A gift for a golfer...

This is the project that I'm currently working on.  This is to be a Christmas gift for 2013.  (Isn't it sad when your Christmas spirit for 2012 doesn't start kicking in until January 2013?)  Anyway, I'm loving this happy project.  I'm about 1/4 finished - this will eventually be surrounded by golf clubs, a border and the saying, "Golf isn't a matter of life or death, it's much more important than that."  Cute, huh?

It feels SO good to have the mojo back.  I've decided not to set stitching goals this year.  I'm just going to stitch my bliss.   :)

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon

(Design is from Stoney Creek Magazine)

TUSAL - Move along..Nothing to See Here

I'm taking part in Daffycat's TUSAL this year.  Today is SUPPOSED to be the day that I show you all the pretty, pretty orts that I have accumulated this month...

Cue the cricket chirping....

I got nuttin', not a single snippet.  I was actually thinking of making up just a few orts so that I'd have something to share.  But I kinda thought that the ORT police might show up and well....I'd rather spend bail money on stash.  So, here's hoping that next month, I'll have Orts to the left of me, Orts to the right of me...you get the idea.

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon

There's goin' to be another weddin' and other WONDERFUL news! :)

Our family has been blessed to grow by one "in-law in love" so far this year and now we're about to be blessed by another!  What this means, of course, is that while the prospective bride and groom only have to worry about minor details like planning a wedding, I have the "gargantuan" task of choosing and stitching just the right wedding sampler.  (LOL)

For this couple, I've chosen to stitch "Wedding Row" by Bent Creek.  I've changed the colors up a bit...I'm really trying to live by the "use what I have on hand" approach...and believe me, I have a LOT on hand!  :)

The happy couple will be tying the knot December 28th, so with all the other Christmas stitching I want to get done this year, I need to be "getting my groove on" and get this finished up.

In other WONDERFUL news, Ian is beginning to make huge strides towards feeling better.  To God be ALL the GLORY, he has been fever/head-ache free for three weeks now!  His appetite has begun to pick up a bit and he is starting to look like "my" Ian again.  We're sort of holding our breath at this point in regards to his surgery....decisions have to be made....many specialists to be consulted with and many, many prayers to be said.  But, oh how grateful I am to see my pantry emptying so quickly again!!!!  :)

I can't thank you enough for all the beautiful prayers, notes of encouragement, and emails we have received on our behalf.  We still have a hill to climb - we just aren't sure yet if God is calling us to a mountain or a molehill.  Whichever the case turns out to be, we'll be ready, thanks to the love of wonderful friends!  Be blessed, dear blogging buddies!!!

I "cherish" happy blog posts!!!

*Sharon

The "invisible" happy dance

Because this is a finish for someone who "might" or "might not" read my blog, this is as much as I want to show.  You'll just have to trust me that this piece has now been finished and is all ready to be wrapped and put under the Christmas tree!  :)   One piece finished, 387,682 still to go!  LOL   :)

I "cherish" finishes!

*Sharon

If I had a theme song....

This would be it!

What's YOUR theme song?

I "cherish" music that makes me happy!

*Sharon

Wedding Sampler Finished!

(Btw, photo is click-a-ble), so you can get a better view of my stitching and my sweetie's beautiful job of framing!)

It's official now, my sweet loved one(s) can get married now.  I told them that they had to wait to get married until I had this piece finished and framed.  LOL  We came in right under the gun and we can wait for the sweet couple to begin their lives together and wish them every happiness and many, many wonderful memories for lots and lot of years to come.

(Another btw, it was fun remembering how good it feels to actually finish something!!!)  :)   Here's hoping there will be more finishes in my future!

I "cherish" this wonderful couple and having a personal hand-made-with love gift to give them!

*Sharon

Missing Uncle Hugh - - -

My Great Uncle Hugh passed away today.  Goodness, but I'll miss him!  My Uncle Hugh and my dad were absolute best buds.  (Strange, because my Uncle Hugh is from my mom's side and well...dad is from my dad's side).  My Uncle Hugh and my dad were quite the pair.  Every fall, my mom and dad and my Aunt Wilda and Uncle Hugh would take a vacation to Myrtle Beach.  While the "woman folk shopped and spent all their money", my dad and Uncle would go buy wooden train whistles, set up their beach chairs right by the ocean and blow their train whistles every time a pretty girl would walk by.  Of course, my dad and uncle said that they were always such "gentlemen" that they would blow their train whistles at EVERY female that walked past them.  (Now, you have to realize that they were both well into their 80's when then they were "acting up" AND did I mention that they would purposely wear big, floppy straw hats, bermuda shorts, black socks and sandals while they were doing this???)  I told you they were a pair!

When my dad passed away, my Uncle Hugh came up to me and told me that he could never, ever take my dad's place, but that if I ever needed someone to fill a small part of my dad's shadow, he'd be honored to take that spot. Oh how I miss that gentle fellow who did a wonderful job of "shadow filling".

I'm sure that my dad and Uncle Hugh are having a great time together in heaven - blowing their train whistles with the angels...(or knowing them, AT the angels!!)  :)

I miss you, sweet man!

I "cherish" having such a wonderful Uncle to call my own.

*Sharon

WIPocalypse - February

Since my "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf disaster (I 'm afraid of him, btw), I decided to pull out something quick, cute, springy and meaningful.  (That's an awful lot to expect from a little design, don't you think?)
I pulled out and stitched up this  "Honey Bunny" project.  I've watched my hubby go into "daddy" mode during this scare with Ian.  (He even bought Ian his own ceramic wolf for his room - kinda makes me feel better about my epic wolf -stitching master disaster).  My sweetie has called me "honey bunny" for as long as I can remember and I can't think of anything better than stitching a piece that reminds me so much of him.
I loved this happy stitch and participating in the WIPocaplypse!

I "cherish" a quick-to-stitch that is so personal and puts a smile on my face!

*Sharon

Cyclops has a friend...

This is the "Call of the Wolf" design that I'm stitching for our son.  (Remember the "Dances with Wolves" movie?  I think our son's name should be "Addicted to Wolves".  LOL

Anyway, the last time I showed a progress pick, I jokingly started calling the wolf in the center, Cyclops, because all I could see as I stitched was his one eye looking at me.  Well, now Cyclops has a friend!  (The friend's name is "Friend of Cyclops".  Can you tell that I haven't been sleeping well lately????  :)
I keep looking over my shoulder for the guys with the butterfly nets and straight-jackets to show up and escort me to the "happy place"....  Between our son being sick....(he has an appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon on Tuesday - YIKES!) and my mom and her increasing health and mental problems, it's been kinda "down in the dumps" days for me.

I "cherish" my stitching which comforts me.....

*Sharon

"Pink is my signature color"

Anyone else remember that line from the movie, "Steel Magnolia's"?  That kept coming into my head over and over as I stitched this piece.  Holy pepto-bismal, Batman!  :)

I did get brave and change out the recommended color of green but now, seeing the finish, I wish I would've had the courage to change the pinks to softer hues, as well.  It's just a little "too" pink for me.

My hubby said "Good luck finding an HOA that will approve those colors" and my son said that this looks like a Key West house.  Hmm....yup, should've toned down the pinks.  :)

At any rate, I'm looking forward to displaying this with my Valentine's display.

I "cherish" a quick stitch and a finish!!

*Sharon

There's a little snowman at our house

Okay, so he's made of fabric and floss and not the "real" white stuff, but I love him anyway!  :)  This is my first finish of 2012 and my first finish of the Country Cottage monthly cottage series.  I joined the cottage SAL group and am looking forward to seeing what each month is going to offer.  I'm stitching each of my cottages on individual pieces of fabric instead of one big piece.  I have the perfect spot picked out to display each month, one at a time.

I do want to give a shout out to Amy at Down Sunshine Lane.  (This isn't a paid endorsement.  I'm receiving no compensation for this, I'm just a very happy camper customer!)  With that said,  I wanted to make some changes in my automatic monthly shipment orders and Amy was extremely accommodating!  The shipping was very fast and I'm just tickled with her service.  :)

I've been taking some time to write down my dream "want-to-stitch" list.  I'll be posting it in the next little bit.  I have some really pretty stash and I'm looking forward to changing it from "stash" to "finished".  (LOL - remember, I said it was a "dream".  I'm not sure that the "finishing" column is ever going to be as long as I'd like it to be, but a girl can hope....    :)

I "cherish" having a finish AND having stash to paw through AND being able to dream about all the pretties that are possible!

*Sharon

Cherish

Last year around this time, I decided I needed a word to live by during 2011.  The word I came up with was "cherish".  I've been thinking a lot about what my word should be for 2012.  As hard as I tried (and used my Bible, my thesaurus, and a couple of visits to google), I couldn't come up with anything better than my much beloved word, "cherish".  So, I decided if it wasn't broke, I didn't need to duct-tape it!  :)
Having "cherish" as my focus word was fun in the good times, humbling in the bad times and encouraging in the awful times.  So, I'm going to stick with cherish...  I have so much to cherish in my life and it just fits me!
Stay tuned as I find new ways to "cherish" 2012!

I "cherish" a fresh beginning to a New Year that is filled with promise, possibility, love and adventure!

*Sharon

Diary of a Christmas Tree - Florida Style! :)

Ian had the most amazing opportunity last week and I want to share it with ya'all.  Ian was able to take a sand-sculpting class with a professional sand sculptor.  Jim Smith has won many awards and has sculpted for various Disney events and for lots of towns in Florida.  Jim started by showing Ian the basics of the trade.  Above is a pic of Ian's first "project" - an arch.  :)   I initially thought that this was just going to be a "play in the sand" class, but oh my, it was SO MUCH MORE!!!!

The business where Ian took the class is just opening up and is going to be offering sand sculpting classes as part of their artistic offerings.  The owner of the business requested a holiday-themed display in the huge "sandbox" in the front of the store.  After some basic design ideas, the hard work really began in earnest.
The guys had to  build the foundation for a Christmas tree.  When I saw this picture, I was a lilttle skeptical that it would ever amount to a "tree"...

The next day,  the barrels of sand grew into this:

Can you see it now?  You haven't seen anything yet!!!

But wait, there's more!!!

Don't you love the lights????

And don't forget the presents!

I "cherish" living in Florida on the beach and having such wonderful opportunities open up for Ian.  We can't wait to see what we can build on our own, now that we understand the "basics".  Anyone want to come wiggle their toes in the sand with us?  We don't have snow or hot chocolate but we have sand, waves and sweet tea!

Hugs,
*Sharon

Bad Blogger Mama....

First off, I'm sorry about neglecting my blog for the last little while...I mean it, I'm REALLY sorry!  You want to know what a small part of the reason is that I'm sorry?  Because I'm a mom.  Yup, that's why.  A homeschooling mom to boot.  As Paul Harvey used to say, here's the "rest of the story".

As you know, my mom's health and mental stability have been on a rapid decline.  Being real here, it has not been easy to be my mother's daughter.  Because we're a family, it's been hard on all of us...not just on me.  Ian has tried to be such a rock for his mama, but from time to time, the pain of dementia strikes a  little too close to his heart as well.  Since he is definitely his mama's son, he has an inherited tendency to hold painful things inside and let them build up and build up and so on, until, it all spills out in an unpredictable moment.   He had one of those unpredictable blowing off steam moments this past week.  Bless his heart.  He's hurting in his own way and isn't quite sure how to express himself and let his emotions not be held inside so much.  I suggested that he might want to start keeping a journal.  He could write random things, whatever he feels like talking about, on the pages of his book. I really think it might help.  Nice mom moment, BUT - the not-so-little smarty pants said, "Hey Mom, isn't that what your blog is supposed to be???????????"   (Yes, I'm sure there were that many question marks behind the question when he asked it!)  LOL      "Mom, when's the last time you up-dated your blog???????"  (There are those darn question marks again!)   "Mom, you should really send yourself to the principal's office...because you have been a very bad blogger."   Can you tell he wants to be an attorney?

Can you also tell that he's right?

So, I apologize - I need my little blog.  I enjoy blogging.  And I do LOVE my blogging buddies!!  Could any of you possible know that sometimes when I have a few minutes, I'll go blog-hopping and just browse what you're up to and you cheer me up?  I most often don't leave comments (please don't tell Ian - he'd probably want me to write, "I will leave comments on blogs" 100 times, by hand, and have it turned in by tomorrow).  LOL 

Anyway, I love just peeking in and checking on you.  Your blogs never fail to brighten my day and put a smile on my face.  (unless something sad has happened in your life.  In that case, I stop right there and whisper a prayer for you - honest!)  Thanks for being there:  for sharing your lives, your talents, your abilities, your spirits, your blessings and your trials with me.  AND, thank you for the great comments you leave for me. Sometimes, an awful lot of encouragement can be found in a simple sentence or two.

I will try to be a better blogger.  Both as a writer and as a commenter.

Especially if it means that I won't be a "do as I say, not as I do" parent!   :)

I "cherish" a reality check from time to time!

*Sharon

TUSAL - September

I know I'm late with my TUSAL report this month...but I can honestly say that this September has been one of the hardest months of my life.  I'll post more about it in a later post, but suffice to say, dementia stinks...both for the patient and the patients' family...

I like looking at the jar when it comes to this time of year...I can see the pastels of spring topped with the oranges, greens and rusts of Autumn.

I'm looking forward to happier times with more stitching time to add more orts to my 2010 collection.

I "cherish" the tough times that make us strong.... my faith has had to grow in ways that I never imagined that it could...

Hugs,
*Sharon

Rockin' the Happy Dance!

This is such a special finish for me.  The Battle Hymn of the Republic was my Dad's favorite hymn. He wanted it played at his funeral and to this day, hearing it can bring a tear to my eye because I remember my Daddy's humming this tune so often during my growing-up years...  So, Daddy - this one's for you....

Battle Hymn of the Republic by Little House Designs...stitched on recommended fabric and using recommended floss.

I "cherish" memories of my Dad...

Hugs,
*Sharon

TUSAL - July

Finally, a post from me!  Whew - busy, busy, summer!!  :)
There's been a just a tiny bit of stitching happening - here's my TUSAL...not much, but it's growing ort by ort.

I *cherish* the moments I get to fill my jar.

*Sharon

TUSAL - June

It's growing!  Now, if I just had finishes to go along with the orts!  LOL,  I'm working on it!!  :)

Hugs,
*Sharon

Being a Tourist in Your Own State

Isn't it sad that sometimes we don't even know what treasures our own states hold until we have visitors?  We are always on the look-out for the "off-the-beaten path" places to visit when we have company.  Living in Florida, it can get pretty old to do the Disney, Universal, Sea-World,  "lather, rinse, repeat" cycle, so it's fun to find some "new to us" things to do.

What follows are some pics of one of the fun places we found to visit during our "special someone's" visit.  (There will be more to come sprinkled in with future stitching and what-not posts, as well.)  I wasn't born or raised here, but we learn more and more that we  live in an amazing state.  I *heart* Florida!!!  :)     (PS - the weather is pretty darn awesome most of the year, too!!)  :)


One of our first stops was http://www.wonderworksonline.com/  Wonderworks was a fantasic place in Orlando that was REALLY lots of fun!!  I highly recommend it as a place to go as a "break" from the "go, go, go" of Disney.  This is one of those places where adults can have just as much fun as the kids.

  The premise of this place is that it was picked up (I think by a "supposed" wild weather event and then placed "upside down".  In other words, the basement is the upper floor and the third floor is on the bottom floor.  (Yup, I had to ask directions "more" than once!  LOL   There were lots of exhibits here - you learned about cold water (hypothermia  killed most of the Titanic victims);  you place your hand in a bucket of water that is the same temperature of the water the Titanic sank in, and a clock counts down how long you keep your hand immersed.  I lost by ONE second!!!!!  (My snarky 15-yr old was determined not to let me beat him!)  You can also experience what it feels like to be in a hurricane, an earthquake, throw pitches to some of baseball's greatest, play with monster bubbles, lay on a bed of nails (you have a lot of control over this exhibit), "land" a space shuttle, go on a 4-d roller coaster, a really cool rope climbing adventure (I had to sit that one out due to my knee, but the guys said it was really fun!), do a virtual reality game, see yourself as an astonaut and with a "floating head" AND play laser tag on one of the world's largest laser tag courses!  (BTW - please note....out of the eight people in our group, I kicked MAJOR "sit-upon" at laser tag!!!!!  Got the highest score, I did!!!)  :)

        Ian's "floating" head

"Ace" looking like a bug-head playing one of the Virtual Reality Games

As a disclaimer, I don't work for nor do I know anyone who works for Wonderworks.  (If I would have, I would've know how to score discount tickets - LOL).   They do offer AAA and AARP discounts.

These pics bring back silly, happy moments.  Thanks for letting me share.

Cherish your memories,

*Sharon

Same Airport, Different Emotions....

Don't worry, there are LOTS of Florida tourism pictures that are heading this way in the next few days, but first, let's get one of my musings out of the way, shall we?

Have you ever noticed how ONE airport can have TWO entirely different emotions?  When our "special someone" was winging his way across the country for a visit with us a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't get to the airport fast enough.  It only takes us about an hour to get to the airport from our home, but I swear, getting to the airport to "pick up" seemed to take MUCH longer.  When we got there, I checked the arrival board about every two seconds, waiting for that "at gate" sign to show itself.  The joy and anticipation of hugs was over-whelming.  Tears shed were the 'happy" kind.

Fast forward through two absolutely wonderful weeks (minus one or two tourism "turkey's".  Hey, every state has 'em!)  Same route to the airport...but this time, the trip seemed to take only minutes.  I was trying so hard to cling to every last second.  This time I was staring at the departure board and dreading every minute that ticked by.

Those last final hugs were gut-wrenching and this time the tears were definitely not the joyful kind.  If you happened to be at the Orlando airport on Saturday, I was the lady who was holding on probably a little too tightly and soaking in tears. I was, however, appropraitely attired in black; that wasn't intentional on my part at all.  In fact, it kind of gave me a giggle when I got home and realized how I was dressed for "mourning")  I'm sorry if I happened to be your first impression of Florida - generally speaking, we're mostly a happy bunch!

The tears have stopped and looking at the pictures and remembering the fun memories has begun.  Lots of pics will be posted here in the coming days and weeks.  As my dad  always used to say, here's one to whet your whistle....(what's Florida without a plastic pink flamingo?) 

Cherish every moment,

*Sharon