Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Birthday Gifts and Stash

Fair warning, this is going to be a long post. If you need to grab a cup of tea or coffee, or a diet pepsi, go on, I'll wait. . . . . are you ready now? Well, here goes.

My last long post concerned having a tooth extracted and the aftermath. I weathered that ordeal fairly well, and then. . . . wait for it. . . . promptly got sick with a horrid sinus infection. The last time I had something like this was three years ago and it nearly landed me in the hospital. I just can't eat, which is not good when one is diabetic. So, there I was, just days from my birthday and so sick I couldn't even eat, let alone stitch, or read, or make merry with my family. My eldest son tried very hard to help me, before he went off to work and when he got home at night--he works second shift. Hubby finally came home to get the truck in for some repairs and stayed until I was able to do for myself. During that time, I had three days of feeling pretty good and his gift to me for my birthday was a trip to House of Stitches, in LaPorte, Indiana. We made the most of that day, let me tell you.

I've uploaded many pictures so you can see some of the things my family gave me for my birthday. They were all thoughtful gifts. First up, the ones from my eldest son. He knows that I collect Boyd's Bears Treasure boxes and resin figurines, so that's what he got me. The little hats below are Treasure boxes and the figurine is the new Halloween piece.

There is the Snowman Hat, Witches Hat and Santa Hat. The hats all have tiny mice figures inside. My favorite was the Snowman hat because the little mouse figure has a snowman.
See the close up of the snowman. Isn't he cute? He also gave me a pair of lovely earrings, and a book I've been wanting to read. But, the biggest gift he gave me was the care he showed during this difficult time.

Next up were the gifts from my youngest son and his family. They got me three pairs of earrings, a cute pair of capri pants and two really cute, dressy tee shirts. And I have the promise of a cook out this coming weekend with a cheese cake to celebrate.

The next picture was a surprise gift from my dear friend, Nicole. This package arrived the first day I felt human and knew I was going to live. LOL.

Nicole sent me five cuts of linen, all of them specialty linens. Aren't they gorgeous? And look at that ton of Crescent colours. She also sent the JABC buttons for LHN "All Dolled Up" Strawberry House. But what really topped everything is the beaded scissor fob she sent. Isn't it gorgeous? All in shades of blue, my absolute favorite colors. I put it right away on my scissors and have been using it ever since. Thanks Nicole.

As I said before, my birthday gift from my hubby was a trip to House of Stitches. We decided to take the entire day to ourselves. We enjoyed the trip up, all 2 1/2 hours worth, with a stop for lunch at KFC. We talked like we haven't been able to talk in months. Sadly, music went by the wayside because we were jammering so much. The weather was clear, bright and really warm.

I was thankful that we went on a Thursday because the shop wasn't crowded, as it always is on the weekends. Hubby decided he'd do best to take a nap in the car while I shopped and visited, and shopped some more. So, here is what I walked out of the store with:
Just Nan's Gilded Dragonfly and silk thread pack, the Halloween ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch and the Autumn issue of Cross Stitch and Needlework.
A large bag of Best Way floss bobbins, a package of thread drops, a pair of scissors with handles shaped like the Eiffel Tower, a pin cube kit and Crescent colours for 4 new projects.
Four cuts of specialty linen, a skein of Belle Soie in Empress, and a few Kelmscott pieces in the mother of Pearl: ruler, thread rings, and a winder that looks like a butterfly.
Twisted Threads Tin Pin Flag and a Just Nan frame accessory of a bat, for a project I'm making my son. If anyone has made the Tin Pin Flag, please let me know. I have a few questions for you, LOL.

It was a wonderful day. I had a lovely visit with Linda and her daughter Sarah. With hubby napping, I could take as long as I wanted to, browsing the store, chatting, looking at everything. I think Linda got a chuckle --there is so much you can't see when you browse online, as opposed to being in the store proper. Linda is not just a great shop owner, she's a lovely hostess. I enjoyed my time there immensely.

Hubby got a really nice nap, nearly two hours, so we opted to take the long way home. We took the back roads all the way, and most of it was through Amish country. We passed lakes and lovely hilly land. Saw a sunset fit for royalty and enjoyed each other's company. We ended the day with dinner at Ponderosa.

It took a few more days for me to feel fit and healthy but I'm doing better now. Thanks to all who emailed to see how I was feeling. And thank you, all of you who stayed to the very end of this very long post. I wish I was better at describing things.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Friday, August 01, 2008

Pay It Forward again

Here it is, the 1st of August. I'm sorry to say that I only had two takers for my Pay It Forward but we're going to make the best of it. By August 1st of 2009, I will send a handmade item to Amy and Peg . Thank you, Ladies, for offering to be a part of this PIF.

There is someone else who really did want to join, so I have included you anonymously. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!

Okay, so Ladies, please email me your physical addresses, or leave your email in a comment and I'll contact you.