Arden’s little “bug” transferred itself to my sinuses, so if I miss a typo or two, please ignore it.
Sinus irrigation and all the usual tricks just aren’t doing it for me this time. Ugh!
But there’s a lot of good stuff to share!! Nick and Rowen have been in school skits this week and they were so much fun to watch! Nick played a hornet (and I had to make his mask in the 10 minutes or so before he got on the bus that morning – nothing like a bit of excitement!) and Rowen played a girl who’d rather read quietly on the sidelines than play in a group. Both skits were about cooperation and friendship, and the kids made up the skits themselves.
With dear friend Tigger, we tapped our big maple tree out front and have been boiling sap to make our own syrup. Oh my gosh is homemade syrup delicious!! Arden got the first taste, but we all enjoyed it. 
I received some fabulous stash from Mary Katherine, thanks to the generosity of dear friend Judy. The goodies arrived in two packets, and I unthinkingly put everything away from the first packet, but here’s what arrived in the second packet. And thank you, Mary Katherine, for the additional Dinky Dyes and needles! It wasn’t necessary, but very appreciated! Thank you Judy for a wonderful Christmas gift that I enjoyed to the hilt! I decided on all floss, hoping the beautiful new colors would whisper to my design muse.
I have done a bit of stitching and finishing. Here’s the end result of my Pink Girl with Swan make-do. I think it came out pretty cute. She’s set in the top of a papier-mâché decorative box that I use for storage of stitching supplies.
And here’s Penny Angel, my contribution to the world-wide SAL paying homage to Lisa and expressing sadness at losing her. She’s a woman who touched so many lives …. the void she’s left is just impossible to comprehend.
I’m going to close with a sweet picture I snapped of Rowen cuddling Flip the other day. It can be difficult to see our kids (or other family members) as people independent of our relationship with them … I hope I always honor and respect my kids for the amazing people they are.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:36 am
Hope you’re feeling better soon. It’s fun to see all the activities your kid are doing. Tapping your own maple tree– how cool is that! I love your stitching finishes too — both are beautiful and I love the tribute to Lisa. I do think you do a great job with your kids and honor them and show them for the people they are growing up to be.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
I don’t know if you’ve tried inhalations. Over here we buy something called Karvol capsules and I find they work every time.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
great kids-pictures, all of them. And you own homemade maplesyrup, how un-Dutch and how cool is that!! We can only dream…
Love your stitching, all of it. It looks great!
Enjoy home and family and maple trees.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Awww, I love that photo of Rowen and Flip – very sweet!
Gosh, you are now making your own syrup? You are well on your way to self sufficiency!
Except maybe you still need to buy stash for stitching! Lovely make-do by the way.
Hope you feel better soon!
March 19th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Tis the season for sinus woes. Hope yours drain nicely soon.
Love your box top and the angel. Still don’t know when you find time to stitch.
Homemade maple syrup.. what a treat!
Nice little repertory company you’ve got there too.
March 19th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
To think that it wasn’t so long ago that I was worried about the Grand Ones adapting to a new school and country and now here they are active in school plays. I am so happy for them.
March 19th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
They are such cute photos and some nice stitching too. Get well soon!
March 19th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
That is a beautiful picture of Rowan and Flip..
March 19th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
I always love popping in and seeing what your sweet family is up to. Great kiddo pics and mmmm…. maple syrup! Delicious!
March 19th, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Is there nothing you can do girl?! Making your own syrup now – yummo! Love your finishes, Pink Girl is adorable. I’ll bet your children were fabulous in their skits – my, they grow up so fast.
March 19th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Cute pics of the kiddos! Can’t believe you are making your own syrup, too! Ummm, bet it tastes awesome.
Hope you get to feeling better soon.
March 20th, 2011 at 6:09 am
Oooh your own homemade maple syrup. I am envious.
March 20th, 2011 at 7:08 am
Great stitching on both pieces, and I love how you finished the box. I hope you’ll be better soon.
March 20th, 2011 at 9:42 am
I don’t know how you keep up with everything going on in your household, Barbara! And now you’re making your own maple syrup, too–really wonderful!
I hope you feel like your old self very soon (that is one thing I don’t miss with my kids all grown and gone is those inevitable germs that they would bring home from school!). Love that photo of Rowen and her kitty–so precious.
March 20th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Great pictures of the kids.
Congrats on a beautiful finish and what lovely new stash.
Hope you feel better very soon.
March 20th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Homemade syrup sounds totally yummy! Love your finishes-both are beautiful. I can’t believe you did Nick’s mask in ten minutes-it would me 10 years-LOL
March 21st, 2011 at 7:19 am
What fun pictures! I too have had the sort of excitement you did with the mask… phew, there’s a way to start the day! You did a wonderful job.
That kitty is getting big!
March 21st, 2011 at 7:20 am
Your Pink Girl with Swan turned out beautiful, and such a nice finish of your Penny Angel. Congratulations to your kids for writing their own skits. Take it from one who knows – you will have more respect for who your children are the older they get! I can just imagine how delicious your maple syrup is – nothing like real maple syrup!
March 21st, 2011 at 8:23 am
Yummm, homemade syrup! Love how your pink girl turned out. And your kids are as cute as ever. Hope everyone is feeling better!
March 21st, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Such beautiful pictures; lovely goings-on. May I ask about the thread behind the 1822 on your Lisa Memento? Beautiful.
Feel better soon! We’re a bit sinus-y here today, too!
March 24th, 2011 at 7:07 am
You need to enlarge and frame that picture of Rowen and the kitty–so adorable!
Your make do is FABULOUS!!! I love the angel that you did in memory of Lisa, too.
Making your own syrup–that is too cool. I used to LOVE getting real maple treats when we’d go to Vermont for summer vacations. I found some (maple candy shaped into the maple leaf shape) recently as an adult and WOW was it sugary–but oh so good.
March 24th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Homemade maple syrup! Barbara, I’m in constant awe of all that you manage to do… you’re an amazing woman with an amazing family
March 24th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
Hi Barbara,
Greetings from the Great White North ….
we’re reclaiming our title from you. Mother
Nature had another one of her little jokes
at our expense yesterday when the second day
of Spring was spent enjoying what might have
been our heaviest snowfall for this season.
Are we laughing yet? Not so much.
The kids looked like they were having a grand
time performing in the school play. I had to
laugh when I read how you had to create a
hornet mask in ten minutes. (see story below)
Way to rise to the occasion Barbara. Rowen
looked sweet reading her book quietly on the
sidelines as required in her role.
Reminds me of when I went to my Dad one night and informed him that I needed a costume for the next
day at school because I was playing Mary in the
school Christmas play. Since my Mom worked evenings
my Dad was stuck making my costume. He lay two bed sheets together (he did check with my Mom first
about that) on the floor had me lay on top of them,
cut around me in the shape of a robe/long gown and
then he stapled the two pieces together to make the
outfit. Another piece of the sheet made a veil for
my head.
Oh Yum! Home made maple syrup. Is there
anything more delicious?? And it would be
extra special made with sap from your own
trees and cooked on your own stove I’m sure.
I plan on picking up a fresh jug of syrup
when the Farmer’s Market opens here in June.
Have you tried pouring warm syrup on snow??
I hear it’s good. Or is your snow all gone
now?
I’m so glad that you were able to get some
great new stash from Mary Kathryn and it’s
really nice that she added a few treats
in your order. Here’s hoping your muse will
respond to these beautiful threads and start
giving you some suggestions on what to do
with them. Have fun!
Your Pink Girl With Swan turned out great
and I love how you finished it off. She
really suits that box that you’ve put her
in. Penny Angel looks wonderful too. A
bittersweet stitch, sadly.
Cheers!
March 25th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Great pictures of the children.
Your finishes are lovely, congratulations