fleurs

It's been so super gloomy and rainy all week.  I don't remember which day I stopped into Freddie's and there was a display of Spring bulb flowers and I snagged these narcissus.  I love, love daffodils, the cheery yellow always makes me smile.  This morning while making coffee I looked over at them, straining towards the light, and they just make me happy.  I think that's what I love most about them, the brightness they bring to an otherwise gloomy morning.

getting ready to stitch along

It's kind of late-ish (11:20pm) and I'm having trouble winding down.  So, I'm sitting here at the computer looking at blogs, ravelry, pinterest....the usual suspects.  I thought for a second I could start my new cross stitch project, but feel like maybe it's too much brain power for right now.  But, I could take a picture and post about it.  So, I am going to do my first ever year long stitch along.  I bought the pattern Story Time Sampler from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.  It is a pattern that has a portion sent once a month every month for a year.  I thought that would be a good pace for me, just a little bit at a time so I don't get overwhelmed.

 I just got the fabric for it today in the mail, really fast delivery!  I bought the embroidery thread colors and frame last weekend.  Today I thought it would be fun to make a bag just for this project.  The frame just barely fits in the bag to pull the drawstring but I think it will still work okay.  There is plenty of room for thread, notions and the pattern.  I used fabric I had left from a charm pack (5" squares) I bought a few years ago called A Walk in the Woods.  I really just love the little toadstools!

Hot chocolate, sleeping puppies.....hoping I will be able to join them!

sad moment

January 13, 1996.  It was a Saturday night.  I was in Job's Daughters at the time, there was a formal event and I wore my red sequined dress.  After the formal a friend of mine, her boyfriend and their friend, Scott, were meeting me to then go to a party.  My friend had been wanting to set us up.  I met them outside, and the second I saw Scott I knew.  I knew I loved him and that we would be married.  Our marriage was not perfect.  But no matter what we always remembered January 13th as the day we met.  As a special day.

So, yesterday came and went.  No one to reminisce with.  Not just me telling someone hey guess what today is?  I miss that cozy togetherness of sharing memories of the moment we found each other.  I mostly did okay.  But today, today I felt it.  That feeling that is both hollow and heavy at the same time.  The feeling that I could cry at any second.  I did survive the day because I know by now how to set my feelings aside (for the most part) and get through.

"Missing" him is not enough of a strong word for what this feels like.  At least once a day I am still caught off guard by wanting to talk to him or thinking of him as if he is alive and snapping back to "he's dead".  Dead.  Gone.  But, oh, how I long to hear his voice, tell him all the details of everything.

Sorry to keep going on with my sadness.  In a way though I'm not sorry.  This is my life.  It's real and messy and sad at times - it is what it is.  Right now I'm very sad.  Tomorrow will be different.  That's the other thing I've learned about grief.  Just one day at a time.  And when the day is overwhelming or too much just take it an hour at a time, a minute if need be.

giraffey

Let's see....who do we have here just hanging around in the back yard?  Oh, just a little giraffe in a sweater!

 I finally finished the sweater for this little giraffe today.  Can I please tell you how much I love this little guy???  Bah! I love it.  I'm going to be giving him away to a lady at work who is due any day now.  And then I will be casting on another one for myself!

P.S. I forgot to mention that I am currently re-watching Gilmore Girls starting from the beginning.  I love that show.  I am currently on season 2.  I'm buying a season at a time from Amazon, because I'm too cheap frugal to pay for cable every month!  I love the banter of the show and also that it's set back East.  I have very much romantisized that area of the country and it's charm.  I also love each character, they are quirky.

I changed a row of my Modern Maples quilt, the farthest row on the left in the picture below.  Previously it had just been the orange leaf at the top and then alternated beige and cream squares.  I realized that it was bothering me.  So, I seam ripped it apart and add the fuchsia and yellow.  You can't tell in the picture below but the yellow has little sheepies on it!  Bah!  love it.

Here's a close up of the fuchsia addition.  I really just love both of these fabrics so had to add it in somehow.

I just had to add this picture of my turkey cat George.  I know it's a bit blurry - eh.  While I was doing my nails last weekend she was investigating the tote I keep my nail supplies in!  Silly girl.

Another blurry picture.  Every day I come home for lunch, and have to wake Joey up from his snooze to give him lunch.  This picture was Thursday or Friday?  Not sure but he is laying across my pillows!  He work up right when I snapped the pic, but he had been so fast asleep!!  My dogs have it pretty good - pillows to sleep on and much love.

Here's what I made this morning.  I suddenly decided I need a double pointed needle holder for my sock project.  Basically it's just a rectangle of fabric, lined, folded over and snaps attached to hold the needles in there.  Not that I've had a needle mishap, but still.  I didn't really mean to match the yarn, just picked up two squares laying on my sewing table.  I love that I've gotten to use those vintage snaps that I've had for, like, ever! 

I'm kind of thinking I might like to make a roll up needles case next?  Not sure really, but thinking it would be nice to have the needles I use most often in one spot.  Easily accessible spot, that is.

 I'll leave you with this picture of my wildcat.  I just went to shut the back door and spotted her in the tree.  I love how her blue eyes stand out.  What are you up to today?   

up before the sun

Isn't it funny (or not) that on the days you can sleep in most likely you wake up early? So I've been awake since well before 6am on my first real Saturday off in a few weeks!  I laid in bed for a loooooong time trying to will myself to sleep and it just wasn't happening.  Eh. So here I am about 1/2 way through my first cuppa coffee and there's a beautiful sunrise happening.  I tried to get a picture for you, but you know houses and trees and junk in the way.  But you can see the gorgeous pink peeking around.  I love that.

So, the giraffe is sooooo close to being finished but I couldn't wait to show how cute he is!  I just have the tail and a little sweater and he is donezo!  

Methinks today I will be sewing.  I put my modern maples quilt back up on the wall and have been staring at it again even though it's all sewn together.  I discovered when I put it up the wrong side up that I don't like part of it.  So, I may be seam ripping.  and resewing.  And, I was contemplating adding a border but I'm thinking no now.  And, I have new fabric to play with so I may add another row or two???  We'll see.

I almost forgot!  On new year's day, I had to sew something, but since I was still just staring at the quilt I made a potholder.  I was rummaging around and found this leftover churn dash block from my Nine Dash quilt.  So, I just made a little quilt sandwich with some toadstool fabric as the backing and used leftover quilt binding.  I mostly wanted to play with making flowers with my free motion quilting.  I didn't like the way it looked so ripped it out and just stippled.  I think the flowers would look better on a bigger project instead of this small one.  Or maybe, a flower in the middle with echo stitching might work for a small project?  Hmmmmm.

 P.S. don't mind all the amigurumi animals peeking around, tee hee!  There's a little built in shelf behind my stove that has become a little ami playground along with various ceramic toadstools.

goals for 2015

Aye yay yay.  The past few days have been heavy.  Tuesday the 30th was my wedding anniversary.  Scott and I were married that day 17 years ago.  It was a hard day, going through it with no one knowing how important that day is to me.  I don't expect people to do or say anything - it's just sad that a day that was celebrated between us is now just another day to everyone else.  And then New Year's.  I have entered another year that Scott didn't live to see.  And, yet, I am hopeful that 2015 will be better somehow.

So!  I started my new year by sleeping in until 10:30!!!!  hahaha.  And, got to talk to Mom.  A good way to start I think.

I said I wasn't going to make resolutions, buuuuut.  I keep thinking of things I'd like to accomplish this year!  Which, I think is a good thing ultimately.  I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't do these things, is just stuff that would be cool to do.

* make more socks!  Maybe 6 pairs this year?
* start a sweater - at least start and see what happens :)
* ride my bike to work this Summer at least once a week
* re-examine dress making - some comfortable casual options would be nice.
* finish the quilt tops I started
* finish reading the Hobbit! and try to read more
* memorize 2 scriptures a month with the Siesta Scripture Memory Team with Beth Moore
* cross stitch! I signed up for a year long sampler from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery, which I have long admired and just decided to jump in! I'm going to do the Storytime Sampler

I think these things are pretty manageable and leave room to add on.  I've done the scripture memory verses before and didn't quite make it the full year but what I did manage to do was a blessing so I'm going to give it another go.

Today I am taking it easy.  It's freezing cold out but the sun is bright and shiny.  To anyone reading this, I hope 2015 is kind to you!