Ladies' Prim Society Sneak Peek!

I can't tell you how excited and nervous I am about designing for this wonderful club in 2015. Organized by Ann and Pat over at Dyeing to Stitch, it is a popular club and I was thrilled and honored when they asked me if I would design for it. And then to learn that I will be paired with Blackbird Designs feels unbelievable to me! This is a completely new experience in my world, and I really hope that all of you who signed up will be thoroughly pleased with what I have come up with for you. If you haven't joined yet and want to, I think there is probably still room. Head over to the Dyeing to Stitch web site to sign up.

I'm up first with a design inspired by love. With Valentine's Day in the near future, I tend to think of my Farmboy and romantic love, but I wanted a design that could easily be translated to represent any kind of love, whether past or present, family or romantic love. And to find out more, you'll have to stay tuned, because this is all I can show you for now...

Kids Were Here

Lately

Short dark days, rain-stained windows, one final delayed Christmas celebration, another exciting birthday, a lost tooth, an ambulance ride (I can cross that one off of my bucket list!), lots of warming by the woodstove but still no real snow, school days and homework and music practice; this has been our January.

I still have Christmas garland with twinkle lights up on my piano and mantle, and two trees out in the Christmas tree patch are still lit up every night, just because. The days are getting longer, but it still feels nice to have a little extra twinkle added to our dull January days.

I've been doing a lot of plotting and scheming in my head, thinking about this coming year and what it might hold for my stitching business. All will be clear in time, but for now, the details have been getting in the way of my creative muse, and I find myself glad that I usually design in spurts, so I have plenty to fall back on when I'm not feeling the inspiration so strongly.

I hope all is well with you and yours. Do stop by and say hello, either here or on my facebook page. I might be quieter than usual lately, but I'm still here, and love it when I get notes from you.

New Life :: Golden Rays :: 7 of 12 :: Sparkle :: Damp :: Coming Soon :: Weak Sun :: Creeping :: Perched :: Seven Candles :: Sprouting Already :: Spring is on the Way :: Tease :: Heather :: Amaryllis

Seven

It keeps happening. I can't stop her from growing up.

I positively adore the little lady that my girl is becoming. She is thoughtful, smart, creative, silly in all the right ways, helpful, is a world-champion cuddler, and tells me daily how glad she is that I'm her Mama. I love the way she looks up to and plays with her Brother, he is truly her best friend, and when they get to giggling together it makes me want to bottle them up and keep them that way forever.

This year, she is loving being a first grader, keeping the boys on their toes, and befriending each and every girl in her class, while managing to soar ahead scholastically. She has begun taking piano lessons and has elaborate dreams about playing the Charlie Brown music on a stage for an audience. She loves to play Minecraft with her brother, and flit about the house from one creative pursuit to another, leaving evidence behind from every venture (i.e. messes), but her very favorite thing is to construct her LEGO Friends sets. She has recently begun reading chapter books and wishes with all her heart for a bigger house so she could have room for a play kitchen.

She sleeps on the bottom bunk and her favorite color is pink.

Today, she turns seven years old.

My girl, my heart.

And Now...

A shiny new year stands before us,
full of what-ifs and maybes, hellos and open doors.

The old year may have been exquisitely beautiful.
It may have been painful or frustrating or full of failure.

Today is a fresh chance to leave the bad in the past,
stepping into a new promise.

A promise to forgive ourselves for what we didn't accomplish,
to forget what was done to us, to move beyond our doubts,
to invite freedom and grace and gratitude to walk beside us each day.

To carry the beauty, and allow the pain to forge and refine.

Its a brand new horizon.

Go forward, and with me, embrace grace.