A Finish, A Birthday and A Winner... and a bit of sad news

Well, I've finished stitching another of the LHN ornaments. This one is "Under The Tree". In 'real life' it's really much brighter. Moses & I were competing for the sunshine spot in my sewing room this morning.
My birthday was a fairly subdued day (which I like). Stitched a little, played POGO games, painted the front porch. DH finally realized what day it was & took me to dinner at the Legion (taco night, my fav). I spent the evening with my hospice client watching an old movie. No fuss, no muss! A few birthday cards from special friends but no pressies (we're still paying for our "gift" to ourselves, a big screen TV).

I will be celebrating this week-end when I go to Portland for my stitching group. Man, I miss those girls! I missed July's GTG. There will be stash enhancement!!!

I know some of you have been waiting for this so I won't linger... the winner of my blogoversary/birthday giveaway is Bluladie ... Cathryn, please send me your snail-mail address so I can send your prize. And, for those who are curious, this is what Cathryn won. A Debbie Draper Designs "Pumpkin Band Sampler", 32ct Zweigart Belfast Linen in Light Terra Cotta and the six Gentle Arts Sampler Threads to stitch this piece. Happy Fall to y'all!!


Our dear Matty has gone to Doggie Heaven. I could see the signs last month. But it was such an awful month I couldn't bear the thought of losing him. Matty began to have seizures. I was up all night Friday calming and crooning to him. Saturday I got maybe three hours of exhausted sleep and awoke to the inevitable. He had the worst seizure yet before we could get him to the vet. Proud as ever, Matty walked himself into the vet's. This precious little dog had become so completely embedded in our hearts in the short five and a half months we were blessed with him. A sweeter, gentler spirit I've never known. Our lives have been enriched by his presence. Now if I could just stop crying.

Holey Moley! Where Does The Time Go?

I cannot believe this is my first post of May! Where is my life disappearing to? Just yesterday it was April! Is it really true that the older you get, the faster your life goes? Must be! So, I'll attempt to catch you up on the goings on around here.

Our Matty had surgery on his foot May 5th. The tumor was removed and the vet says things look good for the old man. (Not DH, the dog, silly) We did not have any of the fatty bumps & tumors removed. The foot is still bandaged and he gets the stitches out on Wednesday. DH has been a champion about changing Matty's dressings. His teeth were cleaned at the same time so the vet could get a good exam. Matt is doing well. He's so fun to watch as he tries to keep up with the girls. I've never heard him bark but DH says he did the other day. This boy is a chow hound and knows where all the treats are kept. The girls have been teaching him bad manners too. We are so lucky to have such a dear dog in our lives and are very thankful to all of Matty's benefactors.

Also on the 5th I left home to attend my very first Stitching Retreat. It was put on by Vicki and Donna of the NorthWest Stitchers Group and held in Union, Washington. This is the view we had to put up with
The weather was perfect! We had a hot tub with the same view. Pretty harsh! Twenty one fabulous women! I made new friends and enjoyed old ones too. A lot of stitching, eating, laughing, great prizes, a bit of drinking (what's a sunny day on the deck without a good beer or wine?), a bit of stash swapping. These are the ladies, don't we look delighted? Yours truly is the second from the left.


This past week I've been cleaning up my desk, catching up on some stitching, attending a couple of meetings at Hospice, tidying up my sewing room and even a bit of yard work. All that routine stuff except for the stitching, that could never become routine.

My latest work is the contest sampler piece by Wiehenburg. It's turning out gorgeous! I'm using Silkweavers Tranquility 28ct and Sulky 12wt Thread Peacock Plume. Today I spent some time browsing my charts for some Bs and bees. I want to personalize it and since both my initals are Bs, what else? The photo will have to wait til the morning. Everything I tried tonight looks too washed out.

MIA!!!

Well, I've definitely been 'Missing' (sheesh, time marches on even without me)! And I've definitely been 'In Action' (more about that in a bit)! No need to send the troops out searching for me though. I'm here and well and busier than a bee's butt!

The last I posted much was about Matty joining our pack. What a dear little dog he is. Sure wish we knew more about his history, it would be interesting! It appears he wasn't abused as he's a brave little soul and doesn't flinch from touch. However, his physical condition leads us to believe he wasn't very well taken care of. Yet, he wasn't terribly malnourished. Matt will go for some needed surgeries next Wednesday, the 5th. Two things about this: First, Deb (Matty's wonderful benefactor) with the help of many generous people, has raised enough money to cover all of the costs for Matty's healthcare. Bless all of you, you know who you are! Second, I must go out of town on the 5th and won't return until the 9th. I know DH is fully capable (within reason) What happens if it gets beyond reason? I'll be home on the 9th, nobody will perish before then. Right?

Whew! I've finally finished both classes I've been attending. Fortunately they only overlapped for two weeks and the homework hasn't been much.

The week-end of April 17 - 18 was our Washington/Oregon Stitching GetTogether. I love these! Always so much fun with like minded women from all over the NorthWest. Again, Tracy of Ink Circles and Carrie of Carrie's Creation attended. As usual, I spent way too much on Carrie's silks. I also picked up all the flosses needed for LHN's Sea To Shining Sea at my LNS, Acorns & Threads, in Portland. (local, as in nearly 4 hours away)

April 18th was DH's stepmom's 97th birthday. Happy Birthday Phyllis! I wasn't there as I was at the above mentioned stitching GTG.

On the 22nd we gathered with friends for a surprise birthday party for my dear friend Terry! HB girl, you're getting younger lookin' every day!

April 24th was the wedding date for our youngest son, Jim, and his bride, Teila. We were only given a ten day notice to get this shindig together (guess what I've been doing?). As the men in my life are of Native American decent we were offered one of the tribe's properties for the event. Our Chief performed the ceremony (his first wedding{other than to his beautiful wife}).

We had a lovely time and everything turned out beautifully. DH's stepmom, Phyllis, was able to attend (thank you Patrick). After the ceremony we all went to dinner at the casino. We were able to get the newlyweds a room for the night. Can you believe those kids spent some of their wedding money gambling? Crazy! They must live under a lucky star as Jim won a $500 chip in poker. Word is they're up $470! Without further ado, here's the lucky couple:

Back to April 23rd: We picked up the wedding cake early & headed to the coast. Our greatest concern was how to get Matty into the motorhome. We had been trying to work with him all week to no avail. We even tried to go back to working on getting into the car. He isn't able to do either. His back legs are just not strong enough. Soooo, we figured out a sling made from a towel and would hand him off to each other. Luckily Matt is able to climb down the coach steps pretty well (not so with the car). Matty's taken to riding in the motorhome like a champ. He was so good the entire trip. Fortunately, we were able to hook-up right at the property where the wedding took place so we were never far away. Unfortunately we were never able to take him out on the sand as he has an open wound on his foot. Someday soon Matty, I promise!

Now, on to the stitchy stuff! No, I won't chronicle all my new stash. That might lead you to think I might actually use some of my precious stash. I do have a couple of finishes to show you though. First is my LHN 'The Library'. Man, this one almost became a UFO! All that solid stitchingis soooo boring!

Next is the fifth in the LHN Ornament SAL series. I skipped the forth and am stitching it now. I just couldn't resist this lamb. I stitched him in Whisper Thread to make him look wooly. The photo is very dark (what's up with my flash?). The fabric is actually an 18ct Dirty stitched over one. Oh, and one last thing since you've come this far. Many of you know Paulette of Plum Street Samplers. Take a look at what she and her mom, Marsha, and her sister, Audrey, are cooking up on their new blog Four Seasons Cafe. Fantastic! I don't enjoy cooking very much but I do love to bake! Now wait just a second there.... I just lost all this weight! This might be a really bad idea for me.

Meet Matty!

Matty has quite a story but most of it we will never know. He was found nearly dead in a field near our main road. People had asked in at my friend Deb's shop if she knew who the owner was. Nobody was sure if he had been hit. People just drove on by. Deb and several others went to get him and called the sheriff for transport to an emergency vet. Then he was moved to the Humane Society. There he had to be held for five days before anything could be decided about him. They decided he was unadoptable & would put him down. Deb was outraged.

I received THE CALL. Could I, would I take in this poor dog? I met Deb at the Humane Society to meet the dog. DH said he would support whatever I chose to do. What a gentle soul this dog turned out to be. I was hooked. He was matted so badly that even his sex was undetermined for a time. I chose the name Matt!

The next morning an emergency visit to a groomer. He was so terrified the job was only mostly completed. We suspected Matty was blind and deaf. But what a change in this dog's look! He's gorgeous! Such a puppy face for an old dog. And he fairly pranced around once we got him home. Our girls, Kelly and Jessie have been very accepting of Matt which is making the transaction much easier. Also, Moses (the cat) and Matty get along very well.

The next day we visited the vet. Cataracts, yes! Hearing impaired, yes! Teeth in terrible shape (the reason he wasn't eating too well). Most of his lumps are just fatty tissue, common with age. One lump on his foot seems to be cancerous. This needs to be taken care of in the near future.

The vet gave us a quote that floored me! So very generous! He's cut the cost to the bare bones. He'll remove the tumor and clean up the teeth. We'll wait a few weeks to let Matty acclimate to his new family. Meanwhile, I'm cooking special meals for our dear boy. Easy on his teeth & fatten him up.

Another call from Deb. She's a force to be reckoned with. She's told Matty's story to everyone that enters her shop. She's put it on Facebook. People are soooo generous. There have been offers of homes for Matty. Best of all, people are donating for the cost of Matty's surgery and care. What a relief and joy!

So without further ado, here's' Matty