Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Friday, November 22, 2013

DISTRACTED

So many things are distracting me these days, but one of the best distractions is from Shirlee over at The Easily Influenced Stitcher.

Did you know I won her Birthday Giveaway?  

Well I did and Shirlee truly spoiled me!


Just look at these great designs and 
I love the adorable card with the cute birds!

Gingerbread and Pumpkins

Thankful Sampler and Tiny Tidings

Holiday House, Autumn Sampler and Sampling Christmas

So many designs!  

Which one to stitch first?

Oh, what a wonderful distraction!

Shirlee, Thank you so much for this wonderful package! 


Sunday, November 17, 2013

A Sad Day

We had some severe weather roar through Illinois today.


A very large area has been devastated by tornadoes and many people have lost their homes.

We have friends that have lost everything and some friends that we haven't been able to contact.

There have been some fatalities and lots of injuries.


My thoughts and prayers go out to all 
affected by these storms.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

I Got Side-tracked!

First, I must apologize to any of you who commented on my blog but never got a reply from me.  Between not having my own computer, internet issues and yahoo's email problems, I have lost track of who I sent replies to and who I didn't. 

I appreciate hearing from all of you and every comment means alot to me, so please don't give up on me if you didn't get a reply after you left a comment.  Hopefully I'll be getting a new laptop soon and with any luck, yahoo will straighten itself out so I can keep everything in order.

Every now and then, something comes along that completely captures my interest and that's how I get side-tracked. 

Not long ago, I let Dottie Dog out early in the morning.  It was pre-dawn, but still light enough to see without needing to turn on the flood light.  Hubby had already left for work and it was one of those rare mornings when I still had alot of time before I had to leave, so I sat on my swing with a cup of coffee.  It was a warm fall morning and Dottie enjoyed exploring the yard looking for critters. 

Then we heard the loudest, most unusual noise.  It's not uncommon to hear wildlife where I live, but this was unlike anything I had ever heard.  Even Dottie stopped and looked up into the trees.  Whatever it was, was in the large maple right above us.

It wasn't until later that afternoon, when I met my neighbor as I was walking back from getting my mail, that I found out what made the noise.  George is very familiar with the outdoors and wildlife, so I tried to describe the sound to him.

I explained that it sounded kind of like a combination of a dove and high pitched horse whinny.  George knew immediately that it was an owl.  An Eastern Screech Owl to be exact.  Now, I'm used to hearing owls that hoot, but I've never heard a Screech Owl.  Have you?

If you would like to hear what an Eastern Screech Owl sounds like, listen to the audio clip here.  Scroll down and click on Typical Voice under the owl silhouette.

When I saw Just Nan's Oakley Owlet, I just had to get it -- and stitch it right away! 


Isn't Oakley Owlet just the cutest little thing!

Started November 1, 2013
Finished November 2, 2013
Stitched on 28 count gray-blue fabric
with various hand-dyed threads

Yep, I really needed to be working on that BAP, but, like I said, I got side-tracked!