Almost July!!

   Well, I am ashamed to say that it has been almost 4 months since my last post! I have had good intentions but life sometimes gets in the way. Being the perfectionist that I am, I always feel like I can't post unless I have plenty of time to set down and think it out and pick out the pictures that I want to go with it and all, and well, let's just say, that never happens!  Hope all of my blog friends are doing well!  I do check out others blogs alot and I love reading about everyones adventures an what they are working on!
  
  It is almost July! I can't believe how fast that time goes by and it seems the older I get, the faster it goes!  I wll be 45 in just a couple of weeks and it seems like just yesterday, I was 25!   The only way that I know I am 45 is because I can feel it sometimes! lol Seems like little things hurt or don't work as well as they  use to. I can't see as well as I used to either.  Always had awesome vision and my sister called me Hawk Eye.  Well, Hawk Eye is fading and I have even had to wear reading glassses to cross stitch for the last year now. 

   Oh well, mentally, I love being middle aged! You are a little wiser, no matter what the kids think.  I know what I want out of life!  Don't always have it, but I know I want it! lol  Everytime I say anything to my mother about dreading my birthday or my age, she always says, "Welll, how would you like to have a daughter that is 45"?  That always shuts me up! It's true, I am happy that I am healthy and that my family is as well!

    Recently was blessed to be able to go to one of my favorite places!  The Smoky Mountains will always be a part of me.  When I was small, my grandparents didn't live far from there and we visited frequently!  I am amazed excited and saddened a little about how much it has grown and changed over the years! There also is one of my favorite needlewok stores there, "Dixie Darlin". This visit, they had Linda Myers personal collection of her completed cross stitch designs on display! I love Linda Myers!  I was told that they had taken it to Market and had gotten permission from Linda to keep it on display in the shop for a while! I loved it and also picked up several designs that I hadns't seen before while I was there!

I am working on this one now!

Here are a few of our vacation pics. My sister came down for a few days with her girls and made it awesome!   I love my neices!

What I'm up to Wednesday!

        Wrapping up this Wednesday. It is almost over. Wednesday isn't really "hump day"  for me because I work weekends, but I had a pretty productive day today.  Took some things to my local consignment shop then I stopped in to visit my friend, Angel at "Primtiques".  She just reopened on March 1st after a fire destroyed her shop a few months ago.  Her new place looks great!  Seems like sometimes just going and looking at things that you like gives you inspiration to create and decorate, whichever.  And today, I did a little of both! 
    I finally framed one of my embroidery pieces this evening and it looks awesome!  It is a pattern by Kathy Schultz and I have had it finished for a while but had never framed it yet. Found this frame at Walmart a couple of weeks ago and was still being lazy about doing it, but finally....here it is!  I love it and the frame worked awesome! 

I also have been working on "A Farmer's Almanac". It is a cross stitch chart by Prairie Schooler.  Using 32 ct mushroom over 2 threads.  Don't know how much longer my eyes will be able to do this high count, so I am doing them while I can.  Having to wear my reading glasses to work on it and sometimes, it is still hard to see!   It sucks getting older! I do love this design, but I love most Prairie Schooler designs so it is fun to work on! 

                  We had a little snow here when I awakened on Monday morning and though I hope it is the last one, it was really pretty!  I had to go out early that morning and here are some pictures that I took while driving, yes driving, through my front windshield.  I really am a safe driver, I swear and there were no other cars around me when I took the pictures! lol

                                                                      I have really enjoyed reading some of my friends blogs this week and so excited that I have one a couple of contests!  Will take some pics and show you my winnings in the next couple of days! 
      Want to share with you a great thing that happened to me this week!   I met someone online about 3 years ago on Myspace.  Her name is Jodee and she is from Idaho.  We had so much in common and hit it off right away.  Although, we no longer talk on Myspace....Facebook is our connection of choice these days, we have kept this relationship going for 3 years and I now consider her one of my very dearest and  best friends!  Well, we have always talked about visiting each other or atleast talking on the phone and finally after 3 years, we talked to each other on skype the other night!  It was so great  to finally see her face and hear her voice, even though she has a weired accent! lol   I feel closer to her than ever! I love you Jodee and hope that we remain friends for a very long time!
    I read a quote a little while ago that I keep thinking about and I want to leave you tonight with it. I don't know who said it to be able to give credit, but it made me think and still is! I love it!!  It said, "when you die, your tombstone will have two dates that everyone will see, but it's the dash in the middle that counts"!       

Rainy, Windy Monday!

       Hi everyone!  I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while.  I did some reading of others blogs and also a few comments but just haven't had time to work on my own.  Sometimes life just gets in the way.  My family has had a little bit of turmoil in the last week and things are seeming to calm down a little now.  I sure hope so! Please keep us in your prayers! 
     Well, I haven't had much sewing or crafting time in a while and  though I have been working on a few things, don't really have any pictures to share yet. Hope everyone is getting alot of things ready for spring! I did plant a small starter herb garden with my grandbaby and she was so excited!  
   We are getting storms here this morning with heavy rain, wind and hail and I have to say that I like it!!!! It makes me know that Spring is on the way and I am so ready!  Something about being able to be outdoors is just exhilarating to me and I can't wait to plant flowers!
   I found a few pictures in various places on the net.  I hope I am not infringing on any copyrights or anything.  If any of you see anything that is yours, I will remove it or give you credit.  It is just things that I found that i love and make me happy!  I want to share some of them here!  Until next time, have glorious, amazing day!

 

This is my beautiful angel, Cheyenne!

    

Can't sleep!

    Well, I have been up all night!  Just not sleepy but I have to go to bed soon because I have to work all night tonight and I am never gonna make it!  Thought I would share some pics of some recent works. Please give me some feedback on my things!

  This is my first cloth doll!  I have always quilted or cross stitched but have never done much doll making. She is on her way to her new owner now but she was so much fun to make, I have already started on 4 more!

                               

I recently joined a swap hosted by Tammy at "A Primitive Place" and the items in the second two pics are my offerings.  I haven't heard from my partner yet, but I hoped that she liked them! 

I sent her a candle mat, little quilt, wallhanging or whatever made by me using the cathedral windows pattern, a sweet little pillow that matches Annies' dress and an Irish Mocha candle.  It was my first swap and I loved it!  Can't wait to do it again! 

As always, I am going to leave you with some shots of my area in the Sounthern Mountains of West Virginia! Enjoy and have a great day!

My Swap gifts!!

   I received an awesome gift in the mail today!  My friend  Darla  from  http://theprimpatch.blogspot.com/
was recently assigned to be my partner in a swap hosted by Tammy from http://aprimitiveplace.blogspot.com/.  Well, I received her offerings today and let me just say...they smelled amazing!  I love Tattered Teddy and had commented about him to her previously and  that is what she sent me!  Thanks so much, Darla!  I am incuding some pictures of my amazing things!  Could not have been a better experience for my first swap!  Can't wait to be involved in more!

                     She had no idea how much I love sheep and she sent me the cutest little one that I love!

      My husbands' 95 year old grandmother had a fall last week and broke her neck in 4 diferent places and we have been really worried about her! She is so strong and healthy otherwise, that they think she is going to make a good recovery considering her age!  She has full movement and is even already getting up and walking using a walker!  Please keep her in your prayers!