Lauren's Memento ~

Dear friend Melinda of Merry Wind Farm reproduces antique samplers and offers them in her etsy shop.  She has reproduced several of my small antique samplers, and Lauren's Memento is the most recent.  Here is the original.  I have it pinned to a piece of an old coverlet draped over the back of a chair . . . why it looks so wonky.

This is what Melinda has to say about the sampler.

"Merry Wind Farm is pleased to present this free chart of an antique German red marking sampler as my Christmas gift to you!  Thank you so much for your support of my humble little reproduction sampler business.  My dear friend Lauren has generously allowed me to reproduce this sampler from her collection.  Her initials are also L F so I have named this Lauren's Memento.  

The German word Erinnerung translates as remembrance, memento, or souvenir.  Perhaps L F stitched this as a souvenir from her school.  I have used Gentle Arts School House Red which is closest to the original.  I have stitched on 35 count Angel Hair linen from Weeks Dye Works with 1 strand over two threads of linen.  Choose a linen and floss from your stash and have a sampler stitched in a few days!  The stitch count is 125 x 162.
Enjoy this with my compliments."

I can't figure out how to attach the PDF to this post, but if you send me an email with sampler in the subject line (so I don't miss it!), I will be happy to send it to you.  It is also available in her etsy shop but etsy would not allow it to be free so she has to charge $1.00 😁

Sorry, I just have to post another comment about the USPS.  In yesterday's mail, I received a Kohls ad and got a 30% coupon.  Please note the dates the coupon is valid ~ and I received this on January 6 😒

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Too Much Stuff ~

I must confess, I love my stuff.  I wish I would purge ~ think that less is more ~ but I think acquiring stuff is in my blood.  My mom had too much stuff, my brother has too much stuff, my sister has too much stuff.  Sometimes the acorn doesn't fall too far . . . sigh.

It's taken 3 days to take down the Christmas decorations.  The house looks so dark and bleak even though I leave the electric candles in the windows and have quite a few other lights burning 24/7.  On today's list is to haul it all up to the attic.  There are roughly 35 boxes (some small and some almost too large/heavy to handle) and about 20 trees to go up.  Then it will take another couple of days to put the house back together.  The biggest challenge may be finding where I put stuff 😁  It's in the attic, basement, cupboards, etc.  As I've said before, I am my own worst enemy.

All the hooking/stitching time I thought I would have didn't happen so really nothing to share just yet.  I am getting close on a couple small things.

As several have mentioned, longer evenings are being welcomed.  Our winter here in northern Ohio has been extremely mild so far.  Temps this week are in the mid to low 30's during the day and the upper 20's at night.  BUT . . . this is so wrong.  It is way too early for things to be sprouting.  Hopefully the daffodil bulbs will not appear.  It is sad when that happens and we get a hard freeze because though they can survive some cold weather, a hard freeze will do them in.

I hope everyone's new year is off to a good if not great start.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Saturday ~

It just doesn't feel like a Saturday.  I know, being retired it is sometimes hard to know what day of the week it is, but with Christmas and New Year's Day being on a Friday, I am totally confused!

Remember Cindy Lou Who, the foster girl, a pug wannabe who I got in December of 2018?  The poor baby who came to me in diapers?  Being treated for a UTI.  TOTALLY misdiagnosed by the vet she saw.

Here she was being taken to another vet because the "UTI" was not improving with the meds she was on.  This picture just cracks me up.  She looks totally pathetic.

It was discovered she had a HUGE bladder stone, filling her entire bladder.

This poor girl must have suffered for years.

She won the pug lottery the day Ohio Pug Rescue came in to her life.  Today she is living the good life with her humans and puggle sister.  Here she is chilling out on her Christmas present.  How I love a happy ending 💖

Hooking and stitching have been extremely slow but I finally finished the cat's paw tree and even got it bound.  It measures 21" x 17 1/2". I am still not wild about it.

A few final Christmas pictures ~

A beautifully painted St. Nicholas by my mom.  One of my most treasured pieces.

USPS finally delivered all my packages, the last of them 2 weeks after they were mailed.  A Christmas card from my brother and DSO who live less than 25 miles from me took 20 days to arrive.  A card was delivered today that was mailed December 10 from Alabama.  I'm sorry, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, but this is totally unacceptable 😠

And I'll end this post with a laugh ~

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Another One Bites the Dust ~

Even though 2020 seemed to be at a standstill, the year flew by.  I am hoping and praying for a MUCH better 2021.  In spite of it all, I have much to be thankful for and I count my blessings daily.  And you, my blog readers, are one of my blessings.  Thank you for following along with me in 2020.

May God bless us in 2021 with much health, happiness and prosperity.  May God bless America.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Antique Sterling Silver ~

When I got married  in 1976, my mom asked me if I'd like to have sterling silver flatware.  My sister had sterling flatware that my mom would add pieces to on a regular basis.  It really was kind of ironic since my mom didn't even have matching flatware.  My answer was an emphatic "NO!".  A number of years later, probably in the late 80's, I decided that I indeed would like it, but my choice was to purchase mismatched pieces at antique shows and shops.  Most of my pieces are antique.  I'm sure some are just vintage.  My favorite pieces are ones with initials, names and/or dates.  

The pieces are so ornate.

The backs are as pretty as the fronts.

Though one of the plainer forks, this one is special.  It says Anna and is dated March 17, 1901.  My favorite aunt's name was Anne and she was born March 19, 1901.  So close.

Teaspoons are just as pretty.

Dated '07 on the front.

And Xmas on the back.

Though only silverplate, I had to buy this spoon.  My father, brother and son are all William.

A few more random pictures from around the house.

No matter the light, any pictures I take of these two blow mold Santas turn out pinkish.

This hard plastic Santa light is only 7" tall.

Thanks so much for stopping by
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

I'm Dreaming ~

 

~ of a White Christmas.  It is not often we have a white Christmas here on Ohio's north coast, and it has been many years since we have had a snowstorm of this magnitude.  

Seven of us were gathered at my house to celebrate the day.  I know some of you may not agree with my decision to host others on Christmas Day.  In life there are no guarantees and we may not all be here to celebrate in 2021, so I was not going to miss the opportunity to spend time with the people most important to me.

The girls were all decked out for Christmas, too.  My brother brought their light up necklaces and they were content wearing them all day.

After everyone had gone home and the dishes finally done (about 10:30 ~ I have no dishwasher and choose not to have help) ~ I just walked around the living and dining area and took a few pictures.

And the saga with my Christmas packages continues.  The package traveling the farthest, 2000+ miles, arrived first.  The second farthest destination, Alabama, the package arrived today.  The package with a destination 125 miles from my house is still "In transit, arriving late".  The one to Virginia is now in Virginia.  I know there are staffing issues due to Covid, but I still find this totally unacceptable.

I hope everyone had a Merry little Christmas no matter how you chose to celebrate it.  We are so fortunate to live in this great land called the USA where we have the freedoms we enjoy.  We must never take them for granted.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Merry Christmas ~

MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL

and to all a good night

May all your Christmas dreams come true.  From my house to your house, I wish you nothing but health and happiness this Christmas season.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren