Just another recipe box...

that I recently made as a gift. So far, I have made seven of them. It was supposed to be finished by Christmas, but I didn't quite make it. Anyway, it's nice to receive a gift in January, and I believe she likes it, so it all turned out okay. I originally hand wrote all of my favorite recipes and then scanned them. Now it's a piece of cake to print them off whenever I need to.

Isn't she a beauty?

She may be a he for all I know, but regardless, I love this print. I wish I could say that I painted it, but that would be a lie. I mail ordered it awhile back, and it now hangs in our master bathroom. Years ago, I had a thing for cows. Everything in my kitchen was covered with black and white spots. The mere thought of it now makes me a bit nauseous, but I loved it back then. Currently, I'm captivated by sheep. I don't have a lot of items, just a few here and there. My adoration started even before I travelled to the UK and saw thousands of them while driving through the countryside. I am admittedly jealous of anyone who can look out their window and see such a view on a regular basis. There's just something so serene and pictorial about sheep contentedly dining on a grassy hillside. Oh well...maybe in another life I'll have a few or even a flock of the woolly ones.

First sampler finish...

of 2008. Thank goodness, it is done. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't enjoy stitching borders. This sampler had plenty of just that. I thought it stitched up pretty quickly, but the verse was done over one on 40ct. Vintage Lentil by Lakeside Linen. I tried to take advantage of as much natural light as possible to complete that part. It was either that, or risk being permanently cross eyed. Now that it is finished, it will take it's place with the others on my ever changing wall. As for me, I'm on to the next...

Happy Birthday, Kasey...

we can't choose our relatives, but I'm sure glad my son chose you. Have a wonderful day.

Contrasts...

The leaves are falling fast from our Arizona Ash tree, exposing the feeders and birdhouses. For anyone who is dealing with normal winter weather, it may seem odd that this happens at this time of the year instead of in the fall. Just like a new year, it's out with the old, and in with the new. It won't be bare for very long though. By March, new buds will be appearing, and the birds will once again have a shaded place to flit from branch to branch.










On the other side of the yard, my roses are still blooming. I think they are especially beautiful when newly kissed with raindrops. They are planted next to rosemary bushes, and when the air is fresh and crisp from rain, the combination of fragrances is wonderful.

A new dawn...

a new day...a new year. What will 2008 bring? Let us hope and pray for peace in the world, prosperity to all, happiness and good health for you and those you love. Happy New Year.