What day is it?

I don't know about you but when school starts, Autumn hurries along and I find myself having to recheck my calendar to see what day (or month!) it is. Funny, I do know when Friday is because my boys chant 'it's pizza night' before I have a chance to wonder.

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There's something wonderful about simple routines, like pizza & family movie night, in the week's busyness that makes life grand. Every day or evening seems to be filled with some thing even though we are not an overly committed (that sounds weird) family but the calender fills up regardless. A week can echo sadness, heartbreak, happiness, surprises, good news and bad, additions and subtractions but I find that with Faith in God I can manage my way. Some days maybe better than others but that's where the Faith comes in even more.

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Miss Maddy lost her kitty sight in both eyes this week; the vet says her retinas detached completely; her blood pressure was high and now she's on the tiniest pill every morning to help control that. I take her back next week for a follow up. She's not in any pain which is good but stays to one part of the house where all her necessities are which makes sense. It is very sad to see her in this way though; Maddy is 16 years old and we adopted her from the animal shelter when she was 6 months old. Our pets are such dear ones to us and sometimes we forget they get old too. I miss her looking at me but she's been getting extra love and content being pampered. Afterall, she is the Queen around here.

Hope your week-end is filled with love, simple pleasures, AND pizza!

just cuz

What kind of a person would take a picture of her iced green tea? Me, apparently.

The same kind of person whose son would put such a face on a cute little pumpkin.

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Zack: Can I have a piece of Halloween candy, Mama?
Me: Ok, just one.
Zack: Yay!
Zack: (spitting it all out ...) Gross! Someone put pieces of crayons in it, Mama. I don't like it.
Me: Those are peanuts, Zack. What a mess!
Zack: Sorry. I don't like peanuts.
Me: You love peanuts.
Zack: Well, not in Halloween candy.

feet first

Another wet week here. I saw the sun shine for a few hours the other day; I'm pretty sure I did. Yep, it was there. A patch of blue sky into the heavens too. Hope the sun comes back soon though. I miss it cheering me up. In the meanwhile, there has been plenty of puddle-jumping to get Mama wet and laugh.

Enjoy your week-end.

Christmas Ornaments 2011 issue!

Just Cross Stitch Magazine returned my ornament model today and copies of the magazine! Very exciting to be a part of the collection of designs within this year's issue.

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Thank you sweetly for the dear condolences via email and comments on the Blog and Facebook. It means a lot to me.

whites on a grey day

My paternal grandmother passed away this week-end. She was 85 years old. Grandmother was a tough woman; she was one of the strongest characters I think I've ever known and I'm mighty proud call her Grandmother. Her life was hard and I can only imagine that made her all the tougher in spirit and soul to endure life through sun and rain. My father's Dad passed away last Christmas Day and while my grandparents were divorced decades ago when I was small, my Grandmother never remarried and held a hurt, but loving heart till her last days. She had the bluest eyes, the most radiant smile, and the best laugh that made you laugh too.

While helping clean out her apartment I was fortunate to gather some of her linens for my heirlooms. I've laundered them and they need to be ironed but wanted to show them here as they are so lovely and so special. Sadly I don't know the stories behind these items but knowing they were held by her hands mean the world to me. The first is a large tablecloth; the second is a beautiful round table cloth; the third are monogrammed towels; the fourth is a stamped table runner; and the last picture is one of two gorgeous (and heavy!) bedspreads with classic snowball trim.


Grandmother was a beautiful woman inside and out; I found this sweet picture of her from earlier days and I think it's lovely. Life is fragile and sometimes we think someone we hold dear will always be around when they won't ~ may you love deeply and show it always.

Needlework TAG SALE !!!

There's a Needlework Tag SALE going on at the website! Fibers, fabrics, and other needlework items are available for purchase at Tag sale prices. Spread the word and see if there's a treasure waiting for you. Click HERE for details!

Happy Monday.

She flies again ...

The Witch School Sampler 1821
Copyright 2009 The Sampler Girl
For details on this pattern ~ CLICK HERE!

Sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going! It has come to my attention that the design above couldn't be found on my website and I apologize ~ I had deleted it by accident and included it in some OOP patterns in recent months. Sorry ... so the chart is back on the website for purchase. Sorry for any confusion. This is a wicked fun stitch!

quickie post

Nothing like a good one-dish dinner when you're already in for a busy week. This dinner was super simple and delicious. I used to attend MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) and really miss it; we did a cookbook two years ago and I refer to it quite often. Lots of wonderful recipes from busy moms in it. This is adapted from one in it. Enjoy!

Chicken & Cornbread Casserole
10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
3 cups cooked chicken
1 pkg Jiffy Cornbread mix
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
4 oz Mexican shredded cheese

Stir together enchilada sauce, tomatoes, corn, black beans and chili powder in a skillet or sauce pan. Stir occasionally and cook over medium heat, about 10 minutes. Add chicken.

Whisk together cornbread mix, milk, egg, and oil. Add 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese.

Pour chicken mixture into baking dish. Spoon cornbread mixture over chicken. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese evenly ontop.

Bake @ 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

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Zack started preschool today! Those 3hours went by SO fast; there are oodles of things I have on the designing desk -- very exciting. Stay tuned. In the meantime ... it's off to baseball practice.

Happy week.

Has it really been 10 years?

I was watching the Today show.
Ben, a fairly new 2 year old, was playing happily in his playpen.
Live on the TV, I watched as the report of the first plane hit.
I stood frozen.
The second plane hit.
I picked up Ben and hugged him tight.
Went for the phone to call my husband at work.
While on hold with the receptionist, a third plane went in to the Pentagon.
I was terrified and stunned.
What was going on?
Finally spoke with my husband and his office building's lights had shook when the Pentagon was hit as it was in the vicinity. The staff were gathering in the conference rooms to plan how to get out of the city and head home.
Then a plane crashed in Pennsylvania.
The morning went by fast like a moving-picture-book but also seemed to last an eternity at the same time.
I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. I couldn't cry too hard infront of Ben but it was difficult. He was so happy playing again.
My husband made it home later that afternoon.
The rest of the week was as if everyone in this area moved in slow motion and barely could speak, searching for words to comfort. Looking in the sky and not seeing any planes was eerie as we were near an airport and there were always planes flying overhead. The silence in the skies was weird and then all we would hear for days and nights were the patrolling jets zoom this way and that.
Can't believe it's been 10 years.
My children don't know what the world was like before September 11th.
It's still a beautiful world but forever changed.


What a Wonderful World
One of my favorite songs sung by Louis Armstrong

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces, of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, sayin', "How do you do?"
They're really sayin', "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more, than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

read it - watch it!

Popping in to say if you haven't read this children's book yet, then where have you been? Well, don't worry - I hadn't heard about it either. (Refer to last post!) Soooo, tonight we watched the short film of it on DVD and it. is. adorable and for any age!!! Will have to now get the book and a copy of the movie to own.

Signing off -- week-end! Enjoy yours.

N E W!

At some point over the summer, the beloved Gameboy Advance was handed down from B to Z. Whenever Zack plays a game from Ben's vast collection of games on this electronic collectible, he says it's NEW. Ben always says, to you it is, Dude, I've already beat that game!

Well, it's kind of like that with most anything you discover in your own time: Books, TV shows, music genres, and even needlework designers. I discovered the wonderful TV series, The Gilmore Girls, a month after it ended and had to watch all 7 seasons on DVD like a mad woman to catch up ~ it was new to me! Black olives -- oh MY are they delicious and never absent from my pizza toppings again ~ new to me! Bluegrass music is really awesome but makes me super-hyper if listened to while cooking ~ new to me! I started doing Yoga earlier this year and can't imagine myself without it ~ new to me! I could go on and on and on ...

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So where is this babbling going, you might ask? Well, I have 2 NEW patterns now available which may be really new to people and not to others. Both were included in The Sampler Girl's Halloween Boo-klet which I no longer print and sell. I wasn't about to see two of my favorite patterns from the booklet say good night quite yet, so have made them available for purchase on their own.

They are ...

and your little dog too
Copyright The Sampler Girl 2011

The first time I watched the movie, The Wizard of Oz, was at my grandparents house. I can remember covering my eyes when the cowardly lion popped out from the trees and especially when the monkeys flew out to find Dorothy. My most vivid and favorite part of the film is when Miss Gulch is rapidly riding her bicycle with little Toto in the basket. This design was thus inspired here.

Darcy & Elizabeth at the Zombie Ball
Copyright The Sampler Girl 2011

As for this design ... well, I’m a Janeite through and through and while I don’t swoon over ALL the genres that have vamped, so to speak, the life out of Jane Austen’s characters, I like to think Miss Austen would find it all very amusing, if not pretty clever and ‘out there’. Enjoy the Zombie Ball, Austen style!

**All details on these designs can be found at the webshop: The Sampler Girl

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It's refreshing to know we don't know all we know at this very moment ~ we continue to learn about and find new passions all the time.

a wet start

Down to one child until next week when preschool starts up again. Ben started 7th grade (middle school here!) yesterday and while we thought it couldn't rain even more than then, it is today! And all week apparently. Week-end looks good though - fingers & toes crossed. Sure feels like September with these cool, soggy mornings.

Back to work, slowly ... orders resume shipping end of the week. EPattern orders have mostly been sent if not already in process. Happy Stitching .... hard to believe another season is upon us again.

See you soon!