Framed and ready to hang....

Two posts in one week?!
Wow....but couldn't resist because I got *the* call and just got back from the framers. And of course I can't wait to show off my beautiful framed finishes!

"From Sea to Shining Sea"

A collaboration thread pack series designed by: Little House Needleworks

with silks from: Crescent colours

"Summer by the Shore"

Designed by: Country Cottage Needleworks

I couldn't....

be more pleased, both are framed perfectly and framed using masterpiece glass, so the stitches are not distorted and UV protected. They both are lovely! Now.....where's my hammer?

Until next time....

I'll be stitching by putting "my hands to work and heart to God"!

Love and Hugs,

Merry Skating with the Merry Skater...

Hello Friends :)
Swinging in to show a small finish....this one was my current "car project" and I finished the stitching part last Wednesday, finished the beading Friday evening and finished the finishing last night. She's a cutie, that is for sure and I can mark another off my list of my LHN Monthly Ornaments! Now I just have one more to get done before the Peppermint Twist one lands in my mailbox. I'm proud of myself for halfway keeping up! And boy won't my tree look "all dolled up" come December....yes'siree it surely will!

"The Merry Skater"

Designer: Little House Needleworks ~ Diane Williams

Fabric: 32 ct. remnant

Fibers: DMC

You know....

Diane has announced that the ornament series will continue for 2011, so that's 12 more ornaments!!! Boy oh boy....if I would keep up with LHN's monthly ornaments and then stitch some of the Prairie Schooler Santa's that I really want to do....my tree would be gorgeous! I need to make goals, or hire help :) and....don't forget I have two blogs worth of LHN Monthly Ornament stitchers doing a stitch-a-long...so if you'd like to join us, click on the links in my sidebar to take you to the blog and follow the directions there to be join us!

The weekend....

flew by as usual, I had to work so little "fun" time happened. This week we have our county fair going on, so we'll be checking that out and getting some fair grub. Next weekend we'll be travelling to see the grandparents one last time before school starts. The summer is slowly coming to a close for us, sort of sad, but we've had a super summer and all good things must end. The kids are looking forward to new starts and fresh beginnings....Mama is too ;)

Until next time....

I'll be keeping my "hands to work and heart to God"!

Hugs and love,

My Summer at the Shore....

Hello my dear friends and darling readers!
As I alluded to in my previous post, here's my next project. But as luck was shining down on me, I got it all finished up and ready to model for you! Please let me introduce:

"Summer at the Shore"

Designer: Country Cottage Needleworks ~ Nikki Leeman

Stitched on: 28 ct. Lambswool Linen

Stitched with: DMC and Crescent Colours as pattern calls for

Oh my dears....

I've been stitching my little fingers to the bone to get this all finished up! "Day and night, day and night stitching, stitching by my candlelight." I fell in love with this design the moment my eyes lit upon it because it really and truly looks like the place we stayed at while on vacation this summer. And, I knew the change I would make in the the design to make it my own.

Did you see it?....

did you see that I replaced "Seashells and Sunshine" with "Palm Coast, Florida 2010"? Of course you did...its not hard to miss. But this makes it mine and mine alone and it will always represent the truly awesome vacation that me and mine shared on the beaches of Palm Coast, Florida. It holds such a dear place in my heart! And that's what I thought of the entire time I was stitching this piece - our time spent together as a family on vacation this summer. It shall hold a favored spot on our home walls too.

Don't you think....

taking a design and incorporating something meaningful to you makes it that much dearer to your heart? I do, and I'm sure you've noticed that I incorporate some piece of me into many things I stitch. I like to make my stitching personal, what about you?

Today....

I'll be chauffeuring this delightful piece over to Michael's for framing....(I've got a 60% off coupon burning a hole in my pocketbook!)....and after I get that all finished up and picked out, I'll be chauffeuring 5 kids and my own rear end to the pool. The desert environment plus high humidity has decided to make Indiana its home...heaven's to mercy its *HOT*....so since my house is clean, chores are done, we did light summer "school work" last evening and I've got another finish under my belt....its time to party! I'll be thinking about you, while I work on my tan..... ;o)

Until next time my dear friends....

I'll be keeping my "hands to work and heart to God"!

Hugs and love,

And the winner is.....

Good Morning Friends!
I arose bright and early this a.m. because I have to go to work at the hospital :( my boss is on vacation....

But...
before I left for work, I thought I'd go ahead and get a task out of the way.....So I typed all the names of the people that left a comment on my "Birthday Giveaway" post that wanted to be included in the pot, printed them out, cut them up, folded them up and put them in the bowl (borrowing from Edgar) DESTINY:


There they all are....is your name in the bowl of DESTINY?

Now...

this is the time where I get a little sick to my stomach. Why? Because I want you all to win.....there were so many sweetly written comments.....oh yikes....well no use fretting over it ~ do it quick like pulling off a band-aid ~ here's the pull:

There is the winner.... I wonder who it is? so before I either throw up or soil myself I opened up the square of paper and....

I can't believe my eyes!

SHARON CRESCENT....well what do you know?! The bowl of DESTINY has spoken! And to prove that Sharon is a deserving winner here is the sweet comment that she left to me (it was among many that brought tears to my eyes):

"Happy Birthday Vonna!!! Such a beautiful piece and finishing! I think my favorite thing about you is your positive attitude and your faith. I read your blog to be encouraged and I always leave with a smile. Happy 4th of July, girlie!! Sharon Crescent"


Pretty sweet, eh?!

Congratulations Sharon! I hope that you will enjoy my little project in your home :)

Until next time....

I'm stitching a new project!!! And I'll be keeping my "hands to work and heart to God"! Thank you again to all my faithful followers, readers, friends and family that read my blog. I truly mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say that your place in my life has changed me irrevocably. Have a great rest of the week! I'll be back when I finish this project :)

Hugs and love,

Birthday Goodness...

First off....
a BIG "thank you" for all your birthday wishes to me :) Wow! astounding...thank you :) Each one sent by comment, by e-mail or by facebook has really made me smile. I'm flabbergasted at the kindness each one of you have shown to me. I'm am humbled. Thank you!


Now....
Let me show you what my good friend and bestest bud sent me... Marie P sent a lovely, gorgeous and beautiful gift made especially for me:

The Whitman Sampler Tin Sewing Set

Isn't that.....

GORGEOUS?! I cried when I opened it up because I have this pattern and I have these tins saved back to make for my girls and I've never gotten around to making them, let alone having one for myself. So THANK YOU Marie for taking all the time you did for stitching, finishing and making this set especially for me. THANK YOU! And thanks for those sweet stacked patriotic pillows and all of the COOL extras :) Hugs my friend....you are a star! Everytime my eyes alight on this beauty, I smile thinking about my friend Marie (who is a friend to all)!

Next up....

so sweetly knitted patriotic kitchen cotton dish rags from dear Pam (a.k.a. pjstitcher). Pam doesn't have a blog, but she's a faithful follower of many blogs. She's a real sweetie too and I have enjoyed a friendship with her by e-mail for the last several months. Thank you Pam for your sweet generosity and for remembering my birthday! You are a dear, dear lady and friend :) THANK YOU!

On July 3rd....

I was still sitting in my nightgown at 10 a.m. stitching away because I didn't have to work, my kids were occupied by the television and I thought what the "hay" its a holiday! Then the doorbell rang. I thought it was most likely the neighbor kids since none of our families live close and I wasn't expecting any friends to drop by...so I told my kids to go get the door bell. Well they walked to the door, opened it and said, "What are you doing here?!" Then I heard my 5 year old nephew shout, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT VONNIE!" My Mom, brother, sister-in-law, nephews and a dear family friend, drove 2 hours up to surprise me for my birthday. They brought me flowers and a cake and took me out to eat for lunch. We visited a few hours in the afternoon and then they drove back home. I sure was surprised and so happy that they came to see us! Thank you to my family who drove over 4 hours on Saturday to surprise me! :) That was so much fun!

Here I am...

with my flowers and birthday cake from my extended family:

Bring on the cake!

And here I am with....

my Godson and newest nephew Benjamin! See he already only has eyes for Aunt Vonnie ;o) He thinks Aunt Vonnie rocks!

Aunt Vonnie and Benjamin

July 4th....

was spent at the pool during the day and spent in our driveway shooting off firework during the evening :)

July 5th....

my actual "birth day" started off with being awakened by a little bunny that was crying. She was sick (I thought she'd been coming down with something last Wednesday), by yesterday morning she was full blown sick. So I threw on some clothes, pulled a brush through my hair and we went to the Promptcare Clinic at 8 a.m. She has bronchitis and the Doctor said another day more and she most likely would have had pneumonia....so here's the little bunny Ellie doing what she did all day yesterday:

Sick Ellie

What did I do on my birthday?

My husband took me out to lunch to Cracker Barrel for one of their Country Chef Salads (love those things) then we came back home to this (another cake)....please excuse my hag lady look...this is sans makeup...as I never got around to it after my rousing from bed:

40th Birthday cake (I'm thinking...."I'm sick of cake")

Birthday Wishes...

The afternoon....

was spent cleaning our basement as we had gotten to an "intervention hoarding" level. So we made Keep Piles and Donate Piles all afternoon. We loaded up the van and Keith took the donates to Goodwill....where the man in the donations place said to him, "You're donating all this?" Yep, it was that bad.... But NOW I have a clean basement. So Keith (who just turned 40 on May 14th) and I can start our 40's out with a clean slate!

Again...

my many thanks for your visits and comments, your well wishes and words of wisdom, and everything you share with me!

Until next time...

I'll be keeping my hands to work and heart to God!

Love and hugs,

My Birthday Giveaway...

Good Day my dear friends and readers....
May I also wish a happy 4th of July to my United States of America brethren! I hope there is a doodle in your Yankee as you celebrate our country's birthday!

Tomorrow....
on July 5, 2010 is my 40th birthday. Good thing is, I don't feel any different in any way from today than I felt 19 years ago when I turned 21.....or 24 year ago when I turned sweet 16....I honestly feel the same and arise each morning filled with that same happiness and hope that I felt when I was a much younger me. I have been blessed with many things throughout my 40 years on this earth, but most especially my health, my faith, my family and my flag. So to celebrate 40 years of Vonna :) *hardy har, har...* I stitched a wee little pretty to represent me and without further ado here it is:

"Summer House"

Designed by: Little House Needleworks ~ Diane Williams

Found in: "Something Old Something New" leaflet Pack

Fibers: Crescent Colors (cotton)

Fabric: 28 ct. Summer Sky Belfast

This design....
is perfect for my birthday giveaway because it sums up everything about me. I love Little House Needleworks, I love my home, my birthday is in the summer and I love my country. Perfect, yes?

If you would like a chance....
to win my 40 years of Vonna giveaway, please follow these directions to the letter to have your name submitted:

1. Leave a comment on this post only
2. Make sure your e-mail is in the comment please (commenter's that do not leave their e-mail with their comment or have it associated with their blogger id when a post is left, will not be included in the drawing)
3. Please do not advertise this giveaway, I am not interested in gaining more followers, rather my intent is to celebrate my 40th birthday with my faithful followers, readers and friends of this blog.

So....
leave a comment and let your name be thrown into the hat of destiny! This giveaway will end on:

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

the lucky winner will be announced that day.

Please tune in tomorrow....
when I get to (at last) show you all some lovely, gorgeous presents that I received from some dear friends. I've been waiting to show them on my actual birthday!

In closing...
I want to express my most sincere,heartfelt thank you to YOU my readers and my followers. Each comment that you leave, each e-mail that you send, each friendship I have gained has touched my life irrevocably. Thank you for making an old woman smile!

Until next time....
I'll be keeping my "hands to work and heart to God".
Love and hugs,

From Sea to Shining Sea....

Hello Again.....
my dear friends! At the culmination of our July 1st Canada festivities, I knew I was *this close* to wrapping up my current WIP that I kept a secret from you all. So I awoke this morning bright and early and got to work and finished this beautiful, wonderful project. Without further ado, may I present to you:

"From Sea to Shining Sea"

Collaboration Thread Pack Series

Designed by: Little House Needleworks ~ Diane Williams

Silk Threads Provided by: Crescent Colours ~ Sharon Crescent

Stitched on: 28 ct. Belfast color: Summer Sky

I started....

this beauty while travelling to Florida on our summer vacation. The reason I chose it was because, as you stitched you travelled from West to East Coast and although I wasn't travelling that direction, I was travelling from the Midwest, to the mountains of the Appalachia and on to the sands and water of the beach. I thought it poignant. You know me and my deep thoughts....

I also decided to pack these thread packs because....

ease of travel. I only had six little packs to take that already contained all the threads and the patterns ~ all I had to provide was the fabric, needle and will power to stitch it. EASY! I put everything inside the same little bag that each individual pattern came in and I was good to go. So when you are travelling this summer...give the idea a whirl. The collaboration thread packs are perfect travelling companions.

Crazily....

like all of us mad hatter stitchers that have this idea that "Oh that's not so much to stitch..." or "I'll be done with this in a snap" I thought (stupidly) that I could get the majority of this done by the time I returned home from vacation. Why don't you all join me in a round of maniacal laughter!? What was I thinking? I didn't even get the border done prior to our return trip home cause I was too busy....vacationing! :)

However....

no matter, because once I got home and this beauty started coming to life as I finished pack after pack, I slowly started falling in love. By the last X made just a few short minutes ago, I can firmly say, I am totally in love with this piece. Does it not just scream "Vonna"? Does it not just say, "Hang me there on Vonna's wall"?! Oh I've got ideas for you my precious....many ideas. And the first is to get you all framed up using my coupon from Michael's. Soon my pretties....soon.....

So....

that's a wrap! Now its off to herd my kiddos into bathing suits, pack a cooler and slather on some sunscreen because we're off to the pool, baby! It's FRIDAY! Yeah!

Until next time...

I'll be keeping my "hands to work and heart to God"...

P.S.

This great land of ours is varied and wonderful. A site to behold, but just for the record books - I'm proud of my little piece of the pie and my Mid-Western roots. There is no place like home!

Love and hugs,

O Canada....

Thanks....
to my good buddy and dear stitching friend Kathy A who sent me a big 'ol goodie bag full of Canadian Treats, my kiddos and I are happily celebrating Canada Day!

We started off the day...
learning about Canada and its history, here my little pupils sit taking notes using their Canada pencils that Kathy included in our goodie package along with other festive goodies that we are wearing today to enhance our Canadian spirit!

At the noon bell....
we happily took our festivities outside and waved at all passers by while we gustily sang, "O Canada..." We got a few odd looks, but heck we didn't care....we filled our lungs with fresh Indiana air and sung our hearts out!

O Canada!
Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Then....
we came inside and had some lunch because singing and showing our Canadian spirit made us hungry! What did we have for lunch you ask? Why, Canadian Bacon Sandwiches with lettuce and tomato on a lovely crusty bread!

Then....
while I was photographing the sweet pillows that Kathy A. stitched and made for us, my kids and I were practicing our Canadian accents. We thought we got pretty good, eh?



A BIG......
hearty THANK YOU to my friend Kathy A. and her wonderful package that we are using to celebrate Canada Day! So get in the spirit dear friends and celebrate, eh?! .....there goes that Canadian accent again! ;o)

Until next time....
I'll be keeping my "hands to work and heart to God"!
Hugs and Love,