Merry Christmas to all!!

Well the blessed day is just around the corner now. Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year 2010! I am so inspired by all the beautiful blogs that I keep up with . I hope to make more ornaments next year to fill a tree.

I will be back after New years with pictures of the happy holidays .

All the best for a Merry Christmas and stitchy new year!

Christmas cross stitch gift

Finally I have pictures to show of the gift I have been stitching on for my Mom the master quilter.Luckily when I went to my local cross stitch shop 'The Sampler' in Toronto they were just putting in an order for needlework boxes. Here is the finished project.It is from LHN. I left off the top and bottom part of the design but I think it looks good with the dark wood in the box.I am anxious to see how my Mom likes it . She could put a lot of different things in the box. Won't be long now. More Christmas pics tomorrow.

Quilts and other comforts

It's been awhile... as usual the hustle and bustle of the season has everyone busy ..Christmas concerts, church performances, shop till you drop. But then you can rest..

just wanted to show my beautiful Christmas quilt that is on our bed.My wonderful quilter Mom made this for me the Christmas of 2007.

Here is my daughters current quilt, butterflies. We just love quilts at our house. I know my daughter is getting a Christmas quilt for Christmas as I saw it in July!!! will show you in a later post.

I had my annual cookie exchange around American Thanksgiving. These are the gems I made.

Cherry something or other . They were delicious.Unfortunately I still can't figure out how to move my photos around in blogger!!! If anyone can help....

I finally have finished my Mother's Christmas gift and will have it put together for the next post to show you . I guess it is my biggest finish of 2010. stay tuned and happy day to all!!

All better now!

Hello everyone!

Well thankfully I have some fairly recent Christmas stitching to put on my blog( see above)

I made this for my Mom for her birthday last February ( didn't get it done for Christmas 08) We always spend Christmas in Sault Ste. Marie with my Mom and Dad and my inlaws and this sums it all up. Making the 8 hour drive north (van could probably drive itself) Not sure if my new stitched piece will be done for Christmas or another birthday but I am plugging away. Had the bout of ? swine or something with my daughter so now playing catch up. I got my shot last week and nothing unusual to report.

I ordered a new pattern book from " The sampler girl" today by epattern called"Kitty Kringle's

pattern book for Christmas. It has some really sweet patterns in it.

Tomorrow is the final football game to see if my son's team advances to the final game at Mcmaster University . Good luck Red Devil's !!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

First projects

This isn't a first project but it certainly goes back into the 80's when geese were a popular country decorating accessory. I was lucky at the time to find the heart shaped mat that was a popular item then also.

My daughter and I have been inside since tuesday with flu like illness . Whether it is swine or not who can really say. Thank goodness we are both feeling better. Don't think we will go anywhere and keep our germs to ourselves till monday . Hopefully our fellows don't get it too but at least they could rest up on the weekend. Two big craft shows here at two different high schools tomorrow but I think I will have to pass.Thanks for stopping by.

4 Layer Chocolate Skor bar cake

Here finally are the pics of DH's birthday cake. To make this cake , bake two rounds of your fav chocolate cake( I used the recipe from Betty Crocker cookbook and doubled it) When cool , slice the rounds so you have four layers. Using real whipped cream( made from the carton) Ice the layers alternately with whipping cream and sprinkle skor bars crushed ( I used six regular size bars) onto the layers . You can ice the finished version with your fav chocolate icing . I make this twice a year for birthdays and it is better the second day as the flavours combine for a yummy cake. DD likes store bought and changes her mind every year but the guys really like the skor cake. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Happy November!

Thank you everyone for the comments on my last post . Here finally are the Halloween pics. My DD had a fun time out T or Ting last evening and came home to relax and have a bag of chips. ( she knows she has a dental appt this week!!) My DS had a fun time out jamming on the guitar with friends ,playing music for the tricksters in a friends garage. A Dad out with his kiddies jammed a bit with them and told them he was from Universal records!! Don't think they believed that one! We didn't get one child said DH when we arrived home. No sidewalks on our side of the street so that would explain a lot , thus we don't buy too much loot. Hope everyone had a fun night. Trying to stitch a bit on my Christmas present piece today.

Keep on stitching!

Happy Halloween

Where did October go? I have been hesitating to blog as I don't have any pics loaded on my computer but will write anyhow. There have been so many beautiful Halloween cross stitch pics on everyone's blogs. Has anyone seen the new charts by LHN ? I have ordered the Poinsettia House . I just love the colours . My daughter went to school dressed as a present today . That's what she wanted to be. Was able to cover a box in her fav colour wrap (pink!) and wrap it around her in her wheelchair. I put curly ribbon in her pigtails ( which she never wears!) Looked really cute!They were doing all sorts of fun things at her school today. After school we are going to a Halloween tea that my friend is hosting for us and her 2 nieces. Should be fun!

My daughter says it is her last year to trick or treat( boohoo!) we will go out with her little friend and family tomorrow night. Hope to do some stitching today on my Christmas project.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone !

Halloween exchange

My exchange partner for the Prairie Schooler yahoo group , April has now received her ornament so I can show you what it looks like. I really enjoyed stitching this one. Hope to do more in the future.I used "bat" buttons to sew on the hanger for the ornament. I think I would do this one again for our home.

Tomorrow is DH's birthday and we may all take a road trip to Buffalo or Rochester for the night after school. The Dinosaur barbecue is calling him as his restaurant pick for his birthday dinner so that is fine with all of us. It is in Rochester about an hour from Buffalo. About twice a year for DH and DS I make a 4 layer skor bar cake for their birthdays. DD changes her mind every birthday as to what she likes. The skor bar cake is a hit with the boys though . I will enclose a pic once it is assembled . May be a few days as it would be a waste to leave it in the fridge while we are on our little road trip.

I am currently working on a LHN design for a special person for Christmas or maybe their birthday in early 2010 depending on when I get it finished as I am such a slow stitcher! I have to have my gear ready to stitch when I do , readers, magnifying glass , good lighting. Not really the type of thing you can stitch in a car.

Hope everyone is having a great week. thank you for stopping by.

Meeting an idol

When I was younger (well way younger) living in northern Ontario , we didn't get many chances to meet 'STARS' I loved the usuals , David Cassidy , Rick Springfield. My lucky little lady had the chance of a lifetime when she got to pose for a picture a few Sundays ago with this charming young man, Nick Jonas! of the Jonas Bros. She barely had time to smile as there were other young ladies waiting for their photo opp. We had gone to the concert at the end of August in Toronto which was just great but little did we know a month later a dear friend got wind of a photo session for their new movie ' Camp Rock 2' and we got a chance to get up at 5 am and be at the park they were filming at . This pic was taken at 3pm but it was worth waiting for on a beautiful fall day. Thank you Nick Jonas for making my sweet daughter one very happy girl!!

Halloween ornament Received!

Happy Friday! I received some lovely mail! My ornament exchange for the Prairie Schooler yahoo group arrived from April itsjustapril.blogspot.com I love how she finished it and it looks great on my mantel.I love the fabric on the back too! Thank you April! Mine will be finished soon and I will post a picture for all to see.

Tonight DH and DS are going to see KISS!! at the ACC in Toronto. DH was a fan back in the day ( hee hee! ) I bet there will be a lot of fans from back in the day there , there may be a lot of 15 yr olds with their Dads too ! (hopefully? !)

October is a great month . Canadian Thanksgiving next weekend and then DH's birthday and then Halloween!! I will post a WIP that I started yrs ago for Halloween by Cross eyed Cricket that I must finish up. Have a great weekend everyone!

stitching exchange and the weekend again!

A beautiful Indian summer week this has been . My DS has been able to complete his football practices rain free this week . First game is next thursday so I better whip out a copy of " Football for dummies" so I know what is going on !! My stitching time this summer was taken up with a Christmas in July exchange thru Brookes Books interactive yahoo group. I received a beautiful Prairie Schooler Santa ornament from Patricia in Texas( no blog) I made a Santa face ornament that was a Cross eyed Cricket freebie a few years back.I have a lot to learn about stitching exchanges. Some of the finishing techniques are just amazing. After I get my fall exchange finished (hopefully soon!) I will get back to my beautiful " Lo how a rose" by Brightneedle and then I can forward the book on to the next sister from the sisterhood of the Rose( started by my stitching friend Doris , from Pause in the Journey) Have a wonderful stitchy weekend friends!

More cross stitch#3

I was always a fan of Just Nan and this is where I started to get into stitching over one. This is "Lady Scarlett's Journey" published in 2000 . This was fun to stitch. I particularly like the over one squirrel.The pattern was published over 3 leaflets with specialty beads/ charms. It really is an all season piece.
Well that's all for now. I will update at the end of the week with a piece I received in my first exhange.
Have a great week!

More cross stitch

Another one of my "cross stitch loves" is BEES! I love to stitch those little guys. This design by Charland hangs in my kitchen. I used to visit Charlands shop" The Sampler " when I first moved to Toronto. It was on Deforest Rd. in Bloorwest village. It was in the bottom of a house and was a wonderful place filled with inspiration. She later sold the shop and turned to designing full time.She has been in many cross stitch mags too.Even in the U.K.
I have a few more "BEE" patterns in my to do stash!

Yes, I really am a cross stitcher

Up until now my blog really hasn't reflected why I started it, to show my cross stitch past , present and future. I have quite a few WIPs that I will show as time goes on. Here is a piece I made to showcase our wedding invitation in 1988.
I always loved this piece as it had a lot of my favourite colours at the time.

I will have to figure out how to add more to a post and not have all the pictures on top of each other!
Enjoy the day! thanks for visiting!

New Christmas treats!

Mary over at MDesigns: Stitching with a view is having a great new contest. Leave a comment for the chance to win all four of her new angel ornament designs AND the new JCS 2009 ornament issue!
Would be lovely to win!

Where I've been

Well like everyone else in the blogging world I wonder where our summer has gone. I have done a bit of stitching which I will post later this week but first up some summer vacation pix.

We had a great time in New York city with our children. A visit to the Empire State building was exciting and no line up to get in. This little critter crept into my line of vision quite often though!

We enjoyed the broadway show " Rock of Ages" with an old American Idol star Constantine Maroulis as one of the main stars. Lots of great 80's tunes. I was a big "Journey"fan back in my big hair days!!

My daughter and I enjoyed a lovely lunch at her favorite New York spot . Can you guess where it is ? Her new doll Rebecca is certainly enjoying the cinnamon buns!

The fellows took in a Mets game at the new stadium and thoroughly enjoyed it.Most of our vacations revolve around baseball stadiums! I should mention that my sons senior ball team won their consolation game at the end of August. For a team that wasn't doing great all season they sure pulled off some fun games at the end.

We'd highly recommend "Carmines" restaurant for a great meal. The portions are huge and served family style but well worth it. Here is a delicious antipasto platter that was so pretty I had to take a pic.

The M&M candy store is a fun stop too.

Always great to be with the children.

We ended our week with a baseball game in Rochester . They are alway fun with lots of entertainment and a spectacular fireworks show at the end of the game.

Finally a picture!

Belated Happy Mother's Day to all. I spent a lovely day with my children and husband . We went out to dinner to a restaurant in Toronto called Richtree( formerly Movenpick) We all enjoyed yummy pasta and then shared tiramisu for dessert.Elisabeth  and Nicholas  presented me with a lovely pink hydrangea plant, candy ,cards,and a beautiful frame with a poem made by Elisabeth at school. Progressing somewhat on my "Lo how a rose" project . pix to come soon. Thought I would start with posting a photo of our cat Emerald(Emmy) who we have had the pleasure of having in our home for the last 5 yrs. I have never had a pet before and wasn't fond of cats but just love her.

April 29/09

Starting a blog after reading other blogs for the past few months is a bit intimidating. I have been so inspired that I decided to go thru my stash and found so many unfinished projects which I will post pix of later. I have started "Lo how a rose" which I admired on Doris's blog and it took me half an hour to stitch over one two letters. Doris sent me the wonderful book and has decided to call our group sisterhood of the rose which is fitting.

Tonight is the final Pathfinder bowling party for my DD so must get an early dinner started so we can head out . Pictures will be coming shortly. 

Enjoy the spring!

Jennifer