Way Too Long, Way Too Crazy!

Baby Raymond's Bib

I know it has been WAY to long (almost a full two months) since my last update and I apologize for that. These last couple of months has had my head spinning wondering which side was up!

Framed Dahlia Announcement

I made a local friend who was due to have a baby. He was born healthy and is doing great - beautiful baby Raymond - on the Friday before Thanksgiving. I decided I'd stitch a baby bib for him. I didn't start on it, largely because I didn't have a bib to stitch on, until after he was born, but I was able to get it done in just a couple of days.

I noticed I had made an error on Dahlia's Birth Announcement. I had put the year as 1-4, instead of 14. I corrected that and added the time she was born. Then I framed it and gave it to Sarah for Christmas. She loved it.

Dahlia's Footprints

Chance made something neat for us and his mom. He and Sarah put paint on the bottom of Dahlia's feet and then turned the feet into butterfly

Rascal Sneaking a Peek

wings. I do not know how Peggy, Chance's mom, felt about it, but Jack and I LOVED it!! We went ahead and had it framed.

I also completed "Stop That Cat". I want to frame it and put it in  my bathroom. When I saw this pattern, I thought of our cat, Rascal, immediately. he definitely lives up to his name regularly! I finished stitching this project on New Year's Eve.

 In the picture of Rascal (right side) he is looking underneath my bedroom door that leads into the kitchen, watching Sarah's cat, Mindy. He and Mindy do not get along at all, so when she is roaming the house, he is in our room. When he is

Completed "Stop That Cat"

roaming, she is in her cage. If we don't do this we will learn the definition of "Cat fight" in short order. It really isn't fair to either cat to have to be locked away for any length of time, but, that will end when Sarah and her family move out. These two do this to

"Heaven"

each other on a regular basis, so in a way this is funny. When Rascal is locked in our bedroom, Mindy will sit on the kitchen side of the door where he can see her under the door and taunt him (that's whats happening in this picture). If Mindy is in her cage, in Rachel's room, Rascal has been known to sit atop her cage. Rascal is 2. Mindy is more like 8 or 9.

I ave also made a fair amount of progress on, "Heaven" for my friend since second grade, Michele. Mickie (AKA Michele) knows about this. I  have made great progress, especially since my goal is to have it done by her birthday in mid June!

Because of putting my stitching efforts into these two projects, I did not stitch on my HAED. I plan on it though, now that I have one of my projects completed.

Speaking of June, I have exciting news! In summer of 2014 I was invited to attend a stitching retreat in Florida, called, "Stitching Under the Oaks" in June of 2015. After Jack and I talked about it, I said, "yes, I want to go!" I have NEVER been to a stitching retreat in all my years of stitching. I have heard alot about them and they sounded fun. I was honestly a bit nervous about saying yes, because I was unsure if we could afford for me to go. God is good!!! He provided!!! My parents sent me some Christmas money. I had paid alot on it already, but was hitting a snag at the end of the year. We were told of some finances that would be coming my way because of an auto accident I had been in June 2013. The other person was at fault, got the ticket, etc., but her insurance was trying to say I was 50% at fault. She had a stop sign, I didn't. So my parent's Christmas money paid for the remainder on the retreat, save $39, and the settlement paid the rest plus my  round trip airline tickets!

If you're wondering why I haven't talked about my house cleaning business lately, it because things slowed to almost a halt. there has been nothing to report. Hopefully, I will be able to go "client hunting" soon.

Take care everyone! Have a Happy New Year and happy stitching!!