Li'l Cowpokes

Greetings dear friends and blogging buddies!~ Well here we are....the last day of 2010. Any of you have any plans? Well any plans we would have had for going out , like to a movie or something, have been shot! We started having car trouble last week and we thought it was bad gas. Nope! More serious....way more serious. Hubby spent the entire day fixing the car yesterday, so any money for going out went on car parts! Fooey!

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It is a little warmer here this morning. The thermometer actually reads 58 degrees! A nice change from waking up to it being 3-8 degrees wouldn't you say?

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One day last week, at least I think it was last week, I posted a snaparoo of some cute little cowboy fabric. Some of you may remember. Well, yesterday I spent the entire day piecing on a quilt. Now I know what some of you are thinking. I was indoors doing something fun in the warmth while hubby was outside doing something not so fun in the cold wind. Well, that may seem a little mean I guess . I can only get anything like that done when he is not in the house or is asleep , so I snatched the opportunity. My efforts yesterday produced this!

The pattern is called Baby Blocks and it is from the March 2000 issue of McCall's Quick Quilts. It will be a baby gift for one of my long time friends first grandchild! I can hardly wait 'til she gets it! I think I will include a copy of the book "The Pokey Little Puppy" from Golden books. Hopefully that book is still in print!

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Now I don't know about you all, but I myself don't make any resolutions for the New Year. I KNOW I wouldn't keep them! I DO , however , plan to do more quilting this coming year. I have been inspired by so many quilting blogs , especially Quilt Hollow , that I realized how much I miss quilting . I have been wrapped up in stitching ( cross stitching that is) that I have really been neglecting one of my other favorite past-times, quilting. So... the coming year will hopefully include a lot more. I will even pull out my Thimbleberries book today and work on a flying geese quilt I have wanted to piece for some time. Be one the lookout for pictures of that in the near future. Also...something else you'll want to be on the lookout for is another giveaway.Yep! I said another giveaway!

Well, that's all dear folks! Thank you to all of you for the wonderful comments you've left and for the wonderful friendships I have made this past year. I've enjoyed it ALL so much! I look forward to more in 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

Just some stitchin'

Greetings all!~ I hope you all are going to have your themometers warmed up a little this week! We are due to 50-60 degree tmeps here in the Ozarks later this week. That will be considerably warmer than it has been here lately!

Yesterday I went and got my driver's license renewed. I don't know if this is a country wide thing or not, but here our license expires on our birthday the year they are due. I knew (all too well since it will be my 40th) that my birthday was coming up , so I trotted on down there. I was so afraid I wouldn't pass the eye exam because of all of the iritis trouble. I did pass, but barely! I now have two restrictions on my license. Glasses, that was a given, and an outside left mirror. I thought that last one was dumb, because that's a requirement for all vehicles anyhow. Oh well.

Remember last week when I posted the winnings from Peggy's drawing and I had gotten a little Shakespeare's Peddler scissor pocket kit? Well , I decided to stitch it up . Wow! Stitching on 40 count was a bit challenging for me! I love the way it worked up though! I didn't finish it off with a corner opening like the instructions said to do. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get my scissors out. The fabric that it is laying against is the fabric I used for the back. Just perfect I think. Thanks again dear Peggy! I will enjoy it for a long long time.

I started a new project. Well, actually I have started a few new projects. This one I started a couple of days ago. It is Quaker Alphabet Sampler from Rosewood Manor's Quakers and Quilts. I am stitching it all in one color using Currant from The Gentle Art. I am stitching it on 28 count Country French Linen in Wheat.

Well that's it for now friends. I am off to piece a little while on a baby quilt that I am giving as a gift.Thank you all for stopping by today!

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

Christmas gathering

Greetings dear friends and blogging buddies!~ Just a quickie post to show some of the pics I took during our Christmas gathering. Since there are several ,I will keep the text to a minimum.

First up is my sister Tracey. She was wearing reindeer antlers and I think before the day was over just about everone ended up wearing them at some point.

Here is my neice Amanda. She is the next to the oldest grandchild of my parents and she is the daughter to my sister Keena.

This is my sister Keena and her grandson Cooper. He is my neice Amanda's son.



A few of the family sitting around talking. L to R is my SIL Janette, brother David (married to Janette), sister Tracey, Aspen (long time girlfriend of Ben, nephew Ben (Tracey's son) , BIL Curtis (Tracey's DH) brother Danny, and nephew Joe (David's son ) .



Ben and Aspen. You always see them together! They plan to marry one day but want to finish college first. Smart move I'd say.

My mom, dad, and baby brother Danny.



Here is my brother David getting comfy after the big meal.

There was a total of 24 at our house this year. Whew! We were tired afterwards! We wouldn't have it any other way!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday filled with wonderful warm memories!

Happy New Year everyone!

'til next time ,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

The kindness of others....

GREETINGS DEAR FRIENDS AND BLOGGING BUDDIES!~ Lately I have had lots of kindness bestowed upon me. Recently I won Peggy's giveaway on her blog. The package arrived in the mail yesterday!

She cleverly wrapped everything is ths old pattern paper. Isn't that a great idea?

Now I had seen my winnings on her blog, but it is nothing like having it in my own hands! She sent tons of stuff! A BBD 2011 Calander, some stitcher's hand cream in the scent of Blackberry Vanilla ( my favorite scent), a tin of Burt's Bees lip balm, oatmeal soap, a kit from Shakespeare's Peddler, the list goes on and on. Hopefully you can see everything in the picture.

See the pins in the strawberry? She made those herself and I think they are just lovely!

I just love this little Willow Tree Angel! Been wanting one for a long time too! The flower frog for holding scissors is great too! Didn't really understand what all the rage was about those 'til I got one! It is so pretty!

And this big guy... my husband and I had watched a special on the Travel channel some time back about different places in the US that still make candy by hand and the maker of this one, Hammond's , was on that show. They showed how the candy canes were made. Very neat that I have one , but who can tell how long it will last! I love candy canes! Thank you so very very much Peggy! I will treasure it all!

I recently won another giveaway from Melissa's blog. I had been pondering what linen to stitch this on and was making a list of the special overdyed threads I would need for it. Just so happens that I was needing CC's Second Hand Rose and that was one of the flosses that Peggy sent me! When I get some spare time and things calm down from the holiday season, I plan on getting this one stitched up!

Nicky from New Zealand sent me this cute Lizzie Kate Santa. A Good Night was a pattern from the Santa Snippet series that I had been wanting and she was so very kind to send it to me! Thank you Nicky! Didn't have time to stitch it up this year. I will indeed get it done for next year though!

Well... that does it for this edition of The Happy Needle. Thank you so much for visiting and for your continued friendships and support.

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

We have a winner!!!

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING EVERYONE!!! ~ Whew! I can hardly believe that the weekend is here already! I simply MUST get all my Christmas done TODAY! I have only gotten one thing so far! I am way behind. Ok, ok, I bet now you're all saying "stop chattering and give us the winner already"! LOL Well...... that would be....

Kathy A. of Kathy's Sit and Stitch! Congratulations Kathy! Email me your address so I can get this out to you ! Hope you enjoy the charts. Will there be more in the future you ask. You bet, so stick around because you never know when they may pop up!

Well, I have really been in quite a quilty mood lately and when I seen the fabrics down below, I just knew I HAD to put my paws on it ! I instantly knew what pattern to use and who to make it for . Isn't it just so cute?! Just perfect for a little boy don't you think? The focal fabric is by Michael Miller and the other two prints are made especially for Hobby Lobby but go just perfect with the cowboy print. I can hardly wait to get my hands on that rotary cutter!

*EDITED FOR CORRECTION* ~ I was just looking at the selvidge of the blue fabric as I was cutting it and I see that I was mistaken about it being a Hobby Lobby print . It is a Michael Miller print as well called Bandana Blitz. The red is printed for Hobby Lobby though. Thought I would mention it for the inquiring minds that may want to know. :)

I hope you all have a most wonderful and hopefully warmer weekend! I appreciate all of the comments you leave and the emails you send. They mean a lot! Thank you ALL for stopping by . I hope you visit again real soon! Now I think I will see what I can get done with that rotary cutter before the guys get up!

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

A Christmas Quilt Finish!

GREETINGS ALL! ~ It's getting closer isn't it? The BIG day, and I got my Christmas quilt done just about in time. I absolutely love the way it turned out! It is a little bit older line from the girls of Holly Taylor for Moda called Birchwood Lane. I think this is like the third Christmas since it came out , so I've had it around to complete for a bit haven't I?

The cardinal is my favorite of the printed blocks.

If you are interested in the Just Nan charts that I have up for grabs from the last post, you must enter that drawing by midnight tonight , as I choose the winner tomorrow!

Well, I need to keep this short and sweet today. I have a TON of things to get done! I hope you all are having some peace with this busyness of the hustle and bustle this time of year brings. Thank you so much for your continued visits, support , friendship, and inspiration!

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

A Just Nan Giveaway!

ATTENTION JUST NAN FANS ! ~ I am doing some life changing and with that is coming some down sizing! In doing so , I am finding that I have many charts that I no longer desire to keep. So , that being said.... I am doing a giveaway for ALL 5 of the Just Nan charts below. That's right... one lucky winner will receive all five of the Just Nan charts below. I'm sorry , but only one has the charm to it and that's the "Charlotte" chart . No other threads or beads are included.

The charts are : Spring in the Air, Summer Stroll, Ariel, Charlotte, and Twinkle Bear.

If you are interested in becoming the lucky winner of these charts, just leave a comment on this post only and I'll draw a name next Friday, Dec. 17th!

Good luck to all!

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

A dash of Christmas Cheer Part 2

GREETINGS DEAR FRIENDS AND BLOGGING BUDDIES!~ I hope you all are doing your level best to stay warm! It is supposed to be a little warmer here the next two days and then snowy on Saturday. The forecaster actually said light snow, usually here that means we're gonna get dumped on! We shall see!

Still having some internet issues from the cold so I will get through this as quick as possible. I mentioned that we have our decorating done and the lights are on the house. I can't believe that I forgot to move all the storage containers and what not out of the way before I took this picture the other night! Oh well, you get the idea.

I just love the red and white lights together!

I mentioned a little while back about our tree being a little different this year. Ok , no one laugh, but you know those skinny pre-lit trees that are made for entry ways? You know, the ones that aren't ment to have ornaments haning on them? Well, guess what? We have ornaments haning on it! LOL . We opted to go for a little more woodsy look this year and this tree seemed to fit the bill, so there ya go! My husband added the lantern and the fishing rod to make it look a little more official in the "woodsy" department.

The tree skirt that I was working on, finally completed and in it's spot.

Hmm.... wonder if I should make a part 3 installment? I think this just about covers it though, except for a Christmas quilt that I've been working on that I will probably finish up today.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods! Thanks for your visit today and for the wonderful comments! You all take care.

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

A dash of Christmas Cheer Part 1

Greetings dear friends and blogging buddies! ~ We have been having lots of trouble with our internet here due to the cold weather. I haven't been able to visit many blogs as I am kicked off A LOT . Sorry for being MIA. There are so many great posts and giveaways and ideas. I am having to miss them as I am not able to stay on long enough to get to them it seems. Such as life I suppose.

So how's your Christmas decorating coming along?? I am in full swing with it, just about done. I needed to already have it done so that I could enjoy it longer. It just about there. I have so many pictures to share so I thought I would share them over the course of the week. So I will just get on with it.

Remember me showing you a picture of a recent finish, Sweeping Snowflakes, from With Thy Needle and Thread? I had a couple of ideas tossing about in my head on how to finish it. I finally decided on a little wooden crate that I painted a nice Avocado green . Then mounted the snowman on the front. I put some pinecones inside and viola!

Recognize the pitiful little tree with the red ornament next to it? Yep, that's right1 It's the little tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas. I thought it worked next to the crate.

I needed a new centerpiece for my kitchen table and ran across a wonderful sale at Hobby Lobby. I found a wonderful candle ring on sale half price for $5. Then I did some scouting in the candle department and found a wonderfully cranberry scented candle on sale for $4. Pretty nice arrangement for $9 don'tcha think?

My mother gave me these resin Birch Tree candle holders a few years back. I thought they were the perfect compliment for the new table runner I just finished up.

One of my favorite wintertime decorations are snowmen. You put 'em out at Christmas and leave 'em out all winter. I just love these two getting warm by the fire. They were a gift from my sister last year and they are sooo cute!

I hope your day is a warm one! Thank you so much for coming by today and spending part of your day with me. I always look forward to your visits!

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte

A non stitchy post

Hello everyone!! ~ Just poppin' in real quick with a non-creative post. We went to Oklahoma for the Thanksgiving holiday to visit with my husband's side of the family . We had 11 total in the house. When you have 6 adults and 5 kids constantly using the bathroom, guess what you end up with? A stopped up toilet! My in-laws have carpet in the bathroom , so I guess you know what Grandpa was busy with! It wound up not being so bad. We took lots of pictures but I won't bore you with them all , just a few. ;)

I am always snapping surprize pictures of the guys and on our way down on Wednesday night , I couldn't resist. Here is our son asking me just what am I doing? LOL I love it!

Here is my beautiful sister-in-law Jerilyn and her son, my nephew Gabe. You can see one of the roaming garbage disposals in the background. Her name is Sadie and she belongs to Jerilyn. She is a very sweet dog.

I just love the collection of dream catchers my mother -in-law has over her fireplace. My sister-in-law Jennifer made the two smaller ones, and the big one to the right.

Here the boys are getting ready to go hunting with Grandpa.

The three Muskateers. L to R: Keegan, Alex, and Gabe.

Leaving beautiful Grand Lake. Still pretty now, but much prettier, and busier, in the Spring and Summer.

We are busy with getting our Christmas decorating done and and that jazz , so I will have more to show on Monday. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! And don't freeze your tails off! It's 26 degrees here... brrrr!

'til next time,

don't be a stranger,

Sharlotte