Time...

Time seems to be passing faster and faster!  December saw the restart of baseball practice for the boys.  My oldest is also trying out for the school basketball team and has made the first cut.  Then there is also the general hustle and bustle that comes with the Christmas season.  School Christmas events, concerts, shopping, decorating, etc...

My middle guy had his band concert this past week.

They sounded really good!  We'll be attending the orchestra concert for my oldest son later this week.

 

Needless to say, there has been little stitching.  I did manage to stitch this little freebie from Nikyscreations.

I am trying to get the freebie from iStitch designs stitched as well, but am not quite there yet.

 

The final tusal time has come and gone...there really isn't much difference in my jar..so, no new picture.

 

I have to give a very special thank you to my dear friend, June.  She sent this beautiful ornament for me along with some other goodies and I absolutely adore it!! 

Thank you so much, June.  You are truly a treasure.

 

Treated myself to this mug from Heartstring Samplery.  The picture is from her design, "Baby It's Cold Outside".  I have that one on my ever growing list of charts I hope to one day stitch!!

This mug is perfect for my mommy hot chocolate!  Mommy hot chocolate has an extra special touch.

The hot chocolate is from our local Swiss chocolatier.  Another great option besides the cherry, is coconut rum.  Not a lot, just a touch is just right.

 

Around the house...

 

And I can't forget to add a few of my latest favorites of the puppy.  He turned nine months yesterday and recently weighed in at 127 pounds.

Nap time!!

Waiting for Santa...

Just trying to rest here..

Merry Christmas!!

 

I want to say how heavy my heart is for all those families in Newtown, CT.  I've been hugging my boys extra tight this weekend.

“If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever.”
― A.A. Milne



Stitching Goodness and Other Things...

I am finally able to show you the goodies from the Fall into Halloween Exchange from the Stitched With Love Exchanges, hosted by Lainey.

 

I prepared a package for Dawn.  I discovered that Dawn went to the same college as my husband and me ~ it's a small world ~ she even graduated the same year!  Here are the goodies I sent to her.

Some leaf buttons, fabrics, flosses, candle, Jolly Jack pattern, hand towel, a little basket, and a place to rest her needles. 1692 is the year of the Salem Witch Trials.

 

I received the following goodies from Nancy.  I feel completely spoiled.  Buttons, thread winder, a fabulous book on samplers, the ornament magazine, Jolly Jack pattern and....

this fabulous pillow!!  I forgot to take a picture of the fabric on the back, a cute orange and black check.   

Thanks so much Nancy!!  I love it all!!

 

Back in September, I was chosen by Veronica to win one of her Cathedral Window pincushions.  It had a long way to travel ~ all the way from Malaysia!  I was so excited when it arrived, it's even prettier in person.

Thanks again Veronica! I really love it!

 

Here is my once~again~overdue Tusal jar.

Can you see those reds, blues, greens, golds and white at the top?

They are from the last three ornaments for the year!!  Another set of three sleds.  I want to thank June for keeping me on task with the ornaments this year.  I still have to go back and do the finish~finishing on a couple of ornaments from earlier in the year.

These were so fun to do and easy to assemble.  If you are interested, you can find these sleds and varying sets of patterns at Dixie Darlin in Pigeon Forge, TN.  They are exclusive to this shop and they have recently added sets of bird ornaments, with designs to attach to the wings.

 

This past weekend was the final baseball tournament of the year.  My middle guy's local travel team, the Bulldogs, came in second place!  Granted, there were only three teams (three teams had to drop out ~ two were due to the lasting effects of Sandy in their hometowns), but they had the same record as the 1st place team, 2 wins and one loss.  They just happened to lose the one that would have given them first place...that's my guy on the left after they were awarded their trophy.

 

And I can't leave you without a puppy update.  Panzer turned 8 months old last Thursday!!

Here he is being tempted by the ribs that my little guy is eating.

And here, well, my husband went in to work real early one morning.  I opened my eyes to find this...

Looks rather comfy, doesn't he?

 

A final quick reminder, anyone placing an order with the Strawberry Sampler, between now and the end of the month, will receive 20% off their order if "Bramblewood" is placed in the comment section of the order form.

 

I want to take a moment to wish all of you, and your families, a very Happy Thanksgiving!!  May your day be filled with love, laughter, family, friends, and good food!

“What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”
― A.A. Milne



A Beautiful November Weekend

Finally, a weekend with absolutely no baseball activities!  A time to catch up on some much needed yard work..

And since it was such a beautiful Sunday, we headed over to Longwood Gardens to see the mums before they switch everything over to Christmas.

Come walk with me...

Oops...not the puppy, he's not allowed at Longwood...let's try that again...

My little guy found this heart for me...

A peek at some Christmas Holly...

Adorning the entrance to the conservatory...

The masterpiece....yes, that is all one plant...

I had to take a pictures of a few of the orchids as well...

Not sure what this was called, but loved the color...

A section of the outdoor train display...

Oh how I wish my Winter berries looked this full!

Loved the shades of browns...

Climbing the Chimes Tower...

Still a touch of color outside to see...

One of our favorite spots in summer when the water is flowing, but it is neat to see the structure of the stones as well...

One of the garden cats...such beautiful stripes...what's she watching?

These garden rats were disturbing her hunt...

Hope you enjoyed walking along...this could very well be the last of our warm weekends.

 

There has been little stitching.  I am playing catch up on the monthly ornaments, so I am stitching more of the little sleds.

Hopefully, I will be able to soon show you the goodies from the last exchange I participated in.  There are a couple people still waiting on their packages.

 

A quick reminder that if you place an order at the Strawberry Sampler, you have until the end of November, to put "Bramblewood" in the comments to receive 20% off ~ a little something for those who entered the giveaway.

 

Oh, and Panzer wanted to let everyone know, that he is still a puppy, turning 8mths this coming Thursday, even though he weighed in at 119.4 pounds.  I thought we were getting a dog, not a small horse....

 

Today, a very sweet little neighbor boy, aged 5, brought me flowers and chocolate...so sweet..

“He thought how sad it was to be an Animal who had never had a bunch of violets picked for him.”
― A.A. Milne