A Little Catching Up

Well, I didn't mean to take that long of a break.

The days get away from me so quickly lately.

Today is my Mother's birthday.

It's hard to believe she has been gone almost six years.

I know we are way past Christmas but here are the last of the ornaments I fully finished for this year.

Snow Love

Country Cottage Needleworks

(I hope I have this right)

Got my cording tied just slightly off center.

I still have a few of these printed ornaments to do. I kind of like mixing them in for something different now and then.

I sew a piece of batting to the back before I do the embroidery, then I put a piece of felt on the back and blanket stitch it together.

I don't know when I originally stitched this one but I was never happy with my finish.

It doesn't look that bad in the picture but it was badly stuffed.

Every year when I pull it out I tell myself I need to re finish it and this year I did!

Much better!

Country Cottage Needleworks 

 2007 JXS Ornament Issue

And of course I can't post without a picture or two of baby girl.

She had her first milkshake a few weeks ago.

She loves to play outside! 

She's coming for a visit in a couple of weeks so Pa says we need to get her a slide for here.

Hope to not take so long between posts this time.

Is it too late?

 To say Happy New Year?

I haven't forgotten about this little blog - I just haven't had my head together enough to put together a post. 

I did finish a couple more Christmas ornaments that I will share,  but thought I would share a few more pics of baby girl on her birthday. I'll spread them out over a few posts and try not to overwhelm you with them. There are over 800 images. I finally sat down and ordered prints today (100+) for my album. I won't show you all of them but here are four to start with.

Tiny bit of catching up

First things first

Baby girl turned one a few weeks ago. 

A friend came and took pictures for us. First we went to the Rose Garden for pics of baby girl then she stayed and took pics during her birthday party. I will have more pictures to share later but she edited and sent this one for me to put in Christmas cards. I know she took over 800 that day, just don't know what the final count was after she went through them.

 I can't believe how much this girl has grown. This time last year she was just a little bitty thing.

Still missing daddy every day. Thank goodness for baby girl and little man. (River, my brother's two year old grandson) They bring so much joy to our family but there is always that little twinge of knowing how much daddy would be enjoying whatever happens to be going on at the time.

I did get a few ornaments made this year. 

(still have two to get finished but cold weather does a number on my hands and it makes it hard)

Joy Y'all by Red Bird Designs

It's an older chart but I just got around to stitching it this year.

The fabric has been in my stash for a long time but the package said it was True colors, 28ct evenweave "sponged'. (completely white on the back) I'm pretty sure it came from HL. I used all DMC except for his hat which is Classic Colorworks, Whatley Woodlands.

I made the cording following Vonna's video. She has great tutorials.

Sorry the pic is so dark. I didn't have the tree up yet and it was a rainy day but I wanted to get the pic before I gave one of them away. The other one is on my tree and I will try to get a better picture later. This is the piece I took with me to France. I can't tell you which one was actually stitched on in France (I didn't get much stitching done there) but they were on the same piece of fabric so they both went along!

Baby girl's ornament for this year came from an old Leisure Arts book, 250 Christmas Quickies. I subbed a couple of colors and added a jingle bell for the ornament, then used the same video (Vonna)  to make the two color cording. The fabric is 28ct Brittany, color is potato. Again, been in the stash for a long time. I had yard of this at one time but it's almost gone. 

Stitched this little Santa with his trumpet for Tyler (he plays the trumpet) from another oldie book, 365 Quick Christmas Designs by Kooler Design Studio. All DMC floss and again, made the cording. Same fabric as above.

I'll have to get back to you on this one. 

I flat out wrote the wrong thing in my notebook.

99.9% sure it was from a JXS ornament issue (2007?).  I stitched it once, years ago, and gave it away but I loved it so I bought the cording/tassel to stitch it again for myself and finally got to it this year.

When I say these things have been in my stash for awhile I'm talking before 2009. (I just don't know how much before that - we moved in 2009 so that's how I know 2009) 

Every year I tell myself I am going to get better organized and keep better notes -  it hasn't happened yet.

That's it for today. If I don't get back before then

Merry Christmas 

and 

Happy New Year!

 

Seven Weeks

 Daddy has been gone seven weeks today. 

I know life goes on but I am still somewhat in a state of shock.

Thank goodness for the babies.

Little man turned two last week and I couldn't help but go back and look at pictures from last year.

He doesn't need any help eating cake anymore! 

Daddy sure did love feeding that kiddo - anything he wanted! 

Great memories for us. I'm afraid little man will only remember in the stories we tell and in pictures.

He has gotten so big!

And then there is baby girl - no hair, no teeth but a smile to light up a room! I can't believe she will be a year old soon.

I did actually get something stitched. I had started this a day or two before daddy went in the hospital, then it sat untouched for weeks. I finally picked it up and finished the stitching and actually got it fully finished with a few days to spare. 

I changed the fabric to 32ct Lavender Lugana and painted the Tim Holtz clock black. 

This is the second time I stitched this one. I stitched it a few years ago for a gift and I really didn't want to give it away - so I bought the fabric and clock to do it again for myself and finally got to it.

It is stitched over one to make it fit in the clock. 

Hope you have a Halloween filled with treats and no tricks.

Time

 There is never enough time.

I've tried to write this many times over the past nine days. It's not easy.

After a sudden illness, two major surgeries and nine days in ICU, my daddy was reunited with my mother on September 11, 2024. 

We have a lot of memories and I know they will provide comfort in the days to come but dang, I was not ready for this. None of us were.

Never one to back down from a challenge, he zipped lined across the Royal Gorge one day after his 80th birthday. What a great trip that was!

I'm so grateful we got to take the trip to France in May - a trip he had wanted to make for a long time. He drank champagne at the top of the Eifel Tower at 82. (Mine! He swiped my glass right of my hand!) We saw all 5 beaches in Normandy, Mont Saint Michel and The Palace of Versailles. He was quite fascinated with the baguettes. So much fun.

 People have asked if he kept up with us while on that trip - the truth is we were having trouble keeping up with him! 

They were married in 1961. I'm sure when they said in sickness and in health they had no idea what that would look like. Mother was diagnosed with MS in 1984 and told she would be lucky to make it 5 years. She was stubborn and showed them. They had been married for 57 years when she passed in 2019. He took care of her those last, hard years an did everything he could to keep her home. I know he has missed her these past 5 years - we all have.

The reward for 83 birthdays. Daddy with the two youngest great grandbabies in June of this year. They were the light of his life. No matter what kind of mood he was in when those babies showed up he was all smiles. 

How do you say goodbye to someone who was always there?

It's going to take awhile to wrap our heads around this one.

Love you forever.

Omaha Beach

The view from our 'home' the second part of our trip.

The rest of these are in no particular order but were taken at Omaha Beach, the visitors center there and  at the American Cemetery.

 

There were six of these huge 'panels' that showed the movements of the troops

This area was behind a fence where they were getting ready for events marking the 80th anniversary - we were there a few weeks before the actual anniversary.

Random pics along the route either to or from...

We visited all 5 beaches over the course of three days - more pics to come.

Cousins

 Before we get back to photos from France...

These babies!

Pure joy. 

You just can't be in a bad mood with them around.

They both have the sweetest personalities.

But they are growing way too fast!