Those are just for starters.
Our friend, Kim, planned before and after trips while we were over in Europe. So as soon as we hit London, we took a train to Brussels and then Bruges, Belgium. Some mighty fine chocolate and lace, I might add. Very pretty and picturesque. Then off to Paris to see the sights. I lucked out and found a wonderful needlework shop there, too - good thing hubby wasn't around to see what I spent there!
Then to London for the actual tour. I've been to London four times in the past 30 years and have never seen the English countryside. It was such a treat - so beautiful. We went to Bath and actually saw places where Jane Austen lived and frequented. Can't get better than that, eh? Went to visit Jane Greenoff at her home. Now that was something to talk about. She was so friendly; very nice to see her in her home habitat. We had a visit with Joyce Petschek of Beautiful Bargello fame. She opened her home to us also; it was lovely and eclectic. Susan and Sally spent much effort on this trip; even with the expected excursions, there were lots of happy surprises along the way. Many thanks to them for wonderful planning for us all!
Then, again thanks to Kim, after England we went on to Edinburgh to see Scotland. Definitely one of my favorite places. My first time there and it was so inviting - such lush greens everywhere. Of course, the weather changed every 30 minutes or so; kept you guessing. Took a trip out to see the countryside with Glencoe, Inverness, Loch Lomond, and Loch Ness. Nope - didn't find Nessie, but we found lots else. Scottish people were so helpful and nice. Lovely place. Well, once I unpack and upload all my pics, I'll choose a few good ones to share. It was a great trip, but it's always good to come home.
On a rather interesting note, I'd gotten a phone card on the trip. I couldn't understand why it always cut me off after the home phone rang four times and it didn't go to voice mail. I found out why when I got home. Our little sweetie (Montana) had chewed through the cord that plugs in our main unit for all the portable phones. So who knows how long our phone has been out. DH said he was wondering why the phone never rang! Speaking of said Montana, I must tell you the saga of the days before leaving. I was frantically trying to be ready for the trip on the 5th, when my DH insisted something wasn't right with Montana's neutering. Lo and behold, he was right; Montana still had a testicle left after the surgery. The vet said he was danged if he knew what happened - Montana either had three to begin with or they missed one. The vet's assistant swore they counted two removed, but be that as it may, he still had one left afterwards. So off to surgery that day again he went. Poor thing, but the difference in him has been amazing. He actually appears to sleep now, when he's not chewing, I might add..... But all's well that ends well!

Stitching and Stuff

It's been jam packed lately; I've been finishing some exchange items and stitching fiendishly on a needleroll project for an upcoming trip. More on that later. But time is running out and I need to finish this up and stitch another heart for the RR before I leave.
Also helped my youngest DD move into her first apartment this weekend. My DS who works for a moving company (still looking for an engineering job....no luck so far) helped load up her truck, etc. He's being paid for it, but not with money. :)

I do have some stitching finishes; some haven't been received yet, so they'll be posted later.
First is the bookmark I sent to Shelley for the ILCS exchange; she loves lighthouses and burgundy, hence.....

Look what Shelley sent to me for our bookmark exchange. It's adorable......

Finished a pinkeep for a birthday exchange.....


A scissor fob for another BD exchange......


Some of the ladies in our Monday night stitching group are going on a XS tour to England with Susan Greening Davis. I can't tell you how excited I am about this. My DH gave this to me as a BD present well over a year ago, before we knew about the second wedding, my mom's eyes, FL wedding, etc. But such is life; you make plans and you never know what comes up. Everyone is doing fine at the moment, praise God. So I take off for 2 1/2 weeks of travel this Friday. We're leaving early to take in a few more places before the actual tour begins. Does anyone know of a good LNS in London, Paris, or Scotland (closer to London)? We're hoping to have a chance to get to some.
For my BD and Mother's Day, my youngest DD gave me this bag to take with me to hold my XS. It just came in the other day. Isn't it lovely?

My DS had given me flowers and my other DD gave me a small Ipod Shuffle. Now if I can take the time to put the music on it, I'll be set. :) Needless to say, they were all so thoughtful. Think maybe I'll keep them......LOL
We were out in the yard the other day and saw these two baby bunnies playing in our neighbor's backyard. They look like they are playing Follow the Leader. We get them every so often. Aren't they the cutest things?

And look at this fantastic sky; reminds me of the old sailor's warning...Red sky at night; sailor's delight. Red sky at morning; sailor's warning.

And lastly, our sweet Montana in his favorite position (when he actually quits moving, that is...)

Still looks a frog to me. He's six months old and weighs ~55 pounds. And yes, he does have a tail - must be underneath him. I'm beginning to think he might not be as big as everyone thought. OK by me - he's strong as an ox now. You ought to see him go after a butterfly - too cute.
Everyone have a great day!

Now We're Done....for a while

One more wedding this weekend. Sue and I have been friends for twenty-five years, starting with the birth of our children. They grew up together, went to school together, stayed in touch, and my DF's son was married here this weekend. It was a lovely outdoor wedding by the sound in Corolla, NC. While there, we took advantage of the weekend to throw in some activities.


We went on a jeep ride to see the wild horses around this area of Carova (Carolina-Virginia) up from Corolla. Highly recommend Wild Horse Adventures for this if you ever go to there.

Some big Monster Truck dude lives out here and posted this sign. Click to read - rather humorous. If you live up here beyond Corolla, it requires a 4-wheel drive. Be prepared to have what you need with you; it takes a while to get to any store. If you want to truly get away from it all, this is the place to be, though it's pricey. It's just sand and houses miles away from any roads, even though I've been assured they're listed with GPS.

Currituck.....


Bodie Island.....


Cape Hatteras.....

Climbed 400+ steps in lighthouses and saw gorgeous views. This view is from Cape Hatteras; if you ever look at a US map, you'll see the Outer Banks right off the NC coast. Note where that sharp hook is in the banks; this is it.

While riding down #12 on the Outer Banks, you blink and miss this. Anyone recognize this house? It's from the movie "Nights in Rodanthe." Too bad it's condemned; there were six houses around that all looked that way; I guess they couldn't be saved. Time and erosion do take their toll at the beach.

And lastly, for all of you frog lovers or haters, I couldn't resist taking a pic of this sign on #12. Too funny. Can't imagine where the name came from; I don't think I want to know......LOL

Stitching was non-existent; but I'm hoping to stitch this week. I'm working on three little gifts and finished a bookmark, but can't show anything yet. Everyone take care.

All is Well

First and foremost, thank you all so much for your continued prayers for my friend Terry. She is doing great - in fact, she should be going back to work tomorrow. We are all truly grateful she is still with us; a few more hours and the end result could very well have been different. No news on the heart yet, though it appears to be ok so far.
My youngest DD had her wisdom teeth removed right after I got back, so it's still been busy. She's just about back to normal and will be heading off to her job for the summer tomorrow. I haven't stitched too much, but I do have a few updates.


Next in the Friendship Sampler RR was for Karen's RR. There's a lull in the next two rotations, as two of the RR's are delayed for the moment. Hopefully, they'll be returning to the fold soon.
Isn't this a beautiful fabric? I believe Karen hand-dyed this herself.

Quilting - LHN/CC is normally one of my Monday night stitching rotations. Hope to go ahead and finish this one up, so I can continue the series.

And lastly, I put some stitches in Mom's Travel Sampler. Didn't get to my HAED this week, but hopefully the next.
I hope everyone had a relaxing Mother's Day. Ours was fun, as my DD and DSIL and youngest DD were here for lunch, along with my mother. She doesn't often get to my house, so it was a nice treat for us all. DS and DDIL were here Sat. night and left to see her mother on Sun. Beautiful weather and everyone else did most of the work, so it was great!
On a more somber note, as we all know, what can bring pleasure to some can bring pain to others. Some mothers are no longer with them or their children aren't, so please keep them in mind and prayer. Hugs to all. :)