Recovery

Well, this has been quite the week. We had made arrangements for some friends to come in and help us paint last weekend, and wouldn't ya' know, I come down with swine flu on Friday night! It has been alot of years since I have been so sick and for so long. I was down in bed for 6 days straight, and finally ventured out to the doctor yesterday. The flu had turned into bronchitis, so with some antibiotics and better cough medicine I am finally starting to feel better. Thankfully, the painting happened without my help. John and a couple of friends are working on the last two rooms as I write, and then it will be all done. Wow, what an ordeal! I know John was counting on me being a lot more help than I was able to be. We hope to sign the listing papers this week, hurray!

The weather has turned decidedly into autumn, and I was amazed when I went out to the doctor yesterday how the wind and rain has knocked all the leaves off the big trees. My little trees around the house are still valiantly hanging on to those leaves.

I don't have any pictures or much other news to share after my hibernation...I know I was really sick when I didn't even feel like stitching!!! But for a closer, here is a picture of my granddaughters Alana and Gracie at the pumpkin patch last Saturday....

Huge Changes!

This has been quite the 6 weeks at our house since my last post. Big changes are in store for us. We have decided to sell our house. John has been physically unable to work full days at work due to his stroke, which has meant much smaller paychecks. We have been weekly struggling to stay on top of the bills, especially with the extra medical bills that our insurance did not cover. So rather than continue the struggle and risk falling behind, we decided to get out from underneath the mortgage and rent a smaller place. We will be able to get along on my salary alone then, it will actually be a huge relief for me not to be worried about the money any longer, and a burden lifted off of John as he works to recover. The whole family is in agreement and feels it is the best option.

To that end, we have rented a two bedroom apartment for Amy and the girls, directly below Chris and Alli's apartment. It will be wonderful for her to have family and protection so close. This weekend we are going to be moving her things over, and then regrouping ourselves to get ready for our own move. The texture repair guys and painters will be here in about 10 days, then we will get new flooring and carpet laid down before we actually get it listed. There is alot to do, since we have 10 years of accumulation that needs to be sorted through and given or thrown away. A fresh start is very appealing to me!

John and I spent Labor Day up at the cabin, and had a very restful time. We went into Bellingham one afternoon and visited the old neighborhood and spent some time in Cornwall Park near where I grew up. Whatcom Creek was very low, and it made for some very pretty pools and waterfalls.
I am continuing to design these days, tho it has been a lot more sporadic due to all the packing and work going on around here. I finished a small "frame" that is done in whites and ecru and will be perfect for surrounding a wedding or christening picture. I am currently working on a hardanger and silk ribbon embroidery piece that will be a stitching pocket and a picture/box inset. I hope to have more time soon to get it finished!

And the Winner Is....

Before I announce the name of the winner of the giveaway, I just wanted to say a very big thank you to everyone who visited and commented on Lacey Thread to be entered into the drawing. Most of you were first time visitors, and I hope that you will visit again often! Because I had so many new people visit, I decided to do a first prize (the three leaflets originally offered) as well as a second prize of one leaflet of the winner's choice (of the three originally offered).

And I decided to do it low tech, and have my granddaughter draw names from a bowl...

First place winner is Colleen!!

Second place winner is Kahlie!!!

Ladies, please email me at ConnieDunton@comcast.net with your addresses, and I will get those leaflets out to you immediately. Kahlie, please be sure and let me know your choice of leaflet!

Congratulations, and be sure and check back often for more giveaways! I had such fun doing this and finding new stitching friends, that I plan on doing this on a regular basis! Thank you everyone for participating!

Here is a video of the drawing:

Summertime Giveaway!

In celebration of all I have been given, I am having Summer Giveaway! I will be drawing a name to receive three leaflets from Lacey Thread Designs, My Heart's Garden, Allison's Ring Pillow and Quaker Inspiration! If you would like to be entered in the drawing, please leave a comment for me under this post. I will use a randomizer to select one winner on Wednesday, August 12th at 5:00 pm PDT,, and will announce it right here on The Lacey Thread that same evening. If you would like your name entered into the drawing twice, simply post about this drawing on your blog, and leave me a comment with your blog's url.

Good luck everyone!!

On Being a Grandmother

I have been asked occasionally by women who are not yet grandmothers what it is that makes being a grandma so special. For a couple of years I could not come up with a good explanation, but now I think I know.

As a young mother I would often take my children out in public to meet the world, and I was usually rewarded with wonderful comments about how cute they were, how smart they were, etc. Since I had “created” these children, and they were such a big part of me, these comments made me feel good about myself. But it seems invariably, that following the complements, there were always the unsought questions and words of advice that made me feel incompetent as a mother, and not so good about myself. “Is she sleeping through the night yet? She’s a year old and not weaned yet? She’s how old and not potty trained yet? Are you sending her to preschool yet? Home school? Are you crazy?

If the child would (horrors!) have melt down in public, it is, of course, the mother’s fault. If, as a teen, the child rebels and gets into trouble, all eyes automatically look to the parent as being at fault. I think every mother alive can relate to these situations and feelings. So what is so special about being a grandmother? Well, for me, it is the fact that I can take my grandchildren out to show them the world, and I still hear the wonderful comments…she is so cute, she is so smart, she looks just like you…and not a single person has asked me…is she sleeping through the night, or is she potty trained yet? It is so sweet to just enjoy them and not have my competence as a grandmother called into question!!! I have resolved to make it my aim to always make every young mother feel like I do as a grandmother.

Discovering Bliss...

Daughter Lizzie is enrolled in a summer class at the community college in preparation for starting high school this fall, and so instead of driving back home across town while waiting for class to end, John and I decided to keep cool at Barnes and Noble. I found him a comfy chair and told him to rest while I browsed. As per usual, I have such good intentions of not buying anything, until I saw this....It is a delightful book. I have, so far, only read a few pages that caught my immediate attention, but it is full of helpful blogging tips, and packed with dozens of pages of popular and beautiful blogs and articles about their authors. I am so excited to have this book! I noticed a couple of my favorites are in here, and I can hardly wait to get acquainted with the others. I did notice that most of the blogs highlighted have beautiful and unique banner pictures. Where in the world did they get these? I am so dissatisfied with my title banner...I am longing for something unique and creative like these in the book.

I also spent about an hour in the biography section, biographies are my favorite books to read, and wrote down the title and author of every single book I thought looked interesting. I wrote 23 titles on my list before deciding that was probably enough for now. I was able to find 22 of them at our library website, so it looks like my reading list for the next year is full!!

We had record heat this week, hottest it has ever been in Lacey...103^. I hope it will never do that again, we are just not prepared for extreme heat. Today is currently 77^, a very comfortable temperature. I like it!

Quick update on John: He is improving slowly but steadily. Every day I have little bit more of my husband back, but he still has a ways to go. We discovered today his ability to write has been affected, he could hardly sign his name at the doctor's office. He is still sleeping a lot, and getting anxious to go back to work.

So, enough for now. I have lots to get done around here, but feel like taking a nap! LOL!

Prayers are needed and appreciated!

Last Saturday morning the alarm went off, and I nudged my hubby, John, so that he would turn it off. No response. Nudged him again. Next thing I know he is on the floor! I leaned over his side of the bed and nudged him again...he wouldn't wake up! Then I am on the floor shaking him, yelling "wake up John". No response. I ran upstairs for DD Amy "I can't wake up your dad" She runs down, no luck. She calls 9-1-1. The medics, bless their ever living souls, could not rouse him either, even with stimulants, etc. His vitals are all normal. We check all the pills in the house, to make them happy, I knew it wasn't pills, and nothing is missing. As he is loaded into the ambulance, he opens his eyes and looks at me, but he is really "not there".

Emergency rooms at 4:30 in the morning are amazingly quiet. They immediately do a CT scan of his head, a chest x-ray, and enough blood work to boggle the mind. Absolutely nothing shows up. They decide they need to keep him for 24 hours and send us up to the neurology floor, where the hospital neurologist gives him a complete exam. Nothing. Except for sleepiness, confusion, memory loss, and some inability to finish his thoughts. So he says, maybe a seizure, maybe not. Maybe his heart, lets monitor his heart over night. So they send us up to the cardiac floor, where he is hooked up to the monitor. By late afternoon, he perks up a bit, and stays awake for all the visitors he gets. I settle him down for the night by 9:30 and head home for some sleep myself.

The next morning, Sunday, when I come in, he is eating a good breakfast. His memory is better but not good. His heart monitoring shows nothing. Neurologist comes back and says go home. We'll do an EEG later in the week. (apparently eeg techs don't work weekends or mondays).
Go home, go back to work, resume life.

Right.

Trouble is, nobody at the hospital could tell (or would even listen) that this WASN'T my husband I was taking home.

He slept most of the day Sunday. The memory problems become even more glaring when we realize he can't remember our names. He doesn't know what he does for a living (carpenter). He cannot remember things we told him and other oddities. Like leaving his full cup of coffee on the counter in the kitchen, and when daughter takes it to him, he thinks the coffee isn't made yet.

I called our primary care doctor early Monday, begging for an appointment. He knows John well, and can tell what he should be like. We were able to get in mid-afternoon.

Within about 3 minutes of conversation, our doctor says, I think he had a mid-brain stroke, so tiny that it didn't affect his motor skills and didn't show up on the normal CT scan. Thank you Lord for this doctor!!

So we have another CT scan this morning. I am fairly certain they will find what they are looking for.

The incredibly good news is that doctor believes John will be just fine, and with baby aspirin every day probably will never have another one.

The uncertain news is that no one can predict how long it will take for him to recover.

For me, the scariest part is how to pay the mortgage, since John normally brings home most of our income.

Please, please keep us in your prayers. This hard time may be a LONG hard time.

It's that time again!

This week is my blogaversary, 4 years ago this week I began this blog. So in honor of this event, I post my annual daisy pictures!


In this last picture, I was trying to capture the bee sitting on the daisy, it ended up leaving before I could snap the shutter, but what a great shot of the bee flying away! I have circled him so you can see him easier.


I spent some time this week reading back through 4 years of blog posts, and am amazed at how much has happened that I had forgotten. This is such a great medium to document life as it happens for memories as well as sharing with family and friends!

Have a great week everyone!

Announcing Two New Designs!

Last Friday we sent two new designs for Lacey Thread Designs to the printers...it is always so exciting for us when we get a new design completely finished and sent off. Memories of My Heart and A Legacy of Love will be available next week!



Memories of My Heart

A Legacy of Love

"Grandchildren are the dots that connect
the lines from generation to generation" ~ Lois Wyse

A fun Saturday drive!

This weekend John and I drove up to my parent's cabin near Deming, close to the Canadian Border. We took the time Friday evening to do something I have been wanting to do for a LONGGGG time! Visit a Sonic Drive In! There is a new Sonic in Puyallup, about 45 minutes from our house, so we decided to stop. My goodness, the place was packed, and there were about 20 cars waiting for a parking slot. We decided to do the drive thru, as we didn't want to wait that long, but it still took 20 minutes to get our chance at the window. Yummy food! Now I really am looking forward to getting one here in Olympia/Lacey!


Saturday we slept in until nearly 11, then decided it was just too nice of a day to spend it just sitting around, so we hopped back in the car and headed up Highway 20, the North Cascades Highway, which follows along the Skagit River. We went as far as Lake Diablo before turning around and heading home, but my goodness it was gorgeous! We stopped in Newhalem and walked the gardens behind the hydroelectric plant, and found a visitor center inside the plant that we did not know was there...it was interesting to see the big machinery.

A Special Day!

30 years ago today I pledged my love and life to you.
I'm glad I did!

I love you! Happy Anniversary!

Connie and John
Married July 7, 1979

My New Studio...on wheels!

Last summer we got a little 1965 Shasta Compact trailer with the intention of refinishing the inside for my "getaway" room and to take for weekend camping trips. It has been a slow process, but this weekend we were able to get it to the point to where I can use it for my getaway room. We still need to finish the cupboards and trim, but that can come later. Here are some pictures of my wonderful new space, far away from the noise and busyness inside the house! I am so excited to finally be able to use it!

Hope Everyone had a Happy Fourth!

Our family tradition for some time now has been to spend the day of the Fourth at my brother's house on Lake St. Clair. Every year we pull out the barbeque and have a great potluck dinner of hamburgers and picnic food. Then we light the fire and wait till the fireworks begin...it is always such fun, and we try and invite the kid's inlaws and family friends. Here is a taste of our day....





The evening was capped off by all the neighbors around the lake sending up a great fireworks show. Here is a little sample of what we enjoyed!

Seems like all of a sudden it was summer....

I believe we went directly from winter to summer here this year. It is only the end of June and already my lawn is brown, usually only seen by the middle of August. Very little rain here, we broke a record for days without rain, and considering June is usually very cool and rainy, it's been weird, to say the least!

I have been working away on three new designs this spring. Two are completely stitched and charted and we are working on the framing and layout. I hope to have it all wrapped up and to the printers by July 10th. One design is done with Pistachio Nut Waterlilies and lots of hardanger, to be used as a picture frame like Sunglow Memories. Another design celebrates grandchildren with hardanger and cross stitch. I am still stitching away on a small picture frame done all in white and ivory silk ribbon embroidery...meant for a special occasion, a wedding or christening. We are really excited and pleased with the new designs and I can hardly wait to show them to you.

On the home front, we have a new puppy in the house, an American Staffordshire Terrier/Lab mix, a puppy mill rescue. We are not totally sure of this mix, as a breeder has told us he looks like a show quality purebred to her. He is a very good dog, a quick learner and very loving. Brindle and white with perfect breed markings, his name is Chance, and he is Lizzie's baby....and just for the record, the AmStaff's are NOT the same as pit bulls. They became two totally separate breeds 150 years ago. Just in case you had heard differently. (GRIN)

Over Memorial Day weekend I rented a trailer at the campground where we have a camping membership and spent three wonderful days designing and stitching and watching movies and eating chocolate! The girls and baby Silas joined me on Saturday, and we spent a nice day playing shuffleboard, walking and barbequeing hamburgers before they headed home. It was a great weekend, one I hope to repeat again soon!

The grandkids are growing up by leaps and bounds. Alana caught her first fish with Uncle Chris last month.

Silas is 6 1/2 months old, and is beginning to smile for someone besides his mommy...sometimes! He is still very serious most of the time! Here is one of the rare half smiles I have been able to catch in a picture!

And of course, Gracie delights us daily with all her new words and actions. Here is a little video showing her delight in the tasting sweet and sour sauce for the first time:

So there is a quick catch up of the family. It's been a very busy two months since we returned from Maui, I will try and stay on top of the blog posts better the rest of the year!!! Promise!

Back in Paradise!

This news bulletin is coming to you from the beautiful shores of West Maui...(tee hee)! We are reveling in being back in Maui, enjoying our ocean front condo for a week of sunshine and fun. The weather so far has been just perfect, and we are taking daughter Amy around to all our favorite spots. She is so excited as this is her first visit to the islands! Saturday we spent shopping and walking in Lahaina, and took in a keiki (children) Hula show...some of the girls were in their early teens and were absolutely gorgeous in their long dresses and graceful moves. It was a real blast to watch the tiny girls doing Tahitian hip shaking!

Yesterday we drove the Hana Highway, putting in about a 10 hour day by the time we got home again. It was as beautiful as always. Amy swam in the O'heo pools (Seven Sacred Pools) and we all had a marvelous, though exhausting time.

Today will hold breakfast at our favorite restaurant, called the Gazebo at Napili Bay, and then to the aquarium and a sunset dinner cruise out of Lahaina.

Aloha!

Online Needlework Show!

Lacey Thread Designs has a featured design at this week's Online Needlework Show! Colleen from Loose Thread Stitchers called me last week and asked if she could feature Sunglow Memories on her page! This is a wonderful resource for stitchers to view dozens of new designs by over 150 designers right in the comfort of your own home! When you find something you really like, give your LNS a call and ask them to order for you!!
You'll find Sunglow Memories at the Loose Thread Stitchers page! Come and visit!

Someday I hope life will slow down...just a bit!

Well, this has been a very busy, hectic and stressful couple of months at the Dunton residence. We had to buy a new dishwasher (the bottom pan got a hole in it and leaked water everywhere!); repossess and deal with an old motor home that no longer was driveable, and get it towed to a place where we can someday recycle everything; take care of a very ill daughter for two weeks when Amy got an abcessed wisdom tooth (never thought I would ever have to learn to change IV's!); and then deal with plumbing problems, which forced us to move out of the house for a couple days. Just all seems to prove the old adage, it never rains but pours!!! I'm tired. Exhausted. Overwhelmed. In all of this, we were trying hard to get two new designs to the printers, but kept running into obstacles with the cover photos not printing correctly!

So now for some good news! Lacey Thread Designs has published two new leaflets!

The first one is called Sunglow Memories. Display your favorite pictures in a gorgeous memory frame, using unique and creative corner photo holders. Photos can be easily exchanged as desired without having to reframe each time. Stitched with basic hardanger (NO cutting!), and pulled thread stitches, detailed directions for the corner photo holders are included.

The second design is My Child's Heart. It is an exquisite birth sampler containing hardanger, pulled thread, specialty stitches, and ribbon embroidery. This sampler could also be easily customized as a wedding sampler, or stitched without words as a band sampler. A Mother of Pearl heart bead is included with each leaflet.These two beautiful designs are available at our website: www.laceythread.com.

25 Things about Me. A meme thingie I got talked into.

Okay, Karie-Leekie (sister) this is for you!!
1. My natural tendency is to think that 25 things about me is self indulgent. My sister tells me it isn't!
2. I am an introvert. I LOVE being an introvert, except when I am around a lot of Extroverts that expect me to act like them, and I can't think of a darn thing to say!! Stupid brain. I can always think of just the right thing to say a day or two after the fact.
3. My earliest memory is flying in an airplane with my parents. I remember lying on my mom’s lap and seeing the little round porthole windows that planes used to have. My mom says I was about a year old at the time. Someone has said that very early memories indicate a high intelligence. (How’s that for self indulgent! SMIRK).
4. I love to travel. I think it has something to do with #3. If I don’t get to travel for an extended period of time I feel deprived and sorry for myself.
5. My favorite place to travel to is Hawaii. I have been there four times, to three different islands. I am so lucky. I get to go for the fifth time in April, 09.
6. I LOVE Hawaii and we are planning on moving there when we retire. Unless we can figure out a way to go before then.
7. When I was 18 I spent a year traveling with the singing group “Up With People”. We got to do some amazing things…giving two performances at Carnegie Hall, doing a television show, singing at the governor’s mansion in Santa Fe, New Mexico, performing for the President’s daughter, as well as making lifelong friends and learning how to sing on a corded microphone and dance at the same time!
8. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Whitworth University, graduated cum laude, while working and paying my own way through college. (see #3 again!! SMIRK)
9. I love dark chocolate and crème brulee. Not necessarily at the same time.
10. I spent a month in Paris studying while I was in college. The first week I didn’t like it there very much. At the end of the month I didn’t want to leave and would have stayed for another semester if I had had any money.
11. Believe it or not, I like to garden and to have a pretty yard. Something about working in the dirt soothes the soul.
12. I got my love of gardening from my Dad, who in his 80’s still has a gorgeous yard.
13. I have never been fond of my middle name…probably because it only got used when I was in trouble as a kid! (Sorry Mom and Dad!)
14. I felt better about my middle name when my second granddaughter was also given it as her middle name.
15. My middle name is Lynn.
16. I had mono in 9th grade and had to stay in bed for week.
17. While I had mono, my Mom bought me some printed pillow cases and embroidery thread, and the passion of my life was born.
18. I have been stitching and doing some form of embroidery continuously since I was in 9th grade. Let’s see…40 years now. (How good is your math??? HA!)
19. Last year I started my own embroidery design business, designing and selling embroidery patterns nationwide.
20. I drive a PT cruiser. Ever notice that most of the drivers of PT cruisers are over 40?
21. I don’t really like to cook, and only do it when I have to. I dislike potlucks for just that reason. Love to eat, hate to cook.
22. If I had all the money in the world, I would have a cook.
23. I crave order, beauty and quiet in my surroundings. Without these three things I quickly fall apart.
24. I love to read. My favorite outing as a child was going to the library.
25. I love having grandchildren! It’s worth having kids just to have grandkids someday!

"All That Glitters"

Last week we (Lacey Thread Designs) received a letter from Nordic Needle describing the stitching retreat they are having the end of April, and asking if the designers/suppliers/retailers would like to contribute toward a door prize and/or the goody bag that will be given to the 75 stitchers attending this years retreat. I immediately knew I would send some patterns for the door prizes, but then got to wishing I could do something for the goody bags, but providing for 75 people seemed overwhelming. Then I remembered I had a needle book pattern that I designed and never done anything with, so I excitedly brought it out, made some modifications, like adding NN (Nordic Needle) Retreat, and the date, and added a gorgeous heart bead! The patterns are being printed up this afternoon, and I am so excited about this project and gift for the stitchers. This pattern will not be published again by me until 2010, so it will give them a year of exclusive use too!!

Here is a snippet of the pattern. The model is stitched with Sunglow Waterlillies and perle cotton. The theme of the retreat is "All That Glitters" so I added some blending filament to the lettering. I love how it has turned out!

It's amazing how quickly they change!

Silas, 6 weeks old.

Where did the time go?

Well, January is just whizzing by. My calendar tells me there is only one more week to go until February, but I can't seem to wrap my mind around that fact. I seem to spend too much time going to work and sleeping!!! Oh, for more hours in my day!

Alana had her tonsils removed on January 8th, and did remarkably well. She was up playing in the hallway of the hospital that evening. The nurses finally decided to unhook her IV tubes as we were having trouble keeping up with her (pushing around that lovely pole!). Amazingly, she never lost her voice, and spent only about 2 days eating soft food before resuming her normal diet! Oh to have the resilience of a three year old!!!

Gracie is ever the sweet joy she always is. She is learning a few signs along with her spoken words, and is quite proud of herself everytime she uses the sign for "more" correctly. She is getting pretty good at saying "night night" and "baa baa" (bottle).

Silas is growing rapidly, and is already one month old. He's gained quite a bit of weight and is almost 10 lbs. now. It is fun to see him spending more time awake and starting to make eye contact with us.

We have watched two more seasons of "24" since Christmas, finishing up season 4 last weekend. These shows are incredibly addicting and we have to be careful not to start watching a new season until we will have enough time to watch the whole 24 hours (actually about 20 hours of viewing time, minus the commercials) in a few days. It can get quite difficult to turn off the TV and head to bed..."just one more episode and then we will" as it gets later and later, LOL!!!!

Amy and I are in the process of layout for two more designs. One is about 99% done (Sunglow Memories) , and will go in for proof copies this weekend. I still have a lot to work on for the second one (My Child's Heart), but anticipate getting it mostly done this weekend. It feels so good to see the designs come together into a real pattern.

We bought our plane tickets for Maui last week, we will be going for a week to our timeshare on April 24th. We are taking Amy along with us this time, we are excited to introduce her to our favorite places on the island! And it will be fun for Lizzie to have a "companion" this time, freeing up John and I to have more time to ourselves.

John and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in July, so we have decided to spend 6 days in San Francisco to celebrate. It's a city that I have always wanted to visit, and tho I am tempted to go back to Hawaii instead, I think it will be fun to explore a new place. We've seen so many movies set in SF, that I know there will be many places that will be familiar even though we've never been there.

Not much stitching getting done, though I am working on a layout for a new design. I am itching to begin stitching on it...man I miss stitching when I don't get to do it for a long time!!!

Back to Normal, I hope!

Well, the holidays are over. Things are beginning to return to normal, and I hope that they stay that way for awhile. Christmas was so "off" this year. Not bad, just different. Most everyone I talked to said Christmas was good, but it just didn't really seem like Christmas. I can only attribute it (at least in our home) to the fact that two weeks of deep snow and ice really put a damper on activities that make it seem like Christmas...driving around to look at Christmas lights, leisurely shopping, Christmas parties, Christmas Eve services were cancelled at most churches, etc. Add in being stuck at home, the birth of a new grandson, work being closed down, having less money to buy gifts, and the whole season just seemed a little subdued. I am thankful that our whole family was able to get together for Christmas dinner at Mom and Dad's home (23 of us this year!). It was a very nice Christmas and the grand kids loved opening all their gifts. This was our first White Christmas in many many years.

Baby Silas is doing very well, two weeks old now, and starting to put a little weight on. Alana loves to hold him too, Gracie just gets mad if her mom (Amy) holds him...jealousy I think!!! Is there such a thing as sibling rivalry in first cousins??? LOL!!

I have been working a bit here and there when I can on another new design, one I had started some time ago, and put away because...I don't know why. I think I didn't like it anymore, but now I do...and it is coming right along. The working title of it is Beyond the Garden Gate...and has a hardanger fence in front of an embroidery garden. (see preview picture in the sidebar). No ribbon embroidery, just floss in this one, and I am pleased with the results. We have begun the process of the layout for Sunglow Memories and My Child's Heart...just have to finish writing the directions and they will be off to the printer!!!

Happy New Year everyone!

Enough already!!!

It has been snowing here for over a week now. By the looks of the amount of snow accumulating on the outdoor tables and birdbath (see picture) we have well over a foot of the white stuff. We cannot drive our cars as the snow is too deep and the city is unable to plow our neighborhood streets so we can get to the main roads. John rode the bus to work today, a first in our lives, and my office is completely shut down.(there are over 1000 people in my building). The State government has shut down. Schools, thankfully, are on Christmas break. The forecast is for more snow and more snow through the end of the week. It's pretty rare for us to have this much snow for this long, guess this is only the third time since they started keeping track. The last times were in 1949 and 1969. I do remember in 1989 having lots of snow for a few days, and being housebound....but not for this long. Hmmm, it is almost 2009. Interesting 20 year pattern here.

Pretty boring post for anyone not living here in the Pacific Northwest. Sorry. But I feel the need to record this for my history if nothing else.

Looks like we wont be "dreaming" of a white Christmas this year. It will be a reality!!!

Pictures of Silas!

Silas Martin Phillips, born December 19, 2008.

Sharing a birthday with his cousin Holly, and almost with his great grandma Marge (the 20th).

He has arrived!

Announcing, with great pleasure and excitement, the birth of our first grandson, Silas Martin Phillips, born at 1:05 pm on Friday, December 19th. He weighs 7 lbs, 13 oz and is 19 inches long. He looks like a nice combination of his mom and his dad!!
Alli is doing great, the birth went really well. Pictures tomorrow!

Snow, Snow and more snow!

It has been snowing for the past 16 hours now....what a pretty picture!

Can't believe it's almost Christmas!

I've been sadly neglectful of keeping up with this blog in the last month. Beyond being insanely busy, I just haven't felt much desire to write anything. Not sure exactly why...it just kept getting pushed to the bottom of my to-do list.


We had a great Thanksgiving, with lots of the extended family, and even some of son-in-law Chris's family joining us. Gracie and Alana both had birthday's in November, and they had great fun opening presents and eating cake. Alana didn't want it to end, and wouldn't let us take down the decorations for about 2 weeks!







I put up the Christmas tree yesterday, and today it has snowed enough to make everything white...it looks nice and Christmassy around here now. Still can't believe it's only 10 days away. I have a major amount of my shopping yet to do, which is par for the course! It all seems to get done in time every year.


The little stitching I have accomplished this month has been mostly working on new designs. Lacey Thread Designs has had a very good opening, we are quite pleased with how well the designs are selling. Nordic Needle has been very supportive, putting in a large order and they are even taking a couple of our models to the TNNA show in San Diego next month. (My Heart's Garden and Allison's Ring Pillow). It's so exciting to see this all coming together!

We are still waiting for baby Phillips to make his/her appearance (Alli and Chris). Alli's due date is Wednesday, so hopefully very soon! I'll keep you all posted!

Open for Business!

Lacey Thread Designs is open for business!! All of us are so excited to have finally reached this point!You will find 4 beautiful designs in our design catalog. Feel free to order from us online in our shopping cart, and we have a special section just for Shop Owners!!! We have three more designs to be released by the end of year! Quaker Inspirations, Volume 2, will further develop the Quaker theme with a sweet desk set. My Child's Heart, a sweet birth sampler based on My Heart's Garden, brings in the same elements of hardanger and ribbon embroidery. And our third piece, Sunglow Memories, is another design of kloster blocks and pulled thread in a lucious overdyed silk. It is a unique picture frame that needs no cutting, and pictures are easily exchangeable!! Be watching for these great designs!!

First Four Designs Published!

We at Lacey Thread Designs are pleased to announce that our first four designs have been printed and will be available on November 5, 2008!! Here are pictures of the covers of the new designs:

Be sure and check out our web page http://www.laceythread.com/ after November 5th!!!

'Twas a fun evening....

Granddaughters Alana and Gracie and even baby to be born dressed up for a night of parties and merrymaking last night...they all had a great time and came home with loads of goodies and toys...

Gracie dress up as a pink butterfly....

Alana dressed as Cinderella....

And Allison dressed up baby-to-be as a jack o' lantern!!! Isn't that a great idea?