November Recap

November flew by, but was so very long.

We saw sunshine, ice, rain, snow, and very little frost. The last leaves fell and blew away or were rained into the ground. Power outages from wind storms. A very bad cold with a trip to the pediatrician for some nebulizer help was followed by walking pneumonia with another trip to the pediatrician for lung-listening and permission to return to school.

I turned 40.

The big birthday party of my dreams was held a few days before my actual day, and I'm so glad it worked out that way. The memories of that fun evening (and the gigantic chocolate cake) sustained me while I was stuck on the couch with a raging fever for too many days. Binge-watching Gilmore Girls helped too.

The kids started music lessons. He chose guitar. She chose piano. Their teachers are sisters and had the same time slot available, so both lessons are done in the same half-hour each week. She loves her lessons. He's not so sure yet.

Two loose chickens treed a red squirrel... one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

School picture re-takes were better than the original.

Good-bye for now, November.

Autumn Barn :: Box Elder Bug and Eyelet Lace :: Dried Cinnamon Apples :: When the Power Goes Out :: Brd's and a Hock :: Vibrant :: Feeding the Kitties :: Sorting my Stash :: Mt. Hood from Jonsrud Viewpoint :: Blaze :: Window Sunset :: Bunco Birthday Party :: Every Girl Needs a Gigantic Chocolate Cake with Sprinkles for Her 40th Birthday :: The Reason I Drive an SUV :: Distant Rain :: Explore :: Nature's Flu Shot :: Kurt, Luke, and Lorelai :: Piano Practice :: Rain :: Chicken-Treed Squirrel :: George Looks Happy :: Snowy Barn :: Play Time :: Goodbye November Tradition :: Third and First Grade

Birthday Sale Update #2

Well, my lovely customers, I did not anticipate two things...

one, the duration of the fever that kept me down for FOUR days (my birthday and Thanksgiving included), and two, the quantity of orders I would receive.

I am now officially out of cover stock and must wait for a delivery to finish printing orders. I will send out what I can on Monday, but unfortunately, most of your orders won't be ready to mail until at least Wednesday next week.

I apologize with every particle of my still in recovery-mode-being if you were counting on a quicker arrival. I have now made an official note to self: "Do not run a sale without first checking your temperature and making sure you have more supplies than you think you need!"

Today...

No matter where you are, or who you are with (or not with)... 

I wish you full hearts

and laughter,

bone-deep contentment

and hope for a tomorrow better than today.

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Sale Follow-Up

Wow! Thank you everyone for your overwhelming response to my Birthday Sale!

A couple things...

First, I ended up spending all of Monday and Tuesday on the couch with a fever of 102 (which is still lingering today, but so far is enough lower that at least I'm not dizzy sitting here at my computer!). So... your orders will most likely not go out until Friday at the earliest, and possibly not until Monday.

Secondly, there were a couple of orders that I noticed did not use the coupon code for their discount. It is possible that they were from people who weren't aware of the sale, but they also could have been from one of you that forgot to use the code. I don't have the energy to reach out to each of you individually, so if you think you may have forgotten, please go back and check your order, then send me an email with the order number to let me know. That way I can refund the sale percentage amount to you.

Now, go enjoy your families and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Birthday Sale!

Tomorrow is my birthday.

On November 25, 2014... I will officially be in my fourth decade.

Yep. Four-Oh.

Forty.

40.

And I honestly couldn't be happier about it! I like milestones, and this feels like a big one in all the right ways. Four decades of life experience under my belt, and likely at least four more to go (if I trend with most of my female ancestors). So that means I'm at my middle decade. Hows that for sobering/invigorating? I've been reading a book called Pursue the Intentional Life by Jean Fleming. In the beginning, she asks "What kind of old lady do I want to be?" This feels like the right time to be thinking about such deep thoughts, and a good time to be able to change course if I need to.

And also a good time to offer a nice sale to all of you loyal readers. My birthday present to you, so to speak. If you spend a minimum of $10 in my etsy shop, you'll be able to enter the coupon code "40isthenew30" at checkout to get 40% off of your order. Starting right now, and ending at midnight tomorrow the 25th.

Happy shopping!

*NEW* Deeds of Kindness

I spotted the saying stitched onto this design on an antique sampler. I researched the words and found that they come from a poem by Julia A. Carney (1823-1908), titled “Little Things” which was published in 1845.

Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.

Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above.

I challenge you to stitch this little sampler up and hang it somewhere prominent so that it will be a daily reminder to spread kindness and love to those you come in contact with each day. You never know what they might be going through and how much your smile could impact their life.

Stitch Count: 157 x 102
Model stitched with one thread over two on Picture This Plus 28ct. Doubloon

Using The Gentle Art floss: 0460 Grecian Gold, 1111 Acorn, 7034 Gingersnap, 7041 Apple Cider

And Weeks Dye Works’ 2201 Moss

The lovely frame is an antique.

This design is now available in my etsy shop, and will be going out to my distributors and the shops on my automatic shipments list soon. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com

Glaze

This type of weather is usually reserved for January or February in our part of the world, but that arctic air that tampered with almost everyone's weather these past few days caused an early Silver Thaw at Hillside Farm.

It is treacherously beautiful out there; I almost twisted my ankle walking across our gravel driveway with the wheelbarrow full of firewood.

Everything looks shimmery and heavy and cold to the marrow.

As beautiful as it is, trust me when I say that ice days aren't nearly as much fun as snow days.

This sweet little Rufous Hummingbird and her rival/friend continue to linger, despite the cold. Since they like to perch on my clothesline so much (I assume due to its close proximity to the feeder), I've dubbed it my year-round, dual-purpose clothesline. There's not much chance I'll be using it for drying laundry any time soon, and I would have usually taken it down at least a month ago, but as long as they continue to perch in front of my kitchen window, it is going to stay up. Click on the picture to get a closer look.

Last Hurrah

The peak of our Autumn color season is here.

This doesn't mean endless expanses of orange-gold-red like you will find in other regions of the country. Rather, our ubiquitous verdant green becomes punctuated with a fireworks display of Autumn glory. Pockets of surprisingly brilliant color (enhanced by the shimmer of dew and rain) burst from an otherwise steady backdrop of conifer and grass (which has responded nicely to the early season rains by greening back up from the late Summer brown).

Fungus of all shapes and sizes spring happily up from every surface imaginable. I can't walk across any expanse without tripping over mini mushroom forests or large clustered communes.

The air smells of mist and damp and woodsmoke. If not careful, we slip and slide on the wet mossy and muddy ground. The clouds roll in and out, but mostly in, making the rare beams of sunshine feel like a hug from Heaven.

It is the last hurrah of this year's leaves, and they are doing their very best to make it a memorable end.