bodner067

Good morning, my stitching friends! It's so hard to believe that 2013 is winding down, isn't it? I hope you all had a joyful Christmas with your families. Ours was just the five of us--very peaceful and relaxing. But, oh, I'd forgotten how much four grown men eat!! It seems like I spent a lot of time in the kitchen... I thought I had more than enough cookies and snacks for the five days everyone was here, but they wiped them out in no time. But, that's good--there's nothing left for me to snack on. I don't know about you, but I'll be doing double treadmill workouts this week (and beyond) to work off the pounds that crept on between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. As always at the end of the year, I'm prone to reflection about the past twelve months--the good, the bad, and the really bad. I can't say I'm sorry to see this year end. There have been some very big bumps in the road, but, in the end, I have the love of my family and the friendsh...

Good morning everyone! And how are you doing today? Two days until Christmas and I'm finally feeling prepared. It's amazing how suddenly everything comes together after weeks of being sure you'll never finish the cards, the decorating, the gift-buying and wrapping, and the baking and grocery shopping. Then you wake up one day, and ahh... it is done and you can just relax and enjoy the holiday with your family. For me, that moment came on Saturday, when my husband helped me wrap the gifts, I put the finishing touches on the tree, and started my baking. Good thing, too because I had to work at the library yesterday and then again today (until 9PM)! I've been working on my final finish of 2013 since my stitching retreat weekend back in late October. I've just picked it up here and there (in between stitching ornaments for friends which I've sent off to all corners of the world), but my goal was to have it finished by Christmas. I put the final stitches in it on F...

Only 8 days 'til Christmas? Who else is nowhere near ready? With my recent trip to New York, I am farther behind than ever...  My husband, thankfully, went with me this time and I was so relieved. Let's just say the driving conditions around Buffalo, NY were less than desirable! My old hometown certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the snowiest cities in the U.S. And then while visiting my mom, it snowed almost the entire three days we were there! Our return trip home on Sunday was slow, but not nearly as bad as the one up. Not the best time of year to visit, but I'm so glad we went when we did. My father, who many of you know suffers from Lewy Body Dementia , had to suddenly be moved from his dementia facility into the hospital. Today, he is scheduled to be moved into a more medically based nursing home. I know my presence helped my dear mother get through this unexpected turn of events. We'll see what happens next... With this disease, you just never know. Bu...

And a frosty good morning to you, my friends! I hope you are enjoying this busy, busy countdown to Christmas. I'm a bit behind on everything because of catching a cold over Thanksgiving. It seemed to be a mild one at first, but turned worse on Friday. I'm usually very healthy and rarely get colds (which, considering all the keyboards, computer mice, books, and such that I touch at work at the library each day, is a minor miracle!). I'm wondering, though, if my illness and hospitalization in August lowered my immune system defenses making me more susceptible to all those nasty germs. I sure hope this isn't a sign of what's to come this winter as it has really zapped my energy and that's not good at this time of year!  I've finally managed to finish my last three ornaments for 2012. Would you like to see them? First up is my October ornament, a Plum Pudding NeedleArt design called "Let It Snow" which can be found in the 2013 Just Cross Stitch Ornamen...