Monday, November 24, 2008

Framed, Finished, and Grateful


Went to stitching group last night and "Wedding" was framed and ready to go. You can't really tell it by the picture, but the actual frame is silver that changes color a little as it hits the light. My daughter has seen a picture of it stitched and she knows it was being framed. Now the dilemma is - put her off and save it for Christmas or go ahead and give it to her? It really was meant to be a wedding gift, as opposed to Christmas, but it wasn't finished until shortly after the wedding. Decisions, decisions.


Made some decent progress on TS (Travel Sampler) during an SAT this past weekend. Glad to be on an actual motif, instead of one of the two borders. (Glutton for punishment here to have put in two borders (it's Kim R's fault for letting me see her gorgeous sampler borders). It'll be pretty, but it does make somewhat monotonous stitching sometimes. It's good to be stitching some of the fun part now. :)

I'm also really getting in the Christmas mood with stitching and finished up this Mill Hill kit - Poinsettia.

Sometimes it's easy to get so caught up in preparing for Christmas, Thanksgiving is just the first day of the Christmas season. Savoring this holiday is one way to show gratitude for the blessings in my life. As we all know, there's no guarantee for tomorrow. Feeling thankful for the special things today is important.

So here's my list of blessings:
-My Savior, who gives me life & gave us a fantastic church to call home.
-My DH, sweet, loving and hard-working
-My family, (DH, DD & SIL, DS & fiance, DD & BF, and my mother are the constants in my life).
-My mother - she deserves a special place here - I cherish the relationship we have.
-My brothers and all their families, that I love dearly and enjoy so much the times we get together.
-My friends, that I've had for both long & short years (Nancy, Sue, Cheryl, Frances, Terry, Kathy, & Deborah - you keep me sane!) Bless you.
-My dog, who gives me a glimpse of what unconditional love is like! (ok, ok, & my cat, who gives us a glimpse of .....never mind (sigh) LOL
-My health, though I could be doing more to help it.
-My trappings of life - shelter, transportation, jobs, and so much more.
-My country & all those who came before to give us freedom and those that keep us free still. Our country was & is built upon the backs of their sacrifices. Bless you.
-And for you, my cross stitching friends, both near and far. Some I get to see each week or every so often, and some I will never meet in person, but I treasure our friendships. The intangible gifts received through these online boards, groups, and blogs are priceless. Through them we all share a love and passion for needlework that is limitless.
I feel as if I know many of you well enough to share personal tidbits of my life and to gladly listen as you share yours. I've laughed, cried, been challenged to try new ideas, and definitely been enabled! (ahem, Rene & others...;0 ). I love the stitching pieces, the parts of your life you share, your encouragement, your pictures, your blogs, and your love of needlework. It's a privilege to know you here online and consider you all a daily part of life. And special gratitude is given to those that keep all these groups, boards, and blogs going. Thank you for all the personal comments you've made in groups or on my blog. They are so encouraging & I truly do value each and every one.
You all have touched and enriched my life in ways that you may never fully know.
God bless you all & have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Carolyn NC

19 comments:

Gabi said...

How beautiful the wedding sampler looks framed. And your picture shows so nicely the sparkling fabric as well. I enjoy watching your Travel Sampler growing, it's a true beauty. Lovely ornament too. And the list of blessings is really touching. Gave me a warm feeling to read it. Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving

Sadie said...

The wedding sampler is beautiful. Yay for no more border stitching for a bit! Very pretty orie, I really want to try one of those. Your blessings were lovely, really moving. It made me stop and think of all the things I have to be thankful for, thank you. x

Beth said...

The wedding sampler is beautiful in that frame, Carolyn. Your daughter is going to love it!

A very cute little ornament. I envy you, because I just do NOT have the patience to do Mill Hill kits. Congratulations on your finish, and your finishing job is wonderful.

Hugs,
Beth

Ashley (The Euphoric Stitcher) said...

The wedding sampler looks beautiful!!

Unknown said...

The wedding sampler is fabulous and your ornie is very pretty!
Looking forward to seeing another update on your WIP!

Nancy M said...

The framed piece is gorgeous and I can see your need to start a motif! I love the Mill Hill things. I have decided to do my first RR with the Mill Hill christmas houses. But the best part of this blog was the blessings!!! You put it so eloquently!! The part about the online groups is exactly how I feel, but could never put into words. Wish I could copy and paste it! LOL

Meari said...

I'd give it to her now. LOL It looks great, as does the ornie. Good job!

Lou's addictions said...

I love your sampler so far, oh and you christmas ornie is gorgeous, I just wish i had the time to do some myself, theres always next year though.

Rene la Frog said...

WOW the wedding sampler is awesome, great choice of a frame.

Love your ornie.

Kathy said...

The Wedding sampler is gorgeous. The frame is perfect. Me, I would give it to the for Christmas. It will make it extra special and hopefully give them a Christmas memory to treasure as well.

Your list of Blessings is beautiful. To that list I would add I am thankful for the sunrise each morning. And since I am usually an early riser I do see the sunrise. :)
May you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Unknown said...

I love that wedding sampler. I would love to do it someday but seeing as how the only ones to get married any time soon are still tweens it might be awhile! Maybe I will stitch it for myself? There's a thought :)

It is so sad to see Thanksgiving passed over so much for Christmas. In this time of economic stress I think it is really important to count our true blessings.
Heidi-ILCS

Donna said...

That is a gorgeous wedding sampler and I loved it framed. You too are a blessing in my life. Thank you for your post. It was wonderful!

Maureen said...

That is such a gorgeous wedding sampler, I am sure your daughter will treasure it - i would hang on to it for Christmas now though as it is so near - love the ornie as well.

Debbie Jo said...

Your Wedding Sampler turned out very lovely. All your stitching is very pretty.

Mylene said...

Your Wedding sampler framed looks beautiful.

Jinger said...

Your wedding piece looks great! They will love it!

Can't wait to see your Travel Sampler finished. I'm intrigued by your progress.

Like the Mill Hill ornie!

Courtney Short said...

the wedding sampler is beautiful.. I like your choice of frame as well.. I did a wedding sampler before and loved how it turned out.. I think it's a unique wedding gift.. and like you .. it ended up as a christmas gift instead of a wedding present :-)

oh and I loved your thankful list.. in particular first being thankful for your savior - as we all shoudl be.. and also for mentioning online crafty friends.. I have met some of nicest and most talented people I have ever known online, and cherish their friendships just like my friend that might live down the street..

Lana said...

Love the wedding Sampler! It is just beautiful!! The TS sampler is coming along, but I would go crazy with that border! Good luck to you on that!!! =P
~A Joyful Stitcher~

CameoRoze (Margaret) said...

Oh, wow. The wedding sampler is just stunning! Love the sparkles and shades of blue. Lovely mat and frame. Oooooo!