Wednesday, November 25, 2009

In All Things, Give Thanks

Tomorrow, we in the USA will celebrate Thanksgiving. Twixt the turkey and the pumpkin pie, many of us will stop to reflect on the things we are thankful for.

I am blessed in the many things I am thankful for: my DH of 37 plus years, my family, my friends, hobbies I love (and the time and funds to support them!), my good health ... the list is endless, praise God.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things in our lives. As a Christian, I've spent time on my knees thanking God for so many things. But 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. This can be a stumbling block - how do you give thanks for bad things? So I want to share with you this blog entry I found some time ago that helped me to understand the crucial difference between "in" and "for": Provocative Christian Living.

I pray this is a blessing for you as it was for me.

No matter where you are, nor whether tomorrow is a holiday for you, I wish you a Joyous Thanksgiving!

Thanks for visiting today.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Found in my email this morning. If one or more don’t sound familiar – you weren’t paying attention!

I Owe My Mother

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC .
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS .
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTION-ISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION .
"Just wait until we get home .."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home !"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

And my favorite:

25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you"

Mom Blinkies

And I must add my favorite Bigmama-ism, who taught me WATER SAFETY:
“I don’t want you going near that pool until you learn how to swim!”

What did your mother teach you?


Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Whew - I'm Back!

After a very frustrating time of trying to resolve the issues on my home network - I think it is all finally working!

I haven't forgotten my giveaways - I'll hopefully post about that tomorrow.

First, some overdue acknowledgements:
I was thrilled to win Day 9 of the 13 Days of Halloween Giveaway over on Missy's blog. Her presentation was charming:

And look at all the goodies! Can you see the bat stickpin in the second photo? Mega cute!


















Thank-you, Missy. I love it all!






Then, I was lucky enough to win a copy of Simon's Cat from Daffycat. Besides being beautifully wrapped in the ladybug paper you see in the photo, she included a heart charm - I have a project in mind for it! Sharon, thanks a million - I'll let you know what the grands think of the book - I know I'll enjoy it.




Monique received the Needle Book that I stitched for her for the Tiny Treasures Needle Book Exchange, so I can post a picture of that.


The design was a freebie months ago on Danybrod's site - I thought it adorable.



Here's a before photo of the EMS Rose Sampler SAL that I stopped working on last year:


And an update tonight of the progress I've made over the last ten days or so:

I'm stitching this in hand - and so it looks fantastically wrinkled right now! This is one of the projects in the basket by my comfy chair that I want to finish before the end of the year.

And last, but not least - my TUSAL update:

Better late than never! I am having to push down on the orts as I place them in the jar, but I think it will last until the end of the year (I hope!).

I have a gazillion blog posts to catch up with, and mega-dozens of emails, so that will be all for tonight.

Thank-you for visiting my blog today.

ETA: Blogger is driving me crazy with the way it handles photos - and it's a very short trip!

Friday, November 06, 2009

Friday 56 6 Nov 2009 and Giveaway Winners

The Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

The book closest to me is The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory.

When he’d been a lot younger, there had been a certain excitement in seeing the sigils glowing with magick as they hung in the air before him; there was even a kind of aesthetic pleasure in creating them, for like ornamental writing they were pretty in an austere, yet baroque fashion.


Giveaway Trivia Answer
: Gingerbread Girl by Waxing Moon Designs (no one hazarded a guess) and here is a pic of my finished ornies. I did change the little girls dress to have a white collar (the design had the plaid continue across the yoke of her dress).

The Winners: Not too many entries - was it too complicated? But the lucky few had increased chances of winning thereby!

None of my DGS was interested in doing the drawing - so my DDIL did the drawing for me. Without further ado - the winners:

For the books: Blu said...

Entry 1 for both. The books, because hey, there's no such thing as too many books. And the kit, because that plant looks like something my aunt would like on her walls...

For the kit: Blu said...

Entrys 2 & 3 since I'm a follower!

Please email me your snail mail address so I can get your prizes in the mail!

I'll be posting another giveaway Sunday - so be looking for it as I share some of my blessings with you.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Sweet Dreams finished crochet and other projects

I originally found this chart here, but when you follow the link to Sweet Dreams, AOL hometown has been shut down, so I have no idea who the original designer was. I suspect it was Priscilla’s Crochet.

Oh, look what I found: the new site for Priscilla's Crochet! Isn’t Google wonderful? And Sweet Dreams is listed under her freebie filet samplers!
And look what else I found for sale when I was googling. Wonder if Priscilla knows about it?

I'm finishing this as a pillow - hope to have a pic for you tomorrow.

I've also finished the little ornaments I was working on - but since they are the subject of the Trivia Question in my on-going giveaway, I can't show you a pic of the finish until Friday.

And last for tonight, I've decided to make some more floss wallets for Christmas Gifts - and there may even be one in my giveaways this month! Hmmmmm - we'll just have to see about that.

Monday, November 02, 2009

100th Post (it's about time)

Woo-hoo! Here it is: my 100th post.

It also happens too be All Soul's Day (or day 3 of El Día de los Muertos) - so don't forget to say a prayer for your family members who have departed.

You may remember that I'm in the midst of cleaning and sorting my craft room. That is resulting in a stack of craft supplies that I know I'm never going to use. What I didn't share previously is that it's all part of a Grand Scheme - and all parts of our home are undergoing cleaning and sorting. I have stacks of another person's treasure all over my house.

I have so many blessings in my life and I would like to spend the month of November sharing some of my blessings with you. So, to celebrate reaching this milestone, I've decided to have a serial giveaway. What's that? You may well ask. Haven't you enjoyed the giveaways hosted by Missy, Jolene and Cameo? Mine is a variation on the theme:

1. Every few days in November, I will post an item or two for giveaway. Each giveaway will end three days after it starts, and I'll give you the ending date on each post.
2. Comment on that post to be entered into a drawing for that day's item(s).
3. If you are or become a follower on my blog - that will get you another 2 entries. Comment again to tell me so.
4. Post about that day's giveaway - get another 2 entries! To keep me straight, I'll have to ask you to comment again and give me the link.
5. Each giveaway day will have a Trivia Question (the answer given when I announce the winner!). Answer correctly in a comment - 1 more entry.
6. I will send internationally - I already have friends all over the world and I wouldn't mind a few more!
7. Please make sure I can contact you - either through your blog or by including an email address.

Now, that's 6 chances of winning that you can be eligible for. I will be drawing each giveaway's winner the old fashioned way - by having one of my grandchildren draw a name out of the Magic Basket. So, if you qualify, your name will be in there six times!

The Giveaways:

OK, enough blathering. First up today are two hardback books: Shadowmancer and Wormwood, both by G. P. Taylor. Remember that these are from my personal collection and are not new, although they are in very good condition. Both books will be going to one lucky winner.

I also have a Dimensions kit - and yes, I'm not ashamed to say I bought it on clearance! But I am ashamed that I bought it - it's not my style at all! This is a complete kit with 14 ct beige aida and thread.

You can enter for either the books, or the kit, or both!

Trivia:
I've got a current WIP that I scanned just because I thought it looked funny at this particular stage.You can blame this on my clean-up efforts - I found a scrap of aida from another project that was the perfect size for these ornaments. The one on the left is an adaptation by me, but the one on the right will be an accurate reflection of the designer's chart. Your mission - identify the designer! Hint - I pulled the chart from my huge collection of online freebies, and I saved it on 15 November 2003.

Entries will be closed at midnight, CST on Thursday, 5 November 2009.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today - and Good Luck!