"NO RECIPE'S COMPLETE 'TIL YOU ADD SOME ....LOVE!"

Do you like to cook and bake? I definitely do!

Somedays when I'm preoccupied and busy with other things, cooking might be the last thing on my mind and can be a bit of a chore. There's something comforting about a homemade meal though, regardless of what it is...from a bowl of soup to a roast beef dinner. I'm now sharing these recipes with my daughter who, in her own right, is the "official birthday dinner cook" for her friends at school. She's also sharing a few of her cooking talents with me.  And..talented she is!

I have a picture on my kitchen wall that says, "No recipe's complete 'til you add some love."  Isn't that the truth? Homemade (anything) says "Comfort and Love." Taking those few extra minutes can mean so much!

I've always liked to try new recipes.  When I make something new, it seems the first thing I ask my family is  ,"Well, what do you think, should I make it again?"  Their response is usually positive.  When it's iffy or negative, that's usually the last we see of it.

I have always loved adding my own touches to recipes and making up my own.  I think we all do that...isn't that what makes them unique and special?
Like all of you do, I have my old stand-bys and those that have stood the test of time...many from my dear Mom and Dad.
Thanksgiving is like that. We tend to serve the same foods each year because it's tradition. That's a meal that everyone enjoys and knows that their favorite something will be on the table.

I had a great opportunity recently to attend a book signing by The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. It was held at the Williams Sonoma store at the mall.  For all of you who may watch her on the Food Network, she has the same demeanor in person.  She was charming and took time to chat briefly while signing each book.

You were allowed to have a picture taken while she was signing your book but you weren't allowed to pose with her. Here are a few ...

After the book was signed, we were treated to a small buffet of recipes from her latest cookbook.  Everything was delicious.  The samples were bite sized but were of ample variety to say that we had our LUNCH!

I found a few goodies in her cookbook that just might join "our usual favorites" on the Thanksgiving menu this year :)

Speaking of Thanksgiving, my little turkeys  (The Gobble Couple - Aury) are calling my name.
I'd like to finish them up so they'll be ready for next week....I'm making good progress.  I'll post a pic of my progress in the next few days.

I hope your stitching projects are coming along, too. Time is getting away from me so hopefully, SOME of my Christmas stitching will be finished.

Have a good rest of the weekend dear friends! As always, I appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment :)  I look forward to seeing the inspiring stitching and finishing you are all doing ~

HUGS and STITCHES,

Mary

NOTES OF GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION

Oh, I had a wonderful birthday!  You know the kind of day that you don't want to end?  That was it!!
My day was filled with fun, love and happiness thanks to my entire family.  Thank you dear ones for ALL you did to make it a memorable day for me! Whether you were here or away, you're always in my heart((xo))

Thank you friends, for your thoughtful wishes and emails. I appreciate every one of them.

My first email of the day was a Precious Moments ecard from Shari. It was a sweet start to a great day.  I love it Shari,  as I've had a Precious Moments collection for many years. Ironically at the end of the day, Shari's name was generated as the winner of my giveaway!  Congratulations to a very deserving blog friend.

Two of my dear stitching friends sent me the most amazing treats...

 Myra sent this beautiful project bag and tissue case. The colors are so bright and cheerful.



My "Special One of a Kind" gift!

Myra is a fabulous seamstress and the detail on this bag is lovely, complete with the key charm on the zipper.  What makes it special too, is that she signed and dated the inside of  the bag.  The tissue case matches my purse and adds a special touch to a pack of tissues! Thank you Myra from the bottom of my heart for your kindness.  You are a treasured friend.  I think of you each time I stitch as my latest project now has a "new home!"

My next surprise was from Carol. She sent a variety of linen along with adorable Christmas fabric for finishing my ornaments. Most special was the beautiful ornament that she made, stitched over one. Take a look at this finish...the beaded edge is perfect and the detail is unbelievable. This is my only stitched ornament with our family name on it and is a true treasure. Thank you Carol. I appreciate the time it took to make this for me and will treasure it and our friendship always. The ecard added a special touch too!


"What a treat!"



"A Keepsake"

On the stitching front, I have started the Gobble Couple.  What I have done so far is all one color and not picture ready. Hopefully, this will be a weekend finish since Thanksgiving is just 2 weeks away.



"Santa's Little Helper"

 This is an older piece from Heartstrings( Pat Thode) that I forgot I had....does that happen to you, too?  It came in a kit with 28ct linen. I ran out of the wool for the reindeer and the "new" dye lots didn't match. I can see where...maybe that's why it was put away as my eye kept going to the "spot" and I was actually thinking of ripping it out and starting over..NO....I have too much done and it's almost finished.  I want to frame it for this year and framing deadlines are looming.  THAT'S my incentive for getting this done!  Sorry for the raw pic. It's really cute when it's finished.....and ironed :) The folds make it appear faded but the linen is fine.

You know how I love stitching with beads so this kit from Mill Hill "Gingerbread House" is next on my list.  I can't wait to get started on this one...it just looks like fun. I like to stitch these on 28 ct linen rather than on the perforated paper.  In my opinion, they look better and last longer. That's a plus given the time it takes to complete one.
I'll keep you updated on my progress.

As we celebrate Veterans Day today,  we remember with gratitude the unselfish and brave sacrifices that have been made for our country by our veterans and those currently serving. Please remember in thought and prayer all those who have gone before us, those who may not have come home and those who are away now from loved ones and friends.  Their families have also sacrified in untold ways.

We are the Land of the Free because of the Brave. THANK YOU!
God Bless America!

In some way may our small tokens of gratitude and appreciation make a big difference in someone's life today ~

I appreciate your stopping by and am grateful for the many friends I have made through my little piece of blogland.
I hope you all have a good weekend ahead.
HUGS and STITCHES,
Mary

A WINNER OF A BIRTHDAY....AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNER!!

I had the most beautiful birthday from start to finish thanks to my dear family and friends.
I'll have much more to share about my special day in a weekend post.

Thank you to all of you who left a comment for my first giveaway.

THE WINNER IS....SHARI (Shari's Sharings)

Congratulations Shari....I know you will enjoy your treats....they'll be in the mail this week.

Well, this birthday girl is heading off to sleep. I have so much to be grateful for and thank God for another year filled with so many blessings, dear loves and friends that make my life complete!

Thank you to all who remembered me today with your emails, comments, cards and gifts.  I truly treasure them all   XO

HUGS and STITCHES,
Mary

2 DAYS AND COUNTING... GIVEAWAY!

Just a reminder......my birthday giveaway is this Friday, November 5.

lt's chock full of NEW Christmas and Winter stitching surprises! 

You only need to be a FOLLOWER of my blog to enter.

Please leave your comment on my **NOVEMBER 1st POST**

The winner will be drawn on Friday night....Good Luck to everyone!!

My newest WIP is the Gobble Couple from Aury. Quaker inspired stitching is so pretty, isn't it? It has lots of dimension and beautiful colors.

 I think these little guys are adorable. I'll share my progress as I go along.  Hopefully, they'll "be here" for Thanksgiving.

I hope you all have a good "rest of the week." 

As always, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment and email...I love hearing from you!

HUGS and STITCHES,
Mary

HAPPY HALLOWEEN and MY BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!!!

Happy Fall Everyone!
Happy Halloween to all of my friends who are celebrating the holiday.

October is over and I don't know where the month has gone.  It's been a busy month and I have a few pics to share of what I was fortunate to do these past few weeks.

Columbus Day weekend, my daughter and I traveled to the pumpkin patch.  It has been a yearly tradition for us since my first son was born (in 1987) but now it's just us girls because (understandably so) the boys aren't interested anymore.

We had a beautiful day. Here are some of the pumpkins and mums we saw and brought home.
As we were bringing pumpkins home, my beautiful roses were still blooming despite a night of frost....Isn't God's nature wonderful?

Later that week, I was able to attend the Stitching Jubilee in Lancaster.  I had a wonderful time meeting old friends along with new ones.....Carolyn http://xstitching5.blogspot.com/and Kathy http://stitchinkatspawprintsblog.blogspot.com/ It's nice that our blogging world  can extend beyond our computers, isn't it?  How lucky we all are to have each other to share our love of stitching.
Sad to say, the Jubilee will not be held next year and the vendor list was smaller than in years past.  The vendors that were there were wonderful.   I did add a few things to my stitching collection as pictured here. 

As for my October stitching.... I've been busy making treats for two dear blogging friends who have been so supportive since I have started my blog. I will show them once they are received so as not to ruin their surprises.

And........more October stitches......

This is a Nora Corbett chart that was published in Cross Stitch and Needlework a few years ago.  I stitched it for my daughter, who loves Halloween. The grace of the fairy reminded me of her but it took me almost a full year to complete. It's stitched on 28 ct cream cashel linen and I added blending filament and Mill Hill beads to make it sparkle. I had lots of fun stitching it and adding the special touches to it.
Another fun piece was "Witch Shoes "(Cherry Wood)  It's stitched on 28 ct light green cashel linen and I added my "beading" to the shoes. Sorry, the pic isn't the best. The ruffled border was sewn from fabric I already had and it matched the colors perfectly!

And last but not least, Halloween ends with THE CANDY!!  We have always had a lot of children coming at Halloween in our neighborhood and tonight was no exception.

I went to Target the other day to buy treats to send to my kids at college and when I got home, it seemed that the stash had grown....WHERE was I going with all of this candy??  It reminded me of how much bigger the Christmas tree seems to have "grown" once it gets in the house from what it looked like in the field!

Well, not to worry, it went from this

.....to this....!

I can't guarantee that I won't be tempted tomorrow by what's left .....:)

Don't forget my birthday giveaway is Friday! It's Christmas themed with new stitching goodies and surprises!

Please leave your comment ON THIS POST ONLY.  You only need to be a FOLLOWER to enter so good luck and thank you! Please be sure that I have an email to contact you should you be the winner.

The lucky winner will be drawn on Friday, November 5 at 5 PM

As always, your blogs and comments are inspiring and fun. I appreciate them all!
Thank you for taking the time to visit!

I hope you all have a happy, stitch filled week ahead :)

HUGS and STITCHES,
Mary