Hello everyone,just wanted to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that it is the end of 2012!I feel like I closed my eyes and when I opened them half the year had disappeared.LOL! Must be the fact I am getting younger and not a bit older.Hey, it is my lie story and I will tell it how I like.Isn't that a woman's prerogative?

It has been a cold day but still no snow! I am wanting  snow not as much as some of you have been blessed with of late,just enough to make the cold worth it.Is that to much to ask? Just remind me of this if and when we get dumped with to much snow.Say ...hey Jen,you are the one that opened your mouth and wished for it,so hush and deal with it.LOL!

There has not been a lot going on here other than  I jerked the Christmas decor down on Thursday and ran to Lowes for paint.Yep,that ugly peachy color in my living room is no more!It has been replaced with a color called Linen by Valspar and I am loving it! After replacing the furniture I decided not to put so much back on my walls to give the paint even more time to cure.The look is growing on me so much that I am thinking of thinning things down in other rooms too.

Any special plans for tonight? I have spent the day snuggled up with Gretchen watching movies with hubby and stitching.A perfect way to spend a cold day.I love days where you stay at home,snuggled up watching tv, reading,or stitching away, there is just something special about being home when it is cold outside.

My friends I am going to close with my wishes for the New Year..I really don't have the usual type of resolutions to share.I just want to work on being a better person,more humble,forgiving and more thankful.If I don't have as nice a home as maybe someone else then I don't want to fret over it,my home is a blessing and I am striving to be more thankful.There are two words I want to eliminate from my vocabulary this coming year...lucky and proud.There is no good luck, only blessings  and I do not want to be proud,I want to be thankful.Not that there is anything wrong with saying proud or lucky it is just a way of reminding myself where my blessings come from in this world. If I can reach those goals then I will be a happier ,healthier person and a better friend to people.Humility is the key to heaven and pride goes before a fall.I want to be closer to God and if I am then everything else will work itself out.May the Lord bless and keep each of you in 2013! Hugs and love,Jen

Good Morning and a RAK

Wishing you all a good morning and day! Boy,it is a cold one out there this morning,with just a dusting of snow here and there.My thoughts and prayers are with all of you that are dealing with the difficult weather.It has been a treat to see all the beautiful homes decorated for Christmas this year.We have so  many talented ladies out there,I have gotten some ideas for next year.Some of you have been sharing pictures of the snow and it has been so pretty. I am envious as I was really hoping for more than a dusting.

Seems kind of strange to think that Christmas  day has come and gone for another year.I really don't know where time has gotten this year.It is my hope that everyone had a wonderful day.Our Christmas was  a bit more sedate this year than in previous years.We had a wonderful meal and lazed around most of the day.We ate early as my FIL came up for Christmas with us,he does not like driving in the dark.He seemed to enjoy himself  for which I am grateful.Yesterday was his birthday,he turned 81 years young.The man still works a 40 hour week.Without his job he would be lost and bored to tears.He certainly is a wonderful role model to my son and  those around him.

Christmas day  may have come and gone but it was not over for me.I received a most wonderful package in the mail yesterday!Shirlee sent me such a beautifully cross stitched gift,I was squealing when I saw it.I have long admired her and her work,she is meticulous!I have been  friends with Shirlee for a while now and she is such a sweetheart.Her blog is delightful and I know you will enjoy it,should you visit it.If you want to see more of her beautiful work,just click the above link.She is always complaining about her finishing but girls it is all hot air...she does finishing as well as she stitches!It is my hope someday to be able to stitch half as well as Miss Shirlee.LOL! Thank you so much ,I will treasure it as much as I do our friendship.Here is a pic of my lovely gift.

 

Well folks as Bugs Bunny would say "Thats All Folks". Have a blessed day,stay safe and warm.Be kind to each other.Hugs,Jen

A Christmas Wish

Just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a safe Merry Christmas and that 2013 be full of blessings for all.

I still am not feeling well but wanted to share a few more pics of my Christmas decor .I will let the pics do my talking.Hope that you enjoy them.

Happy Holidays everyone!Hugs,Jen

A wonderful win and a finished project

 Good morning friends,it is my hope that today finds you well and in good spirits.There are only a few days left till Christmas arrives.Are you ready, can you feel the excitement? I would like to say that I am all squared away,that everything is ready but I am far from it.This week has found me down with a stomach virus that just won't quit, so there are no cookies baked, no candy made and the gifts, well I had to order them so they are yet to be wrapped.All that really doesn't matter because I have my family and friends and that is all that really counts.They understand as they are all adults,if I had a small child then I would probably be pulling my hair out.LOL!

The last couple of days we have had horrid winds,and rain.I looked outside the window this morning to see the apple tree had lost a couple of big limbs.I am grateful that is all the damage we have encountered.My thoughts and prayers are with those dealing with the winter storm and bad weather.

As the title of the post suggested,I have another wonderful win to share with you all.I have been so blessed of late to win some wonderful goodies from some very talented ladies.Teri of  White Sheep Farm recently celebrated her birthday by having a giveaway with not one but four winners and I was one of  the ladies chosen.Teri is such a lovely lady and shares many awesome tutorials on her blog so please take the time to check out her blog.I know that you will not be disappointed.I received such a wonderful box of homemade soaps and such.Really wish someone would invent a sniff button for the computer as the soaps smell out of this world.Here I will just let the pics tell the story.Thank you  Teri,I love everything you sent!

Love that ginger!

Inside the bag

Two chunky wooden gingers

Look how pretty this soap is girls!I received three of them!
Thank you so very much Teri!


I also wanted to share a project that I finished a couple weeks back.I punched this stocking using an oxford rug punch.The stocking is made with overdyed red wool strips and wool yarn for the toe,heel and cuff.

I made  a chunky braid to trim the edge of the stocking out of wool yarn.It turned out chunkier than I intended but it has kind of grown on me.
That is all for today.Be good to each other and enjoy the season.Hugs,Jen

Wonderful Wins and a RAK

I just want to take a minute to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the folks of Connecticut! I had intended to do a post but decided against it, as what could I say that had not already been said by others.There really is no way to understand the tragic events that unfolded on that Friday,because this was not an act of God but one of evil.The only real thing I can do is pray for God's comfort for those left behind.I am certain that there are 20 pairs  small angel feet dancing along with 6 adult heroes today in heaven,God Bless them all! Suffice to say my heart is broken .

In recent days I have been so blessed to win some wonderful giveaways here in blogland and would like to share the generosity of some talented ladies.

The first one is from Mary over at Marmmies Mammy's and More ! Please click the link and check out her wonderful blog. If you are familiar with her blog then I don't have to tell you what a sweetheart Mary is everyday! I received my package on Saturday and it blew me away! Not only has it made my Christmas but has became my favorite Santa I own.The craftsmanship is unbelievable,it is perfect.I am so honored to have one of her creations in my home.Take a look at how pretty it was packaged ....

Just look how beautiful they are and at that gorgeous feather tree!Pics do not do this wonderful Santa justice.Thank you Mary! I adore him!

Another beautiful win came from Danice over at Homespun Hannah'sBlog .She gave away an awesome homemade ornie and I was blessed to win.Danice is a wonderfully talented lady and has a great blog so be sure to check it out.She  has her pretty Christmas tree entered into a contest so run over and take a look and visit the link to cast your vote.Not only did she send the ornie but she included some of her potpourri! Ladies the ornie is stitched perfectly and the potpourri smells heavenly. If only the computer had a scratch and sniff button.I would like to be able to share the pretty packaging of her gift as well but I was in to big of a hurry and forgot the camera.Well actually, was all my  momma's fault because I had taken her mail into her and she let me know I wasn't leaving till she got to see my goodie.LOL!Thank you Danice!I love it!The ornie has already found a home on my tree.

On Saturday ( a good day wouldn't you say) I also received a package from Cathy from Tolentreasures. She is another very talented lady and has a huge giving heart.So if you are not familiar with her blog then be sure to check it out. Cathy,came up with a fantastic way to repurpose some wine corks,you really must take a look at the way she used them.She had recently did a post on some thread that she had found out thrift shopping and did not know what it was used for but it was to good of a deal to pass up.Think we all have been there and done that kind of thing.When I commented that I thought it was needle punch thread she generously offered it to me.Well it arrived on Saturday and ladies it is brand spanking new thread.Thank you so much Cathy! I am sure I will get many hours of enjoyment punching with it.  

If you have a moment I wish you would take a glance at a recent post that I did on a little boy's last Christmas wish. You can find it  here...A little boy's Christmas wish
 
Well ladies that is all for today.It is my hope that this post makes sense as I am doing it from bed.I have not been feeling well lately ( cause of the delay in posting my goodies) and last night I was hit with a horrible stomach bug.So if  the post is a bit  wonky let's just blame it on the fever.It was important to me to go ahead and do the post as the ladies were generous enough to share their talents and love and deserve to be recognized for it!Now if I can only kick this virus in the you know what and get on with things.I have to gifts to buy,wrapping to do,cookies to bake,candy to make,crafts to finish and lets not think about the house cleaning.Yikes! I  better get some rest.There are only 7 days left.LOL!Remember to pray for all those struggling through so much hurt and anguish.

One parting thought...be sure to tell those you love just how much they mean,don't let misunderstandings or hurt feelings stand in the way of saying what is in your heart.Don't let a day go by that you don't give that special one a hug or say good bye as they head out the door.God Bless and lots of hugs to you all,Jen

A Little Christmas Decorating

Well folks a the title says it all... a little Christmas decorating is all that has been done here by this little country mouse.I keep telling myself get in gear, add a bit more here and there,so far I have turned a deaf ear.Now I know how hubby manages not to hear my honey do list.LOL!

Instead of talking I thought I'd share a few of the displays around the house.Grab a cup of your favorite and lets take a short walk.

I hope you enjoyed the walk,I may have a few more pics  to share in the coming days.My home is decorated very simply  this year.Ispent the last few days working on a few new projects that I will be sharing in a day or so,one is an entirely new craft for me.Be kind to each other and Christmas Blessings,Jen

A Little Boy's Christmas Wish

Evening friends,hope that you all are well tonight and snuggled in somewhere cozy and warm.It has gotten a bit colder here in our area but still no snow.Maybe we will be blessed and surprised  with a white Christmas this year.Speaking of Christmas I want to tell you about a young boy of nine years that is fighting stage 4 Cystic Fibrosis .Dalton has been sent home to be with his family for the holidays and for however long he has left to live.When asked what he wanted for Christmas his only wish was to receive a  Christmas card,but he is not wanting just one, he wants at least 35,000.His wish is to break the world record of Christmas cards.I know how giving each of you are out in blog land and I thought that together we could unite and help him get his Christmas wish.I do want to add  that I believe that he has met his goal but he is now trying to see just how high he can set the record.If you would like to send out a card I will post his address below.To me it is a simple request from one so sick and young.It is a good feeling to know that our cards will be helping him reach his goal. Thanks and Christmas Blessings from a little ole country mouse!

Dalton Dingus
H.C.62 Box 1249 
Salyersville,Kentucky 41465

A giveaway!

Hey friends just wanted to share a wonderful giveaway with you!Wendy over  at http://ravenwoodwhimzies.blogspot.com/  is celebrating her birthday by having a giveaway.Wendy has been doing a 12 days of Christmas celebration  and if you haven't seen her posts you really should check them out.She has  shared some awesome tutorials and recipes.Hurry on over there because you really don't want to miss this one.Hugs,Jen

A Wonderful Win

Good morning blogging friends.I hope that the day finds you all well and in happy spirits.I would like to take a moment to thank my old followers for hanging in there with me.To my new followers thanks for joining and a big ole Kentucky welcome to you all! Everyone is welcome and if you ever need to contact me just click the little mouse and envelope on the sidebar.

The weather here the last few days while being beautiful certainly has made it hard to get into the mood to decorate for Christmas.Hard to believe that we hit 75 degrees yesterday,even with a little rain today the temperature is still nice.Yesterday was spent pulling out a few Christmas decorations and tugging on the furniture in the living room so I'd have room for my big tree.The tree just takes up to much room,I want a slimmer one  so that it  would be easier to find a spot for it.That pulling on the furniture is making me pay today.My old back is yelling every time I move.LOL!The plan was to order a German Twig tree but it will have to wait till next year.That is ok as it gives me something to plan around for next year.

My FIL got a great report at the doctor last Friday.The blood pressure and chest tightness was being brought on by stress.I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!We all know the power of prayer.

The house smells so yummy right now.The majority of the morning was spent in the kitchen making french toast for my son after that I started on my molasses cookies.They are cooling as I type.Gretchen is running around sniffing the air.Poor dear acts as though she just did not finish a bowl of food.

On to the title of my post.Hehehee,thought I forgot didn't you,nope just wanted to make you wait! Recently I entered and was blessed to win a wonderful giveaway hosted by Cathy of Tolentreasures! If you aren't already a follower of Miss Cathy please check out her blog.She is so talented ,witty and kind.It is not often that I  leave her blog without a smile.Well let me share with you my winnings cause I know you are wanting to see .The giveaway was for one of Cathy's beautiful pillows.I will just tell you that pics do not do justice to her work.It is gorgeous,the stitching is perfect!

Not only did I get the pillow she sent all these extras!

Thanks so much Cathy!I will always treasure my goodies!

Well I guess I should wrap up as I need to get my dining room and kitchen looking more like Christmas.Have a blessed and happy day .Jen

RAK and Good Intentions

Whew where does time go? I sure hope that each of you had a terrific Thanksgiving filled with family and good food! Although a bittersweet day ,we had a lot of laughs and plenty of food.My father in law spent the day with us and it was just so nice.

On my last post I hinted about a RAK that I had received and I wanted to share it with you.I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get it posted but there will be more about that a bit later.Let's get on with the good stuff. As some of you know it has been a rough summer and I haven't been around much ,well when sweet Carol of Firecracker Kid read my story she decided to make me smile.LOL! Boy did she ever do a good job too.Please click the link to check out the wonderful wooden items that she and her husband create! They are a very talented couple.She sent me one of her candle boards and I so wish I was better at photography so I could do the piece justice.It is fantastic the color and the textures on this piece are amazing.Shoot just look at the pic and you will see what I mean.

a

See what I mean ...Fantastic!Now look at a close up of the top ..

Don't you just love it.Planning on getting it hung this weekend.I am wanting to change some things around and get busy with Christmas decorating.Thank you Carol from the bottom of my heart.Carol is just so talented andkind.

Well there is a saying around here that the road to heck(go ahead and laugh at me for not saying the true word.LOL!)is paved with good intentions.Well if that is the case I am in some deep do winky  cause my intentions were to post the candle board the day after I got it that and I wanted to do a blog  post at least once a week.Well as you see, I have failed miserably. But in my defense I have good reasons excuses, the week before Thanksgiving I spent going to the doctor with my momma and sis.The news on both was not good.Momma has an enlarged heart,two heart murmurs,two valves that are leaking worse than before,blockage in the back side of the heart,suspected blockage in the front left side and the blood pressure in the lungs should be 30 her's is 50.The doctor basically said that with her bleeding disease that there is nothing that can be done for her now.It would be way to risky to do a heart cath for fear of rupturing the heart ,vessels or her hemorrhaging.To be honest this news has me in a tail spin with a lot of emotions.

Reason number 2: The week of Thanksgiving was spent listening to backhoes and the like as our septic system had failed.Oh my gosh what a mess, I am thankful though that it is fixed.It was a long week of not being able to use water while they were here working on it.Next Spring will be spent replacing and rebuilding my flower gardens and berry vines.Seems like the inspector decided I didn't them anymore as they were in the way of where the pipes needed to go. Something to look forward to and plan over the winter,I guess.

Well I apologize for the long post and my absence in blog land.Tomorrow hubby and I are off to Lexington to take my FIL to the VA hospital .He is having some blood pressure issues and such.Maybe I will find some goodies to share. Have a blessed day and remember that there is a smile out there no matter what happens.Friends always seem to  find a  way to remind you of that fact.Hugs,Jen

Fantastic Giveaway

Folks I hate to spread the word on this giveaway because it cuts my chances of wining of it .LOL!I just have to share it though because it is to good not to. Once you see the beautiful Santa you are sure to run over to Mary's blog for a chance.While you are there be sure to check out all of Mary's blog... Marmmies Mammy's And More.It is a beautiful blog and she is just a doll,so kind and willing to help you in any way.Lets not even get started on her talent,that could take all day but  as you  can see already no words are really  needed.Her work speaks for itself.Thank you Mary for your generosity ,it is a lovely giveaway.

Chilly Tuesday !

Good morning friends,hope that this day finds you with a smile and love in your heart.It sure is a cold start to the day here ,was only 27 degrees when I headed out to feed the critters. They are always ready to head out of the barn ,no matter  the weather .I can tell you that by the time I got to the barn I sure was wishing that I had not forgotten my gloves in the house.LOL! It is so much fun to watch the baby goats running around,trying to keep up with their mommas.The ducks amaze me for they jump right in the water,even in frigid temps.I understand that they are equipped for it but it still sends shivers down my back to see it.


I just want to take a moment to remember all of our friends on the East Coast this morning.It is such a sad situation,when I woke this morning I was thinking of all those still with out electricity and it just breaks my heart.I and so many are blessed to have a warm house and bed that it is easy sometimes to forget the less fortunate.Please remember them all in your prayers as we enter into the holiday season and each day. Know that I am keeping you all  in my heart, thoughts and prayers.


Crafting has not been a big part of my routine of late but I did finish a couple projects a week or so ago and would like to share .The first one is a needle punch project ( not my design, it was inspired by a print a friend sent me) and my hat is off to the designer. Love rabbits so when I saw this I just had to do my version of it .It is roughly 20X24 inches .I punched it using wool threads, wool sock yarn ,floss,and crochet thread.The fun part of it to me was using different threads to achieve different  textures.I am currently using this piece in my living room.

This one is with the flash and the next one is without .The colors are actually more muted than they appear.

The next project is a simple hooked Fall pouch.This is my design ,which I did with small strips of wool.I thought it came out ok.

I hung it off my large dough trencher after adding some fall goodies. Guess that is all for today,however as soon as I locate my camera charger I will be back to share a RAK from a special lady that we all know and love.Have a great day and be kind to one another.Hugs,Jen

A long lost blogger

Just as the title says I feel like a long lost blogger! It has been a very long time since my last post and for that I am so sorry.I am  also sorry for neglecting your blogs ,I have missed reading  them so much. I wish I could say that I had been missing in action just because I was having fun in the sun but that is not the case at all. It has been a long hard summer and fall.

As some of you may remember I had requested prayers for my mom and I thank each of you for those.Most of the late Spring and early Summer was spent being sent from one doctor to another for this test or that test.After many days she was finally diagnosed with a genetic disease called Osler Weber Rendu .This disease affects the tissues and vessels of the body causing them to thin and become fragile.It is scary as that means she could start hemorrhaging at any time day or night and it may not be apparent until it is to late.Because of this condition she had to stop taking part of medications that she had been taking for her heart condition, which was not a good thing.She has started having a few additional  problems with her heart and had a stress test last Thursday.We are waiting for those results.The doctor is worried that the vessels in the front of her heart are now blocked .We already know that the main one in the back of the heart is closed off. This is how part of my time has been spent.

Just as things were beginning to settle down and the shock of it was wearing off a bit,my chores were getting caught up something else happened. In July my MIL started having a little trouble breathing.At first the doctor thought it was related to her heart condition.Somewhere towards the end of July she was sent for a CAT scan and x rays.The results showed a suspicious shadow on her left lung.She was then sent to a pulmonologist  on August 10th.It doesn't look good was the answer she received from the doctor but in order to know how bad it was we were sent to University of Louisville hospital the following Friday for a bronchoscopy, to do a biopsy .Suppose to be an easy outpatient kind of thing,well long story short we almost lost her on the operating table because her oxygen levels fell so much that they had to stop the procedure.We did notmake it home till the next day and she had to have oxygen from that day on.As the doctor had said it was not good...she was diagnosed the next week with extensive Small Cell Lung Cancer.This is a nasty nasty cancer,very aggressive ! She was in the hospital due to seizures caused by her potassium bottoming out when we received the news. I am the one that told her what her condition was and exactly how bad it was as her doctor was two hours away.It just did not seem something that her husband or son should have to tell her.My husband was the only child that lived  local and as he had to work I was the one that went with them to see the doctors and get all the test ran.Her daughter did fly home  not long after the diagnosis. She started chemo after being  told her that it was only controllable but she should have 12 months to 18 months if she would take the chemo.She made it through the first cycle but it weakened her so much that she never recovered her strength back .My sweet MIL went home with the Lord on September 30.She lasted somewhere around 6 weeks from start to finish.

The last month or so has been spent catching up on all the things at home that were pushed to the side .Through this ordeal my MIL and FIL's needs  came first as it should be. My husband  and I have been helping my FIL  learn how to do the things that his wife had always taken  care for him.He is a sweetheart and is doing pretty good to have gone through the stress of losing his best friend and wife of over 58 years.The Lord has blessed us in so many ways even though it has been hard ,He has saw us through it .I know in my heart that my MIL is dancing with the angels as she was ready to go.

I am sorry that this has been such a long gloomy  post but I felt an explanation was needed .It has been a long time since I have been able to visit with you but the plan is to rectify that soon. There are some happy things to share to but that is a post for another time .Wanted to get the sadness out of the way first.May God bless and keep you all!Hugs,Jen

The Jitterbug and My Thanks

The jitterbug was what I was doing yesterday when I opened up my mailbox! Now  notice,I did not say it was pretty  but I  was  dancing and a squealing because that sweet Mr.Mailman left a package in my box from Carol of Buttermilk Creek Farm.Folks,you need to skip on over to Carol's wonderful blog and check out all of her amazing creations!  She is a wonderful person and a true artisan. Let me just tell you the dance I was doing at the mailbox  was nothing compared to what happened when I opened up the box!I just about gave my poor momma a heart attack ,I was so excited.As  many of you know already I was blessed to win Carol's recent giveaway celebrating her blog anniversary!!!I have long admired Carol's mouse creations,as you all know she is extremely talented.Folks until you have held one of her mouse friends in your hands you really have no idea the detail that she puts into one of her creations! Miss Milly is just lovely and something I will treasure forever! Carol was beyond generous and included a bag of grubby eggs and a yummy smelling pantry cake as well as Miss Milly.Thank you so much Carol! 

Please forgive my photographic skills because the pics just do not do Carol's creations justice.Miss Milly is adorable!!

My yummy smelling tart and sweet note from Carol.Loved the bunny  notepaper.

Grubby eggs and the sweet bunny tag! We all know I love me some bunnies!

Thank you Carol for the wonderful ,amazing goodies! 

Well today has been spent running errands and taking care of hubby's optometrist appointment.One of the errands was stopping at the feed store because the critters all have to have full tummies or they are not happy.LOL! It just wasn't to smart of hubby to let me tag  along ,because you know with Easter this weekend that there were cages of bunnies and chicks everywhere.LOL! Do you see where this is going? Yeppers ,I am richer one bunny this afternoon.Hubby just shook his head and kept muttering I should have left you at home.Giggles. In my defense he should be thankful because the cage was full and I stopped at only one.LOL! We are having a bit of a cool snap so when it warms up a bit I will share some pics of my new  little addition.

I am going to say good afternoon and go find some Benadryl because I managed to get myself a case of poison ivy and I am a might itchy...okay a lot itchy and a bit cranky.May you all have a blessed and Happy Easter! Spring Blessings,Jen