Updates! :) Pic Heavy

Hello Friends!
I thought I would catch you up a bit with what has been going on in my little part of the world. :)
Tonight was a wonderful night filled with carving the pumpkin and roasting the seeds. The weather is fantastic, nice and cool. I hope that it lasts a long time! We have our back door open and the breeze coming inside is absolutely delightful. I have been enjoying today, spending time with the family and working on my crochet. I did also take a nap! Love these sort of days :) Perhaps I shall have a cup of cocoa in a bit.
Here is our lovely pumpkin, who now has a darling face!

My daughter waited impatiently for the pumpkin seeds to be roasted in the oven. I rinsed them well, sprinkled them with coarse sea salt, then baked them at 250 degrees till crispy. They are delish!

The other day I took a trip over to a second hand shop. I found the neatest Vera Bradley purse in a design I have wanted for quite a while. These purses can be pricey, but second hand, at only 14 dollars I thought was not too bad.

While out shopping, I found the most beautiful Christmas cards at BJ's Wholesale club. They really are gorgeous, including envelopes, a really good buy!

I like to find cards that actually SAY Christmas...after all, that is what we are celebrating ..the birth of Christ our Lord!
Earlier today, I received a package in the mail ...some charts I had been waiting on. I love them!

Merry Christmas by Carriage House Samplings, and Bless the Harvest Sampler by Primitive Needleworks.
I did notice that Bless The Harvest Sampler does not have the letter "J" in the sampler. I did not see that when ordering it..I am assuming it is representative of how they did samplers years ago..leaving a letter or two out? Not sure..but I love the chart!

Not too long ago, I also received another small package from a family member up north. They are sending me things from my past..things that they thought I might like to have. I had forgotten all the things I used to do as a teenager, I guess I have always had a crafty side. Most people know I love dolls, especially Raggedies! I made these dolls from a pattern in a book from what I can recall..many years ago. I think I was about 12 years old when I made these little dollies :)

One of them never received her head of hair..I shall have to work on that for her. I will treasure them forever!
Another surprise in the mail was a chart from my dear sweet friend Kerribeth. She is always so good to me!
The chart is titled "My Favorite Things" and as you can see, spotlights my sweet dear Raggedy Ann doll. :)

I have been working on my crochet afghans this evening. While others finish their blankets in no time at all..I think mine will take years! I don't stick with one thing very long...
But, here they are..coming along, coming along!
Blue and white ripple:

And my 70's blanket...That's what my husband calls it..I call it kind of ugly..I don't like the colors I chose! But, I will keep on...it is really growing in size and will be very warm! This is a crochet Granny Stripe:

Some people know from years ago I love turtles..well, I love a lot of things..but the turtle love started back in high school! I found this bag some time ago at TJMaxx..a store near us. Turtles all over it! It is very large and perfect for holding my yarns and afghan. A bonus is the money paid for it went to charity. :)

Blessings to you!

Proud Parents!

We are VERY PROUD parents. Our son Patrick was sworn into the United States Navy, Nuclear Power Program today! We always knew our son was an intelligent young man. Please if you could, keep him in your prayers (as well as his Momma, Dad and lil' sister)..it is going to be so hard to let him go. Parents give their children two things, one is roots, the other is wings. We know we did our part raising him, and feel that we must have done a really good job. He has always been and will continue to be a blessing to us and all that know him. God Bless you Patrick John, you are on your way to a very bright future, Thank you for serving this wonderful country of ours! We love you "THE WORLD" xoxox

Missing my friend

We traveled out of state for a dear friends funeral. I will miss her so much. We had grown so close and shared so much. She was an inspiration to me, and she always made me laugh when we would have our chats. She was indeed a friend for life, but her life was cut so short by a terrible illness. I had prayed so much for her, but know that God has his own plans for each of us. She was to go home, although we felt too soon, it was God's time to take her home. She very much had faith in the Lord and I know she will no longer be in pain now
At the graveside funeral we stood under a tent..for we thought it was about to rain again. As we stood there, the sun slowly came out..and there were many birds chirping that I took notice of.
It was a beautiful service and I am glad we made the trip there.
After we came home, the next day I noticed quite a large butterfly fluttering around our flowers..I had never seen one this large in our yard before.

Rest in Peace my dear sweet friend, and I will see you again one day.

Angel Bear Finish

Finished up this Lorri Birmingham design. I will be framing this design with a colored matting really soon ! :)

I have begun Fall decorating...Hubby went up in the attic to find our decorations..but only came down with half :(

We do not know what happened to some of our decorations..they are perhaps buried behind boxes in the garage. I picked up some little fake gourds to decorate the dining room table for now. They look pretty! There is so much I want to do (as always)..Had a wonderful time out to dinner with the family. It was so nice being together! I will be getting together with Florida stitchers tomorrow. I look forward to that :) I wish you all a very Blessed weekend ahead!

Raggedystitches,

Louise