mainely stitching

There are so many good things to share that I hardly know where to begin! I’ll start at the beginning, I guess (usually a safe strategy), and follow from there. So last night I went to bed at a little after 8pm. I’ve been so incredibly tired that I don’t quite know how I’ve managed to continue putting one foot in front of the other. Yesterday evening, after I finished giving Arden his bottle, I literally collapsed across my bed, fully clothed, and just … disconnected. Around midnight, Niek woke me up to ask if I didn’t want to at least take my jeans off. I didn’t get up till 9 am today, and felt much better for it. And as if a full night’s sleep weren’t thrilling enough, the sun is out, too! Woohoo!!

And the goodness keeps on coming! My mother-in-law has kindly consented to watch our three younger kids this evening so Niek and I can have dinner in a restaurant that does not feature clowns or the lack of silverware. We haven’t been out for dinner (without kids) since last autumn. At that time, the kids got to stay over at Uncle Dirk & Aunt Jiske’s. Needless to say, the kids are beside themselves with delight.

Even though tomorrow is The Big Day, I went ahead and opened my gifts from Jennifer and Concetta today. I thought I’d shown quite remarkable restraint in waiting this long.

Jennifer sent me this gorgeous zippered, quilted, handmade tote in my favorite colors – absolutely the perfect size for safely & stylishly transporting WIPs.  Thank you, Jennifer! I wish I had your talent in quilting (or any machine stitching).

And Concetta, who modestly said her box contained only a few odds & ends for the kids, just blew me away. I mean, it was like my birthday and Christmas rolled into one! First off, the goodies strictly for me: charts from my wish list, charts that I wanted that weren’t on my wishlist, silk, and my absolutely favorite linen in the world!

 
And for the kids and family to share there were (note the past tense, LOL!) Scottish tablets that taste like fudge, a mooing Scottish Highland cow for the ‘fridge, a beautiful card, and a Loch Ness monster for Arden to play with.

As you can see, he really likes Nessie! Thank you, Concetta! I’m walking on air!

And I can’t close without showing the very sweet card I received from Mylene, who makes such lovely cross-stitched cards. Thank you, Mylene!

I don’t know what, if anything, is in store for me tomorrow, but you’ve certainly made this birthday special. Thank you all!!

The residents of Rowen’s latest attempt to start a snail farm say hello! No snails were harmed during the making of this photo – I set all the poor little creatures free when Rowen wasn’t looking. I am so brave. I mean, these guys were not only slimy, they were also very wiggly. Ugh!

I’ve received some much more welcome greetings in the mail. Both Dianne and Karen V have sent me birthday cards filled with goodies – thank you both so much! Dianne’s card included some DMC varigated floss, which I particularly like to use when I’m doing charity quilt squares because it’s washable, but also breaks up the monotony of some of the designs. Karen’s included all sorts of yummy bits of silk ribbon and some buttons that I just can’t wait to incorporate into something fun. Thank you both!

Thine Forever, another wonderful design by Carriage House Samplings, is now in the competent hands of the framer. I cannot claim to be thrilled about the professional framing, but I’ve tried various places around the area and I’m the most satisfied with the fellow I now go to. I’m quite excited to see this all matted and framed, and I promise to share a photo of it as soon as I get it back.

I’m now busy with my Seasonal Exchange pieces. I have a winter project to do for Cathy, my 2007/08 partner and a summer piece to do for Su, my 2008/09 partner. I started Cathy’s last night, but I haven’t done enough to warrent a photo.

Thanks for stopping by to visit – I love hearing from you and I really appreciate that you’ve made me part of your day!

Just in case the sun does not come out (and it looks like it’s going to stay deeply hidden behind clouds and rain), Anna sent me some Florida sunshine and I’m sharing it all with you in my header photo. Thanks, Anna!

We live in the most densely populated region in the Netherlands, known as the Randstad. Since we moved here seven years ago, I’ve almost entirely lost my sense of smell, allergies and sinus infections are a contant joy, and asthma and bronchitis are frequent companions. That said, the part of the Randstad we live in is called The Green Heart because there really is a considerable amount of land used for agricultural purposes in spite of the big cities and never-ending highways, as you can see here. (I just love Google maps, don’t you?) Last weekend, Gouda celebrated its agricultural facet with the annual Goudse Hofstedendagen. There were exhibitions at the nearby riding range and petting zoo, a nearby farm was open to the public, a bee keeper had an open house and demonstration (I stayed away from that one due to allergies!), and basically everyone was having a great time celebrating Mother Nature’s tiny foothold in this part of the world. The three younger kids and I had a great time walking up and down, back and forth, till we felt that we’d walked our feet right off up to our knees.   Here is a selection of photos of what we saw.

at the local livery stable/riding club

at the local petting zoo

at the local farm

around and about

While we were kicking up our heels, the bigger boys had their noses to the wind – sort of – as they enjoyed some very fine sailing up in Friesland. Although I didn’t want to give my camera up for the weekend so Niek could take pictures, one of the other daddies did take some photos and was kind enough to share (thanks, Johan!). The good-looking fellow with Max is Colin, son of the generous shutterbug.

It’s always such a treat to enjoy an active weekend outdoors with the kids. It’s really remarkable how much better behaved they are when they can run off some of that energy outside, and how much better tempered I am when I’ve had a big dose of vitamin D! Though it has rained since Sunday, I’m hopeful that the upcoming weekend will be sunny … Mother Nature’s birthday gift to me.

And if you’re still with me …

Anna’s finished The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pattern! Hurry over and sign up for the drawing – maybe you’ll be the next sister!

I did not fall off the planet – it’s been a bit busy, with Niek not home as often as usual, and to “save” time, I’ve been totally offline for a couple of days. Hopefully, our normal programming will now resume.

There is so much to tell and share that I’ll need at least two posts cover it all (and avoid writing an entry roughly the length of War and Peace). Today I’ll share some stitching and a wonderful gift box from Tanya.

My partner, Wendy Jo, received her squares for the Independence Day exchange at Fair and Square and thank heavens, she liked them. I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted to stitch – I wanted a subject that made me feel very patriotic, but that was neither too primitive nor too fussy. I’m one of those people whose hair stands up whenever I hear The Star Spangled Banner – it makes me feel intensely American – and being from the New England region, I have a special fondness for the Liberty Bell. So here is my square, using a freebie from Erica Michaels and some text from The Star Spangled Banner. I was quite pleased with the result.

I’ve also been working on Thine Forever, but the Monday deadline that I set for myself has passed. I didn’t stitch over the weekend, being quite tied up with the kids, and had no opportunity on Monday, either. I got the turbo needles out yesterday and nearly finished it – I would have, except I didn’t know the maiden name of the bride-to-be so I couldn’t stitch her initials (which meant I couldn’t keep the rest of the text centered till I could figure out the count for that line). I’ll finish it today and take to to the framer tomorrow – that should still be sufficient time to have it ready for the wedding. Sorry for the wonky colors – it’s a very gray day here and my camera is being temperamental.

And now onto the really fun stuff – a box of goodies for Arden! Tanya had apologized for being “late” in sending a gift to Arden – which of course is completely silly of her, as gifts are neither required nor expected, and therefore cannot be late. Yesterday, the mailman brought two packets, one of which was from Tanya, and Max and I had a lot of fun opening it after we put the wee beasties to bed. Arden quickly chose his favorite item from the gifts – a ring with beads inside that make a lovely noise when shaken. Just look at that happy face!

But you really should’ve seen my face when Max and I had unpacked everything! Tanya, you are too generous! Arden now has a wonderful selection of clothing from sizes that fit now, up to 18 months. Thank you!

This morning I had fun dressing him in his little Osh Kosh overalls (I attempted to wear nothing but Osh Kosh overalls when I was a kid – I even had a little denim cap to match). Here he is, right after his breakfast bottle, full of smiles.

And for tomorrow, pictures of our weekend! The younger three kids and myself enjoyed the Goudse Hofstedendagen here in our neighborhood while Max and Niek indulged in some sailing up in Friesland. Stay tuned!

And a contest!

There’s still time to head over to Stitch Pink and enter your name for the drawing of a beautiful M Designs Survivor Tree ornament!

First off, a funny comment I overheard today. Nicky and Rowen were playing outside and I caught part of their conversation:

Rowen – No, Nicky, that’s not right. I can’t be an old grandma because I’m just a little girl!

Nicky – That’s the way it works, Rowen. Mama started off as a little girl and just look at how old she is now!

Less funny comments have been appearing in my blog. I don’t know what WordPress has done, but my automatic rejection setting for any comments that contain links (to weed out spammers) has been totally ignored and every time I log on, I find more and more nasty comments with links to sex sites – which I obviously delete immediately. My apologies to everyone – although I have no control over it, I still feel very uncomfortable that your visits to my blog have subjected you to such unsavory stuff. I’ve tightened up my restrictions even further, but if the problem continues I will consider moving my blog away from WordPress.

Now, on to the stitching!

Today my nearly-neighbor Marlies came over and we stitched for an hour or two. It was very companionable and pleasant and I had a chance to break out the new silk for Thine Forever. After the kids were in bed, I continued with the project and I’m now at a place where I feel a little more confident that I really will be able to finish this by Monday.

I’m also looking at possible future projects and I’d like to hear your opinion of this floss toss for Faith, by Examplar Dames. The linen is 36 count Porcelain from Silkweaver, and I’m considering one-over-two coverage to give it a delicate/antique appearance.

Arden had lots of tummy time today, but at one point he was just falling over from weariness. He continued trying to hold  his head up to grin at me right up till the moment (just shortly after I took this picture) that he clunked over, sound asleep.

Max finished the Avondvierdaagse march tonight and was very pleased with himself. Niek took Nicky and Rowen down to cheer him in as the walkers streamed back to the starting point to receive their medallions and to be showered with candy and gifts (as is the tradition). The kids were practically vibrating with excitement when they came home. Max and Niek are off for a weekend of sailing tomorrow; I’ve got some different ideas of what to do with the wee beasties during our time alone together …

Wishing one and all a lovely weekend!!

Lately, I’ve been about as much fun to be around as a wet cat – irritable, touchy … dunno why. When Niek didn’t return from taking Max to the march this evening, I thought he might’ve decided to stay downtown till the end of this evening’s march and I couldn’t blame him. Turned out, he’d gone to buy candy, which is traditionally handed out to the kids on the last night of the march (tomorrow). What a sweet guy.

I haven’t done much stitching, but I did finally put in the last bit of backstitching and the buillion knots for this, Tulipa hybrida, by Kirsten Lehrmann Madsen. I cannot claim that Assisi and backstitching are my new favorites, but I am quite pleased with how this turned out. It’s on a mystery piece of 32 ct. antique white linen using DMC varigated and DMC 3820.

 
And I tried to put in a few more stitches on Fair, Kind, True, but my progress has been rather underwhelming. I wish my camera would take a decent photo of this glorious linen – 32 ct Tallahassee Teal by Silkweaver.

Time to get the lead out on Thine Forever if it’s going to be framed in time for the wedding on June 6th. Where does the time go??

What a beautiful day it is today! First off, it’s my Daddy’s birthday! Secondly, I finally got my bike repaired so Arden and I have a little more mobility than we’ve recently enjoyed. And thirdly, I received my Fair Squares “Independence Day” exchange from Wendy Jo. What a day!

I had to first unearth my bike and trailer from our shed, and then clean a winter’s worth of spiders and other icky stuff off/out of both and then pump up the tires enough to get me to the bike repair shop where I could get both tires replaced. But it was worth it! Here’s the bike and trailer combo, and then there’s a picture of Arden all fastened into the trailer for his first outing – which he loved!

On the stitching front, Wendy Jo’s squares to me came via rocket express. They’re wonderful – I love Brightneedle! And I will greatly enjoy the selection of overdyed fibers. Thank you so much, Wendy Jo! I hope my squares will reach her as quickly and that she will enjoy the exchange as much as I have.

Also on a stitching note, the burnt umber NPI silk arrived late yesterday for Thine Forever. I didn’t get any stitching done, as it was Max’s first night of the Jeugd Avondvierdaagse, the four-day walking event for area youth, and I was all off-kilter from the resultant schedule changes. But there’s always hope for tonight!

So first she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hot for her. And then she tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear, and that was too cold for her. And then she went to the porridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that; and that was neither too hot, nor too cold, but just right; and she liked it so well, that she ate it all up.

Arden is certainly not a Goldilocks – looks like we may have another brunette in the family, though it’s early days to be certain – but when it comes to eating porridge all up, he’s your man!

It’s hard to believe, but this little fella is five months old today!

Thank you so much for your happy wishes and congratulations on our anniversary yesterday. It’s still nothing short of a miracle to me, finding myself part of such a wonderful family with a caring & committed husband, healthy & happy kids …. Incredible!

Five years ago today, my Daddy walked me down the aisle …

And when I promised this incredible human being

that I would cherish, love and honor him for the rest of my days, I had to really mean it because we were being joined in marriage by none other than my (to-be) father in law!

My best friend Anna came from Ireland to be our maid of honor, chief witness, and pre-ceremony entertainment (she played a traditional Irish whistle/flute).

Niek’s brothers and sister all turned out to see us begin this newest phase of our lives together,

and my great Aunt Hattie and Mom made the flight from Maine to be with us.

It was truly a perfect day. And although I cannot claim that the 1827 days between then and now have all been perfect, they’ve all been filled with love and caring; many have been marked by laughter, some by tears, there have been dishes broken (mostly by accident, but two in anger) and doors slammed, there have been comforting hugs, and cloud-breaking smiles. Our family has doubled in children, and gone from zero to four in animal members. We’ve completely re-done both our front and back gardens, turned the biggest bedroom into a nursery, and rearranged the furniture countless times. We’ve gained a company car and lost my little VW. We’ve gone on holiday to America, Belgium, and here in Holland as well as making shorter forays into Canada, France and Germany. We’ve slept in, but had a lot more nights that were sleepless. There’ve been sunny days and rainy ones, happy moments and tearful times … but through it all has run the current of our love for each other, the promises we’ve made that live on in our hearts and our souls.

Niek, thank you so much for being brave enough to ask me. A thousand times, and a thousand more, the answer is yes.

Even when we aren’t actually doing anything, the weekends just fly by. I enjoyed some stitching time, after going without a needle-fix for most of last week, and that was really great. I actually started and completed my Independence Day exchange, even though I couldn’t find a pattern that I really wanted to stitch … and so I “made” my own. I knew what colors I wanted, and I knew what sort of overall look I was going for. Since I can’t show you my squares till they’re received, you’ll simply have to make do with the floss toss that started it all.

The weather was iffy for most of the weekend – it rained all day yesterday, and although we did have periods of sunshine today, it was chilly and often very gray – so the kids spent more time indoors than has been usual (with all the amazing weather we’d had up till now). Rowen and Nicky have discovered computer games. Sigh. Naturally, they play them on my computer, which means I can’t use it for blogging, emailing, browsing, and all the other highly important stuff I depend on to fill my empty hours … LOL! Here’s a shot of them, deeply engrossed in making a zebra jump over holes.

Nicky also seemed to discover his little brother today. Maybe rainy days really are good for something after all! Usually he sort of drifts by Arden without noticing him, but tonight after dinner he got down on the floor and played with him. Eventually, their laughter brought Rowen around, and before too long, Mean Ol’ Mom had to break up the party because it was getting a little too rowdy for baby-type people. ;0

Thank you for your comments about Sara and her wonderful gifts for Arden. I have been so incredibly blessed by the friends in my life …. It’s amazing, the impact we make on one another’s lives, isn’t it? I want to thank you for being a friend, for coming to visit me here and making me a part of your life.