ch ch ch changes ...

New Blog Title and New TSG Logo!

Hope your week-end gets off to a wonderful start. See you soon ... in MAY!

shopping

10 older patterns of mine will be retired on May 1st ... listing of these charts can be found HERE.

Zack loves to shop ... especially for musical cards. Here is he at Target yesterday seeing which sounded the best.

nights like these

It felt like October out there this evening with the brisk, cold wind but the grass was as spring-green as could be. Ben pitched, caught and made base hits. The team lost by 1 run but it was such a fun game to watch.

more jane ...

More Handmade Jane Austen Needlebooks are available at the webshop! These are lovely and a sweet addition to any stitching Janeite's collection of needlework pretties.

finds

I have a growing collection of pretty pottery made in Poland. Whenever I see a piece that strikes me, I have to get it to add to the others. At TJ Maxx recently I saw a salt & pepper couple which was too cute but I ended up getting only the girl because her dress pattern was sweet & knew she'd look nice sitting in the kitchen window with the flowers. And she does! The narrow tray is a recent find also ... another IKEA item.

Also found a new fresh cleaner ... available at your local Target, my second home. I read on a favorite blog about it so was happy to try it out and really like it. The cucumber scent is so refreshing.

Hope you find something good today!

::good things

::dinner (out) with cake at the end of it

::new threads

::spending time with your Mom

::playing catch

::a purring cat

::clean AND folded laundry

::lavender lotion

::the twinkle of happy eyes

::non-stop laughter

::brand new week ahead

::a feel good, if not weepy, movie

::my book light

::the Sunday funnies

::Target finds

::rain at night

::being home

::a sermon that speaks to you

::forever friends

::bookclub night on the week's calender

::orange pekoe tea

::a good night's sleep

on saturday ...

Thao stitched Sense & Sensibility as a wedding sampler and it's lovely. I had modified the design for her to include the wedding date and initials. I do custom designing such as this all the time so if you need a design of mine tweaked or if there's something you need designed, with lettering, let me know your request by email and I will quote you the price. Great job, Thao!

The 22% off sale on all Jane Austen-inspired patterns & kits ends tonight at Midnight EST. Special free chart accompanies all orders, including epattern orders.

Hope your Saturday has been a pleasant one. I started the day at a ballgame and finished the afternoon with my mom ... great fun all round.

all's well now

I picked this book up at the library recently and started it tonight. It is laugh outloud funny and I haven't been able to stop crying with laughter since I began. All moms can relate to the passages within it. Soon after dinner began I had to scoot all around town to beat the closing hour of a minute clinic for Ben's severe allergy-plagued sore throat only to have to go to another one with no luck there either and well, let's just say, it was a long evening. Happily to report he got relief and can sleep.

The big azalea is already starting to turn over to green ... boo hoo. It is two big bushes growing into one and gorgeous; I'm always sad to see the pinks leave.

Short post but laughter is the best medicine (esp after the night I've had) and flowers are good for the soul. Now back to my book!

22% off on the 22nd ...

This is my dear blog's 822nd post as well as the 22nd day of the month ... so here's a fun offer for stitching Janeites! All Jane-inspired patterns & kits at my webshop are 22% off through Saturday, 12AM EST. To sweeten your stitching basket, I have a new freebie, His Letter to Anne, to include with orders. Thank you as always for your dear patronage through the year and of course your kindred love of Jane Austen with me. Happy Jane Stitching!

sneak peek ...

It's a rainy day here and I'm in the mood for a juicy, cheesy burger so as soon as this post is over ... we're off to find that bad yummy ... Z suggested Wendys so the car might just end up there.

Before we go, I have another sneak peek to show you of an upcoming sampler design. I know I'm not the best at these peeks because they are always so small and so vague but hey, it's a peek after all! I haven't decided what to name this one yet but you can see it has a nautical theme of which I love.

Been doing laundry and printing charts all morning. It's quite cozy indoors while the rain pitter pats but we'll be back ... now for that burger! Enjoy your Wednesday.

triple

Ben had a triple last night ... you can betcha this Mama was proud. Way to go, Ben!!!

and this little piggy cried all the way home

There's a great line in one of my favorite movies, where Bette Midler says, 'she was doin well then she stubbed her toe', and for some odd reason, you don't know how often I think of that scene in the movie. Who knows why - just one of those parts of a film that stay with you and never leaves. Of course the meaning had something different than mine but last night ... I was doing well until I stubbed my toe!! I was making dinner and multi-tasking as we mothers do non-stop and OUCH ... walked right into the corner of the wing chair. Oh. Pain. Carried on and finished making dinner trying to make Z know Mama was ok. Of course I'd stubbed my toe in the past but this was a doozy. DH came home to me limping around the kitchen and tried to lighten the situation with Seinfeld quotes ...

"What about the toe? What happened to the toe?"

"Well, I am happy to say that the little guy is back in place at the end of the line."

"You did all this for a pinky-toe?"

"Well, it's a valuable appendage."

Needless to say, the pain has lessened this morning and I was able to hobble around Target just fine in search of paper products, trash bags, kitty litter and other wonderful items that fill my to-get lists. I'm going to a baby shower on Friday night so I was giddy to buy some baby stuff, and pink stuff at that. Z and I snacked at the gourmet food area before leaving and now I'm regretting that cinnamon pretzel but it was so good and it was therapy for my toe.

something like this

*After taking Ben to school on this pollen-covered, sunny day ... it was not so joyful coming home to the LOUD sounds of a tree service parked at the house next door. It sounds like they are grinding every tree trunk in town but clearly it can't take too long, can it? So forgive me if my thoughts are jumbled but the noise, oh the noise, noise, noise noise! There's a little Dr. Seuss in your day. You're welcome.

*I've been hooked on the new show, Parenthood, and glad NBC has past shows online because now I'm caught up for tomorrow night's episode. The writing on the show is witty, funny, honest and familiar in my own life and sometimes it's comforting, or scary, to know you're not alone in the dance of parenting, both fragile and strong steps we take - that there are others just like you experiencing the same trials and triumphs.

*Tonight I have dinner planned. Some days it goes like that and other days it's a free for all on which carryout to pick. Boys bicker over which place to go and it gets exhausting so yes, we end up getting food here and there to please but it keeps the boat steady and some days you just aren't in the mood to rock it. So, dinner ... spaghetti casserole or something like that. Can't recall the exact title but you get the idea. It looked simple, good and would be enough for leftovers which is good since tomorrow night Ben has a ballgame.

*Z just said he loved that tree. It was the best. Oh and he also asked if it was time for lunch. Have we had lunch yet? Think I best be moving along ... off to the post to send orders and feed the ever hungry one. Maybe when we return the tree people will be gone ...

play ball, again

You know when you look at your child and think, wow. This baby of mine is such a big kid now. It happens to us moms all the time at different moments, the time for me is baseball season. Ben breathes baseball, always had.

When he was just a baby I had been given the idea to see his growth in one year by having him sit in the same chair every month, take a photo and after a year's time I could see how he changed and developed in just a year's time. For me the way to see the biggest growth in Ben is to take his picture before little league's opening ceremony every spring. It's that moment for me when I get all weepy and sappy, when I realize, yet again, that my little guy is a big guy and only getting bigger. How fast times escapes our mommy fingers and how precious the memories that pass through them are. Just the other day, my B was small like my Z here, right?

And now he's not. I was glad to be a part of today's memories and I'm so glad Ben is a part of me. Play ball!

in a word, IKEA

That pretty much says it all. If you've shopped at an IKEA then you know how much fun can be had there ... how many cool things can be gathered for one's cozy nest ... and how quickly the time & money flies in said store. My Mom, Grandmother, Zack & I set out this morning and made a day of it. I was on a mission for two mesh standing thingies to house Z's many, many, many stuffed animals which are everywhere at bedtime. Also came home with other wonderful goodies including a fantastic floor lamp ... you can never have enough lamps. Mom got one too! Isn't it fabulous?

It's pizza night but I'm not prepared with dough and such so Z and I might find ourselves going out. Ben has baseball practice and the sky promises rain so the evening could be a shift in plans. I just hope Z, the non-napper, goes to bed early so I can settle in for some Jane Austen movie-viewing and my stitching. I've a new little sampler design I'm working on ... here's an itty bitty sneak peek.

fabric friday SALE

All fabric cuts available at the webshop are 1/2 price today through midnight EST tomorrow. Making room for new fabby coming in ... happy fabric Friday!

frame

Due to popular demand, I am able to add the handmade frame which was used for the design, Tea with Jane Austen. This frame is beautiful and custom made by my brother, who is a gallery framer and well, he does excellent work. Price includes shipping within US; overseas shipping still applies. Click HERE for product details.

good things

::a solid hour reading at the coffee shop while Z played in the toy area

::flowers being watered from the sky and not me

::chocolate cake in the house

::thrift shop visit

::dinner with girlfriends

::full tank of gas

::the sound of raindrops

::thread & fabric

::a favorite quilt

::a fully charged iPod

::tea

::the mute button

::new projects

::week-end, it will come again

at Pemberley, the thread holder

Monique, of My Mark, now has these wonderful pretties on her website ~ they were created to go along with my new design, At Pemberley.

Click HERE to order your thread holder!

new patterns

Three NEW patterns!

All brighten up the spring stitching basket ... enjoy!

Posey Sampler 1819

Picnic at Box Hill

At Pemberley

...and Monique of My Mark created a wonderful thread holder to accompany At Pemberley. I love it!! Visit her to order yours.

All details for these new releases can be found on TSG website.

12th of April, 14 years

DH & I married 14 years ago today on the anniversary of our first date. Hard to believe how quickly the years go by; it's been a crazy kind of wonderful with sunshine and rain along the way but laughter always present. I'd do it all again.

And I would love you all the day

Every night would kiss and play

If with me you’d fondly stray

Over the hills and far away.

-Colonial Tune

this & that on Sunday ...

Share excitement with me for Michele B. who finished Netherfield Park into a lovely pillow! It's beautiful ... and nice rocker too!

Last night was date night so we slept in today, missed church sorry to say but the sleep felt goooood. Lazy morning with homemade waffles and now Ben is practicing piano, Maddy is purring next to me, DH & Zack are out at Target while I finish up some chart finalizations. I have 3 new patterns releasing tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek of one of them ... I'm sure you'll be able to guess most of it.

Hey, do you Facebook? We have over 550 fans on The Sampler Girl Fan Page now ... lots of fun going on there. Join us!

growing

How did it get to be Thursday so soon? Do the days blur into one sometimes for you too? I feel it's still Monday, maybe since our weather has been a deja vu every day since. Hot! Stopped at a light yesterday, Zack said it was snowing!, but it was just a blustery shower of pollen-coated blossoms flowing here and there. Achooooo. Been doing a lot of that too. Everything is growing and looking pretty day by day. The phlox I planted two years ago has come back bright pink and you can't help but smile seeing it. Even the seed that Zack planted during nursery hour on Sunday is showing its root. Very cool.

Busy week back to TSG work ... new patterns coming out in a few days! See you then.

news

Spring break is over ... Eastertide is past ... Springtime has surely sprung here in color and warmth. It’s time for picnics, baseball, tall glasses of iced tea & rain for a spell. ***Orders received during my staycation begin shipping today. All Epatterns have been sent.

Coming up!

The May 2010 issue of Gift of Stitching Magazine features a design of mine ... I think you’ll enjoy it! Kirsten Edwards, Editor of GOS, posted a sneak peek of this project on her blog.

I’ve been doing some spring cleaning in the studio and decided to no longer print some older designs. Therefore, the following patterns will be retired May 1st:

The Dolley Madison Sampler

On the Moors with Emily Bronte

At Oyster Bay

Abigail’s Sampler for John

Lady Washington’s Sampler

Tokens of Visiting with The Jane Austen Girls

Lavender House Pillow Pattern

Jonah’s Hornbook

For Mrs. Jefferson

Mrs. Lincoln’s Sampler

Enjoy your Tuesday!

TSG

sweet bird, free pattern

Happy Easter Monday! It's another pretty, sunny, springy day here. I hope the sun is shining sweetly on you today too. We had a lovely week-end filled with Easter blessings, egghunts, CANDY!!!, family and baseball. Busy week ahead and orders received during my spring vacation begin going out again tomorrow. Here's a new freebie for you from me. Enjoy!

~Sweet Bird~

Free Pattern from The Sampler Girl

copyright 2010

(click chart to enlarge)

Easter Morning

Dress up & Rejoice ... He is Risen.