Chart Give-a-Way Winners

I'm happy to announce that all names of those who wanted to be entered in the drawings for the charts were put into a hat and my not-so-little guy drew the winner(s).       Rose of http://christmascitystitcher.blogspot.com/ won the La-D-Da chart and Faith of http://faithnchls.blogspot.com/ won the My Big Toe design.  Congrats to both!!!

I am going to be giving away more charts and maybe a couple more "just for fun" non-stitching give-always over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.     :)

Things are still up in the air with my mom but the attorney is helping us "buy time" as we search for a new home that will be a good fit for her.

I promise I'll be back soon with some pretty cool pics from the flower show at Epcot.  :)

Hugs and Grace,

Sharon

Happy Dancing in the Dark

Whew, the last couple of weeks have certainly been a challenge.  Due to some issues with my mama, we've been informed that she is no longer welcome at the nursing facility that she has been residing in.  Due to those issues (and some that mom has displayed in the past), it's proving VERY difficult to find a place that will accept her.  So far, we're on 39 turn-downs and counting.  We have just been worn out and worn down.  We've finally hired an attorney to help us navigate the challenges, so hopefully, we'll soon be headed in the right direction on the right road.

I have had very little time for "daytime" stitching, but when worry creeps in during the quiet, night hours...when no one is stirring but me...I  turned to my stitching for a familiar rhythm and peace.
The comfort of that is that I have a finish!!!!    :)

What better piece to stitch on during these challenging days than "Hope"?  Sad that it took me so long to finish a piece that is only 61 x 61, but I'm really happy with this little piece.  I'm trying to decide if this lil cutie will become a pillow or an ornament.  In the meantime, it gets to reside in my empty "finishes" drawer.  I've also pulled out my forever WIP, "Delicate Beauties" by Paula Vaughn.  I've made a wee bit of progress....but still so many stitches to go.  But, every stitch is a good stitch, so progress is being made.

I promised a chart give-a-way a couple of weeks back...clearing out my stash very slowly.  Here are pics of the three charts that I'm giving away to new homes.

Chart #1

Chart #2

Chart #3

All charts have been gently used.  If you'd like an opportunity to "win" any of these charts, please leave a comment and let me know which of the patterns you'd enjoy.  Please feel free to ask to be entered for all three charts if you'd like.  Winners will be announced Monday, May 6th.  As stash clean-out proceeds at a molasses in winter speed, I will have more charts to give away.  I'm starting to get real about stash I love, stash I've already stitched  and stash "what was I thinking?"  LOL

In and amongst all the gory mess lately, my sister and I have traded each a couple of days off.  It just got to be too much on both of us day-after-day-after-day.  So, I have some pretty neat pictures of the Flower Show at Epcot (Disney) in an upcoming post.  (My uber- lucky sister is taking her days off this week in Bermuda!)  :)

I'm trying to fuddle my way through these challenging times with grace, but lately I feel that I have failed "grace" miserably.  I'm trying...falling, failing and getting up again, not necessarily gracefully, but always trying to be more grace-full.
I always have much to be grateful for....even those middle of the night happy dances in the dark!  :)

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon

Drumroll, Please....

The winner of the first Seaside Stitcher give-a-away is Calamity Jr.  As you can see, my first give-a-way was a humble one,  but I hope Calamity enjoys some of the same things that I like.  Included are a "chunky pen" (I always lose the Bic Stick ones), cupcake liners that say "time for tea" (Luv me some tea and cupcakes!), a couple of fun spring "bath bombs" shaped like tulips (I LOVE tulips!), some lip balms and hand cream that I always  have tucked  in my tennis bag, a cute lil flower tote and representing my love of Florida:  Key Lime Cookies (Yum-O!),  a travel cup and a hat w/ a flip flop design.

I had fun picking out these things - I think give-a-ways will be a much more frequent occurrence on this here lil blog!  :)

Next week, I'm going to be giving away three patterns from my stash.  Stay tuned!

Thanks to all who entered -

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon

Let's Have a Give-A-Way!

I hope you each had a lovely Easter!  We were very blessed:   We enjoyed  lovely spring weather - we had a wonderful dinner - the "Easter Flamingo" paid us a visit, (since we've moved to Florida, there have been no more visits from the "Easter Bunny", the "Easter Flamingo" leaves treats - lol), we talked about the REAL meaning of "Easter" - we were together -  it was a wonderful day!

I'm in the mood for a give-a-way.  How 'bout you?   Please note: there is NO stitching nor anything stitching-related in this give-a-way.  This is a simple give-a-way....just some of my favorite things that I love.  (I love, love, love stitching but that will be a give-a-way for another time).  :)

Let me say right up-front that I LOVE my husband and my sons.  I am NOT giving them away.  :)  I also love my phone and my IPad.  I'm not giving them away either.  This is more of a "I love baths, I love tea, I love Florida" give-a-way.  It's very simple....but I hope one of you will enjoy my little "gathering of goodies".

No rules to enter.  Just leave a comment on this post stating that you'd like your name thrown in the hat.  (Hmmm....hat....that "might" be a clue about one of the things in my goodie box)  :)
The winner will be announced on Saturday.  Good luck!

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon

Blessings Finish

I realized that I posted the give-a-way for this piece and the design has now been sent on it's way to South Africa(!) but I forgot to post my finish!  :)

I love this little stitch and what it represents.  I have MANY, MANY blessings to count!!!!  Yes, times have been stressful lately, and yes, I have been on my knees a LOT in prayer lately (that's not a bad thing, btw, just a personal reminder to me that I need to spend as much time on my knees in praising for the good times as I do in pleading in the not-so-pleasant times!)  What better time than Easter week to be reminded to "Count My Blessings!?   :) 

I also love that this design was started on it's journey by one person, dear Daffycat.  Sharon started this design on it's travels back in 2011 and it's still on the move.  It's been back and forth "across the pond" a few times, to Canada, Greece and to many of the States.  One person threw a stone in a pond and so many of us have been blessed by the "ripples".

How many "ripples" of good have we each started?  Stitching-related or otherwise, in our daily lives?  I am determined in this new spring season to start off my own "ripples".  I can't wait to muse this out more and see what this may look like.  While most of my "ripples" will hopefully be private, I hope to pass on some along to my blog friends!  How have you started "ripples"?  I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts!!!!

Blog give-a-way coming soon!  :)

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon

The Travelling Pattern is on the move!

The traveling pattern is now headed to:

Cucki in South Africa!!!  I feel so bad I can't send the pattern to everyone...I hope each of you will continue to follow the pattern on it's journey...it's been amazing to see all the places this sweet little beauty has already been.  I will be posting my own gift-a-way next week, so please come back and visit.  :)

Thanks to all for the sweet comments.  I truly am grateful for each one.  I read them and feel hugged...bless you! 

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon

Grace-full, NOT graceful

Let's start right off by saying that, hard as I try, I am not the most graceful person.  There are days when I feel about as graceful as a giraffe on ice skates (no offense to giraffes).  But, for what I lack in coordination and being charming at all times, I am indeed, grace - full.

The past few weeks have definitely proved to be challenging.  My mom has been having numerous physical, emotional and long-term care insurance issues.  Bless her heart, a lifetime of problems are catching up with her.  The facility where she is now residing has been a bit less than helpful and understanding.  So, the search is on to re-locate mom.  Due to her issues and needing to be in a locked facility, this is proving to be a daunting task.  My main goal is to have this be as smooth a transfer as possible for my mom.  Adjusting to new surroundings is not easy for her.  I worry about that a lot.  I have been so blessed with grace to have my sister and my husband's help and support in finding our way through the elder-care "machine".  I can't imagine trying to deal with all the pressure surrounding mom w/o physical help.  Being a patient advocate has become an hours per day job  .It's hard to hear your mother treated like a number and not as a  person. Sadly, I know we aren't the only family dealing with these issues...I am so grateful for the grace that gets me through each day.

Our not-so-little guy has had his own challenges lately.  He was playing in a high school singles tennis match and jumped high to hit an overhead lob.  He landed on his ankle and rolled it.  OUCH!  Thank goodness his personal coach just happened to be at this particular match AND she just happens to also be a Dr.!  (Grace, grace!!!!)  She was a huge help immediately after the injury.  The scans showed no break but he has some nasty tears in the ligaments in his foot.  :(    His ortho dr. told us that it would be easier to recover from a broken ankle that to have the type of tears Ian has.  Apparently, ligaments can take longer to heal than breaks can.  Ian is definitely out for the rest of his high school season...he's so sad.  Poor kid battled his way back from his skull tumor and now, he feels like he's been knocked down again.  We're trying to focus forward to the summer tournament season but I do really understand his despair right now.
We are blessed to have good insurance which helps so much with the $ of the unexpected and access to good care.  (Grace, grace!)

My hubby's sister has been hospitalized with blood clots but looks like she will be okay.  (Grace!)  My hubby's brother had a stroke and it looks like he's going to be able to make a fairly good recovery .We were told when the stroke occurred that things were looking very grave and that brain function most likely would be greatly compromised.  From receiving that news to comparing how his brother is now, is amazing! (Amazing Grace!)

And of course, in the middle of the storms, God blessed us with wonderful little Jackson.  (GRACE!!!  Jackson gets a capitalized grace!)   :)
 
So yes, even though there are (MANY!) moments lately in which I have been MUCH less than "graceful", I have been GRACE-FULL.  I'm so grateful to have my faith that shows me God's love and who gives me HIS grace.

Hugs and (much!) Grace,
*Sharon

(BTW, the next stitcher for the "Count Your Blessings" traveling pattern will be announced on Monday!  Be sure to leave a comment on this post if you'd like to be included!)     :)