What a busy, busy week...

If I don't post something now, it'll be over a week:(   blogging is still so new to me but I do love checking out some of the ones I follow and fully intend to post but getting lost in blog land is something I must learn to time myself on!! 
My Goddaughter's wedding Saturday was so wonderful...so peaceful; Jenny is about to graduate from med school and enter her four years of internship as an emergency room doctor...YIKES, times flies. She was here  in Virginia
at a local hospital learning for a month and left for Greenville, N.C. a few days before the 9th to relax and get beautiful....
I came home exhausted...not sure why...but, anticipating big events and preparing etc. sometimes does that to me.
Today and yesterday I got so tangled up trying to design some cones to fill with my wonderful Sweet Annie for our little shop...frustrated me so put it aside and worked on printing on fabric to do a different holder for Annie...still have NO NEW CAMERA  so still no pics...embarassing, I know how we all love pictures as my good friend Mandy keeps reminding me. Maybe this week I can shop for one and so add them to my words. 
Today was another Happy Anniversary for hubby and me...so much to be thankful for, so many memories;  we had our favorite Italian dinner at our local restaurant  the wine was so good but always makes me sleepy!
Wishing my blogger friends a peaceful night and bright, busy productive days ahead:)

Learning the Drop Spindle....

OMGosh, this arrived two days ago and Pam just makes it look so "easy" as she is a real pro at it.
Just in case some of you wondered about a drop spindle and spinning yarn for a scarf ( in my case at least) here is her http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjkTXUfMLd0&NR=1  video. She is a lovely lady and if you click her name pamsfiber below the video, you can visit her wonderful farm and might even see the chocolate alpaca from which my chocolate wool was taken. I am so excited about this BUT with all that is happening right now I may get a scarf by next spring:)

I will post pics AFTER I buy a new camera and AFTER I learn to use it...grrrrr, my brain just isn't co-operative about learning something techi right now.

It is such a lovely fallish day here in my part of S.E. Virginia
Gail wishing you contentment and joy in your day

Hallowe'en Stitchery Hallows Eve

Finally...met another challenge. Here is my finished Hallows Eve  Pinkeep/Pillow by http://www.stacynashprimitives.com/  ...it was not quite as hard for me as my first Faithful Friends by Wendy of Pineberry Lane but I relaxed and really enjoyed stitching it into completion. I love it.

It has rained here so hard for days but my daughter took these photos for me inside her home...if you haven't tried it yet, please consider trying counted cross stitching...it is honestly so relaxing AFTER your first challenge, I think. The patterns out here in blog land are just unreal; it is a wonderful time to be a stitcher.  Michael's carries DMC threads , needles, lock hoops, and even Belgium Linen....coupons make it sweet, too when beginning. This is stitches on 32 count Belgium Linen, DMC Thread, aged with walnut crystals; the backing is of repo brown print calico. I am going to do the Xstitching around the seams, now:) thank you for visiting...glad I finished something else:)

Knitting a Scarf for cold days ahead...

Amazingly, I awakened feeling energized, clear headed, and ready to order a dream come true for me...my own Drop Spindle and the lovely alpaca yarn to knit myself a nice simple garter stitched long scarf for those cold months ahead. I have already made Pumpkin Goats Milk SOAP, cut out a witch doll pattern to work on after my errands and planned a simple dinner for the guys...me, I lose my desire to eat when I am in this 'spinning like a top' happy mode:)

Hope your day is wonderful...if it's with cozy candles lit as you dream or bright lights that help you do your stitching or knitting, Xstitching or fav craft.

...it's raining again today but I love rainy days...yeah, me and Eddie Rabbitt:)

Happy Sunday...

Today arrived so sweetly...cool and all fallish outside. I want to prepare my Italian Baked Ziti for my family...then I want to work on finishing up my Hallowe'en Pinkeep Pillow so I can start something new. Wishing I had a treat in store like I did last Saturday at the Second Gathering of Primitive Friends at Lori-s...here is a photo that sweet friend Robin of  http://millstonemercantile.blogspot.com/    offered since 'ole hurrying to get away me' forgot her camera!! This is Lori-s Shop...I wish I could send you visuals of these  awesomely talented two great friends/ladies Robin and Lori. I am so grateful to have been able to drive up and spend a few days. Thanks Robin {HUGS}
Gail who appologizes for the two previous  failed attempts at editing/cancelling drafts in blogland

Eat, Pray, Love....

I am working on getting time when my daughters and I can plan to have dinner and see this much talked about movie. It's gotta be  good with such a title and who doesn't like Julia Roberts?

When not taking care of our home or working the shop, I am always stitching with needle or hook...this lovely free pattern from http://atthehoneysuckletree.blogspot.com/search/label/free%20charts  from the Sampler Girl's blog will be my next project.
Counted cross stitching is such a passion of mine....and only just beginning to do it a few months ago, there will never be enough time ::::sighs::::

Gail off to work a busy day at our little shop...I'd rather be stitching

A Psalm for Life

Before September 11, 2001 I read this annually in my daily journal....because of the impact of 9-11-2001 and related issues many things changed for me and I lost the real me that so enjoyed life...especially reading uplifting reads, thoughts, doing my herb gardening , rug hooking etc. Today, I picked up my old journal and re-read these powerful words written over a hundred years ago....still encouraging and emotionally uplifting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Let us, then, be up and doing
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



"Let us, then, be up and doing..." Dreams are not enough. We must back them up with 'effort'.  Striving and Struggle precede success, even in the dictionary.
"With a heart for any fate..." Opening our hearts to the possibility of failure is easier said than done.
"Still achieving, still pursuing..." Trust in yourself, your dream and Spirit.
"Learn to labor and to wait..." Remember our concept of time and Spirits are not the same...be kind to yourself while waiting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sarah Ban Breathnach

Loving your home, loving your shop....hating to leave one for the other...

I awakened before my alarm which is only set these days for my working days at our shop...decided to turn over then I remembered...today I would finish Stacy Nash's Hallowe'ens Eve pinkeep pillow IF I jumped up right away and had my morning coffee stitching in the three pumpkins...oh my word...
It was hard jumping up as I had forgotten that yesterday I did my online one mile walk , twice....no time for a morning shower, thought the soak in the tub last evening would help but....?

Anyway, I did one pumpkin, started another and made it to pick up my youngest and got us to the shop on time...which is always a good thing, as customers from the next door beauty shop often run in before or after their appointments...we had one waiting for us   lol  she only wanted to browse before her app't and promised to return another time.

My dad hated left-overs...luckily my hubby and son think 'anything' is good IF they don't have to fix it:)
Crispy fried buttermilk fresh chicken breasts (found in a new magazine) and my mother-in-law's quick spaghetti sauce for busy days (left over from no meat on Friday days) was last nights fresh offering but should be delicious warmed up and served in my pretty plates.

Tonight, I hope to finish the Hallowe'ens Eve pinkeep pillow cross stitching...maybe t'morrowr ~ I don't work Fridays~ I can hand stitch front to back and do those lovely 2-threads of dark gray X-s  around the seams, brush it with walnut dye, bake in 200 oven...and take it to our shop Saturday:) 

I so love our days leading into fall...the heat nearly killed me this summer....and to think Hurricane Season is not over until November...thank you God Earl changed his mind about coming to visit us....I love miracles:)