Finished Ahead of Time! First Miracle of 2009

Our ANG Guild (Atlanta Chapter) started a service project last November that will result in a beautiful stitched wall hanging for the local Ronald McDonald house. I signed up to be a stitcher because I had recently rejoined the Guild and I really support the mission of Ronald McDonald Houses. The design is beautiful- leaves and background stitched in shades of Splendor with Watercolours accents. The piece I was assigned was long on Splendor and short on Watercolours so you might not get the full effect of the design with my square, but I loved stitching it. You may not agree with me, but mindless basketweave stitching can really fill the bill after a long day at work. There are times when a stitcher needs to be able to pick up the needle and stitch rather than think! Since Splendor is a stranded silk, I did have to dig out my tekobari to lay my stitches. What am I most proud of? The fact that I finished the piece a month and a half before the deadline! There are a few benefits to an empty nest!

Holiday Complete

Where did the time go? College students are headed back to school with CLEAN laundry and full stomachs. Well, full for a minute or two. We cooked all the old favorites and tried a few new ones. (Breakfast Enchiladas: Southern Living Dec. '08 and Italian Chicken Sticks: Paula Deen from the Food Network web site) I really enjoyed this part of Christmas. Actually, the house will be split for a week. Hank is headed back to school for the Interim term and Hughie leaves in a week. I will miss Hank and enjoy time with Hughie. This is the reverse of what we experienced in August. I will head back to work tomorrow after a pleasant two weeks at home. It will be a work day and will help me ease back into a structured routine.

On the knitting front I finished a beautiful pair of Alpaca Sox for my dad- picture after blocking and am working on a pair of socks for a friend of Hughie's . Since he leaves to go back to school in a week, I am under pressure to get this project off the needles. The colors are great and they are working up quickly, so this project is a pleasure not a chore.

When the knitting is done I am turning my attention to a needlepoint square that is part of our ANG community service project- a wall hanging for Ronald McDonald House. I was rolling along on this piece before Christmas, but got sidetracked with the holiday festivities. It needs to be finished by March and has a lot of basketweave so I try to put in 3 lengths of thread per day before working on another project.

The Christmas tree is remarkably fresh and still fragrant. It wasn't completely decorated until the 20th, so I am in no hurry to get it down. Later this week? Next weekend? Time and energy will tell!

Time to work on Chicken and Dumplings- the last of the favorite homemade foods before the dreaded dorm food. I am hanging it out a little bit- Usually I buy frozen dumplings at the grocery store and the results are great. Today I am using homemade pasta. Theoretically it should be better, but ..until the mix is complete, I won't know.....

In the words of Winnie the Pooh..."TTFN" (TaTa for now)

New Year's Eve: A Tribute to an Outstanding Life

When I picked the name for this blog and created the image it was June 2008. My baby was college bound, my needlepoint business had been sold and my real estate business was suffering from the effects of a crashing economy. I was updating my teaching certificates and preparing to go back into the education world. This blog was part of a class and I was tickled to be finally creating something that had been on my to do list for a long time. My plan was, and still is to detail my stitching and knitting and whatever other interests might fit the form. What I wasn't planning was a eulogy for a wonderful brother. The classes were completed, the job obtained and I was quietly adapting to an empty nest with everyone away at college. I wasn't prepared for that phone call from my sister in law on Saturday September 20th.... My baby brother was busy taking pictures of the Hershey High School football team on Friday night and suffered an aneurysm. He was gone in an instant. Brother, Father, Son, Husband, Grandfather. Photographer, Golfer, Artist and Architect, Man of God, Volunteer and Blood Donor, Hard Working Man...always smiling. Your passing has left a big void in my life. I know that you are at peace in a wonderful place where we will meet again. I will never be able to buy a box of peas without thinking of you! The beach at Hilton Head will never be the same. Today would have been your 54 th birthday. The world has always helped you celebrate and New Year's Eve will always be a tribute to your outstanding life. I know you are celebrating with the angels and so many others who love you like I do. Happy Birthday Brother! I miss you!