February Fun and a WIPacolypse

Nothing like winning orange rice crispy treats at Bingo, with sprinkles too!  He spied those when we arrived and was lucky enough to hold a winning baked goods ticket.  The gmen won too, Nathan helped Garrett pick iced brownies - now that's what I'm talking about!  BTW, he does actually brush his teeth, they aren't normally green!  Silly ring pop.

I'm just a little bit further along with One Nation, still a long way to go!  DJ and I are doing a SAL with this and I think I've fallen a bit behind.

 

I'm almost finished with my Trick or Treat Fairy and if I just sat down long enough with it, I could be done!  DJ is coming over on Friday to stitch/talk/laugh, so I think I'll make the effort to finish it then.

 

Taken at o'dark thirty in the morning! 

 The best news for February was that our perc plan for the new house has finally been approved!  This adventure will be on a different "blog" and if you're interested in following it, just let me know by commenting here or sending me an email. 

 

Taking the Plunge

Okay, I did it, I bought TWO Heaven and Earth Designs. 
Am I feeling well, do I have a fever, or am I just plain crazy?! 
It's taking me way too long to finish my other smaller pieces, but I bought them anyway - they're dragons, how could I not?!  I think I'm going to start with the smaller one first, AFTER I finish the two I'm currently working on.  Well, maybe after I finish one of them, I don't know if I can wait that long.

So for those of you who are pros at stitching these, any suggestions?  The 89 colours is starting to scare me!

I bought a new light, he's it's very illuminating.  When Ming tried to check it out and get inside, he pushed and nipped her away, big bully!

 

A Lost Treasure, Found!

My Dad sent me the pictures from our visit on Valentine's Day, here's my Mom and I.
Mom, are you still reading "These Hands" every day?!  (I think she liked it!)

My older brother came in from Louisiana for a visit that week.  I don't get to see him often enough and I wish we lived closer to each other!

Ah, cousins!  My nephew was able to come too, such a sweetie. 

Another version of triple trouble!

This is a piece my Dad found, stuffed in a corner of a desk drawer in the basement.  My Mom made this way back in 1981, he couldn't believe it wasn't damaged.  So he cleaned it up and went and had it framed.   I love it, she did a great job!

 

Hermitting in the Snow

Well, not really IN the snow, but I was looking at it the whole weekend!

We came to the lake this weekend since the boys had a half day Thursday, and no school Friday and Monday.  We had friends join us and had a great weekend.  Relaxing, sledding, gaming, movie watching, talking, entertaining ice sculpting, and oh yes, even some stitching!

Nathan loved the frozen cantaloupe ice bowling, even if he didn't get a strike.

I think I took a picture of every ice sculpture there, but he was still carving them as we were leaving.  I love the expression on the kids faces as they were watching.

More outdoor fun, but too cold and windy for me on Sunday!

 

This is what I like to see, men cleaning in the kitchen! 

Boys watching Star Wars.

 

Reading time with Shana.

And hey, I actually did some stitching this hermitting weekend!  Still not as far as DJ on our One Nation SAL, but it's coming.

 

Post Valentine goodie

Thank you for all the comments for my Valentine posts yesterday! 
The Secret Stitching Sweetheart hop had great stitched pieces and I found out that Miss Lilly was my secret stitcher, thanks Lilly!  My secret stitching got send to Nicola.

As for the post for my Mom, she loved it!  I'm so glad I was able to see her yesterday, only if it was just for the afternoon/evening.  My older brother and I were laughing about how we used to run away from her as she chased us with a wooden spoon!  But it didn't happen to me that much, I was the good child!  She said it must have worked, because we turned out just fine! 
No pics from our visit, my Dad didn't send them to me.

I finally sent Karen her belated Christmas present, which arrived on Valentine's Day.  Oops!  Nathan and I went to visit her last summer and we met her three furbabies, who we fell in love with.

Henry, Sadie, Emily

Parsley had stitched this pattern last year and had a give-a-way for it.  I didn't win, but had to have it so I could make it for Karen!  I knew it was perfect since we spent July 4th with her and she's got her three wonderful pups.  I thought I would personalize it and include their names.  She loved it!


This is the framing piece that the store messed up - the fabric was crooked, buckled and found out they didn't even pin it.  Thanks to DJ & Sonya's framing skills, they made it look the way that it should.  Thanks again, girls!
 

These Hands

In honour of Valentine's Day, you don't have to have a sweetheart to tell someone you love them.

These Hands

These hands held me as a baby.

These hands carried me when I was tired.

These hands comforted me when I cried.

These hands tucked me in bed.

These hands fed me when I wouldn't eat.

These hands held my hand when I walked.

These hands picked me up when I fell.

These hands helped me get dressed.

These hands scratched my back whenever I asked.

These hands spanked me when I needed it.

These hands helped me to swim.

These hands made my dolls clothes.

These hands knitted our treasured afghans.

These hands held all three of my babies.

These hands still make the German pancakes I love.

These hands still try to pinch my bottom.

These hands still hug me tight.

These hands, I love these hands.

I love you, Mom.

 

Secret Stitching Sweetheart

Happy Heart Day to you! 

Jo has hosted a Secret Stitching Sweetheart Hop and this is what I received.  Way cool, what a sweet stitch!  How can you not include loving cross stitch on Valentine's Day?!  So go take a hop over to Serendipitous Stitching to see the other wonderful pieces.

I have no idea who stitched this one, so at some point today, please let me/us know!

I hope you get some loving today, or maybe you'll be the one giving? 
Tell a friend, or even a stranger, they look nice.  I don't hesitate to tell someone I like something they're wearing, even if I don't know them.
Give a friend a hug, who couldn't use one of those?
Buy some flowers and hand them out to people who need a lift.
Call a friend, let them know you're thinking of them.
Are you a baker?  Share your goodies!
Send a funny ecard, make someone laugh.
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, need I say more?!
So Happy Hearts Day to you today, and every day. ♥

Gifts and Fun Tuesday!

Today was a day for receiving and giving.  I received this wonderful booklet from Jo, from her Grow Your Blog Party give-a-way.  There are so many cute things in there, I just need to make the time to stitch some.  Thanks so much, Jo, I love it!
And for the giving, I finally went to the post office today to post everything I needed to.  So for those of you who are expecting something from me, it's coming! 
As for the Poopy Pattern, guess what I found OUTSIDE the litter box yesterday?!

  Today Nathan had his belt test for this purple belt.

 He did it!  Here he is with his big brothers.  They took a break from their homework to watch, such a hardship for them.

 Did you know, it's Fat Tuesday!  I was going to make a King Cake, but totally forgot and ended up buying one at store.  It wasn't very good, so I'll have to remember next year so I can make my own.

February TUSAL

I saw no point in posting a January TUSAL since my glass was empty!  But I finally have something to show for this month, even if it is hard to see. 

 Here's my snuggle bunch, my spot is where the purple blankie is.

 

rachelle abellar, illustrator

 

Getting Somewhat Organized

Even though we still haven't gotten the official word for the septic approval for the new house, I've been trying to get ready for the move.  I've been moving all my stitching stash to an armoire, that way I'll be able to keep it with me instead of storing it.  Most of it's there already, just not quite sure what to do with all the "leftover" stash.  But I'll make room somehow!  All the goodies already in the shelves and containers in the background are card making supplies, they'll be staying there and hopefully be staying with me too.

 I also had to clean up and repack all our Christmas decorations to store at my friend's house.  This doesn't include two big containers filled with my Christmas village.  I hope she has enough room!  I was going to bring over my Halloween decorations too, but I don't want to scare her.

 

I finally filled the bird feeder and have had a visitor or two.  Such a shame we didn't get any snow, bummer. 

It's that time again - Send a Free Valentine!

What did the boy octopus say to the girl octopus?  I wanna hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand!

What are you going to put on your card?!  It doesn't cost a thing but a couple of minutes of your time... just do it!

 

		Choose your valentine: Help us gather 10,000 valentines by February 14! Dear Astrid, Remember how special you felt when you got valentines from your classmates when you were a kid? It was such a treat to have that decorated envelope or shoebox filled with kind notes from friends. Kids in the hospital this Valentine's Day won't be able to celebrate at school with their friends, but we can still give them a special day to remember. Choose a valentine to send to a child in the hospital. Your card will be printed out and given to a child in the hospital. We’re hoping to shower each of our patients with lots of valentines, so they know how much people like you care. With your help last year we gathered over 8,000 valentines — and the kids loved it! We've set a new goal this year to gather 10,000 valentines by February 14. I like to think Children's National is a pretty special place — not just because we provide quality care to every child who comes through our doors, regardless of whether their family can afford a hospital stay. But it's also because we work hard to create an environment where kids can be kids — and enjoy holidays like Valentine's Day — even when they're sick. Your valentine will help us make that possible. Send your valentine to a child in the hospital today. Just a few words mean so much. Thank you for reaching out and showing kids in need that you care this Valentine's Day. Sincerely, Pam King Sams Executive Vice President, Development Children's National Medical Center
	MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION | HOME TELL A FRIEND | PRIVACY POLICY Children's National Medical Center | 111 Michigan Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20010 | 301-565-8500 | Unsubscribe